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But this begs the question with respect to your Tangerine. I know Tangerine as a NAARTJIE which has an unbelievably soft skin which peels off with no effort. Your photo shows something quite different. Pith generally is thin so no scraping off.

richard1 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 21, 2022 8:53 pm But this begs the question with respect to your Tangerine. I know Tangerine as a NAARTJIE which has an unbelievably soft skin which peels off with no effort. Your photo shows something quite different. Pith generally is thin so no scraping off.
naartjie 1.png

Hi, yes the skin is very soft as you said which makes this process very labor intensive, it is quite hard to peel from a soft fruit, but if you don’t peel then there is a too much white pith inside not like an orange but still there is.

I did my Odin-inspired gins with whole tangerine skins and don't perceive any ill effects in the infusion or end product, fwiw.

I wouldn't try that with other citrus but I read in another thread here that tangerine pith doesn't contribute off flavors. To verify I tasted the raw pith, and it's mild and not pith-y to me.

TwoSheds wrote: ↑Tue Mar 22, 2022 6:21 am I did my Odin-inspired gins with whole tangerine skins and don't perceive any ill effects in the infusion or end product, fwiw.

I wouldn't try that with other citrus but I read in another thread here that tangerine pith doesn't contribute off flavors. To verify I tasted the raw pith, and it's mild and not pith-y to me.

Well it could be the case as you mentioned, but I did not wanted to take any chances on my hard made gin, that's why I am very cautious about it, when I think about it, from start to finish it is a lot of work 2 fermentations 2 stripping runs 1 spirit run macerating 24 hours and distilling again, its a lot of work to achieve the final product

artooks wrote: ↑Tue Mar 22, 2022 9:28 am ...when I think about it, from start to finish it is a lot of work 2 fermentations 2 stripping runs 1 spirit run macerating 24 hours and distilling again, its a lot of work to achieve the final product

I get that! And sometimes little shortcuts add up to degrade the final product more than they seem like they will, so I don't blame you at all!

If time and materials were not a factor we'd all do side-by-side comparisons. I admire those who frequently do!

Hi,


It has been 12 days since I distilled my gin, I have been keeping it in a big jar during this 5 week resting period, but that wait is over, and I made myself G&T it really has this amazing taste everything seems to be very well balanced, my wife also tasted it and she really liked it, as you all know I have been experimenting quite a lot last year and this is one of my favorite recipes, as of now I am writing and sipping at the same time so what I think about it. When I smell it, it has this slight perfume smell, but in a very nice way, really hard to explain when I take a first sip I feel like all the tastes come at the same time, but there is a sweetness that comes from liquorice, since I used citrus peels at a very small amount they are not dominant but you feel it all around at the very end I feel a dryness in my tongue and cassia and cinnamon starts to emerge, I am trying to understand where the slight perfume smell comes from it could be the cardamon, but for me this is one of the best gins that I have made, it really makes you drink more

artooks wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 10:48 am Hi,
It has been 12 days since I distilled my gin…

Anther excellent thread sir. I have all your gin threads book marked. I to am a gin drinker and will be on my own gin making journey soon! Thank you for taking the time to write up and being so diligent with your descriptions and methodology. It is enormously helpful!!!

Wyododge wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 4:20 pm

artooks wrote: ↑Thu Mar 31, 2022 10:48 am Hi,
It has been 12 days since I distilled my gin…

Anther excellent thread sir. I have all your gin threads book marked. I to am a gin drinker and will be on my own gin making journey soon! Thank you for taking the time to write up and being so diligent with your descriptions and methodology. It is enormously helpful!!!

Thanks for the kind words, just trying to share my experience in my Gin Journey.

Good post from Aartooks so much so I distilled this gin 3 days back but with some minor changes.

Recipe is good and very drinkable. A "quaffable" gin.

But something is missing or needs changing from being perfect, smooth and taste rounded. (yes I know that it needs to stand longer).

With a gin I normally start with a lemon slice garnish as the initial acid test. It was good. But hell, a slice of orange puts everything else into a different ball game.

richard1 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 8:22 am Good post from Aartooks so much so I distilled this gin 3 days back but with some minor changes.

Recipe is good and very drinkable. A "quaffable" gin.

But something is missing or needs changing from being perfect, smooth and taste rounded. (yes I know that it needs to stand longer).

With a gin I normally start with a lemon slice garnish as the initial acid test. It was good. But hell, a slice of orange puts everything else into a different ball game.

IMG_20220327_16054a7.jpg

Hi Richard1 at which day of the alcohol resting day are you drinking ? Yes indeed citrus peel changes everything also the tonic you are using is also very important. Did you like it how do you find it I would appreciate if you could give an unbiased review

Hi Everyone,

I am thinking distilling each botanical separately, with my mini still, but trying to decide how to go about it, I would appreciate if you could chime in and give your thoughts about it.

lets say I distilled 4 botanicals.

1) Juniper
2) Cardamon
3) Tangerine Peel
4) Angelica Root.

Let's assume I used 1 liter 60% ABV alcohol and macerated first the juniper 100 gram botanicals for 24 hours and then next day I bring it to 30 percent and distill took 400 ml so should I go this way and decide what to add with a pipet, should all the amounts be the same lets say from each botanical I used 100 gram per 1 liter of %43 abv, What do you think ?

I don't think that there is any need to distill every botanical separately. If you want to experiment with different botanicals, you can make a concentrated batch using the main botanicals that you don't need to play with the ratios of, then blend in the separately made essences that you want to try.

NZChris wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 2:50 am I don't think that there is any need to distill every botanical separately. If you want to experiment with different botanicals, you can make a concentrated batch using the main botanicals that you don't need to play with the ratios of, then blend in the separately made essences that you want to try.

Thanks Chris,

With main botanicals are you reffering to juniper and coriander ? And apart from these botanicals, for the rest how to approach them should I use 100 grams from each botanical in 1 liter of 43 abv spirit then collect 400 grams what do you recommend as far as I remember you are doing concentrates, how do you do it can you explain ?

I mean the things that you put in every gin. Mine would include Orris and Angelica because I use them every time and don't alter their ratios. My base gin always has at least double the usual amount of botanicals.

I don't have a rule of thumb for how much to use per liter. It's often fresh produce, sometimes it's just what will fit in the boiler or the Carter Head.

When finished, I try to work out how much of the botanical there is per liter, so that I have a rough idea of how much to use to get the x/?? ratio that I want to start experimenting with.

NZChris wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 12:26 pm I mean the things that you put in every gin. Mine would include Orris and Angelica because I use them every time and don't alter their ratios. My base gin always has at least double the usual amount of botanicals.

I don't have a rule of thumb for how much to use per liter. It's often fresh produce, sometimes it's just what will fit in the boiler or the Carter Head.

When finished, I try to work out how much of the botanical there is per liter, so that I have a rough idea of how much to use to get the x/?? ratio that I want to start experimenting with.

Hi,

In some articles that I read they do not favor separate botanical distillation, due to the fact that, putting all the herbs together in the boiler creates a different reaction, since I have not experienced it I do not know the outcome, but in theory you will have much more control over it.

NZChris wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 12:26 pm I mean the things that you put in every gin. Mine would include Orris and Angelica because I use them every time and don't alter their ratios. My base gin always has at least double the usual amount of botanicals.

I don't have a rule of thumb for how much to use per liter. It's often fresh produce, sometimes it's just what will fit in the boiler or the Carter Head.

When finished, I try to work out how much of the botanical there is per liter, so that I have a rough idea of how much to use to get the x/?? ratio that I want to start experimenting with.

Chris I see what you mean, after you make your blend, you calculate how much of that X botanical per liter there is, and than next time you could reverse calculate the amounts you like and go back and make your favorite boiler infused gin with all the botanicals in desired ratios.

In theory that should work for most things. I haven't done it, because it because it isn't what I've been trying to do. I make a small batch with an experimental ingredient and if I don't want to drink it as it is, I dilute it by blending it with another batch lacking the botanical, or boost it by suspending the botanical over the gin for a couple of days, then adjust my botanical bill from what I learned.

Hi Everyone,

It has been 3 weeks since I distilled my gin, I sniffed it everyday, believe me after I diluted it to 45% ABV with distilled water, the smell was nice but at the same time there was also a harsh smell, you would not believe how that transition goes smoothly until week 3, if you ask mw it is ready for consumption, everything smells balanced hard to explain but when you do it for some time you get accustomed to this smell transition, this one is really nice looking forward to consume it, by the way up until now I had 3 G&T and all of them was great I can call this a success for my self reason being this was the taste that I was after now I achieved it in big scale so I am really happy. I am already doing 2 ferments of Shady's Sugar Shine, this time I will be experimenting

My 3 favorite gin drinks are: G&T, dirty martini, and gin gimlet. Enjoy the rest of your gin.

My new Toy " Carter Head " has arrived. I also have ordered 4" PTFE gaskets but for the screen they used a silicone gaskets, actually all of the gaskets are silicone which is not acceptable, I am trying to find a way to fit the screen somehow, I need to play with it. I need to do some reading first on how to use it, it looks straightforward but what I do not understand is why they have a valve at the bottom, I will find out. SD has a dedicated book on gin which is downloadable, I first need to read it.

artooks wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:24 pm SD has a dedicated book on gin which is downloadable, I first need to read it.

Do you have a link for that book artooks? We d search it but I’m not sure what ‘SD’ stands for. Thanks in advance.

What recipe are you gonna try first in your Carter head?

The valve is to drain it if it floods.

A Carter Head should send all off the VOCs to the condenser without flooding. Insulation might help if you have a problem.

Bombay's Carter head is not SS. There used to be pics of it, plus useful info on how they run it, on their website.

