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With more people seeking to enjoy the flavor of gin without the negative impact on their health, non-alcoholic spirits are becoming popular.
If you relish the distinct flavor derived from gin and want to replicate store-bought brands in the comfort of your home, you’ve come to the right place.
To make non-alcoholic gin, you’ll need juniper tincture, coriander, ginger, and other botanicals. You then simmer the botanicals for up to an hour, strain them through a fine mesh, and blend them with the tincture.
For a step-by-step guide on making gin and to understand how it’s made on a commercial level, carry on reading this post.
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Table of Contents
But First, Is There Really Alcohol-Free Gin?
There are several brands of alcohol-free gin on the market. Distillers produce them to provide the same taste and aromas as authentic gin. They achieve this by immersing botanicals like juniper berries, citrus peels, and coriander in water.
The mixture is distilled and blended to create an alcohol-free gin.
You can enjoy the spirit neat or mix it with tonic water to create a refreshing gin and tonic.
What Does Non-Alcoholic Gin Taste Like?
The taste of non-alcoholic gin varies. Depending on the brand you buy, you can get notes of citrus, spice, and flora.In general, alcohol free gin tastes very similar to full alcohol gin except the flavors are less vibrant and pronounced.
Some brands, like Gordons, try to retain the essence of genuine gin by producing juniper-forward spirits.
Seedlip is renowned for producing herbal and earthy flavors. A popular variant of theirs, Garden 108, has hints of peas and hay.
The Science Behind Non-Alcoholic Gin
To mimic the taste of original gin, distillers select and add a myriad of herbs and spices to the spirit.
Because alcoholic gin has a “burn” that you get from the first sip, distillers blend botanicals known to stimulate vanilloid receptors, (VR1), a receptor found on nerve cells that gets activated by pungent compounds.
Distillers add black pepper, ginger, and capsicum so you can feel the fiery sensation and get the same satisfaction as you would when drinking alcoholic beverages.
They macerate the botanicals in water for long periods to extract their active compounds. What follows is a distillation process to encapsulate the flavors.
Different Methods Of Making Low And No Alcohol Gin
Non-alcoholic gin is made with the same techniques and ingredients as traditional gin, only without the alcohol content.
Here’s a look at different techniques involved in creating the spirit.
1. Diluting gin to make low-alcohol gin
Diluting gin is a popular technique in the making of low-alcohol gin.
Distillers employ the same technique they would when making true gin. They distill a neutral spirit and allow its vapors to interact with the botanicals.
Once distillers have collected the distillate, they dilute it by adding more water than they normally would–creating a low-alcohol gin.
Low-alcohol gin contains up to 4% ABV (8 proof).
2. Hydrosol distilling botanicals in water
Hydrosol distillation, or hydrodistillation, is a method of extracting essential oils and aromatic compounds from botanicals by steam or water distillation.
The process involves immersing botanicals in water to extract the plant’s water-soluble compounds. Distillers distill the infusion to encapsulate the flavor and blend the resulting distillate to create distinct and complex flavor profiles.
Distillers add botanicals like ginger, capsicum, and black pepper to provide a “burning” sensation and preservatives to create a shelf-stable product.
3. Removing the alcohol out of ordinary gin
Distillers run a neutral grain spirit through multiple distillations to evaporate and remove all the alcohol, so it qualifies as non-alcoholic gin.
Sometimes, they use a technique called dealcoholization, or vacuum distillation–a process to strip alcohol to contain only 0.5% ABV.
How To Make Non-Alcoholic Gin At Home
If you wish to imitate popular brands and create your own non-alcoholic gin–we’ve got you covered. Below’s a step-by-step guide on how to make the spirit at home.
Equipment
- Deep saucepan
- Blender
- Jug
- Sterilized glass bottles
Ingredients
- 300g vegetable glycerin
- 750g water
- 150g juniper berries
- 150ml water
- 17g coriander seeds
- 17g lemon peel
- 5g fennel seers
- 4g cinnamon
- 3 g fresh ginger
- 2g star anise
- 1g angelica root
- 1g green or black cardamom seeds
Instructions:
Making juniper tincture
- Add the vegetable glycerine, juniper berries, and 150ml of water into the blender.
- Pulse for 10-20 seconds–just enough to crack the berries open.
- Pour into an airtight container and let it sit overnight.
- Filter through a fine-mesh strainer.
Making gin
- Pour 750ml of water into the saucepan.
