Bushman’s 2 Gallon Gin Recipe

[NZChris]

I halved the orange, ran it this morning, haven’t proofed it yet

[GCB3]

Staying around Odin’s 12 to 15 g/L of Juniper, I don’t normally get any louching upon proofing. This batch produced a medium louche when proofed.I’m thinking it may be the oils from the citrus. Not a problem, just an observation.

[Bushman]

I removed everything and racked it before the run and didn’t notice louche.

[Bushman]

I removed everything and racked it before the run and didn’t notice louche.

Just bottled around 6 liters and no louche. Also like to thank the people that have posted gin recipes before me especially Stubby and Odin although I did change the recipes and added a twist of my own the base recipe was taken from others. Should be able to keep my wife in gin gimlets for a while.

[NZChris]

I toasted the orange peel and halved the quantity, but nobody commented on any differences to my usual gins. It is very nice gin and the remaining peel is in my apothecary for other projects.

[Bushman]

I toasted the orange peel and halved the quantity, but nobody commented on any differences to my usual gins. It is very nice gin and the remaining peel is in my apothecary for other projects.

Not sure how much toasting the orange peel helps, I do that with my Grand Marnier recipe and it does make a difference in the flavor profile.

[Bushman]

I did a side by side taste test with some London Dry and the London Dry was a little smoother but mine had more gin flavor. But only after resting for five weeks I’m happy with the results.

[CoogeeBoy]

Bushman’s Gin
Today I bottled my gin, I think it’s going to be pretty good as it smells great and I think after it rests for 5 weeks I am really going to like it.

Peel the oranges and using a micro plane remove the pith ( white stuff just inside the skin). You can cut it away as well if.....

I just ran my first batch of Odins but used Mandarins like you.

FYI I found a serrated knife worked really well at getting the pith off.

[The Baker]

Old expression.

Taking the pith.

Geoff

[howie]

I did a side by side taste test with some London Dry and the London Dry was a little smoother but mine had more gin flavor. But only after resting for five weeks I’m happy with the results.

i'm itching to get some gins going, the final piece of my gin caddy will arrive soon.
obv my first ideas are to vapour infuse but i am keen to try other methods.
the 35l boiler is SS and the still is modular SS and i can run it in pot mode or reflux.
so my first attempt will be to run low wines on reflux, then through the gin caddy.

when the maceration technique and pot still is used, does that method make the still and columns hard to clean (ie natural oils).
bearing in mind i can dump all my SS pieces in a tub of PBW or the like.

i have been thinking of getting a small pot still for distilling gin, or distilling each gin ingredient to make a selection of essences for blending.

and just to be clear, the last line in the recipe "let it rest in glass jars for 5 weeks before bottling"
does that mean in the collection jars with coffee filters on the top?

[NZChris]

and just to be clear, the last line in the recipe "let it rest in glass jars for 5 weeks before bottling"
does that mean in the collection jars with coffee filters on the top?

I don't spent a whole lot of time and money growing, harvesting, gathering and importing exotic ingredients only to let their flavorsome VOCs waft out of the shed door. Put the cork in the jar.

[Saltbush Bill]

so my first attempt will be to run low wines on reflux, then through the gin caddy.

Doubt you will be happy with the result ......much easier to make the base spirit or neutral first........then make the gin.

[howie]

so my first attempt will be to run low wines on reflux, then through the gin caddy.

Doubt you will be happy with the result ......much easier to make the base spirit or neutral first........then make the gin.

to be clear, i have about 20l of stripped FFV with an average ABV of 44%.
after a bit of dilution to 40%, i was planning on running this in reflux mode with the gin caddy after the RC, and before the PC in a slow spirit run.
stabilizing the column, first taking the fores off, before putting it into full refux while i insert the gin basket, and carrying on slowly from there.
i assume will get a lighter taste this way (good or bad?)
i will be using a gin recipe called 'blond chap'.
the bushmans and odins gin will surely follow one day, as will boiler infusion

[Saltbush Bill]

Your call , do it how you like. Blond Chap.....sounds like a recipe from AuD to me.

first taking the fores off, before putting it into full refux while i insert the gin basket, and carrying on slowly from there.

Might pay to take the heads off to before inserting the gin basket if you want something drinkable.

[NZChris]

Good luck with that. My version of FFV has a lot less flavor and I still have to be careful not to overpower my gins with it. My minimum quality for an OEG style gin base spirit is twice run pot stilled heart cut from a suitable wash.

[howie]

Might pay to take the heads off to before inserting the gin basket if you want something drinkable.
[/quote]
good call.

[Bushman]

My son for my birthday bought me a 4” gin basket but the taste doing the way I did with the above recipe came through strong so not sure I will ever use it. I am thinking about getting a 4” x 2” reducer and using it on my cm boiler making a pot still conversion.
Not sure I want to give up the Macerating. You gin experts what do you think after maceration throwing the used botanicals in the gin basket when doing the run? Probably can’t hurt but wondering if it would be worth it.

[CoogeeBoy]

I did a side by side taste test with some London Dry and the London Dry was a little smoother but mine had more gin flavor. But only after resting for five weeks I’m happy with the results.

when the maceration technique and pot still is used, does that method make the still and columns hard to clean (ie natural oils).

That is a great question that I hadn't seen asked or answered before. I just did my first run of Odin's Easy Gin and got a heck of a build up on the inside of my boiler, I had to get the stainless steel out to clean it!

[Bushman]

I did a side by side taste test with some London Dry and the London Dry was a little smoother but mine had more gin flavor. But only after resting for five weeks I’m happy with the results.

when the maceration technique and pot still is used, does that method make the still and columns hard to clean (ie natural oils).

