Although I’d love to have time to respond to everyone’s question or comments, the sad truth is that I just don’t. In between running a bar, schlepping drinks five nights a week, and trying to maintain an actual life, my schedule is pretty full.

So all I can suggest is this: try my recipe and my detailed instructions above. If you want to try something different, please be my guest – the odds are good that I haven’t tried every possible permutation of this recipe, up to and not limited to fresh juniper berries from your tree wherever you happen to live.

But if you do go out on your own and try something new with this recipe, I encourage you to post your results here so that others can share in your success.

Cheers.

I do not believe that Jeff M reads this anymore as he nor anyone else has responded to posts (sad).

I would love to know if my juniper out in my yard is usable for such purposes.

Since no one else seems to care enough to respond I suggest you use at least the same amount of fresh then taste and if it is too strong weaken it with more vodka.

I put up a batch of cherry liquer b4 Xmas I uses 160 proof vodka ( NY state allows a max of 160 proof other states allow 180 :-( )

Next batch will also be at 16o then after that 180 (everclear). The reason being I want finished product at 80 proof and to do that with sugar and more water the higher the spirit level the easier it is when diluting the final product. Should be done after april 30th.

MMM MMM MM good MMM MMM Good morning VOdka is Mmmm MMM GOOD!

ok ok that was uncalled for, but is anyone reading this?

TTFN

Anyone know how to adjust the recipe for fresh juniper berries? Are there different kinds of juniper? It sure smells like gin straight off the plant.

1) I read the treatise on how to charcoal filter spirits and kangaroo filters are reasonable, but not the best way. I noticed they make them wider now and that helps. And one must pour th ebooze through 4 times to make unflavored booze drinkable. Once you infuse the booze, passing it through more then once could quite literally clean away the flavors you just added. So a material filtering followed by a carbon filter (1 time) I would think would be helpful. Then again the Brita and the Kangaroo are both really small. Ideally you want a pipe that is 3 feel tall and 1 1/2 inches in diameter. If you make your own colum you need to boil the charcoal and rinse 5-10 times and keep it wet up to the second you pour in the spirit.Then you pass the spirit through and never let air get in it. In theory you should get a much better quality then a brita or gray kangaroo. Charcoal type is very very important, fish tank stuff is not good.

Also you can reuse the stuff if you boil it and dry it in an oven (dicey proposition if you don’t boil wash it a few times first, you risk a fireball and severe harm)

Grey Kangaroo will give you cheap refills if you send in old ones. I suspect they pop’m open wash’m and recycle the coal, Bravo to them, that makes good sense.

The process they use to make AC is nasty and that is why you need to wash out, boil, wash out a new batch of AC before using it. Wetting it before use is to AC what warming up is to you, it prepares the receptor sites to get working. If you don’t (assuming no dust) you must do a few extra times.

Juniper berries,

can any one tell me if the trees that grow all over LI (eastern cedar?) are what one needs for gin and pot roast?

I did not realise that the berrries take a year to grow. And the nicve ripe ones are behind the weird looking front ones. I am going outside now to check out my tree.

thanks
f anyone is reading and responds

chris

I must ask what is a marrow? sounds interesting.

Also

can anyone answer a repeated question, are the Juniper Berries we find on Trees used around houses the same junipers that we need to make gin, or really nice pot roast?

I have a bigun in my yard and they grow all over Long Island so any help here is appreciated.

http://thealchemistblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/how-to-turn-cheap-vodka-into-classy-gin-using-a-water-filter-or-i-promise-not-to-get-you-arrested-this-time/

Enjoy, and thanks so much–we love it!

Genevieve

chris

Do you think the BATF has nothing more to do than worry about someone making a gallon of booze in a still? Start makinf 10-20-50 then you’ve got them knocking down your door. Or maybe you’re the tax man for Obama and want to help pay for his stimulas plan.

I am also a longtime Bombay (Sapphire) drinker and let me tell you if you use the recipe on this blog you will get a bottle of what I thought tasted like potpourri. Way too strong. Here is what I do to test. Work with only a cup of 100 proof at a time and tweak the flavors until you get something you like. I have a recipe I’m working on now that tasted pretty much like Sapphire and smelled nearly identical before it went into the Britta. The filtering definitely takes some of the flavor and aroma away but I don’t think you’s want to drink all that herbal residue? So maybe start with something a bit stronger than your desired result. I’m still experimenting too but here is my test recipe:

1C 100 Proof Vodka
1C 80 proof Vodka
3Tbs Juniper Berries
2/3 tbs Coriander
5 cardomon seeds (about 1/3 of a pod)
2 pcs of orris root about 1/8″ long
1 pc of Angelica Root about 3/8″ long
1 pc of cinnamon about 1/8 x 1/8x 1/16 (a sliver)
3 small peppercorns about the size of BB’s ( I used a green, white and a black)
1 pc of dried lemon peel about 3/8″ x 1/4″
1/3 of an almond

Put everything except the juniper in a magic bullet and grind it with the flat blade.

