Great Gin Recipe Discussion

[TheMechwarrior]

You can use fresh if you have it available.
As a substitute for dried peel, Four Pillars use whole Australian oranges.

[MacStill]

Mech!

There's a PM I sent you some days ago that remains unread, it would be nice if you could at least read it.... no response is required, but you could at least be courteous enough to read it. ;-)

[the Doctor]

Are all the herbs and spices that go in to this dried? Obviously citrus peels will be fresh but for things like the ginger and dill?

Cheers

We use a combination of both fresh and dried citrus peel, as they impart very different attributes. Some of the rarer varieties like Sicilian Bitter Orange and Cuaracao are only available dried.
Doc

[Frothwizard]

Well the nutritionist told the Mrs she's not allowed to drink anything that's directly fermented...so she's started a Gin habit.

Just ordered all the necessary botanicals online.

@Mac - Finally got to try out that copper today and it packs in there so nicely. So much better than the crappy scrubbers I was using. The neutral was good before, A+ now! Perfectly timed for this recipe.

[JDB]

So I ran this for the first time, with the botanicals in a mesh container in the unpacked section of my 2" bokka still, no and ideal setup but all I have. I ran it a little slow, collecting at about 65%. End result was quite nice, with a big changes from start to end, with the nice citrus notes in the first few jars, then transitioning to a heavy/strong gin for most of the run. Think I ran it to slow, resulting in lots of oils falling down into the boiler and really upping the oily (Juniper?) flavours later in the run. Going to have another crack, but with more citrus and just run flat out. Lucky I like strong gins, and now have huge jars of botanicals to play with!

[bt1]

Love the sound of success!

consider running different botanicals mix, then blending different front end cuts with the same base = multiple Gins from same runs.

Good luck and enjoy!
bt1

[dogbreath vodka]

Just a quick question Bt1
How much rose petal were you using in the recipe?

Did it make much of an impression?
I've been drinking Traders Gin and the rose is dominant,,,, I like it.
So am trying to do similar but with the rose not so prominent.

DBV

[RefluxEd]

Just a quick question Bt1
How much rose petal were you using in the recipe?

Did it make much of an impression?
I've been drinking Traders Gin and the rose is dominant,,,, I like it.
So am trying to do similar but with the rose not so prominent.

DBV

I do gin using 92% clean spirit diluted back to 40% and run it through a 2 inch column that expands to 4 inch where the dilly bag full of botanicals sit.
For the rose I use whole rosebuds bought from a local Indian grocery. For a 45 litre batch I use 3g of buds which works out to 6 buds.The rose flavours must be heavy oils because they come through last when the ABV gets below 30% You start tasting the rose at 30% and it ramps up to strong rose around 22% and then gets watery and doesn't taste so good at 15%.
It's best to do cuts from 30% and blend in the rose portion afterward. Most people that try the final product cannot distinguish it from a Hendricks gin. The girls really love the perfume. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[P3T3rPan]

Just a quick question Bt1
How much rose petal were you using in the recipe?

Did it make much of an impression?
I've been drinking Traders Gin and the rose is dominant,,,, I like it.
So am trying to do similar but with the rose not so prominent.

DBV

I do gin using 92% clean spirit diluted back to 40% and run it through a 2 inch column that expands to 4 inch where the dilly bag full of botanicals sit.
For the rose I use whole rosebuds bought from a local Indian grocery. For a 45 litre batch I use 3g of buds which works out to 6 buds.The rose flavours must be heavy oils because they come through last when the ABV gets below 30% You start tasting the rose at 30% and it ramps up to strong rose around 22% and then gets watery and doesn't taste so good at 15%.
It's best to do cuts from 30% and blend in the rose portion afterward. Most people that try the final product cannot distinguish it from a Hendricks gin. The girls really love the perfume. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Are those fresh rose buds or dried please?

[RefluxEd]

Hi PeterPan,
Yes, dried rose buds from Hindustan Imports in Dandenong.

[P3T3rPan]

Hi PeterPan,
Yes, dried rose buds from Hindustan Imports in Dandenong.

Thank you
Has anyone tried fresh ?
Or is that a stupid idea ?

[dogbreath vodka]

Thanks Peter
I am looking at a run later in the week. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

DBV

[bt1]

Only ever use fresh...better preserves the sent and oils.

Give it a crack...

bt1

[P3T3rPan]

thanks BT1
That was how I was thinking but had to ask

[spoonjab]

I hope you are washing store bought roses as a mate of mine used to grow them and he was always spraying pesticides on them

[bt1]

Spraying roses...geez it's my back yard not a bloody factory...wtf is a spray for anyway?

cut the most fragrant little head up, dice the hell out of it chuck it in = Winner!

While you at it try these... they all work just avoid any tomcat pissed on ones... you can tell em a mile away :handgestures-thumbupleft:
lavender flowers blue just a few cos they dominate
Banksia stamens the Red Wattle Brush flowers... yeh those growing every where
Wattle flowers
wild plums, peppers, limes. Apple berries,Kurragong toasted seeds, Lemon myrtle, Pig face, native figs, Grevilleas, Hibiscus, macadamia nuts,Bluebells
Clover flowers
Sour Sobs for tart
mint leaves
lemon grass
lilly pilly 1 or 2 only
cappers/naturisms for peppery bite 1 leaf only

There you go...doubt any been sprayed but :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Gins aren't hard all it takes is a little effort :handgestures-thumbupleft:

bt1

[Urrazeb]

I'm guessing bt1 has a nice pretty rose garden to pluck from.. Either that or he's nicking them from the organic granny down the street :laughing-rolling: :teasing-tease:

I've always thought dried botanicals increase in potency :think:

[RefluxEd]

I'm guessing bt1 has a nice pretty rose garden to pluck from.. Either that or he's nicking them from the organic granny down the street :laughing-rolling: :teasing-tease:

I've always thought dried botanicals increase in potency :think:

That's always been the case with anything that I have dehydrated. The point about residues from chemical sprays is a good one. I'll cut my own rosebuds and dehydrate them. That's gotta be the best of both worlds. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bt1]

I've always thought dried botanicals increase in potency

True that, but if you got access to your own fresh why not...

btw this lot are all Aussie natives...
wild plums, peppers, limes. Apple berries,Kurragong toasted seeds, Lemon myrtle, Pig face, native figs, Grevilleas, Hibiscus, macadamia nuts,Bluebells

bt1

[Urrazeb]

Nice!

Mind sharing the recipe? :pray: