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I've made a bunch of batches of OEG by now thanks to this thread and the mellowing time holds true. What it tastes like on day 1 is not what it tastes like in a couple of months.

I don't remember if I posted this before on this thread, but one thing I really enjoy doing is adding some blue color from butterfly pea flower. I made a very strong tea of it with water and then diluted it for storage with neutral spirit up to 40% abv. I add 20ml of it to 375ml of OEG to tint it blue. The blue pigment is a pH indicator and when you add it to something acidic (tonic, seltzer, lime/lemon, etc) it changes from blue to pink. Everyone seems to love the gimmick. It has a very mild herbal flavor that I don't find interferes with the juniper and citrus flavors at all.

First batch.
Very impressive.
But I'll give it the time alone I guess

Bradster68 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 4:47 pm But I'll give it the time alone I guess

So here's the trick... Make a second batch, now, and that will keep you out of the first batch. Just to be sure, you might want to make a third batch tomorrow.

Lookin good!

TwoSheds

TwoSheds wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 7:20 pm

Bradster68 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 4:47 pm But I'll give it the time alone I guess

So here's the trick... Make a second batch, now, and that will keep you out of the first batch. Just to be sure, you might want to make a third batch tomorrow.

Lookin good!

TwoSheds

Absolutely correct. I'm surrounded by juniper bushes so there's really no excuse to make more.

Bradster68 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 7:39 pm Absolutely correct. I'm surrounded by juniper bushes so there's really no excuse to make more.

Wow, you are a very lucky man if you can forage your own juniper, I'm very envious!

I forage a lot of my ingredients for brewing and will be for experimental distillations too. To have access to juniper would be a big deal for me!

MooseMan wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 12:49 am

Bradster68 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 7:39 pm Absolutely correct. I'm surrounded by juniper bushes so there's really no excuse to make more.

Wow, you are a very lucky man if you can forage your own juniper, I'm very envious!

I forage a lot of my ingredients for brewing and will be for experimental distillations too. To have access to juniper would be a big deal for me!

Crazy that when I moved here 7 yrs ago,the juniper bushes were nothing more than a pain in the ass. Very thick and picky. Needles in your shoes and hard to clear without a tractor. BUT NOW I'm a big fan

Made my first 12 quart batch of Odis's Gin today.. Used heart cuts of Shady's Sugar Shine as the base.

Should be ready by the first week of Summer..

So. I put down a OEG with rooibos march 1st.
Then an little fn recluse spider had a chomp on the left foot.
12 days in hospital and now twice weekly dressing changes..... you get the point. A 3"ferrel barely covers the hole.

Anyway- anyone ever let a oeg macerate this long? Planning to supervise the spirit run in a few days

Ta

EricTheRed wrote: ↑Tue Apr 11, 2023 4:35 am So. I put down a OEG with rooibos march 1st.
Then an little fn recluse spider had a chomp on the left foot.
12 days in hospital and now twice weekly dressing changes..... you get the point. A 3"ferrel barely covers the hole.

Anyway- anyone ever let a oeg macerate this long? Planning to supervise the spirit run in a few days

Ta

Might be strong enough to use as an essense? NZChris will know

EricTheRed wrote: ↑Tue Apr 11, 2023 4:35 am So. I put down a OEG with rooibos march 1st.
Then an little fn recluse spider had a chomp on the left foot.
12 days in hospital and now twice weekly dressing changes..... you get the point. A 3"ferrel barely covers the hole.

Anyway- anyone ever let a oeg macerate this long? Planning to supervise the spirit run in a few days

Ta

shouldn't be a problem imho.
there's only so much flavour that you can extract, it's not like 'over-oaking'.
although i mascerate overnight, sometimes circumstances have meant i left the maceration for 2 weeks, no problem.
not forgetting, rooibos doesn't have any tannins to leach out.

MooseMan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 29, 2023 4:58 am (in What'd ya'all make today?)

higgins wrote: ↑Fri Apr 28, 2023 1:04 pm Made my 12th batch of Gin this week, 5 750ml bottles.

My first 9 were all different while I was adjusting botanical quantities, then my last 2 were repeats of batch 3, as it turned out to be the favorite.
The botanicals were all macerated for 36 hours, except I put the fresh orange peel in the vapor path.
Today I added a bit of fresh lime peel as well. This may top the last one.

That is uncanny higgins, as I'm running my 12th gin batch later today!
All mine have been only 1L or 2L batches though as I'm very much still experimenting.

I'd love to try making your favourite batch 3 if you are willing to share?

Hey MooseMan, I decided to answer you here as this one is more pertinent to the Gin.

Gin Batch #3
Made using the OEG method.

25 g Juniper berries
5 g Coriander seed
1 g each Angelica root, Orris root, dried lemon peel
1.5 g dried lime peel
2 black peppercorns
1 star anise pod

grind 8-10 seconds in bladed coffee grinder
macerate in 1L 43% neutral for 24 hours
put in still along with a pint of water (reduce abv < 43%)
put the peel of small orange in vapor path (hang from lid in SS tea ball)
distill slowly, discard 1st 10 ml, keep next 400 ml.
dilute to 43% to around 750ml, depending on your distillates ABV.
It will probably louche a lot due to the citrus oils. If it bothers you (or you want to give it as a gift) add 43% neutral till it disappears.
Oddly, the strength of flavor doesn't seem to be less when I do this, and I've added as much as 800 ml.

With my batch this week I doubled the botanicals and used 2L of 45% neutral. I used a potato peeler to peel the outer skin of 1/2 of an orange and 1/2 of a lime and used that in the vapor path. After diluting with 45% neutral to clear (some is a gift) I got 4 750ml & 1 375ml bottles. SWMBO says its even better now.

Thanks for this I do appreciate it.

Firstly, love your label!
I'm still using silver metallic write on labels that I rescued from a previous job, one day I'll get to a real label like yours.

So your bot bill is a fair bit higher than mine, you have 34.5gms in there!

And you grind everything completely? Are you talking powder?
I'm using a pestle and mortar to mash/crush but not as fine as a grinder.

I also use a SS mesh ball on a hook under the riser!

I will run this recipe on my next go and let you know how it goes, thank you so much for sharing.

As we approach 10 years of OEG, allow me to thank you once again for this recipe. I've made gallons of the stuff and have only received positive feedback from the gin-and-tonic drinkers. Here's to the next ten years!

Proudprado wrote: ↑Tue May 30, 2023 7:24 am As we approach 10 years of OEG, allow me to thank you once again for this recipe. I've made gallons of the stuff and have only received positive feedback from the gin-and-tonic drinkers. Here's to the next ten years!

Here here!!!

higgins wrote: ↑Sat Apr 29, 2023 9:27 am

MooseMan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 29, 2023 4:58 am (in What'd ya'all make today?)

higgins wrote: ↑Fri Apr 28, 2023 1:04 pm Made my 12th batch of Gin this week, 5 750ml bottles.

My first 9 were all different while I was adjusting botanical quantities, then my last 2 were repeats of batch 3, as it turned out to be the favorite.
The botanicals were all macerated for 36 hours, except I put the fresh orange peel in the vapor path.
Today I added a bit of fresh lime peel as well. This may top the last one.

That is uncanny higgins, as I'm running my 12th gin batch later today!
All mine have been only 1L or 2L batches though as I'm very much still experimenting.

I'd love to try making your favourite batch 3 if you are willing to share?

Hey MooseMan, I decided to answer you here as this one is more pertinent to the Gin.

Gin Batch #3
Made using the OEG method.

25 g Juniper berries
5 g Coriander seed
1 g each Angelica root, Orris root, dried lemon peel
1.5 g dried lime peel
2 black peppercorns
1 star anise pod

grind 8-10 seconds in bladed coffee grinder
macerate in 1L 43% neutral for 24 hours
put in still along with a pint of water (reduce abv < 43%)
put the peel of small orange in vapor path (hang from lid in SS tea ball)
distill slowly, discard 1st 10 ml, keep next 400 ml.
dilute to 43% to around 750ml, depending on your distillates ABV.
It will probably louche a lot due to the citrus oils. If it bothers you (or you want to give it as a gift) add 43% neutral till it disappears.
Oddly, the strength of flavor doesn't seem to be less when I do this, and I've added as much as 800 ml.

With my batch this week I doubled the botanicals and used 2L of 45% neutral. I used a potato peeler to peel the outer skin of 1/2 of an orange and 1/2 of a lime and used that in the vapor path. After diluting with 45% neutral to clear (some is a gift) I got 4 750ml & 1 375ml bottles. SWMBO says its even better now.

HC Botanical Gin.jpg

Higgins I just remembered, after posting on another thread about gin, that I promised a report on a copy of your "Batch 3" gin.

Well I made made it, twice!
The first time there was a little too much anise for me, so second run I cut the amount in half, and added 0.2g fennel seeds to obtain a subtly different aniseed/liquorice.
I also doubled the black pepper on the second run, as I couldn't detect it first time, but this may just be the size/freshness of the pepper corns I have.

It makes a great sip and has also highlighted a bit of an oddity for me.
The more citric/acidic the tonic water I add to the gin, the bolder the anise comes through. Try it and see if you get the same thing!
There is clearly a chemical reaction/interaction behind that but I'm not educated well enough to know.

MtRainier wrote: ↑Wed Mar 08, 2023 5:01 am I've made a bunch of batches of OEG by now thanks to this thread and the mellowing time holds true. What it tastes like on day 1 is not what it tastes like in a couple of months.

I don't remember if I posted this before on this thread, but one thing I really enjoy doing is adding some blue color from butterfly pea flower. I made a very strong tea of it with water and then diluted it for storage with neutral spirit up to 40% abv. I add 20ml of it to 375ml of OEG to tint it blue. The blue pigment is a pH indicator and when you add it to something acidic (tonic, seltzer, lime/lemon, etc) it changes from blue to pink. Everyone seems to love the gimmick. It has a very mild herbal flavor that I don't find interferes with the juniper and citrus flavors at all.

Hey MtRainer, thought I'd let you know that I also have been messing with butterfly pea flowers in gin as the wife loves the colour changing magic and so does my sister when she comes over.

I also have a bottle of really concentrated tincture that I made and just add a splash to the gin once the first shot has been taken from the bottle.

For those interested, I just took a few pics as I was making her a "Magic" G&T.
It starts kind of a Greeny/Blue
And goes a purple/pink the more acidic it becomes!

Looks great!! Cheer's

I have wanted to make this for years, but my smallest pot was 4 gallons.
Since I did not want to only put a litre or so in that big a pot I did not make any.
This week I finally had a thought that may help others without a small still.
I had used a stainless steel bowl for the cap on my pot with a soldered threaded ferrule to attach the lyne arm.
So I thought, why not get another bowl to use as the boiler for my existing cap.
Got a bowl and insulated it and just ran my first gin.
Had to put a cast iron fry pan on the hotplate to completely cover the element and sat the bowl inside.
Soldered a piece of copper wire to the cap to hang the stainless steel steamer basket with the peels.
Thanks Odin for a great recipe - smelling great even an hour post distillation
Sorry for sideways pics -computer illiterate

Love it ROD, simple and easy to copy solution for others who want a small pot for gin experiments.

I bet there are a LOT of people on this forum who have a bowl as a lid on their pot still.

Now they have a reason to go buy another bowl! Haha

Just got done proofing my first go at this recipe. It’s been really cool doing this during the Autumn season.
I didn’t have access to tangerines so I substituted “little cutie” oranges. Of course I tried a little dram after proofing and the citrus is really upfront. It’s not bitter at all but I get a small hint of Campari flavor. I’m excited to see how this develops come November.
Thank you so much Odin!

Stonecutter wrote: ↑Mon Oct 09, 2023 6:32 pm Just got done proofing my first go at this recipe. It’s been really cool doing this during the Autumn season.
I didn’t have access to tangerines so I substituted “little cutie” oranges. Of course I tried a little dram after proofing and the citrus is really upfront. It’s not bitter at all but I get a small hint of Campari flavor. I’m excited to see how this develops come November.
Thank you so much Odin!

From my experience, it’s always more citrus forward when it’s brand new. In a couple weeks the citrus will start to take a back seat to the juniper. Still tasty, but this recipe changes quite a bit with a little age and it definitely improves.

Speaking of citrus.

I laid down my 6th run of OEG today, and for the first time, forgot to separate the citrus peels when I dumped the botanicals in the boiler, whoops. Yeah, it’s a total citrus bomb.

I will say, it’s not bad. My wife actually likes the extra citrus.

Any of you guys make the same mistake?

BrewinBrian44 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 1:49 pm Speaking of citrus.

I laid down my 6th run of OEG today, and for the first time, forgot to separate the citrus peels when I dumped the botanicals in the boiler, whoops. Yeah, it’s a total citrus bomb.

I will say, it’s not bad. My wife actually likes the extra citrus.

Any of you guys make the same mistake?

i always leave the citrus in, i macerate everything in the 5L flask that is the 'boiler'.
how many grams of citrus per litre of 40% do you use.

BrewinBrian44 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 15, 2023 12:04 pm

Stonecutter wrote: ↑Mon Oct 09, 2023 6:32 pm Just got done proofing my first go at this recipe. It’s been really cool doing this during the Autumn season.
I didn’t have access to tangerines so I substituted “little cutie” oranges. Of course I tried a little dram after proofing and the citrus is really upfront. It’s not bitter at all but I get a small hint of Campari flavor. I’m excited to see how this develops come November.
Thank you so much Odin!

From my experience, it’s always more citrus forward when it’s brand new. In a couple weeks the citrus will start to take a back seat to the juniper. Still tasty, but this recipe changes quite a bit with a little age and it definitely improves.

Good to hear Brian. I’ll give an update in November.

It it's too much citrus for you, use less next time. If you are in a hurry, make another batch with no citrus and blend the two.

I really liked the citrus. Too bad it goes away.

hawkwing wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:54 am I really liked the citrus. Too bad it goes away.

Make smaller batches man, or drink faster!

Being serious though, adding Orris and Angelica to your botanical bill does help to hold onto the flavours for much longer, give it a try.

hawkwing wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:54 am I really liked the citrus. Too bad it goes away.

it could be time to try and get a bit more adventurous with the botanicals after 6 x OEGs.

howie wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:21 pm

hawkwing wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:54 am I really liked the citrus. Too bad it goes away.

it could be time to try and get a bit more adventurous with the botanicals after 6 x OEGs.

I swapped out some of the tangerine peel with a bit of lemon peel and it’s got a more complex citrus character I really like. I also added Orris root to help bind the flavors.

For the juniper, I’ve experimented with leaving a certain portion of the berries un-crushed and it’s added another nuance to the flavor.

I always make sure to measure my botanical weights precisely as possible so I get consistent results.

My tweaks are subtle and I like this version a little more than the original recipe . The cut points have been spot on to the original OEG. If I go 10ml past the last jar, the flavor falls off a cliff.

One thing I keep forgetting to try is adding cucumber to the botanicals. I’ve had some commercial gin recently with cucumber in their botanical list and it’s very good. A local distillery by me also makes a gin that incorporates lavender, which is really interesting. At this point I’d be getting pretty far away from the original recipe, so I’d probably post about it in another thread.

hawkwing wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2023 7:54 am I really liked the citrus. Too bad it goes away.

Are you sure about that? I haven't had any gin lose so much citrus that I was disappointed.

OEG uses too much citrus for our liking, so I use less.