Rosemary

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Rrmuf
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Rosemary

Post by Rrmuf »

Hi, Quick one I hope: Does anyone have experience with rosemary as a botanical?
If so:
1. relative to juniper, how much? I am interested in whether it is in the realm of 1/10th or 1/100th by weight?
2.I have fresh rosemary. Have you tried by picking off the greens or with the whole branch?
Thanks
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NZChris
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Re: Rosemary

Post by NZChris »

I use 1/10 of freshly picked leaves for Gin Mare.
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Rrmuf
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Re: Rosemary

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Why did I know you would be the first to answer Chris? :-)

Thanks! I will start with that and adjust.
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tchib
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Re: Rosemary

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I am not a fan of rosmemary in Gin personally. I think it adds too much of a savory taste. Stockholm Distillery does theirs with a little Rosemary and I can handle that ok, but they probably only add 1/50 at most. If you're going for a sipping Gin (not designed for cocktails) then go nuts.
Naturally it's very subjective so if you like Rosemary flavored everything you can probably go 1/10 without spoiling the Juniper flavor. I would definitely call that a contemporary gin at that point though, Rosemary is a powerful aroma.
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Re: Rosemary

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tchib wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 3:32 am I am not a fan of rosmemary in Gin personally. I think it adds too much of a savory taste. Stockholm Distillery does theirs with a little Rosemary and I can handle that ok, but they probably only add 1/50 at most. If you're going for a sipping Gin (not designed for cocktails) then go nuts.
Naturally it's very subjective so if you like Rosemary flavored everything you can probably go 1/10 without spoiling the Juniper flavor. I would definitely call that a contemporary gin at that point though, Rosemary is a powerful aroma.
Hi, I am actually familiar with the Stockholm Distillery products from my many travels there and have a 1/2 bottle of their Dry gin here at home. I did have a pink gin of theirs and now that you mentioned it, I do vaguely recall rosemary in one of those two products (and I didnt particularly like the rose gin but very much like the dry gin. I will look through the ingredients listed on the dry gin and decide whether to include a slight bit based on that.
Thanks!
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tchib
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Re: Rosemary

Post by tchib »

Rrmuf wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 4:29 am
tchib wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 3:32 am I am not a fan of rosmemary in Gin personally. I think it adds too much of a savory taste. Stockholm Distillery does theirs with a little Rosemary and I can handle that ok, but they probably only add 1/50 at most. If you're going for a sipping Gin (not designed for cocktails) then go nuts.
Naturally it's very subjective so if you like Rosemary flavored everything you can probably go 1/10 without spoiling the Juniper flavor. I would definitely call that a contemporary gin at that point though, Rosemary is a powerful aroma.
Hi, I am actually familiar with the Stockholm Distillery products from my many travels there and have a 1/2 bottle of their Dry gin here at home. I did have a pink gin of theirs and now that you mentioned it, I do vaguely recall rosemary in one of those two products (and I didnt particularly like the rose gin but very much like the dry gin. I will look through the ingredients listed on the dry gin and decide whether to include a slight bit based on that.
Thanks!
Well next time you are in that area you'll have to try Trosa Gin, it's coming out next year and it's the best ever. Stockholm do a lots of funky stuff with their gin, more power to them. Hernö is also amazing, I'm looking at their Pink BTL Gin now and it's exceptional. Sweden is hosting a gin and tonic festival in July with all the craft distillers, I have my ticket!
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Re: Rosemary

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tchib wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 6:52 am
Rrmuf wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 4:29 am
tchib wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 3:32 am I am not a fan of rosmemary in Gin personally. I think it adds too much of a savory taste. Stockholm Distillery does theirs with a little Rosemary and I can handle that ok, but they probably only add 1/50 at most. If you're going for a sipping Gin (not designed for cocktails) then go nuts.
Naturally it's very subjective so if you like Rosemary flavored everything you can probably go 1/10 without spoiling the Juniper flavor. I would definitely call that a contemporary gin at that point though, Rosemary is a powerful aroma.
Hi, I am actually familiar with the Stockholm Distillery products from my many travels there and have a 1/2 bottle of their Dry gin here at home. I did have a pink gin of theirs and now that you mentioned it, I do vaguely recall rosemary in one of those two products (and I didnt particularly like the rose gin but very much like the dry gin. I will look through the ingredients listed on the dry gin and decide whether to include a slight bit based on that.
Thanks!
Well next time you are in that area you'll have to try Trosa Gin, it's coming out next year and it's the best ever. Stockholm do a lots of funky stuff with their gin, more power to them. Hernö is also amazing, I'm looking at their Pink BTL Gin now and it's exceptional. Sweden is hosting a gin and tonic festival in July with all the craft distillers, I have my ticket!
That sounds fantastic! I have tried Herno as well. Prwe-Covid I was travelling to Stockholm quite often, and I look forward to going again.
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NZChris
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Re: Rosemary

