DIY… Gin?

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Yes, friends. DIY gin.

Mr. Lovely happens to have a soft spot in his heart for a good swig of gin. (I think he thinks it’s manly and debonair. Lucky for him, I agree.) His good pal and business partner recently sent over The Homemade Gin Kit, and no joke — my dude’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning.

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First of all, did you know that gin is basically vodka with botanicals infused in it? I definitely did not. I’m not a huge fan of vodka, and we happened to have a big extra bottle of it laying around, so planets aligned and we were pumped. And it was super easy. I’ll spare you all the DIY details in case you want to buy the kit. But basically, you pour the vodka in a bottle with dried juniper berries and let it sit for 24 hours. Add some dried botanicals (the kit included bay leaves, lavender, coriander, rosemary, rose hips, allspice, fennel, lemon peel, green cardamom, and tellicherry black pepper — phewph!) and let it sit for another 12 hours. Strain it, and BOOM. Gin.

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We were kind of surprised that it turned a light honey color. You hear gin and you think clear. We read some reviews that said you can run it through a Brita filter a few times to get it clear, but I kinda like the backwoods hooch color. Makes me feel legit. And this stuff had some craaaaazy flavor. Can gin be spicy? Because this stuff is. If we do it again, I might leave the botanicals in there for about half the time. But it’s amazing for making really fun, fancy cocktails. Maybe I’ll put together a snazzy recipe and share.

So! Have you ever made your own booze? Do tell! I’d love to try another recipe. xoxo

P.S. Check out my latest post on The Neighborhood! Did you know we live in the future?

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16 Comments

  1. This is such a cool idea. I saw a lot of the kits to age bourbon, but not to make gin. This would make a great gift for several of my friends. Thanks~

  2. I had no idea gin was made from vodka! In a way, it’s a little like tea… but muuuuch stronger haha

  3. Well, this is fun! I’ve never made my own booze before…you’ve clearly hit a new level of DIYing and I like it.You should bring some to Alt for our dance party. 🙂

  4. What?!!? No way. Mind. Blown. I had no idea!!!!! Now I just need to figure out how to DIY Elderflower because I loveeeeee Elderflower and Gin- soooo good!!!

  5. Yes! I just got this new book, Homemade Liquours & Infused Spirits by Andrew Schloss, and I’ve got some Kahlua in the works that I’ll be posting about soon!

    You can pretty much make anything. It’s totally rad.

  6. This is awesome! I saw a kit online this Christmas and thought it would be a great idea. My boyfriend’s favorite drink is with Gin.

    Emily
    eageremily.blogspot.com

  7. This is so cool, and I had no idea it was possible! I love gin, so I must get my hands on this kit ASAP:)

  8. This looks like a lot of fun! We’re fans of infusing vodka with fresh fruit in the summer. Toss in some berries, let it sit in the fridge for two weeks or so. Ah-mazing. I especially like blueberry-infused vodka mixed with a bit of 7Up.

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