Odin’s Gin Recipe

[WoodyD40]

Odin’s Gin Variation

One good thing about Gin I have learned, is that you can pretty much do anything as far a variations go.

I tried a small variation to the tried and True Odin's Gin and added Star of Anise.
The wife and myself like Ouzo, so i thought why not add a bit of licoricey flavour to a gin and see if we like it.

Now everyone's preferences are likely to be different, and that's ok, but by adding Star of Anise to our Odin's Gin, we have a winner for this household.

Doing my second batch of this recipe this weekend. :happy-partydance:

As you say, your imagination is your constraint! I started with OEG, but then tried just throwing all things liquirishy (as I have a love of liquorice too) and made this - Ouzo taste, but Gin consistency.... It's pretty good for me..

LICQUORICE LOVERS GIN
Qty (L) 1l 45%

Botanicals
Neutral 43% 1 L
Juniper Berries 20 g
Coriander 10 g
Angelica Root 2 g
Licquorice Root 4 g
Cinamon Stick 2 g
Fennel 4 g
Star Anise 4 g
Sweet Orange 0.2 g

Method
Mortar and pestle botanicals, then macerate for 3 days. Dilute to 30% and redistill with botanicals in boiler. Garnish with liquorice stock or orange wedge.

:dance:

I just need the following ingredients, then I can duplicate your recipe.

Licquorice Root 4 g
Fennel 4 g
Sweet Orange 0.2 g

The search is on.

[bernieboo]

Hello, I have just joined and this is my first post. We have been distilling for about 30 years with a homemade still that wasn't very efficient. Just upgraded to a T500 (we got it for a bargain!). My husband makes the alcohol and I make the gin and have been making 'bathtub' gin for a few years with fabulous results - except of course the darkish colour. We bought a botanical basket and made our first Gin yesterday (removing everything out of the column) which tastes great, but it is a bit coloured and as I have learned, it came from the citrus peel (blood orange). I have read through this thread and hear about maceration. I did not soak the neutral spirit prior to distilling, all the flavour came from the basket which had Juniper, Liquorice root, cardamon, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, all cracked in a mortar and pestle. The flavour is a good strength. Put in 4.5 litres at 40%, topped up with water to 20 litres and got about 4lt at 50%. We are learners at this still, so followed instructions carefully.

My question is, if I macerate the neutral spirit in these botanicals, will the gin come out clear after the second distill? Do I put some botanicals in the basket when distilling? I have read every post in this thread and see different suggestions, but it seems leaving out citrus in the distill might be an idea to get a clear result. If there is anything we could learn based on the information provided above, would be grateful to hear it.

Thanks in advance

BTW: I made Rosella Gin (not the birds, the flower) a few months ago and it is spectacular, the red colour is amazing. :-D

[howard]

Hello, I have just joined and this is my first post. We have been distilling for about 30 years with a homemade still that wasn't very efficient. Just upgraded to a T500 (we got it for a bargain!). My husband makes the alcohol and I make the gin and have been making 'bathtub' gin for a few years with fabulous results - except of course the darkish colour. We bought a botanical basket and made our first Gin yesterday (removing everything out of the column) which tastes great, but it is a bit coloured and as I have learned, it came from the citrus peel (blood orange). I have read through this thread and hear about maceration. I did not soak the neutral spirit prior to distilling, all the flavour came from the basket which had Juniper, Liquorice root, cardamon, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, all cracked in a mortar and pestle. The flavour is a good strength. Put in 4.5 litres at 40%, topped up with water to 20 litres and got about 4lt at 50%. We are learners at this still, so followed instructions carefully.

My question is, if I macerate the neutral spirit in these botanicals, will the gin come out clear after the second distill? Do I put some botanicals in the basket when distilling? I have read every post in this thread and see different suggestions, but it seems leaving out citrus in the distill might be an idea to get a clear result. If there is anything we could learn based on the information provided above, would be grateful to hear it.

