I Love Gin
Being the editor of a brilliant magazine may not
pay well but it does have a few perks and
occasionally I get to review and test the odd
product that lands on my desk.
As a gin lover you can imagine my
excitement when a big brown box arrived
with a label that read “Hello you, are
you ready to brew? Open me up, look
inside, I’ll show you”. It was a marvellous
personalised brew your own gin kit from
the lovely team at Sussex-based gift
company, 3 Blonde Bears.
The kit was simply packaged which adds
to the craft gin feel and inside the pack
contained easy to follow instructions and
the following equipment:
1 x 1000ml personalised brewing bottle
2 x botanical blends
1 x stainless steel strainer
1 x stainless steel funnel
1 x piece of 100% unbleached
cheesecloth for extra straining.
I would say that this kit is an ideal gift
both for gin aficionados like me who
are always on the hunt for something
refreshingly different, or novices looking
for a something slightly quirky. But if you
are also a budding mixologist, you will
definitely appreciate the unique flavours
and potential each blend brings to the
mixing bar.
The beautiful flavoured gin botanical
blends that come with the kit are ideal
as a gift for him or her. Fresh, unique and
moreish, my brewed bottles didn’t last
me very long, especially when friends and
46
family wanted to have a ‘taste’! If you like
G&T you’ll love this!
As well as a ‘standard’ blend you get
to choose from one the following hand
blended botanicals:
BERRY BURST: a beautiful mix of
r aspberries, hibiscus petals rosehips and
pink peppercorns. It brews a beautiful
pink fruity gin which is perfect for summer
living (perfect for BBQ season).
BRITISH BLOSSOM: a light and floral
blend of elderflower, chamomile and
cardamon. This blend is both delicate and
complex at the same time. I found that is
was best served tall over lots of ice, with
some tonic water and garnished with
lemon thyme.
WARM SPICE: a comforting and warm
blend of allspice, cinnamon and coriander
seeds. A juniper-forward blend that
will appeal to traditionally minded gin
drinkers. This one is a cosy up in front
of the chimenea kind of drink as the sun
goes down.
Interested? Okay here’s how you brew
your own…
You start your gin by infusing the kit’s
botanicals—the juniper berries, herbs,
and spices that give gin its flavour—into
bottles of ordinary off-the-shelf vodka.
After a week of infusion, you’ll have your
own bottle of hand-crafted gin. Unlike
shop bought gin what you brew is not
clear; instead it takes on the colours of
the individual mixes. Commercial gins
are clear because they go through a final
distillation process after the botanicals
have been infused into the spirit, which
strips away any colour. The gin made with
a Brew Your GIN kit is called a compound
gin, meaning it gets its flavour from a
botanical infusion after the distillation of
the spirit is complete. Compounding is a
very old method that’s been used for as
long as gin has been around. The shady
practices of prohibition-era bathtub gin
producers once gave compound gin a
bad name, but the truth is that compound
gin is as delicious and complex as clear
gin.
Look on the shelves of a decent off
licence and you will see coloured gins
from craft producers starting to appear
and, let’s face it, clear gin is a bit plain to
look at.
I’d like to thank ‘Boss Bear’ Jo and her
team for the brew your own gin kit and for
the many hours of enjoyment I have had
making it and drinking it. If you want to
get your hands on one see the next page
for a reader offer and competition.
By Jason ‘gin brewer’ Edge