4 Ways to Spruce Up your Gin

Gin is undoubtedly back. So much so that, at time of writing, there seems to be a gin for everything; sipping gins, tonic gins, martini gins, fruit gins, spiced gins, wine gins, barrel aged gins, native gins, colonial gins, gins for people who don’t really like drinking gins, and gins without alcohol. There are gins distilled with nuts, capers, seaweed, weed-weed, cheeses, honey and even ants.

Already a big and confusing world, throw in ginfusion kits and ready-to-drink gin cocktails out of the bottle, and it just feels as though we are getting further and further away from the real thing. As a consumer — and a creator, it’s important to know what you can do to gin to make it taste great for you, however you want to serve it up.

Below are 4 ways you can take your gin in a direction of your choosing. But beware, you should always start with a very neutral London Dry Gin, such as Tanqueray or Bulldog. (Sipsmith would be an expensive but ideal choice.) Many gins rightfully have their own funk these days, and navigating through and around them can be treacherous. For example, a lot of native-style Australian gins have particular flavour profiles that can be hard enough to match with tonic, let alone new and self-chosen botanicals.

Some people will also say you can start with vodka and just add juniper to your infusion to make it more ginny. If you want to do that, go for it, but I think we can all agree that vodka and gin are definitely not the same poison, and infusing your vodka will not make it feel like gin, even if it might taste like one.

Before we head in, however, I must provide a word of caution. Infusions can be loud, and, what you do cannot be undone. All of these options can provide layers of flavour within hours of contact. While lime peel and lemongrass will gradually surrender flavour as they weaken, spices and teas will dominate your infusion if not monitored carefully. Playing scientist in smaller jar-sized experiments is a useful place to start for any infewbies.

Spices

You will find dried juniper berries in the spice section of your well-stocked supermarket or grocer. While you are down this aisle, you will also be able to find the most frequently used gin botanicals, including coriander seed, cardamom, fennel seeds and cinnamon. Their frequent use is because they are cheap, but also because they are inoffensive. They add stimulating layers to your gin, without dominating.

At the other end of this spectrum are spices such as star anise, cloves and chilli. These flavours, if given limited contact hours, can add fascinating layers of flavour to your infusion. In the case of star anise, for example, it can add body and aroma, without necessarily making it taste like licorice. But if you leave it for more than 24–36 hours, you could end up with a bottle of licorice chilli gin that you’re — surprisingly — struggling to convince friends to try.

Although harder to find, I highly recommend cubeb pepper and grains of paradise. Both of these varieties of pepper provide a really spectacular, rounded flavour, as if the sweet burst of berries was distilled into an earthy corn of pepper. Other popular options include angelica root, orris root, nutmeg, and the ultimate Australian spice botanical, pepperberry.

Summary: Choose wisely, contact carefully, own your decisions!

Fruit

There are generally two ways to get fruit flavour into your gin; either you use the peel or the skin of the fruit, or you use it in a dried form. I started with dried apricots and cranberries. They are what I had in the cupboard, because I like their taste, and that’s a good place to start — infuse with flavours you know you like.

As we have all learnt by now, dried fruit is literally 100% sugar. So go easy on the dried fruit, because your injection of fruit flavour will come with a x1.25 of sweet. Don’t get me wrong, it’s delicious, but tonic water is sweet enough already. I recommend one or two pieces of fruit for no more than two days. At this point, take them out, try the gin (neat and/or with tonic), and see if you think it is finished. If not, you can either put the same fruit back in, or put in new ones.

I’ve also experimented with dried peaches and dried ume plums, to create a moorish Japanese G&T. Walking through markets — or wherever you might source exotic dried fruits — takes on a whole new level now that you infuse gins. Once I came across dried hibiscus flowers in a foreign country, and I was willing to infuse a gin for a friend because I knew I couldn’t bring them home. Having explored the obvious options, I’m now toying with the idea of a moment of dried fig, and investing in some bougie dried plums. I’m sure a brief steep of barberries would also work for any disciples of Ottolenghi out there.

Fruit skin, on the other hand, is obviously limited to citrus. Lime, lemon, grapefruit, orange, blood orange, citron. As my mother always points out, you only want the bright coloured skin, and ideally none of the white pith underneath. Use a peeler to carefully peel off strips of peel, and place them in your gin (and hold your tongue when someone hacks at an orange next time they make you a drink).

