Non-alcoholic Gin

[Carol]

I was browsing tonic waters in Dan Murphys the other day and noticed that they sell non-alcoholic gin. (It is still $40+ a bottle). I assume that the distilling process is similar to alcoholic gin but the ethanol is replaced by water. Just curious if any one has tried to make "gin" this way.

Cheers
Carol

[MaKa]

Hi Carol,

I think it's more difficult than just replacing the ethanol with water. The botanical oils are not as soluble in water, so replicating the flavour would require a bit of tweaking. I'm guessing you would have to play with botanical loadings and preparation to get the flavour extraction that you want.

Are you planning on trying to give it a go?

[Carol]

Hi MaKa
It is on my list of interesting things to try one day. I have much to learn about distilling alcohol first.
But thinking out loud - maybe brewing it as "tea" and then putting it through the air still just to see what happens.

Carol

[Professor Green]

Sounds like a waste of good botanicals to me!

[MaKa]

I have a feeling it's not as simple as that but I guess it's worth a shot

[Carol]

Yes - I am sure it won't be as simple as that or there would be lots of non-alcoholic gins on the market at way less than $40. Thinking out loud (again) i might start with some kind of flavoured tea (cheap and cheerful) and see what happens when the brewed tea is distilled. If the end result does not carry much of the flavour of the brewed tea then I can cross that method off the list before using more expensive botanicals. I will think about it some more.

Cheers
Carol