Thanks in advance

BTW: I made Rosella Gin (not the birds, the flower) a few months ago and it is spectacular, the red colour is amazing. :-D

1) diluting 4.5L of 40%abv to 20L means your wash would be as low as 9%abv
IMHO far too low for a gin run, your first vapours coming off would only be around 60%abv through the basket.
2) some folk say the T500 instructions can be misleading.
if you wish to persist with the botanical basket, i would just run the 4.5L at 40% as it is and get flavourful gin.
my best suggestion would be, assuming your neutral is good (the real hard part)
forget the basket.
bung all the botanicals and citrus in 40% neutral for a couple of days.
run it as per page 1 (400mm per litre)and you should get approx 80% gin without any tints.
then dilute this down to 40-45%
for what its worth, i put those botanicals into my personal calculator, and these are the weights i would be using per 1L of 40%
juniper 12gm
liquorice 1.2gm
cardomon 0.12gm
cinnamon 1.2gm
peppercorn 0.12gm
i noticed there was no coriander seed?(6gms per litre)
i would recommend the masceration method, so simple.
i have attached a copy of one of my templates for botanicals that uses the x2/x100/x10 method.(ignore the zest values :smile: )

[slideshowbob]

Hi all,

My boiler is a Digiboil 35L, which doesn't have exposed elements (I guess if you don't count the big round plate at the bottom!) and am wondering if I am ok to do a gin distillation with the botanicals in the boiler?

I have ordered a 2" extension for my pot still, which will let me put botanicals in the vapour path. But for now am looking at either a long maceration then strain, or shorter maceration and throw it all in the boiler.

Any tips appreciated!

[RuddyCrazy]

G'Day Bob I use gas and when I've done macerations in my 5 litre boiler never had scorching issues with botanicals in the boiler :handgestures-thumbupleft: so with your concealed elements it should be OK but if one never ventures one will never know :laughing-rolling:

Cheers Bryan

P.S. put in your location mate so we sort of know where your located :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[slideshowbob]

G'Day Bob I use gas and when I've done macerations in my 5 litre boiler never had scorching issues with botanicals in the boiler :handgestures-thumbupleft: so with your concealed elements it should be OK but if one never ventures one will never know :laughing-rolling:

Cheers Bryan

P.S. put in your location mate so we sort of know where your located :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Thanks. Have updated location.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained - it is true. However, discretion is the better part of valour! :))

[howard]

Hi all,

My boiler is a Digiboil 35L, which doesn't have exposed elements (I guess if you don't count the big round plate at the bottom!) and am wondering if I am ok to do a gin distillation with the botanicals in the boiler?

I have ordered a 2" extension for my pot still, which will let me put botanicals in the vapour path. But for now am looking at either a long maceration then strain, or shorter maceration and throw it all in the boiler.

Any tips appreciated!

i did a few gin mascerated runs in the brewzill 35l.
no real scorching problems.
i used a 4" gin basket with 2 x 2" inlet/ouilet a couple of times but that's gathering dust now.
just make sure you have enough charge and obv don't boil it dry.
i did 4l runs in the brewzilla until i got a glass still with a 5L flask.
the botanicals and citrus bounce around wildly during distillation.
it will be interesting to hear your opinions and comparisons on mascerated v basket flavor.

[slideshowbob]

i did a few gin mascerated runs in the brewzill 35l.
no real scorching problems.
i used a 4" gin basket with 2 x 2" inlet/ouilet a couple of times but that's gathering dust now.
just make sure you have enough charge and obv don't boil it dry.
i did 4l runs in the brewzilla until i got a glass still with a 5L flask.
the botanicals and citrus bounce around wildly during distillation.
it will be interesting to hear your opinions and comparisons on mascerated v basket flavor.

Thanks. I've currently got about 6L of low wines after my first stripping run of a TPW.
I have been reading online that people tend to wait until they have 3 collections of low wines before doing a spirit run. I'm not sure why this is, if it's just for economy of effort and electricity? Or does it also make separating cuts easier?

I am tempted to try a spirit run with my 6L, mainly because it will be my first spirit run and I'm kinda impatient to see how it goes! But also because my next plan for washes will be the WBAB not more TPWs.

I assume there's a higher risk of boiling it dry doing a small spirit run. Any tips or tricks to avoid this?

[howard]

i did a few gin mascerated runs in the brewzill 35l.
no real scorching problems.
i used a 4" gin basket with 2 x 2" inlet/ouilet a couple of times but that's gathering dust now.
just make sure you have enough charge and obv don't boil it dry.
i did 4l runs in the brewzilla until i got a glass still with a 5L flask.
the botanicals and citrus bounce around wildly during distillation.
it will be interesting to hear your opinions and comparisons on mascerated v basket flavor.

Thanks. I've currently got about 6L of low wines after my first stripping run of a TPW.
I have been reading online that people tend to wait until they have 3 collections of low wines before doing a spirit run. I'm not sure why this is, if it's just for economy of effort and electricity? Or does it also make separating cuts easier?

I am tempted to try a spirit run with my 6L, mainly because it will be my first spirit run and I'm kinda impatient to see how it goes! But also because my next plan for washes will be the WBAB not more TPWs.

I assume there's a higher risk of boiling it dry doing a small spirit run. Any tips or tricks to avoid this?

i assume you are going to make good neutral from the low wines and then using the neutral in gin making?
there is a method some use of running low wines, waiting until hearts are present, putting the still into full reflux again,
then adding the botanicals into the vapour path, stack the column again, guessing where tails begin etc.(why bother?)
personally i would concentrate on making good neutral then there isn't really any more cuts to do via the odin method or vapour method, just do a gin run.
odins method says you discard the first 10ml (optional) then retain 400ml for every litre of 40% in the still, it's a good marker, and ensures you don't boil it dry.
it's also a good marker mainly, because around this stage, less pleasant aspects of the botanicals can start to come through.
eg if i do a 4l run of 40% mascerated gin, i will collect the 1st 10 ml, then 1600ml @ 80% ABV (4 x 400ml) then start collecting in small samples, adding them if i think they are ok.
after the 400ml/1l mark, your main enemy is greed :smile:
to me, freshly distilled gin is not pleasant, it needs at least 3 - 5 weeks diluted down to 40-45% to start producing those flavours.

as for spirit runs, i will always do 3 or 4 washes to get a decent amount of low wines for a 20-27l spirit run, it's mainly a time thing for me.

[slideshowbob]

as for spirit runs, i will always do 3 or 4 washes to get a decent amount of low wines for a 20-27l spirit run, it's mainly a time thing for me.

Thanks. Yes, aiming to make a neutral first. So guess I wouldn't end up with much gin if I do the neutral spirit run next with only my current 6L of low wines.

Would you recommend all washes are the same? Wondering if I do another 2-3 of Birdwatcher's TPW, or switch to WBAB anyway.

[Wellsy]

Hello sideshow
You need to understand the limitations of your still mate. You have a pot still ( going by your description) so you do not have the gear to do a true neutral. Birdwatchers through a pot still will always have a taste of tomatoes and this will impact any gin you make.

If you use a WBAB wash it has a far more pleasant residual taste so it will be easier to make a tasty gin.

I hope that makes sense

[howard]

wellsy is correct.
probably best to to stay away from TPW if you haven't got a reflux.
FFV is very neutral, maybe triple distill it?
i just keep doing washes nearly all the time and stripping them to store.
i just thought, try and keep an FFV in ferment for 3 weeks, it clears up beautifully and the yeast will clean up properly.

[slideshowbob]

Hello sideshow
You need to understand the limitations of your still mate. You have a pot still ( going by your description) so you do not have the gear to do a true neutral. Birdwatchers through a pot still will always have a taste of tomatoes and this will impact any gin you make.

If you use a WBAB wash it has a far more pleasant residual taste so it will be easier to make a tasty gin.

I hope that makes sense

Thanks. In the process of making 2 new WBAB washes now. Will combine 3 WBAB with the 1 of TPW. Reckon that should be enough to tame the tomatoes?

Or should I leave the TPW low wines aside for something else? Though not sure what, other than maybe an extra spirit run? Or until I get itchy fingers and buy a reflux column. :laughing-rolling:

[Wellsy]

Itchy fingers is a problem for us all Bob :laughing-rolling:

I would keep it separate, if you are doing a strong essence mix maybe sambuca that will disguise the flavour. You need some with really strong flavours to over ride the tomato :)

As you get further and further into the hobby you find you want more and more lol.

I put $2:00 in a tine for each bourbon I drink. I use it to fund m sugar purchases, new seal purchases, barrels etc. the minister of finance does not notice the little dips and t becomes easier to fund upgrades.

[slideshowbob]

I would keep it separate, if you are doing a strong essence mix maybe sambuca that will disguise the flavour. You need some with really strong flavours to over ride the tomato :)

Roger that. The WBAB wash I made this afternoon smells beautiful. I'll put aside the TPW low wines for now. Thanks Wellsy and Howard for your advice in this thread, and letting me go off topic!

