Gin Recipe

Measure and prepare botanicals

Weigh all botanicals accurately. Lightly crush juniper berries, coriander seeds, and cardamom pods in a mortar or with the back of a spoon to open oils but avoid pulverizing. Zest citrus with a peeler or zester, removing as little of the bitter white pith as possible. Break larger roots into small pieces if needed.

Choose method

This recipe uses a maceration + vapor infusion approach suitable for home infusion without a copper still. If you have a small still, proceed with full distillation (see optional note). Otherwise use the maceration and gentle re-distillation (or heavy infusion) method described below.

Combine the 700 ml neutral spirit and the base botanicals (juniper, coriander, angelica, orris, orange peel, lemon peel) in a clean glass jar with an airtight lid. Add any optional accents you choose to include. Seal the jar and shake gently.

Let botanicals macerate for 12–24 hours at room temperature, tasting at intervals (use a spoon and a small amount of spirit). Juniper should be dominant but balanced with citrus and coriander. If you prefer brighter citrus top notes, limit maceration to 8–12 hours; for deeper spice and root character, go up to 24 hours. Do not exceed 48 hours to avoid excessive bitter extraction.

After maceration, strain the spirit through a fine mesh sieve or coffee filter into a clean vessel to remove solids. For a more refined clarity, filter again through a paper coffee filter or cheesecloth. Reserve the strained botanicals if you plan to re-distill.

If you have a small copper still or spirit run apparatus: transfer the macerated spirit to the boiler and perform a light spirit run (heads, hearts, tails separation). Collect the heart fraction where the desirable gin flavors are concentrated, typically middle cut after the initial heads (discard first ~2–5% by volume as heads if running higher ABV). Aim to collect ~600–650 ml of heart at ~60–75% ABV depending on your equipment. Then dilute with filtered water to desired bottling strength (typical 40–45% ABV).

If you do not distill: perform a second gentle infusion to round the flavors. Add an additional 50–100 ml neutral spirit to the strained macerate and briefly rest 6–8 hours, then filter carefully. This will yield a more pronounced flavor but will not replicate distillation. Dilute with filtered water to 40–45% ABV using measured amounts (see proofing step).

To dilute to roughly 43% ABV from your spirit: measure the ABV of your distilled or macerated spirit (hydrometer or alcoholmeter). As a general guideline, to lower from ~70% to 43%, add approximately equal parts water by weight/volume; adjust based on measurement. If starting from 40–50% neutral spirit and using maceration only, you will likely already be near bottling strength after dilution. Add the 200 ml filtered water gradually, mix, then measure ABV and adjust until desired strength (40–45% ABV).

Rest the gin in a sealed bottle for at least 48 hours (preferably 1–2 weeks) to allow flavors to integrate and any remaining harsh notes to mellow. After resting, taste and if needed, do a final light filtration through a paper filter to remove any particulate and then transfer to clean bottles for storage.

Serve neat as a tasting pour (30–45 ml) at room temperature or slightly chilled. Use as a base for classic cocktails: gin & tonic (1 part gin to 3 parts tonic, garnish with lime or grapefruit), martini (6:1 gin to vermouth, garnish with lemon twist or olive), or gimlet (2:1 gin to fresh lime cordial).

Store bottles in a cool, dark place. Homemade gin will keep indefinitely when sealed, but best aromatic quality is during the first 1–2 years.