I've often wondered whether gin - botanicals = vodka.
Is it mainly the extra ‘botanicals’ that go into the Gin? Just curious. :)
I've often wondered whether gin - botanicals = vodka.
The truth is, a lot of these lower-end or trendy spirits are simply a base spirit with a flavouring and/or colouring added. Many things purporting to be a gin or a vodka, from many different brands, can have come from the same still.
This is my understanding of the situation, more or less. As PH avers.
I've dabbled making my own Limoncello starting with ridiculously inexpensive Vodka and some of our lemons, turns out much nicer than the shop sold stuff that can have a faint washing up liquid like aftertaste I find. There's still quite a bit of infusing your own liqueurs, after dinner drinks with various herbs, bit of a local thing.
Last edited by Passenger; 22nd September 2020 at 13:18. Reason: bettah englishc
I have a gin making kit whereby you start with vodka (as it’s easier to obtain than base spirit) and infuse with juniper berries and other botanicals. It turns out pretty well actually.
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This is what the Craft Gin Club say on the matter.......
What exactly is gin?
You might be surprised to discover that there are quite tight laws that control not only what gin is made of, but also how it is made and even what it tastes like!Here’s what the current legal definition of gin in the E.U. states - globally, the definitions are also very similar:
Gin must be a neutral spirit distilled from something natural like wheat, barley, potatoes or grapes.
The flavours of a gin come from its botanicals (that’s the herbs, seeds, flowers, plants or spices added during production), and, crucially, all gins must contain juniper; in fact, the predominant flavour must be of juniper, otherwise the drink can’t be defined as gin, by law.
There must be at least 37.5% of pure alcohol in the total volume of liquid (that’s the ‘A.B.V’ you can see on the label).
Within the overarching category, there are three traditional types of gin: London Dry, Plymouth Gin, and Old Tom gin - see below for the differences between each of these. However, some modern, innovative gins no longer fall into any of these categories!
Flavoured gin, gin liqueurs and sloe gin are all different from traditional gin in a few significant ways - see below for more details about this!
There’s a lot of debate in the drinks industry right now around the legal definition of gin and whether it is too loose or too restrictive. Strong opinions abound on both sides of the argument as to how or whether innovative new products should or shouldn’t be allowed to call themselves “gin”. More on this topic later!
things like gin are just made using any neutral alcohol base (its whatever botanicals you add that make the drink)
for instance you dont need a distillers licience to make gin (very difficult to get) - you can use a rectifiers licience (a lot easier to get) - this basically means you buy in a neutral alchohol base mix it with your botanicals then redistill it.
Controversial opinion:
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that whilst I love a gin and tonic and appreciate something different floating in it (cucumber, grapefruit juniper berries), I genuinely think that once you pour a whole load of tonic and shove a massive piece of fruit in it, the subtleties between different gins is completely lost. Personally, I think it’s all marketing, though more power to those who enjoy it.
Whisky on the other hand is enjoyed neat or with a dash of ice or water to release the flavours. No one talks about the softness of a speyside in their whisky lemonade or which cola pairs best with different single malts.
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I'm with you on the first part, I don't drink whisky so can't comment on the second. A gin and Tonic to me should be just that with a couple of cubes of ice. Anything more than that, like throw half a rosemary Bush in and you lose the actual flavours of the gin. Keeping it simple shows up good gins against poor ones.
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most gins already have quite a garden in them when being distilled , for some idea >
https://homedistiller.org/forum/view...p?f=11&t=73049
gin + botanicals needs to be distilled to get anything decent, these kits you see that just tell you to soak botanicals in vodka and strain at best produce something you can choke down with a mixer at worst downright nasty.
when distiling gin using a pot still the first run off from the still is downright nasty and very bitter (and a milky colour ) it get chucked out till the run off is clear and sweet.
We were given a gin kit that contained various botanicals, and the instructions to use the cheapest vodka possible (on the basis that vodka quality is regulated, and that expensive ones try to add a small amount of flavour that cheap ones do not bother with, so cheap ones are a better blank canvas). You infuse the juniper alone for 48 hrs, then add the rest of the botanicals for another 48hrs, filter and use. Simple.
Other than being a very pale yellow (gin distillers distill their flavours in, rather than infuse them, so keep a clear colour), it was very nice, but we thought it might be improved.
I identified the botanicals in the kit (almost all of which we have in the spice cupboard) and started doing my own instead of buying another kit (less cinnamon, tiny bit more cardamon ans star anise, etc etc). It's very nice, totally variable to taste, and shedloads cheaper than buying craft gin.
I do agree that most of the quieter botanicals can almost completely disappear in a strong squeeze of lime and a slug of tonic, but they are noticable if you use less tonic, and very noticable if you ever make something a little more pokey like a Negroni.
The main thing is that although we have not settled totally on a "house" gin style, ours is flavoured vodka and none the worse for it.
Ours is less subtle than a properly made craft gin, but for us it is equal to anything the bulk makers can muster like Gordons and so forth.
D
Reminds me of this