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I wouldn't go adding rosemary to a typical gin recipe and expecting to make nice gin.

Gin Mare is quite different. My G&T made with it includes a sprig of rosemary, olives, olive oil and salt. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 11&t=73654
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Re: Rosemary

Post by Rrmuf »

NZChris wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:51 am I wouldn't go adding rosemary to a typical gin recipe and expecting to make nice gin.

Gin Mare is quite different. My G&T made with it includes a sprig of rosemary, olives, olive oil and salt. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 11&t=73654
Yes. I looked into it and gathered that it was a different thing. However, I did look at the bottle of (good) Gin I still have from that Stockholm distillery and I confirmed my recollection that it included rosemary, along with elderflower and heather(?).

I think I will skip it this time around. I need to up my gin supply for xmas. :mrgreen:
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Re: Rosemary

Post by Wozza »

Rrmuf wrote: Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:56 am
NZChris wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:51 am I wouldn't go adding rosemary to a typical gin recipe and expecting to make nice gin.

Gin Mare is quite different. My G&T made with it includes a sprig of rosemary, olives, olive oil and salt. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 11&t=73654
Yes. I looked into it and gathered that it was a different thing. However, I did look at the bottle of (good) Gin I still have from that Stockholm distillery and I confirmed my recollection that it included rosemary, along with elderflower and heather(?).

I think I will skip it this time around. I need to up my gin supply for xmas. :mrgreen:
There are gin cocktails that use a sprig of rosemary. I've tried them and they're ok (Mmm, I might have one now, actually). Why not just add a few sprigs to a bottle and infuse it?
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Re: Rosemary

Post by Rrmuf »

Wozza wrote: Sat Nov 13, 2021 11:06 pm
Rrmuf wrote: Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:56 am
NZChris wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:51 am I wouldn't go adding rosemary to a typical gin recipe and expecting to make nice gin.

Gin Mare is quite different. My G&T made with it includes a sprig of rosemary, olives, olive oil and salt. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 11&t=73654
Yes. I looked into it and gathered that it was a different thing. However, I did look at the bottle of (good) Gin I still have from that Stockholm distillery and I confirmed my recollection that it included rosemary, along with elderflower and heather(?).

I think I will skip it this time around. I need to up my gin supply for xmas. :mrgreen:
There are gin cocktails that use a sprig of rosemary. I've tried them and they're ok (Mmm, I might have one now, actually). Why not just add a few sprigs to a bottle and infuse it?
Not a bad idea for a first go at it.
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Re: Rosemary

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You can suspend it above the gin for a few days.
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Re: Rosemary

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Rrmuf wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 4:42 am
Wozza wrote: Sat Nov 13, 2021 11:06 pm
There are gin cocktails that use a sprig of rosemary. I've tried them and they're ok (Mmm, I might have one now, actually). Why not just add a few sprigs to a bottle and infuse it?
Not a bad idea for a first go at it.
For my daughters birthday I bought some 250ml flip top bottles and macerated various botanicals for a couple of weeks in each. There was pepper and lime, blood orange, saffron, rhubarb, strawberry, blueberry, chocolate and butterfly pea. For the citrus I just used used the peel, the berries were whole, saffron just three or four threads and the chocolate was cacao nibs (cooking section of your supermarket). I poured each one carefully off the ingredients except for the saffron which I left in.

The butterfly pea one was made with some blue flowers I bought online. People use it as a tea. If you put 2 or 3 of the small flowers in 250ml gin it goes a beautiful blue colour which turns to purple when you add tonic. Looks cool. Now I've got enough flowers for about 500 bottles...