- Add all the botanicals except for the juniper tincture.
- Bring to a boil over high heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Cover the pot and reduce to low heat.
- Let it simmer for an hour.
- Remove from the hot plate and let it cool completely.
- Strain into a clean container.
- Stir in the juniper tincture.
- To remove excess sediment or to produce a clearer gin, strain the mixture through a coffee filter.
- Bottle and let the flavors marry for up to 48 hours.
Print Recipe
How To Make Non-Alcoholic Gin At Home
If you wish to imitate popular brands and create your own non-alcoholic gin–we’ve got you covered. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make the spirit at home.
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Dutch
Keyword: Gin, Spirits
Author: Nonku
Equipment
Deep saucepan
Blender
Jug
Sterilized glass bottles
Ingredients
- 300 gm vegetable glycerin
- 750 gm water
- 150 gm juniper berries
- 150 ml water
- 17 gm oriander seeds
- 17 gm lemon peel
- 5 gm fennel seers
- 4 gm cinnamon
- 3 gm fresh ginger
- 2 gm star anise
- 1 gm angelica root
- 1 gm green or black cardamom seeds
Instructions
Making juniper tincture
Step 1: Add the vegetable glycerine, juniper berries, and 150ml of water into the blender.
Step 2: Pulse for 10-20 seconds–just enough to crack the berries open.
Step 3: Pour into an airtight container and let it sit overnight.
Step 4: Filter through a fine-mesh strainer.
Making gin
Step 1: Pour 750ml of water into the saucepan.
Step 2: Add all the botanicals except for the juniper tincture.
Step 3: Bring to a boil over high heat for 10-15 minutes.
Step 4: Cover the pot and reduce to low heat.
Step 5: Let it simmer for an hour.
Step 6: Remove from the hot plate and let it cool completely.
Step 7: Strain into a clean container.
Step 8: Stir in the juniper tincture.
Step 9: To remove excess sediment or to produce a clearer gin, strain the mixture through a coffee filter.
Step 10: Bottle and let the flavors marry for up to 48 hours.
Why Is Alcohol-Free Gin So Expensive
You’d expect a spirit stripped off of alcohol to be reasonably priced. Right?
Though it makes sense, some nuances warrant the hefty price of these spirits.
Distillers employ the same techniques and ingredients as they would when making ordinary gin. Even after they steep the botanicals in water, they have to distill the concoction. This helps retain the extracted flavors.
Also, to add the “burn” and “kick” you’d get from your alcoholic beverage, distillers might add extra botanicals like ginger, capsicum, and black pepper, adding to the production cost.
What Is The Best Non-Alcoholic Gin
There are plenty of excellent non-alcoholic gins on the market. But our best pick is CleanCo Rhubarb and Seedlip.
CleanCo Rhubarb is ideal if you like fruity spirits. It’s laden with red berries and peppermint and has hints of cinnamon, grapefruit, coriander, and lemon. It really complements tonic water, making for a great gin and tonic.
Seedlip is renowned for setting the platform for non-alcoholic drinks. Their spirits are botanically rich and complement citrus and tropical juice. They add depths of flavor to mocktails, and you can enjoy them neat.
Read More: In this article, we share our favorite non-alcoholic gins on the market (that you should probably try!)..
Alcohol-Free Gin – Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the point of alcohol-free gin?
Not everyone wants alcoholic beverages. If you’re cutting down on your alcohol consumption but still enjoy the taste of gin, alcohol-free gin might be the way to go.
Also, if you’re pregnant or have a medical condition but are craving the taste of gin, non-alcoholic gin is a better option.
Q. Is alcohol-free gin full of sugar?
Generally, alcohol-free gin isn’t full of sugar. Distillers use naturally sweet botanicals to eliminate the need for additional sugar.
But some brands use sugar-based additives to improve the viscosity of the spirit. If you’re on a calorie watch, you can opt for brands that use Stevia or Xanthan, both of which have zero calories.
Q. Is alcohol-free gin just water?
The main component of alcohol-free gin is water. To this, distillers add botanicals and natural or synthetic essences to flavor their spirit.
Conclusion
Making non-alcoholic gin is a fun and simple process that requires only a few ingredients and creativity.
You can experiment with various botanicals to create a unique blend suited to your preferences. Whether you’re looking to cut back on your alcohol or want to treat yourself to a refreshing mocktail, alcohol-free gin is the way to go.
Why don’t you try it and see what tasty concoctions you can come up with?
