OK, the immediate reason I am giving this kit 5 stars is that the other reviews are just far too low.
For those people who say this kit doesn’t make “real gin,” WRONG. I read up on what “real gin is,” and it is “any agricultural-based alcohol whose primary flavor is from Juniper berries.” Starting with vodka — which is nothing more than alcohol made by distilling potatoes — is a perfectly acceptable starting point. Want to know what “real” gin makers start with? The answer is all kinds of starting alcohols, but mostly alcohol from sugar beets, because it is the cheapest.
Next up — the history of gin. Gin has been made by either soaking the berries and spices in the alcohol, or by hanging them in a basked inside the still. The main difference is the final color. If you use the historical soaking method, you get more solids and some color, like amber. If you use the distillation method, you get only the volatiles and the result is clear. The latter method is called “distilled gin,” unlike the soaking method, which this kit uses, which is plain, “gin.”
Then — flavor. I loved the flavor I got from this kit (it was a gift). So did everyone else I let taste it, including a goodly number of spirit snobs. A few found the flavor too potent, we we diluted this gin with “regular” gin about 1:1 and that was a big hit, too.
And — it was fun to make. The little flasks are cool.
Finally, I am going to buy more spices and make some more.
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Havn’t yet bought this kit but am interested in doing so. For those who dismiss it because it uses vodka realize that all gin starts as neutral spirits usually made from grain but not necessarily so. When it is bottled in the 80 to 140 proof range we call it… yes, vodka. No gin starts out as gin per se. Most gins are infused by re distilling the base spirit with botanicals (usually juniper + numerous other ingredients) either immersed in the base spirit or often in a tray hanging between the pot and the condenser. The method used by the Home Gin Kit is to infuse the vodka. Yes it is infused vodka, but is incorrect to say it is not gin. The term for this is compound gin. As another reviewer pointed out, the color may be different than the clear gin to which we are accustomed. But this is not the only way to infuse color into gin. For example, I recommend that any gin lover try an aged gin such as Roundhouse Barrel Aged Gin out of Boulder, Colorado. Of course, when we put grain spirits in wood we usually call it… whiskey. Whatever the title, enjoy!
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What a cool gift! Received this as a birthday present and had more fun making / sharing my own delicious concoction with friends. We even did a blind taste test with a few store bought gins (ie Hendricks, London Dry, Tanqueray) and my homemade spirit won hands down across multiple groups of friends. It’s now become my go-to gift for my brothers, dad, friends who seem to have everything, booze hounds, and creative / do-it-yourself-ers. Recipients seem to love it just as much as I do. Great product!
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Fabulous Gin,
For those people who say this kit doesn’t make “real gin,” WRONG. I read up on what “real gin is,” and it is “any agricultural-based alcohol whose primary flavor is from Juniper berries.” Starting with vodka — which is nothing more than alcohol made by distilling potatoes — is a perfectly acceptable starting point. Want to know what “real” gin makers start with? The answer is all kinds of starting alcohols, but mostly alcohol from sugar beets, because it is the cheapest.
Next up — the history of gin. Gin has been made by either soaking the berries and spices in the alcohol, or by hanging them in a basked inside the still. The main difference is the final color. If you use the historical soaking method, you get more solids and some color, like amber. If you use the distillation method, you get only the volatiles and the result is clear. The latter method is called “distilled gin,” unlike the soaking method, which this kit uses, which is plain, “gin.”
Then — flavor. I loved the flavor I got from this kit (it was a gift). So did everyone else I let taste it, including a goodly number of spirit snobs. A few found the flavor too potent, we we diluted this gin with “regular” gin about 1:1 and that was a big hit, too.
And — it was fun to make. The little flasks are cool.
Finally, I am going to buy more spices and make some more.
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|Just clearing up some misconceptions,
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|Great gift!!,
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