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All gin starts its life as a clear distilled spirit into which botanicals are infused with the dominant flavour being juniper. We suggest you use ordinary vodka which works really well and is readily available in all supermarkets.

The Gin Etc kits enable you to infuse the botanicals supplied into vodka to create a compound gin. A compound gin, unlike the majority of commercially available gin, is not then distilled to refine its clarity. The method in these kits makes it possible to recreate and, more excitingly, manipulate the flavours of gin. You will understand more about the flavours different botanicals impart and create your own blend in under 24 hours. Perfect for a DIY G&T!

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The overriding flavour that unites all gins is the taste of juniper. Botanicals are the flavouring ingredients used in combination to complement the primary juniper flavour and to give gin its distinctive herbal taste. The exact mix of botanicals varies from gin to gin with each producer closely guarding their own recipe. 

Typically a good gin will contain between six to ten botanicals. Gins can be herbal with bolder flavours, floral with more delicate notes, or spicy with a peppery kick. We have included at least two tried and tested blends within
the kits that produce excellent results.

All of our kits are suitable for vegetarians, vegans and are kosher acceptable. Whilst procedures are in place to reduce the likelihood of the fourteen identified allergens being present, but we cannot guarantee the ingredients are totally free of traces.

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We have produced thousands of these kits over the years and if the instructions are followed it is virtually full proof. It is almost like magic the way a simple bottle of cheap vodka is transformed into a smooth glass of gin with the aid of botanicals!

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1. Add one sachet of the pre-mixed Gin Etc botanicals supplied in the kit into the bottle. Do not crush them as this will make your gin cloudy.

2. Pour in all of the vodka to fill the bottle to the base of the neck.

3. Infuse for 20 hours, then have a taste. If it needs longer then leave the botanicals in for a further 4 hours but no more than 24 hours from beginning to end. When you are happy with the flavour it is important to stop the process and remove the botanicals by filtering or straining through a sieve.

4. Decant your gin into the bottle provided.

5. Finally, stick on the label and enjoy your G&T. If supplied, sprinkle lightly one of the gin toppers into your glass of G&T to further enhance the flavour and aroma of your gin.

When tasting we find it best to mix up a small amount with a neutral tonic to get sense of the range of flavours. By all means taste it neat but it will be harder to recognise the subtleties of the botanicals over the alcohol. As gin takes its flavour from the botanicals, it also takes some of the colour. It is normal for your gin to turn a golden yellow.

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The Artisan

- Bottle and stopper

- Label

- Filter papers

- Funnel

- Sieve

- Two blends of Gin Etc botanicals complete with juniper berries

The Gentleman also includes gin toppers in sachets and test tubes to enhance the flavour and aroma of your G&T when serving.

The Love Potion uniquely includes two sachets of natural colour-changing botanicals.

And, in the Expert kit an additional blend of botanicals plus gin toppers in sachets and test tubes to enhance your G&T when serving.

Just add your own 75cl bottle of supermarket brand vodka (we normally go to either Aldi or Lidl).

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You get out what you put in; if you start with a really strongly flavoured bottle of vodka, all the botanicals in the world are not going to help it.

We normally use a standard supermarket own brand vodka. It is relatively cheap and very neutral in flavour.

After a couple of weeks the gin tends to mellow, so don’t despair if it is a bit punchy at first. A word of warning, please remove the botanicals after infusing to stop the process.

Rumour has it that refining the vodka through a water filter prior to the infusion refines the taste even further.

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Known as prunus spinosa, blackthorns or sloes, these berries are small, purple and resemble plums. They have a bitter astringent taste straight from the bush but, when added to gin, have magical plummy sweetness. Sloe gin isn’t a uniquely British tradition with the French making Epine and the Spanish whipping up batches of Pacharan.

Tradition has it that you rush out to your nearest sloe bush at first frost to harvest these purple gems. We know that this isn’t always possible - sloe bushes are not ten a penny in cities and the window for ripe sloes is relatively small. And, you might feel the need for a tot of sloe gin at anytime of year, so we have come up with a recipe for sloe gin that works all year round.

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We have produced thousands of these kits over the years and if the instructions are followed it is virtually full proof. Our recipe transforms dried sloes into a rich warming gin drink that is perfect drunk on its own or mixed with fizz in a matter of weeks not months.

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Take half of the sloes and rinse carefully. You need to rinse them two or three times. Next put them into a lidded jug or large jar and cover with water. Gently shake the sloes to help them clean, the water will turn slightly murky. Change the water and repeat twice until the water is clean after shaking. Try not to break up the sloes as this will make your gin cloudy.

Place the washed sloes in the bottle provided and add three tablespoons of sugar and cover them with water. Leave overnight as this step rehydrates the sloes and readies them for the alcohol. Drain out the sugar water using a sieve then add 125 grams of sugar to the bottle and fill the bottle with your gin. We normally use the cheapest supermarket gin we can find. Leave your bottle in a dark place to infuse for two weeks, turning the bottle to move the sloes around every other day. Normally when making sloe gin you have to leave it for up to a year to mature but we have found that using this method the sloe flavour can develop within a matter of weeks and does then mature over time if you can hold off drinking it. We have included a few pipettes to let you taste your gin as it develops.

When infused to your taste, strain the gin through a sieve to remove the sloes into a separate vessel. Then filter the gin back into the bottle using the funnel and the filter papers to ensure the gin is as clear as possible. Stick on the label and leave to mature as long as you like.

As the gin takes on the flavour of the sloes it also takes on their colour and will turn a beautiful ruby red colour.

If your sloe gin is too sweet add more gin and it’s too alcoholic add more sugar.

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We have included four botanicals in the kit to allow you to add these to your sloe gin. We suggest you add these to the gin once the sloes have been removed.

- Cloves - traditionally found in sloe gin

- Cassia bark - an alternative to cinnamon with a similar taste but stronger

- Star anise - gives a lovely warm aniseed flavour but use sparingly

- Allspice - usually found in gin and adds a warm spiced flavour

The botanicals do impart a lot of flavour so don’t be tempted to overload and only leave them in the gin for a couple of weeks.

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The Hedgerow

- Bottle and stopper

- Label

- Sloes

- Pipettes

- Funnel

- Filter papers

- Four varieties of botanicals 

All you need is a bottle of gin and sugar.

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The washing process does make a difference, so don’t skimp on this stage and just sling the sloes straight into your bottle.

Also, don’t take a short cut on the overnight rehydration process.Sloe gin is best sipped on its own by an open fire. Having said that a drop added to champagne makes a very acceptable cocktail.

You don’t have to stick to gin - try sloe brandy or sloe whisky.

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When you have drained your sloes from your gin don’t discard them but reuse these gorgeous berries that have been soaked in alcohol and sugar in an average bottle of red wine. And, after three months drain them out and you will have a very palatable fortified wine, not quite port but a very good substitute. Waste not want not!