Put the cup of 100 Proof in clean and dry mason jar and add all the ingredients.

Let it sit for a week but shake it vigorously several times a day.

After 7 days, strain the herbs out of the vodka with Cheesecloth. Do not squeeze to get the last bits of alcohol out of the cloth because it will just add a bunch of junk you don’t want back into your booze.

Once the big stuff is strained off run it through the Britta 3X. (Make sure the filter has been soaked and prepped according to directions or you will get a bunch of carbon dust in your booze)

Now add the cup of 80 proof vodka to you 3X filtered 100 proof gin and filter the mixture 2 more times.

You’ll end up with some pretty good stuff. It won’t taste the same as Bombay but it’s very drinkable. If you want to make it stronger just increase the recipe in baby steps and record everything. You will eventually find something you like. I find that cinnamon, orange and cardamom are the real strong flavors. If you put a whole stick of Cinnamon in anything, that’s all you will taste. I used a strip of orange peel about 1/4 inch wide and 2″ long in the above mixture and the gin had a stronger citrus than juniper flavor. Almost too much orange that’s why I reduced it to what’s in the recipe. Not to say it wasn’t drinkable, because it was, it was just not Bombay(ish) enough.

Also remember your gin will look like Iced Tea at best using this process, if you re even able to make it that clear.

Good luck and good tasting!

I’ve been a long time Bombay drinker, and my wife has been laid off from her job now, so on one income, we’re looking to save money. So… if I use your cold infusion simple method without the still, and buy cheap vodka, will it taste like Bombay, and will I save a lot of money?

In England we add sloe berries (prunus spinosa) from a blackthorn bush to the gin. They are commonly found along the sides of railway lines. Turn the bottle once a month for about 6 months and the taste is amazing.

Make it in summer ready for Christmas.

Thanks.

one tip.

once you have the botanicals prepared, but them in a mason jar and pour enough vodka in to cover them by 1/4 inch or so. place the jar in full sun. just like you were gonna make sun tea. but no lid. once the liquid is hot to the touch, put it in the shade until cool.

pour the gin tea in to jar/jug; botanicals and all. follow the recipe.

Yes, G.N. is correct. “Redistilling” uses a still and requires the payment of taxes and therefore falls under the TTB’s purview. If you are running a still (to distill or “redistill”) you do need permits – federal, state, local (among others). Many distilleries begin with neutral grain spirits (NGS) and “redistill” them to add flavors or complexity. They pay taxes to the TTB just as those who distill from scratch.

If you want specifics go to http://www.ttb.gov and your local state alcohol regulatory body.

If you don’t think the TTB will come looking for you even if you just distill a small amount, just google the words “moonshiner arrested” and you’ll get many hits like these:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/06/AR2005100601833.html

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B03EFDA1530E633A25754C0A9669D94669FD7CF

Sorry to be the party pooper but I just want everyone to have fun with the infusion and stay out of jail!

-1 750mL bottle vodka
-10 cracked juniper berries
-1 Tbsp. coriander seed
-3 whole cloves
-3 whole green cardamon
-1 star anise
-3 allspice berries
-1 cinnamon stick
-1 whole nutmeg
-1 small piece ginger root
-5 mint leaves
-2 large fresh orange peels
-2 large fresh lemon peels

I had a similar experience when diluting an infusion of other botanicals in brandy with some white wine according to a centuries old recipe to make Royal Usquebaugh – I thought I would be clever and use more of the wine than was specified (as the spices were stronger than I wanted after infusing) and the result was a cloudy (but delicious) drink when mixed back with the wine.

Get the highest quality, highest proof neutral spirit you can. Avoid the golden grains and other high test ethanols, they include a high proportion of the heads and tails you would avoid in multiple distillations.

Soak a bunch of the berries in the alcohol for several months. In a 32oz bottle one cup of berries is good. No matter what the concentration you can adjust this when you mix with the unflavored alcohol.

Use this mixture to flavor your alcohol. One bottle of highly concentrated juniper extract can flavor an awesome summers worth of bottles of gin. Fresh juniper berries come out better than the dried juniper you can get on the Internet.

All those other subtle flavors of fruit and spices can always be added but first get to know the fresh combination of highly distilled spirits and juniper as the starting point.

You could either boil off the alcohol – dangerous and should only be done outdoors with lots of ventilation – or dilute the gin with enough water to freeze it and then separate the alcohol by freezing.

Feel free to experiment, but I think you are moving in the wrong direction. You should try adding alcohol to items that don’t normally contain it, like chocolate milk or pudding. That’s the edge of science where the real research is done.