Your favourite Gin Recipe

[Arismac]

I have decided to press my essential oil pot still (see my Avatar) into service to play with making Gin. I have quite a large range of botanicals available and will make in two litre trial batches.

Is anyone is willing to share their favourite recipe(s)? Many thanks

[scythe]

Blondechaps great gin seems to get a fair go here.
Most people adjust it from there pending their individual taste but most start with the standard recipe.

[Professor Green]

Odin's Easy Gin is a cracker too. You'll need to google that one as the recipe is not in the AD recipe section.

[warramungas]

Odin's Easy Gin is a cracker too. You'll need to google that one as the recipe is not in the AD recipe section.

:text-+1:

[The Dark Alchemist]

Odin's Easy Gin is a cracker too. You'll need to google that one as the recipe is not in the AD recipe section.

:text-+1:

:clap:

My favourite aside from OEG:

I was looking for a liquorice style gin, and found "City of London No2 (Christopher Wren)" gin botanical list which I tried to replicate based on standard gin bill of material qtys
Qty (L) 1l 45%
Method Mascerate and Boil

Juniper Berries 20 g
Coriander 10 g
Angelica Root 2 g
Licquorice Root 2 g
Sweet Orange 0.2 g
Method
Mortar and pestle botanicals, then macerate for 3 days. Dilute to 30% and redistill with botanicals in boiler.

My second favourite, when looking for a Rosemary hero, found a botanical list that gave me a fresh and beautiful Rosie's Gin - fab with a sprig of rosemary for garnish and a leg of lamb!
Qty (L) 1L 42%
Method Mascerate and Boil

Juniper Berries 20 g
Fennel Seeds 0.75 g
Whole Allspice 0.75 g
Coriander Seeds 10 g
Cardomom Pods 4 g
Peppercords 2 g
Torn Bay Leaf 1 EA
Small Sprig Lavender 1 EA
Large Sprig Rosemary 1 EA
Small Piece of Dried Lemon Peel 1 EA
Method
Add botanicals into masceration jar. Add neutral, stir and leave for 48Hrs to infuse, stirring a couple of times.

Then have a crack at a sloe gin recipe, based off Odin's Gin - another great option.
Qty (L) 2L 26%
Method Mascerate and Filter
Botanicals
Odin's Easy Gin 1 L
Dried Sloes 500 g
Caster Sugar 250 g
Warm Water 250 ml
Method
Rehydrate Sloes:
Submerge the dried sloes for several hours in a small quantity of warm water, just enough so they become hydrated and plumped out. Keep any residual water. Don’t use Gin to soak the sloes! (This will kill the Enzymes retained in the skins and reduce the effectiveness of the essential alcohol production when combined with the sugar.)
Infusion:
Treat as normal sloes in your recipe and add any remaining sloe infused water saved from the hydration process. Ensure the hydrated sloes are ready to give up their juice and enzymes; pricking the skins may benefit this procedure but may not be as essential as with freshly picked thick skinned Sloes from the hedgerow.
Put the sloes with the residual water into a sterilised Half Gallon Jar, pour in the caster sugar and the Gin, seal tightly and shake well.
Store in a cool dark place and shake every other day for a week then shake once a week for two months.

The Sloe Gin will now be a beautiful dark red colour and ready to drink. It will age gracefully so try to leave some for enjoyment in the Summer months too!

Syphon out finished gin into bottles and leave. Use slurry and add 1.2L of 25% OEG and leave to age for 2 months to utilise rest of Sloe/ Sugar/ Gin mixture. Try blending Gen 1 and Gen 2 product to optimise flavour."

Then once all colour extracted, use old sloes with juniper, coriander and mandarin to macerate and redistill to get a 4th option I call my Sloe Infusion.

Most of these were copied/ adopted from the internet, so more than happy to share....

Hope these provide some inspiration......

[Arismac]

Wow ... Thank you so very much for this. It is going to keep my co-moonshiner very, very happy putting these together. I can see me having to book time on my own essential oil still.

[Adrnlnrush]

Sorry to do a small hijack but what stills are people using to test small botanical runs, I've got a 50l keg and as much as I like to do a run in it, I'm wanting to know what's out there that's smaller to test 2-5l batches

[Arismac]

We have been doing small test runs of one or two litre recipes in our essential oil pot still. It is great because we waste less and can fine tune without having to throw heaps of ingredients away when a recipe fails. A$310.00 is not very much when you consider the price of some of the more expensive herbs (botanicals).

A good set of scales down to 0.1grm can be useful as well.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Essential-Distillation-Apparatus-Glassware-Distiller/dp/B0787SSLY1/ref=asc_df_B0787SSLY1/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341792399930&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14493255941775378498&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9070591&hvtargid=pla-739193089165&psc=1

[Sam.]

We have been doing small test runs of one or two litre recipes in our essential oil pot still. It is great because we waste less and can fine tune without having to throw heaps of ingredients away when a recipe fails. A$310.00 is not very much when you consider the price of some of the more expensive herbs (botanicals).

A good set of scales down to 0.1grm can be useful as well.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Essential-Distillation-Apparatus-Glassware-Distiller/dp/B0787SSLY1/ref=asc_df_B0787SSLY1/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341792399930&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14493255941775378498&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9070591&hvtargid=pla-739193089165&psc=1

Arismac, I know you have worked in an industry where these items are common place.