Lime is the safest option. It will add brightness and a moment of acidity, without competing with the flavour profile. Lemon is similar, but offers a bit more character, and orange is further along this spectrum. If you leave orange peel in for the long term, you will end up with an orange gin. For this reason I might take orange peel out after 24–72 hours, whereas I will leave lime peel in until the gin is finished.

Finally, for the time poor infuser, there are options to use fresh fruit. If you slice up a bunch of fresh citrus and put it in a jar with your gin, shake vigorously and pour within an hour to get a bright, fresh alternative. I tried this when presented with finger limes, which have no peel you can infuse with. I cut the fingers into discs and shook vigorously for about 30 seconds. The agitation burst a lot of the delicate vesicles of flavour, and the resulting G&T was big. I wouldn’t, however, expect these hacks to have a long shelf life — either in or out of the fridge.

Summary: Everything is good in moderation, lime is always welcome, avoid mega-sweet.

Tea

Tea is an obvious option here. We infuse tea when we drink it already, so why not try it with your gin! Infusing gin with tea should only ever be done for 12–48 hours, otherwise it can overpower the other flavours in your infusion or your gin. Lots of teas have lots of character, so choosing the right tea isn’t a decision you should take lightly. Big and loud teas will colonise your gin.

I think it was an earl grey flavoured chocolate truffle that sparked my intense passion for earl grey flavoured things. Many bergamot and earl grey beers have since come and gone; some amazing, some very average. When I encountered a dulce de leche gelato infused with T2 French Earl Grey tea some time later, I found the earl grey bouquet I wanted to put into everything. I recommend this to everyone; a French Earl Grey G&T with a squeeze of lime is definitely very good.

Upon long reflection, however, I am now moving to source the ingredients of different teas. Bergamot, the key ingredient in earl grey, is a citrus, whose peel you can buy. It is possible that I will prefer the core ingredient, without everything else that goes into a blended tea bag. In this context, perhaps, teas ought to be considered as gateway-infusers.

Shout out to Settlers Distillery from South Australia, who distill a ‘Breakfast G & Tea’, which is infused with Earl Grey tea, honey and lemon. A delicious sipping gin, this makes a great gift. I’ve toyed with green tea infusions too, but I don’t feel confident enough in green teas to get it right.

Summary: Delicious, but be careful.

en plein air

en plein air is a phrase whose introduction into common discourse originates from the impressionist movement in France. Innovation in equipment technology saw pig bladder carefully repurposed as vessels to carry artists’ paints. This enabled artists to go out to the fields and into nature and paint ‘en plein air.’

Used in this way, this category encapsulates everything from the natural world that is fresh and stimulating to the senses. It’s a broad ship, but a useful way of thinking. My go-to’s in this category are lemongrass (everytime) and kaffir lime leaves. They add a deep freshness that is distinct from fruit peel. In this same category are bay leaves and Australia’s most famous botanical, lemon myrtle. (There are also other flavoured bay leaves and myrtles.)

Other options in this category include flowers (rose petals, lavender), hops and other fresh or dried herbs. A lot of distilleries are adding hemp and hops into their batches for something funky and different. Some hops, according to beer brewers, can produce wild tangents of flavour. In my early days — and with minimal foresight, I infused a gin with fresh basil, celery and pepper corns. It wasn’t great, but nowadays I think I could rescue it in the right cocktail.

Summary: So many options out there, and they all start with lemongrass.

Be Creative, be inspired.

These are four pools of resources, out of which you can design your perfect gin. Often it is my favourite gins that inspire me to do something wild, but don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never seen before.

My ultimate gin infusion is French Earl Grey tea, lemongrass, lime peel, and a few cubeb peppers and grains of paradise. I infused four bottles of this for our wedding, and they flew out of the bar faster than you could say garnish!

In the past I have also added 1 or 2 dried apricots to this mix, which brings me to a good conclusion. Infusing gins is about balance. If you start with 1 or 2 elements, this is easily done. But as you expand your bouquet, be sure to think about balance first and foremost.

Fortunately, these 4 categories are a framework for balance. Spices and en plein air additions can ground your louder forays into fruits and teas. At the same time, fruits — such as lime peel — and teas — such as earl grey or jasmine — can rein in any big spices you want to throw in. Balance is key.

Good luck, take notes. Share your successes and bury your failures.