As a nation of gin drinkers and lovers, lots of people are naturally curious about how their favourite alcoholic beverage is actually made. This curiosity has seen the increase in gin distillery tours all over the country and it has also led to people wanting to make their own gin at home.
Whilst the process of using a gin making kit at home will differ from the way a commercial distillery makes their gin, some of the steps aren’t too dissimilar. Of course, there are certain things that need to happen for ingredients to be made into gin and understanding these can help you with your own in-home gin experiments. Keep reading today to understand more about how gin is actually made.
The basics of gin production
In short, the most common production method for gin is to ferment a base grain such as wheat or barley. This fermented grain mixture is then distilled with botanicals, such as juniper, citrus peel, cinnamon, almond or liquorice along with water until the alcohol level and balance of flavours meets the required/desired levels.
Due to the fact it is illegal to distil alcohol in the UK unless you have a licence and approval when making gin at home, the process will be slightly different and much quicker.
Gin is flavoured vodka
Really, gin is essentially just flavoured vodka. So, when you’re making gin at home, you can skip a few steps that the big distillers undertake. You can get a beautifully flavoured gin by simply ‘steeping’ the botanicals (the herbs, seeds, flowers, plants or spices) you want to use in a pre-bought base spirit, which is very often vodka.
It is important that the base alcohol you choose to use at home is neutral in taste so that the flavour of the botanicals can come through properly.
Juniper berries are at the heart of gin
To put it simply, you can’t have gin without juniper. The predominant flavour of this drink must be of juniper, otherwise, by law, the drink can’t actually be defined as gin.
This is why you will see both gin and gin liquors on the shelf of a supermarket. Due to the fact that the gin liquor does not have juniper as its main flavour, amongst other things, is why it can’t just be called gin.
The possibilities are endless with gin
As mentioned above, all gin uses juniper as its main ingredient. However, after that, there really are very few limits to the hundreds of ingredients a professional distillery can use or that you can use at home too.
Some classic gins have as few as three or four botanical flavours, whereas others will have dozens in their recipes. Due to this, no two gins are alike, this diverse spirit can be made in thousands of different ways.
Making your own gin
Now that you understand more about the process of making gin, if you would like to have a go yourself visit the Vemacity website today. We supply the ultimate gin making kit which is the perfect place to start for all gin enthusiasts. With their complete kit, you will be able to make up to 10 bottles of your own unique gin. It contains all of the essential botanicals and gin accessories to make delicious classic, colour-changing and pink gin in the space of 3 days.
Whilst purchasing a kit to make your own gin, why not invest in some new luxury gin glasses too so, you can enjoy your own gin in the best way possible? Vemacity also has gin glasses for sale on their website meaning you can get everything you need for the perfect drink all in one place. So, whether you’re looking to invest in a gin making kit and/or buy gin glasses, head over to the Vemacity website today.