Richard Crooks's Website
Gin Recipes
Gin is a most quintissentially English drink (although it's a derivative of a Dutch drink called jenever), and the English love to make gin, and drink gin, and put gin in everything from tonic water to potato chips. Gin is as English as it gets quite honestly.
I've had a dabble with making gin, that is bathtub gin, which is easier to make with less risk of killing yourself, and you can read about my exciting ginsperiments here. Perhaps it'll give you some ideas that you'd like to try yourself
Base: Vodka
Botanicals: Juniper, Cardamom, Pink Peppercorn, Hibiscus
Description: This is a very floral gin, made with the botanicals found in a Spanish gin botanicals kit, so it's actually cheating. It is however pink, owing to the hibiscus.
It tastes lovely, and the hue is lovely. The hibiscus and pink peppercorns give it some sweetness, which the lack of coriander makes it different to the typical English gins.
Base: Vodka
Botanicals: Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Black Pepper, Smoked
Description: This gin has basic flavours of juniper, coriander and angelica, with black pepper. I've also smoked this gin, which is why there's black pepper.
The smokiness doesn't come through particularly strongly in this gin, so perhaps different smoking methods are needed. The simplicity of the botanicals though makes this gin very straightforward, and black pepper serves with distinction in gin.
Base: Vodka
Botanicals: Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Licorice, Lemon Peel, Sichuan Pepper, Sumac
Description: This gin has a really simple idea, basically this has the basic gin botanicals, plus lemon peel, sichuan pepper and sumac, all of which have sharp, citrus notes, so this is intended to be a fresh citrusy gin, even though the only lemon thing in it is the lemon peel.
This was a lovely, light, floral and citrusy gin. It made an excellent gin and tonic.
Base: Vodka
Botanicals: Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Lime Leaf, Chipotle, Cilantro, Bell Pepper, Oregano, Black Pepper, Garlic
Description: With this gin I am going for a Mexican inspired gin, with the chipotle chilli, oregano and cilantro, along with the other classic spices of Mexican cuisine. I expect this to be a little bit of a zingy gin.
I'm not sure about this one, the chilli is overpowering, so it's a spicy gin, and I can't taste the juniper very much at all. This is barely gin to be honest. There is also the strange flavour of the tsipouro based gin coming through, which is perhaps the oregano.
Base: Vodka
Botanicals: Juniper, Coriander, Angelica, Licorice, Lemon Peel, Orris Root, Pink Peppercorn, Black Peppercorn
Description: This gin has pepper in it. The spicy black pepper and the sweet pink pepper. These are tapered with lemon peel, and the base gin botanicals, including orris and licorice as well as angelica, coriander and juniper.
This gin tastes like fairly regular gin, the pepper notes are there, but they nicely complement, rather than overpower the juniper flavours. It tastes classy, and sophisticated.
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