[bernieboo]

Hello, I have just joined and this is my first post. We have been distilling for about 30 years with a homemade still that wasn't very efficient. Just upgraded to a T500 (we got it for a bargain!). My husband makes the alcohol and I make the gin and have been making 'bathtub' gin for a few years with fabulous results - except of course the darkish colour. We bought a botanical basket and made our first Gin yesterday (removing everything out of the column) which tastes great, but it is a bit coloured and as I have learned, it came from the citrus peel (blood orange). I have read through this thread and hear about maceration. I did not soak the neutral spirit prior to distilling, all the flavour came from the basket which had Juniper, Liquorice root, cardamon, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, all cracked in a mortar and pestle. The flavour is a good strength. Put in 4.5 litres at 40%, topped up with water to 20 litres and got about 4lt at 50%. We are learners at this still, so followed instructions carefully.

My question is, if I macerate the neutral spirit in these botanicals, will the gin come out clear after the second distill? Do I put some botanicals in the basket when distilling? I have read every post in this thread and see different suggestions, but it seems leaving out citrus in the distill might be an idea to get a clear result. If there is anything we could learn based on the information provided above, would be grateful to hear it.

Thanks in advance

BTW: I made Rosella Gin (not the birds, the flower) a few months ago and it is spectacular, the red colour is amazing. :-D

1) diluting 4.5L of 40%abv to 20L means your wash would be as low as 9%abv
IMHO far too low for a gin run, your first vapours coming off would only be around 60%abv through the basket.
2) some folk say the T500 instructions can be misleading.
if you wish to persist with the botanical basket, i would just run the 4.5L at 40% as it is and get flavourful gin.
my best suggestion would be, assuming your neutral is good (the real hard part)
forget the basket.
bung all the botanicals and citrus in 40% neutral for a couple of days.
run it as per page 1 (400mm per litre)and you should get approx 80% gin without any tints.
then dilute this down to 40-45%
for what its worth, i put those botanicals into my personal calculator, and these are the weights i would be using per 1L of 40%
juniper 12gm
liquorice 1.2gm
cardomon 0.12gm
cinnamon 1.2gm
peppercorn 0.12gm
i noticed there was no coriander seed?(6gms per litre)
i would recommend the masceration method, so simple.
i have attached a copy of one of my templates for botanicals that uses the x2/x100/x10 method.(ignore the zest values :smile: )

Thanks Howard,

Great information, thank you! I assume after soaking the 40% alcohol in botanicals for a couple of days, they are discarded before distilling? I did include Coriander (I know it is a must for Gin). I have an abundance of Gin at the moment, so will try this next time. As I have been doing the soak method for years, I am keen to pursue distilling with botanicals. Thanks again.

[howard]

Great information, thank you! I assume after soaking the 40% alcohol in botanicals for a couple of days, they are discarded before distilling? I did include Coriander (I know it is a must for Gin). I have an abundance of Gin at the moment, so will try this next time. As I have been doing the soak method for years, I am keen to pursue distilling with botanicals. Thanks again.[/quote]
i don't discard the botanicals until after distillation.
i know the mixture smells good before distilling, but i can't help thinking that distilling those botanicals in hot ethanol brings out every last bit of flavour.
i put all my whole botanicals into a mortar & pestle before maceration to extract maximum flavour.
i have also chewed on the botanicals after distillation, there isn't any taste left :smile:

[bernieboo]

Great information, thank you! I assume after soaking the 40% alcohol in botanicals for a couple of days, they are discarded before distilling? I did include Coriander (I know it is a must for Gin). I have an abundance of Gin at the moment, so will try this next time. As I have been doing the soak method for years, I am keen to pursue distilling with botanicals. Thanks again.

i don't discard the botanicals until after distillation.
i know the mixture smells good before distilling, but i can't help thinking that distilling those botanicals in hot ethanol brings out every last bit of flavour.
i put all my whole botanicals into a mortar & pestle before maceration to extract maximum flavour.
i have also chewed on the botanicals after distillation, there isn't any taste left :smile:[/quote]

Brilliant, thanks Howard! Will leave botanicals in. Can't wait to make my next batch. My Gin is already very popular with friends.