That is a great question that I hadn't seen asked or answered before. I just did my first run of Odin's Easy Gin and got a heck of a build up on the inside of my boiler, I had to get the stainless steel out to clean it!

Did you rack it first or distill with the botanicals in the boiler?

[howie]

and just to be clear, the last line in the recipe "let it rest in glass jars for 5 weeks before bottling"
does that mean in the collection jars with coffee filters on the top?

I don't spent a whole lot of time and money growing, harvesting, gathering and importing exotic ingredients only to let their flavorsome VOCs waft out of the shed door. Put the cork in the jar.

ha ha didn't think so.
neither will i, as the recipe has about 15 x ingredients i have spent years foraging for (30 mins on fleabay TBH )
so rest in glass jars before bottling, in glass jars.
this suggests there is another little process.
i have read how different flavours, like spicy & earthy, come out at different stages of the run.
so i was planing on keeping the cuts separate (rest in jars) for some time (5 weeks?), before blending to my taste, then bottling.

[NZChris]

I've never macerated for longer than 24 hours and always run with the botanicals in the boiler, basket, or Carter Head. For a Carter Head run, all of my botanicals are in the Carter Head and there is clean, clear, spirit in the boiler.

If I did try macerating for days or weeks, I still wouldn't run with the botanicals in the compost bin because I would think that there is still good flavor to be had in them.

We could experiment with some extremes to find the differences, e.g., long maceration and distil without the botanicals, compared with no maceration and all botanicals in the basket or boiler.

Fortunately, it seems to be quite difficult to make bad gin by any method. You have to do something like put something in it that shouldn't be there, or use way too much of something.

[NZChris]

i have read how different flavours, like spicy & earthy, come out at different stages of the run.
so i was planing on keeping the cuts separate (rest in jars) for some time (5 weeks?), before blending to my taste, then bottling.

Good luck with that. You'll have a hard time eliminating something you don't want while keeping everything you do want. If I want a particular quality of a botanical, I do an essence strength run of it for blending into future gins/whatever, and do my cuts on that to accentuate what I want.

[CoogeeBoy]

I did a side by side taste test with some London Dry and the London Dry was a little smoother but mine had more gin flavor. But only after resting for five weeks I’m happy with the results.

when the maceration technique and pot still is used, does that method make the still and columns hard to clean (ie natural oils).

That is a great question that I hadn't seen asked or answered before. I just did my first run of Odin's Easy Gin and got a heck of a build up on the inside of my boiler, I had to get the stainless steel out to clean it!

Did you rack it first or distill with the botanicals in the boiler?

I racked it and distilled without the botanicals however, I did only rack it on the morning of, perhaps I should have left it.

[CoogeeBoy]

I've never macerated for longer than 24 hours and always run with the botanicals in the boiler, basket, or Carter Head. For a Carter Head run, all of my botanicals are in the Carter Head and there is clean, clear, spirit in the boiler.

presuming diluted down to less than 40% correct? I know it probably goes without saying but you have a lot more experience than nearly all of us.

If I did try macerating for days or weeks, I still wouldn't run with the botanicals in the compost bin because I would think that there is still good flavor to be had in them.

In the flavour side, the only comment I have on that is that after 2 weeks, my citrus are hard as a rock and close to white. Having said that, I macerate on 93% ABV.

We could experiment with some extremes to find the differences, e.g., long maceration and distil without the botanicals, compared with no maceration and all botanicals in the basket or boiler.

Would love to run that experiment, I was wondering if I could macerate for a week then distill with the botanicals in but decided to run to 2 weeks instead.

Fortunately, it seems to be quite difficult to make bad gin by any method. You have to do something like put something in it that shouldn't be there, or use way too much of something.

The only issue I have had with gin is running into tails and getting that wet dog smell.

[NZChris]

The only issue I have had with gin is running into tails and getting that wet dog smell.

If I'm running an OEG style gin, the method shuts down with so much alcohol still in the charge that I can get away with using a base spirit with a hint of wet dog in it.

[NZChris]

presuming diluted down to less than 40% correct? I know it probably goes without saying but you have a lot more experience than nearly all of us.

Wrong.

I use the same abv that Odin recommended for his Easy Gin.

[Bushman]

presuming diluted down to less than 40% correct? I know it probably goes without saying but you have a lot more experience than nearly all of us.

Wrong.

I use the same abv that Odin recommended for his Easy Gin.

+1 the commercial gin I did my side by side taste test was 44%

[CoogeeBoy]

presuming diluted down to less than 40% correct? I know it probably goes without saying but you have a lot more experience than nearly all of us.

Wrong.

I use the same abv that Odin recommended for his Easy Gin.

Sorry, not at maceration, when you distilled is what I meant

[NZChris]

Sorry, not at maceration, when you distilled is what I meant

So did I. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48668

[GCB3]

Hey Bushman. I’m really sorry it has taken me this long to get back to you. For various reasons I’ve been away from the hobby since late fall. So, the maceration I put together in late September did not get run until New Year’s. I was expecting a really bitter product. After proofing, I set it to rest New Year’s Day. I didn’t get back to it until last night.

What a pleasant surprise! I fixed a G&T with lime and strong tonic and it was delicious. It is going to make a wonderful summer beverage. I tend to agree with you that the citrus is too strong for a martini, but, in hot weather it should be very nice on the rocks. A G&T is my summer go to drink. I will need to make another batch before the summer is gone!

Thanks for this delicious recipe.