But technically, undistilled gin (also known as compound gin) can be easily prepared at home by infusing a neutral liquor with juniper and anything else you want your gin to taste like. In the end, you'll try your gin up to 80 degrees, so don't worry about the high alcohol content now. While most “suitable” commercial gin manufacturers extract flavors from botanicals through distillation, it is possible to make gin simply by “soaking” the plants, herbs, or spices you want to use in the base liquor. This method is not a method in and of itself, but it can be combined with the methods of making maceration or steam infusion gin.
Another gin that I like, Copper & Kings, uses neutral alcohol-free apple wine as a base, giving the gin a fruity flavor with floral notes. If you're not sure where to start, check out the botanical ingredients included in your favorite commercial gins and use them as inspiration. Some of the most commonly used botanical ingredients in gin (after juniper) are coriander seed, angelica root, citrus peel and cassia bark or cinnamon, but don't hesitate to visit the spice cabinet and herb garden. Therefore, to be a gin in its simplest form, the alcohol must be at least 37.5% and it must have a juniper flavor.
Beautiful color, sweetness and other compounds can be added to a gin in this way that normally they wouldn't crawl out of the still. The tools you'll need to make your compound gin can be found at any grocery store, home store, or online. Interestingly, “bathtub gin”, famous for its prohibition, came about because raw distilled beverages were produced so poorly and were so riddled with every conceivable contaminant that smugglers would pour it into a bathtub or other large container and then mix it with orange oil or other flavors to cover the unpleasant flavor of the base. spirit.
The only real stipulation for it to be called “gin” is that juniper is the dominant botanist and has at least 37.5% alcohol. Distilleries are pushing the boundaries of flavor with exciting new additions to challenge the classic London dry gin style. If the gin is distilled, the distiller can stop the still at any time, leaving aggressive compounds in the boiler so that they do not contaminate the final product. By vacuum distilling at a low temperature, some flavors can be preserved that may be altered or even ruined by the high temperature, or a much lighter flavor of gin can be obtained.