She enjoyed them all. The blood orange was the favourite.

I was at a small distillery a week ago in Mudgee (small town about 4 hours from Sydney). They made shiraz gin - which was delicious (and bloody expensive at Au$89 for 500ml). The guy giving the samples wasn't too sure of the process - or wasn't going to give up the secret, but from what I have read it's just a matter of macerating shiraz grapes in the gin for about 8 weeks. Wrong time of the year down here to get wine grapes but come April or so I'll be trying this.
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Re: Rosemary

Post by NZChris »

Wozza wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 8:15 pm They made shiraz gin - which was delicious (and bloody expensive at Au$89 for 500ml).
I read that, then proofed some gin with red grape juice because it seemed like it was an easy experiment when grapes were out of season. It was ok, could be better with more experimentation with ratios, or better juice. Her Indoors liked it.
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Re: Rosemary

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Wozza wrote: Sat Nov 13, 2021 11:06 pm
Rrmuf wrote: Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:56 am
NZChris wrote: Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:51 am I wouldn't go adding rosemary to a typical gin recipe and expecting to make nice gin.

Gin Mare is quite different. My G&T made with it includes a sprig of rosemary, olives, olive oil and salt. https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 11&t=73654
Yes. I looked into it and gathered that it was a different thing. However, I did look at the bottle of (good) Gin I still have from that Stockholm distillery and I confirmed my recollection that it included rosemary, along with elderflower and heather(?).

I think I will skip it this time around. I need to up my gin supply for xmas. :mrgreen:
There are gin cocktails that use a sprig of rosemary. I've tried them and they're ok (Mmm, I might have one now, actually). Why not just add a few sprigs to a bottle and infuse it?
Maybe it depends on the type/strength of rosemary you add. I haven't opened it yet, but I have a bottle of O'Gin, infused with wild rosemary (Olearia axillaris) found only on Kanagroo Island, off the coast near Adelaide. I imagine that the 'piney' notes from this rosemary would go very well with the juniper berries.

Might be worth a shot to source some NZChris.
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Re: Rosemary

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Wild rosemary is/may be different from culinary rosemary. It is/was used in making Gruit (unhopped ale) in the old days. My understanding is it is one of the mind/mood altering substances from the gruit. So not sure if you will get what you are expecting from the gin.
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Re: Rosemary

Post by Metalking00 »

I use 1/25 rosemary in my gin and I like it a lot (my friends think its very good as well). I think it adds depth and complexity without dominating an otherwise citrusy recipe that includes citrus peel, lemon and lime blossoms, lemon verbena and some other things. The rosemary I use is a lighter green, softer, not as woody variety that has a less overpowering smell/flavor. It still has a lot of flavor, but not nearly as overpowering as the dark green, leathery leaf variety.

I find that the rosemary flavor tends to concentrate more heavily very late in the run, past where I stop collecting, so while there is definitely rosemary in the final product, its more of a background note.

Im not sure of the name of the variety I use... My neighbors have some nice gardens and the ingredients I use are what I can find sticking through their fences onto the sidewalk :)
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Re: Rosemary

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Thanks for the suggestions.....Enough different experiences that I will just have to try it for myself! :lol:
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Re: Rosemary

Post by Terrenum »

Grapefruit goes really well with rosemary. This is what I use for citrus. Just go easy on the rosemary but it is a great botanical
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Re: Rosemary

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Terrenum wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2023 8:28 am Grapefruit goes really well with rosemary. This is what I use for citrus. Just go easy on the rosemary but it is a great botanical
I can 100% concur with this. Grapefruit is a fairly recent addition for me but I love the flavour it gives. I use mostly pink grapefruit skin

I go really light on the rosemary, so you can't actually smell or taste it. I also use pine needles and black peppercorns in the same recipe at really low additions and they all just add a tiny, different layer of savoury flavour.
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Re: Rosemary

Post by tommysb »

I've used it in tiny amounts - and it didn't do any harm, but I think on its own it was below the perception threshold. I will have to grab my notes to see what the dosage was - but off the top of my head it was probably something like 0.1g/L in an OEG type recipe.
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