Have you ever considered making homemade gin? I hadn't either, I thought the process was way too complicated. Then I learned that you can make Infused Gin using vodka and juniper berries. Although not a "true gin" it sure is fun to make, not to mention, quite tasty! Try some in my Limoncello Martini, or add it to your favorite gin-based cocktail!
About This Recipe
A few weeks ago, while heading home from church, I convinced my husband, Scott, to take me Juniper Berry picking. We had spotted the juniper bushes on the way to our friends, Greg, and Kathy's house a few days prior.
Yes, there was snow. Yes, it was bitter cold, but more snow was coming so I thought this might be my last chance! I serenaded Scott with "The Things You Do For Love" as we picked the berries with our half-frozen, bare hands. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the sharp needles just added to the experience.
Ouch, the things you do for love, like picking juniper berries in the rain and the snow...
Next time, I'll be better prepared, with a tarp to lay under the juniper berry bushes so we can "pick them" the right way!
Scott, looking for Juniper Berries Common Juniper, covered in snow
Why This Recipe Works
Making your own Homemade Gin is pretty cool. Sure, you can run down to the store and buy a bottle, but where's the fun in that? I ask you, where's your sense of adventure?
When making your own infusion, you get to add your favorite dried herbs, spices, and botanicals. The only required ingredient besides vodka is juniper berries. This means you get to control the flavor by adding what you like.
Green juniper berries are commonly recommended to make infused gin. However, some recipes call for ripened purple juniper berries. I decided to use both, but you can use one or the other, or a combination of the two. If you can't find juniper berries, hit me up, or buy them on Amazon.
You can also buy a Gin-making kit on Amazon that has everything you need. Here's the link.
Unlike making Italian limoncello or Rhubarb Gin, which take weeks (if not months) until they're ready to drink, infused gin is ready to enjoy in as little as 24 to 48 hours.
What Goes Into This Recipe
Recipe Ingredient Notes
- Vodka — I used Platinum 7 Distilled Vodka, which I guess is a "middle-shelf vodka." At least that's what I was told when I purchased it. Use your favorite brand.
- Juniper Berries — Juniper berries can be picked in late fall or winter. Use them to flavor marinades which you can use for marinating meat, chicken, and fish. Or try them in desserts, especially if there is chocolate involved. They even have medicinal uses. But perhaps the thing juniper berries are most known for is the role they play in flavoring gin.
- Lemon or Orange peel — I decided to add both a dehydrated orange slice and orange peel in my infused gin. However, a strip of lemon peel is just as good.
- Anise/Star Anise — Instinct told me that Anise would be the perfect addition. After all, anise is used to flavor Uzo (a dry anise-flavored aperitif). I added both star anise and anise seeds, but I think I overdid it. Next time, I will use one or the other.
- Cardamom — Cardamom pods are a popular ingredient in homemade gin. You only need a couple since cardamom can be overpowering. It's ok to leave them out if you don't have them.
- Marigolds — Marigolds are optional, I added them because I had them, so you can leave them out if you need to.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1
Sterilize a 12-ounce or larger mason jar. Pour ½ of a 750 ml bottle of vodka into the jar.
Step 2
Add juniper berries, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, dehydrated orange slice, lemon peel, or both. Stir dried lavender, anise seeds, marigold flower, and star anise into the jar.
Step 3
Seal and shake the bottle, then store it on the counter for 48 hours. When it's time, strain the alcohol through a soup bag into another bottle or jar.
Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips
According to Merriam-Wester: Gin is a colorless alcoholic beverage made from distilled (or re-distilled) neutral grain spirits flavored with juniper berries and aromatics (such as anise and caraway seeds.
We can easily make a gin infusion at home, using juniper berries and other botanicals.
Juniperus communis is an evergreen conifer with edible berries (however, they are technically cones). These cones are green, hard, and bitter when unripe. Once ripe, their color transforms into a deep bluish-purple.
Ripe Juniper Berries have a sweet, piny taste which can be described as peppery.
Juniper Berries are often harvested for their medicinal properties or used to flavor food and drinks. However, there are many varieties that are toxic, so plant identification is critical.
Dried juniper berries can be eaten, but they're not the type of berry that you can eat in large amounts, such as blueberries, or huckleberries.
Instead, they are better suited to infuse drinks, flavor marinades, meats, and desserts. A little goes a long way!
Juniper Berries take three years to ripen. In the first year, the flower is formed, during the second, the green berries are produced. The hard green bitter berries eventually turn blue or purple, at which time they are soft and have a pleasant sweet flavor.
According to GardeningKnowHow: "There are about 40 species of juniper, most of which produce toxic berries. But for the educated eye, Juniperus communis has edible, pleasantly pungent berries that can be used as a flavoring, incense, medicinal, or part of a cosmetic preparation."
As stated earlier, plant identification is very important since there are toxic varieties. If you are not sure, please don't risk it. Instead, purchase them online, here.
The pine needles of the juniper plant are very sharp, which makes picking the berries individually quite painful. Wearing gloves might be somewhat helpful.
However, the best way to harvest the ripe berries (once correctly identified) is to put a sheet down under the plant and shake the plant vigorously. Then simply gather the sheet and its precious contents and process the juniper berries at home. 
Once the ripe juniper berries are harvested, washed, and dried, you can air dry them naturally by placing them on a tray until completely dried. Drying time will depend on temperatures, humidity, and other variables.
Another quicker option is to use a dehydrator. Place the juniper berries on the fruit leather trays so that they don't fall through the trays. Dehydrate the berries at 135 degrees F. for 12+ hours, until the berries are hard and dry. Store in a jar or a ziplock bag.
A botanical is either the whole plant or a specific part of it, which is harvested for its medicinal or therapeutic properties. It can also be useful for adding flavor or scent.
- Allspice berries, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, and fennel seeds are just some of the ingredients that you can add to a homemade Infused Gin.
- Infused gin takes on the color of the herbs, spice, and botanicals, which gives it a yellowish tinge, so don't be surprised when your homemade gin is not clear.
- Before serving infused gin, plop a few juniper berries in your cocktail for a beautiful presentation.
Related Recipes
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3-Step Homemade Juniper Berry Infused Gin
Ingredients
- 12 ounces vodka (½ 750 ML bottle)
- 1 tbsp green juniper berries
- 2 cardamom pods
- ¼ tsp coriander seeds
- 1 slice dehydrated orange (or 4" section of orange/lemon peel)
- ⅛ tsp lavender (dried)
- ⅛ tsp anise seeds
- marigold flower bud (optional)
- 2 star anise
Instructions
- Sterilize a 12-ounce or larger mason jar. Pour ½ of a 750 ml bottle of vodka into the jar.
- Add juniper berries, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, dehydrated orange slice, lemon peel, or both. Stir dried lavender, anise seeds, marigold flower, and star anise into the jar.
Notes
- Allspice berries, peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, and fennel seeds are just some of the ingredients that you can add to a homemade Infused Gin.
- Infused gin takes on the color of the herbs, spice, and botanicals, which gives it a yellowish tinge, so don't be surprised when your homemade gin is not clear.
- Before serving infused gin, plop a few juniper berries in your cocktail for a beautiful presentation.
Lori says
I’m ready to finish my Rhubarb Gin but I don’t have any sugar🤣.
Hilda Sterner says
LOL, first world problems!
Kelly Methey says
This sounds like such a fun thing to try! You come up with the best ideas!
Hilda Sterner says
That's what happens when you have nothing but time on your hands. 😬