Wyododge wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:34 pm Do you have a link for that book artooks? We d search it but I’m not sure what ‘SD’ stands for. Thanks in advance.

SD = Still Dragon.

Wyododge wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:34 pm

artooks wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:24 pm SD has a dedicated book on gin which is downloadable, I first need to read it.

Do you have a link for that book artooks?

I suspect this is the book artooks is referring to:

https://www.stilldragon.org/uploads/man ... 140116.pdf

A quick skim of it didn't surface anything earth shattering, but it actually seems like a good, fairly comprehensive collection of info and techniques. At least a good starting point.

TwoSheds wrote: ↑Thu Apr 21, 2022 6:04 am

Wyododge wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:34 pm

artooks wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:24 pm SD has a dedicated book on gin which is downloadable, I first need to read it.

Do you have a link for that book artooks?

I suspect this is the book artooks is referring to:

https://www.stilldragon.org/uploads/man ... 140116.pdf

A quick skim of it didn't surface anything earth shattering, but it actually seems like a good, fairly comprehensive collection of info and techniques. At least a good starting point.

Hi Yes that is correct this is the book

artooks wrote: ↑Thu Apr 21, 2022 10:10 am

TwoSheds wrote: ↑Thu Apr 21, 2022 6:04 am

Wyododge wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:34 pm

artooks wrote: ↑Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:24 pm SD has a dedicated book on gin which is downloadable, I first need to read it.

Do you have a link for that book artooks?

I suspect this is the book artooks is referring to:

https://www.stilldragon.org/uploads/man ... 140116.pdf

A quick skim of it didn't surface anything earth shattering, but it actually seems like a good, fairly comprehensive collection of info and techniques. At least a good starting point.

Hi Yes that is correct this is the book

Thanks guys. Appreciate the help.

Hi,

New Gin recipe development is on the way, last Sunday I finished my SSS Spirit Run, at the same time I started to dismantle and clean each part of the SD Carter Head with a solution of PBW first with sponge then with a soft brush, my main goal is to perform a safe run, in order to do that, I get rid of all the silicone gaskets I received with the kit, I replaced them with Tri-Clamp PTFE gaskets, I already had 2" and 3/4" ones, which I replaced for the valve and the back end cap, but I ordered 4" ones which I received a few days ago, I also replaced those, my main problem was the Sight Glass, reason being, the place which it will install is still a tri-clamp ferrule, but the supplied thin silicone gaskets fits on the groove of the ferrule, you install the sight glass on top then there is another groove on the from bezel where a second gaskets fits and that front bezel then sits on top of the sight glass, there are two half supports that goes underneath which then secured with 8 SS bolts, here I used a 2" PTFE gasket, but I rolled it twice with PTFE tape, you may be wonder why I did that, I have a similar experience with my internal element, I also use a 2" PTFE gasket there but unfortunately it leaks, so rolling that gasket twice with PTFE tape creates more grip and avoids any leaks, I than assembled it here is the final result, I will also do a cleaning run once I find an available time.

artooks wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 12:33 pm Hi Everyone,

After making my very first gin to tweak in the future, I have decided to make another version I decided to call this one "Arto's Gin V2" because this one has additional 4 botanicals, Cassia, Cinnamon, Black Pepper and Cardamon I also dialed down the citrus by %30 to make it a balanced gin, also this time I will not grind the botanicals instead, I will steep the botanicals in %60 ABV Spirit for 14 hours, I will keep the citrus in another erlenmeyer to make it easy to take out for vapor infusion, let's see how this one will turn out. This time, I have 1 liter bottles so I am increasing the volume to 1430 ml so if I receive 572 ml @ 84 ABV I will have 1 liter of final product @ %48 ABV.


Arto's Gin V2

1) Juniper berries: 16 Grams
2) Coriander seeds: 4 Grams
3) Angelica root: 0.8 Grams
4) Liquorice: 0.8 Grams
5) Dry Lemon peel: 0.40 Grams
6) Dry Orange peel: 0.60 Grams
7) Dry Tangerine peel: 0.70 Grams
8 ) Cardamon: 0.10 Grams
9) Cassia: 0.25 Grams
10) Cinnamon: 0.25 Grams
11) Black Pepper: 1 Grams

Total Botanicals per litre: 24.90 Gr / lt


IMG_4897.jpgIMG_4899.jpgIMG_4900.jpgIMG_4901.jpg

Hi Arto,

Thanks for posting your recipes, your v2 looks and sounds interesting. Today I started your v2 at 60%, I will update in future. But I am a little concerned about Cassia and Cinnamon, in my local store they are interchangeable terminology. So, what I did was Cassia Bark and Cinnamon powder as they were labelled to match your recipe.
However I am thinking that perhaps there was an error in my logic.
Please could you clarify sir?

Cassia and Cinnimom are not the same thing, Cassia sticks are what you want.
https://www.differencebetween.info/diff ... and-cassia