For everyone else watching this. What would you think if you are buying a glass still like that and super accurate small scales? :law-policered:

If you try and buy a glass lab still like that through a proper lab equipment place you will need an account first which comes with a police check.

If your buying shit like that online please be careful.

[bluc]

Yes even certain filter papers can send up flags especially when getting them sent to a home address. Afaik only piece glassware your allowed to legaly buy in qld without a police check is a conical beaker. Like one used by beer brewers for yeast starters. From memory even a stir plate will ring bells if bought from some places..

[bluc]

Distilling alcohol in them is a bit of a hazzard when not in a fume/fire hood.
Unrelated I know but a friend pulled their roast outta the oven in pyrex dish and when it was put on the counter it exploded. Lab stills can and will do the same thing...

[Rolls912]

A raid from the cops would be fun... imagine the commotion.

I highly doubt they would take Arismac away in cuffs being the fine model citizen that he is... :laughing-rolling:

[Sam.]

A raid from the cops would be fun... imagine the commotion.

I highly doubt they would take Arismac away in cuffs being the fine model citizen that he is... :laughing-rolling:

I wouldn’t joke about it mate, at the end of the day you are tax dodging federal government excise.

If the ATO wants you it will be the feds kicking your door in not the local copper coming over for a chat.

[Adrnlnrush]

So would making a pressure cooker set up with copper cooling box be something that would suit?

Or the 5l SS reflux

Pictures as examples

[The Dark Alchemist]

Wow ... Thank you so very much for this. It is going to keep my co-moonshiner very, very happy putting these together. I can see me having to book time on my own essential oil still.

Happy to give back to the community. :dance:

[The Dark Alchemist]

Sorry to do a small hijack but what stills are people using to test small botanical runs, I've got a 50l keg and as much as I like to do a run in it, I'm wanting to know what's out there that's smaller to test 2-5l batches

I use my T-500, with 25L boiler, even for batches of 1L. I just add water to make 3-5L and then run it slow.... No issues to date....

Smallest batch I've made was 0.5L - fortunately, no element so as long as there's enough liquid at the end, then I'm ok....

[Adrnlnrush]

Sorry to do a small hijack but what stills are people using to test small botanical runs, I've got a 50l keg and as much as I like to do a run in it, I'm wanting to know what's out there that's smaller to test 2-5l batches

I use my T-500, with 25L boiler, even for batches of 1L. I just add water to make 3-5L and then run it slow.... No issues to date....

Smallest batch I've made was 0.5L - fortunately, no element so as long as there's enough liquid at the end, then I'm ok....

Thanks Alchemist - Ive got a 50l keg and a plate boka or an old relfux with the standard element so I might have to look at some other easier options

[woodduck]

Forget the pressure cooker unless it's stainless and has a alcohol tolerant seal like silicon or epdm. Aluminium isn't any good for stills.

A reflux still is no good for gin mate. You will need one to make the neutral that you use for gin but then you'll need a pot still to make the gin.

[Arismac]

We have been doing small test runs of one or two litre recipes in our essential oil pot still. It is great because we waste less and can fine tune without having to throw heaps of ingredients away when a recipe fails. A$310.00 is not very much when you consider the price of some of the more expensive herbs (botanicals).

A good set of scales down to 0.1grm can be useful as well.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Essential-Distillation-Apparatus-Glassware-Distiller/dp/B0787SSLY1/ref=asc_df_B0787SSLY1/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341792399930&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14493255941775378498&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9070591&hvtargid=pla-739193089165&psc=1

Arismac, I know you have worked in an industry where these items are common place.

For everyone else watching this. What would you think if you are buying a glass still like that and super accurate small scales? :law-policered:

If you try and buy a glass lab still like that through a proper lab equipment place you will need an account first which comes with a police check.

If your buying shit like that online please be careful.

I respect your point of view but the truth of the matter is that my supplier has sold heaps in Australia without hassle. It is simply now possible to buy the same unit via Amazon for about A$200.00 less than I paid. I do not agree that a lower price means "s**t" quality. The "super accurate" scales cost me $28.50 from K-Mart.

I belong to a large network of amateur home cosmetic makers where essential oil extraction is a core part of development production. As an example I am probably still alive because some time ago a similar group put the Foxglove "digitalis purpurea" through a small pot still which led to a drug called Digoxin. This is a must take for the great majority of people who have atrial fibrillation.

My own group has produced an excellent topical cream from White Kunzea "kunzea ambigua" which is helping many people who suffer from muscle and joint pain. Try 95% of people my age. Another couple to research is "Arnica montana" and "Terminalia ferdinandiana" both of which have become very sought after therapeutic medicines and registered with the TGA in Australia.

I have never taken an illicit drug in my life except if you count Cannabis before it became illegal to do so and I have truly never heard of anyone getting checked out because they own or have purchased a 2 litre pot still.

[Arismac]

Should have mentioned that we enjoy our cosmetic formulation hobby but the more serious side says that one of our group has recently sold a formula for A$2.7m to a leading USA cosmetic company. You can buy an awful lot of 2 litre stills for that and don't forget the Lady Gin Stiller in NSW who has "struck it rich" with her Gin recipe. :))