Buzz
Like any infused liquor, gin is a spirit you can easily make at home. As long as juniper remains the dominant flavor, you've officially created your own gin. However, just because you *can* do it yourself doesn’t always mean you *should*. To find out, we tried three different DIY gin recipes—no need for bathtubs.
The Simplest Option: HomemadeGin.com’s Homemade Gin Kit
Homemadegin.com offers a straightforward kit that provides all the essentials to turn a standard bottle of vodka into your very own personalized gin. It’s the easiest method, requiring minimal effort—just mix the kit’s ingredients with vodka and wait for your gin to infuse.
Price: $49.95, plus the cost of vodka
How It Works: The kit includes all the botanicals you’ll need, pre-packaged in handy tins. Along with the plant ingredients, you also get a funnel, strainer, and two glass bottles for storage. After purchasing a bottle of vodka, the process is simple: pour, shake, and wait. First, you infuse the juniper berries for a full 24 hours before adding the remaining botanicals. Once the second set of botanicals is added, let it sit for another 12 hours, then strain it into the provided bottles.
Flavor: The final product is likely to be different from the gin you’re accustomed to. It creates a rich, amber-colored spirit with a flavor profile quite distinct from Bombay, Hendrick’s, or Tanqueray.
Juniper is the dominant flavor, but fennel takes a close second, nearly overpowering the juniper. There’s also a noticeable root beer or cola undertone, which pairs well with soda water, though it may be a bit too strong for a more delicate cocktail like a martini. If I were to make this again, I would reduce the amount of botanicals used for a 750-milliliter bottle of vodka.
The Verdict: The process requires minimal effort, and the funnel, strainer, and bottles are all of good quality. Once you’ve got the kit, you can order additional botanical refills, or even experiment with creating your own unique blends.
Although it’s a pricier way to make gin, and the final spirit tastes more like a watered-down bitters than a fresh, juniper-forward gin, it’s still an enjoyable drink. The flavor continues to develop over time. While the strainer does a great job of removing larger bits like berries and leaves, it doesn’t capture some of the finer, powdery sediments, which end up in the final product and keep altering the flavor. I’ll happily finish what I made, but I wouldn’t reach for it when I’m craving a martini.
The Non-Gin Option: Anova's 90-Second Sous Vide 'Gin'
If you're someone who typically has a bottle of vodka in your home bar but not gin, Anova's quick 90-second sous vide method allows you to transform vodka into a gin-like spirit using an immersion circulator.
Required Equipment and Ingredients: Anova Precision Cooker (or any immersion circulator), a sealable plastic bag, and the following ingredients:
3 ounces vodka
Peel of one small orange
8 juniper berries
10-12 coriander seeds
2 cardamom pods
8-10 Grains of Paradise (optional)
1 Tasmanian pepperberry (optional)
Note: I wasn’t able to locate Grains of Paradise or Tasmanian pepperberries at my local specialty store, which suggests they are not easy to find.
Cost: If you already own a sous vide machine (and I wouldn’t suggest purchasing one just for this), your main expenses will be the botanicals, which can cost less than two dollars if your store sells herbs and spices in bulk. Additionally, you'll need an orange and vodka. The juniper berries, which I couldn’t find in bulk, were the priciest item at around six dollars, aside from the vodka.
If you don’t have any of the ingredients at hand, you’re looking at spending around $20-$30 for the ingredients to make three ounces of gin. The majority of the cost comes from vodka, which will leave you with plenty for future batches. It's worth mentioning that the herbs and spices I bought were enough to make this recipe about four times. While it may be more expensive than buying a cheap bottle of gin, investing ten dollars in juniper berries and other botanicals will give you enough to make plenty of batches.
How It Works: Combine all the ingredients in a bag and seal it as tightly as possible. The recipe suggests removing the air by slowly submerging the bag in water to push out the air, but this doesn’t quite work. Vodka is lighter than water, so a bag full of vodka and botanicals won’t fully submerge.
Since everything only needs to steep for a minute and a half, you can simply hold the bag under water with tongs. After that, remove it and place it in an ice bath, gently massaging it a few times to help the flavors infuse. Once cooled, strain the liquid and enjoy.
Flavor: I'm not sure this qualifies as 'gin.' If I hadn’t added the juniper berries myself, I wouldn’t have been able to detect them, as they were entirely overshadowed by the orange zest. What you end up with is essentially a slightly herbal orange vodka, which isn’t bad, but it’s certainly not gin.
The Verdict: This recipe is simple to follow, and the ability to say, 'Let me quickly infuse a cocktail for you,' is a fun party trick. However, what you end up with is not gin. If you're looking for a balanced, fresh, and clean orange vodka, go ahead and try it. But if your goal is gin? You might want to keep searching.
The Winner: Anova’s Sous Vide 10-Minute Gin
This 10-minute recipe from Anova is exactly what I had in mind. It’s just as easy as the other two methods, but the result is something I’d actually enjoy in a martini.
Special Equipment and Ingredients: Anova Precision Cooker, or any immersion circulator, along with a sealable plastic bag, plus:
3 ounces vodka
10 coriander seeds
8 juniper berries
2 pieces dried lavender
5 whole black peppercorns
2 whole cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
Cost: Like the previous recipe, most of your budget will go towards the vodka and botanicals, though you probably already have peppercorns and bay leaves in your pantry. Similar to the last recipe, while you may end up spending a little more on a decent vodka and assorted botanicals than you would on a bottle of cheap gin, it's still more affordable than premium brands, and this recipe is definitely worth the cost.
How It Works: Just like the sous vide technique mentioned before, all the ingredients go into a bag, which is then immersed in the water bath. I didn't want to stand there holding it under with tongs for ten minutes, so I let it float a bit. After ten minutes, remove the bag, strain out the solids, and chill for at least fifteen minutes.
Flavor: This gin was absolutely delightful to drink. It had a robust juniper flavor, with hints of spice and floral notes, and while it was bold enough to be enjoyed alone or with soda water, it was clean enough to be part of a cocktail without overwhelming the other flavors.
The Verdict: I think I’m hooked. This method is a quick and simple way to elevate plain vodka into something far more interesting and flavorful, and it’s a spirit I actually enjoy drinking repeatedly. I tend to go through gin much faster than vodka, but this could change my usual preference.
While the original recipe is fantastic, I’m eager to experiment further. This is the real appeal of infusing gin this way: customization. Instead of waiting a day or more for a traditional infusion, you can create several small batches, adjusting the botanicals to fit your unique and refined taste.
Of course, this isn’t limited to just gin. The sous vide infusion method is an excellent way to quickly personalize any spirit, allowing you to leave your unique mark on whatever alcohol you choose. Goodbye, signature cocktails—hello, signature spirits.
Photos courtesy of Claire Lower.
