Recipe Detroit River Blues Gin

The Late Night Gourmet

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I based this recipe on one posted on Serious Eats. I couldn't find cardamom pods (I know a place 40 miles from my house that had them, but didn't feel like making the drive). I also couldn't find chamomile or lavender anywhere, and didn't want to mail order them, so I used the lavender/chamomile teabags.

Unlike the gin you normally see, the color will be darker even without using the teabags: the juniper berries turned the vodka a pale yellow color after the overnight soak.

Ingredients

4 cups vodka
4 tablespoons juniper berries
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
6 cardamom pods, broken, or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 bay leaves
8 allspice berries
2 chamomile/lavender teabags
1/2 peel from a grapefruit, with no pith
1 nectarine, pitted

NOTE: divide ingredients equally if using smaller jars, as i am doing here.

Directions

1. Drink an entire bottle of gin. Use the empty bottle for the gin you are making in this recipe. Pro Tip: no need to drink the bottle all at once....you have an entire 48 hours from start to finish with this recipe!

2. Place vodka in a large jar. Place juniper berries in jar, seal, and give it a shake. Place in cool location away from sunlight for 12 hours.

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3. Place remaining ingredients except for teabags and fruit in the jar. Seal and give it a good shake.

4. Cut grapefruit in half. Scoop out the flesh and save to squeeze into a mixed drink if desired when your gin is ready. Scrape the inside of the peel to remove the pith; discard the pith. Cut the peel into strips and place in the jar. Remove pit from the nectarine. Cut into slices and place in the jar. Place the teabags in the jar with the string hanging outside the jar. Give it a good shake again. Allow to steep in a cool place away from sunlight for 12 hours.
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4. Remove teabags, then reseal the jar.

5. Allow to steep in a cool place away from sunlight for another 24 hours.

6. Strain out solids using a sieve lined with a cheesecloth. Save the nectarine slices for a potent, gin-infused snack. Strain the liquid again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into the bottle. Store at room temperature for up to a year.

7. Design your own label using free web-based editors, or modify an existing one. Pro Tip: Don't worry about copyright infringements!
 
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Ummmm, is this a gin recipe or a vodka recipe. It's rather confusing, especially since your finished bottle label says gin.

CD
 
Ummmm, is this a gin recipe or a vodka recipe. It's rather confusing, especially since your finished bottle label says gin.

CD
People at Serious Eats posted the recipe as a way to make homemade gin. They are way smarter than I am when it comes to cooking and science, so I will take their word for it. Regardless of what you call this recipe, it’s delicious. That is, if you like gin.

Oh, and get this. I told my wife that I made gin. She seemed impressed and asked how I did it.

I said that I used vodka with juniper berries, coriander, cardamom, grapefruit peel, and other things.

She said, "So, in other words, you ruined a bottle of vodka?" :laugh:
 
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View attachment 47096

I based this recipe on one posted on Serious Eats. I couldn't find cardamom pods (I know a place 40 miles from my house that had them, but didn't feel like making the drive). I also couldn't find chamomile or lavender anywhere, and didn't want to mail order them, so I used the lavender/chamomile teabags.

Unlike the gin you normally see, the color will be darker even without using the teabags: the juniper berries turned the vodka a pale yellow color after the overnight soak.

Ingredients

4 cups vodka
4 tablespoons juniper berries
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
6 cardamom pods, broken, or 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 bay leaves
8 allspice berries
2 chamomile/lavender teabags
1/2 peel from a grapefruit, with no pith
1 nectarine, pitted

NOTE: divide ingredients equally if using smaller jars, as i am doing here.

Directions

1. Drink an entire bottle of gin. Use the empty bottle for the gin you are making in this recipe. Pro Tip: no need to drink the bottle all at once....you have an entire 48 hours from start to finish with this recipe!

2. Place vodka in a large jar. Place juniper berries in jar, seal, and give it a shake. Place in cool location away from sunlight for 12 hours.

View attachment 47012

3. Place remaining ingredients except for teabags and fruit in the jar. Seal and give it a good shake.

View attachment 47010

4. Cut grapefruit in half. Scoop out the flesh and save to squeeze into a mixed drink if desired when your gin is ready. Scrape the inside of the peel to remove the pith; discard the pith. Cut the peel into strips and place in the jar. Remove pit from the nectarine. Cut into slices and place in the jar. Place the teabags in the jar with the string hanging outside the jar. Give it a good shake again. Allow to steep in a cool place away from sunlight for 12 hours.

View attachment 47011

4. Remove teabags, then reseal the jar.

5. Allowed to steep in a cool place away from sunlight for another 24 hours.

6. Strain out solids using a sieve lined with a cheesecloth. Save the nectarine slices for a potent, gin-infused snack. Strain the liquid again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth into the bottle. Store at room temperature for up to a year.

7. Design your own label using free web-based editors, or modify an existing one. Pro Tip: Don't worry about copyright infringements!
I like it! I'd call it ginka, just to keep everyone happy.
 
Just a tip, use a microplane to take the peel off without getting any pith since you are straining anyway. We use the microplane on lemons when we make limoncello and it works great!

I like a gin and tonic with lime from time to time. I could see using this, but I'd skip the chamomile/lavender as I can't stand either.
 
The Late Night Gourmet - your attachments aren't attached...
Thanks...I've been in the habit of making a draft with my phone - where I take the pictures - then saving the draft and posting it from my computer, where I can type more freely. I forgot to recheck the final post, since it was late (and I sampled a bit much of my recipe!)
 
Thanks...I've been in the habit of making a draft with my phone - where I take the pictures - then saving the draft and posting it from my computer, where I can type more freely. I forgot to recheck the final post, since it was late (and I sampled a bit much of my recipe!)

All OK now. :okay:
 
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