Dry January gets boring because most alcohol-free drinks are sweet, and sweetness is the one flavour that palls fastest. The fix is botanicals: juniper, citrus peel, coriander seed, allspice, spices and aromatics steeped into water, syrup or tonic, which bring bitterness, aroma and length to a glass instead of yet more sugar.
That is really the whole trick. A grown-up drink is not defined by the alcohol in it, it is defined by having something to think about, and the things worth thinking about in a gin and tonic are almost all botanical rather than alcoholic. This is a guide to borrowing them, and to what to do with a gin kit while you wait for February.
Why do alcohol-free drinks get dull so quickly?
Because so many of them are built on fruit juice and sugar. One is delicious, the second is fine, and by the third the palate has stopped paying attention. Sweetness is not complex, and it does not clear the way for the next mouthful.
What a good drink has instead is a bit of tension. Bitterness at the back, acidity at the front, aroma sitting above the glass, and a dry finish that leaves you wanting another sip. Tonic water gets much of the way there on its own thanks to its quinine bitterness, which is why a first attempt at a botanical drink is usually better built on tonic or soda than on juice.
Temperature matters more than people expect too. A drink that is properly cold, with plenty of ice rather than three sad cubes, tastes cleaner and stays interesting for longer.
What do botanicals actually bring to a glass?
Each one does a specific job, which is why gin recipes read like a shopping list rather than a single flavour.
- Juniper is the piney, resinous backbone. Even in an alcohol-free drink, a few crushed berries change the whole character of a glass of tonic.
- Citrus peel, orange and lemon, brings brightness and perfume. The peel, not the juice: the oils in the skin carry the aroma, and the pith brings only unwelcome bitterness.
- Coriander seed is warm, slightly citrusy and a little peppery, and it ties juniper and citrus together.
- Allspice adds gentle warmth and a hint of clove and cinnamon, which is welcome in January.
- Lemongrass gives a clean, fragrant lift that reads as fresh rather than sweet.
Those five are the core of the botanical blend in our own gin kits, designed to echo a premium London-style gin. They are also all available in an ordinary supermarket, which makes them a good starting point for anything alcohol-free.
How do you make a botanical tonic at home?
Two methods, and they suit different botanicals.
The hot steep. Bring water to just off the boil, add your botanicals, cover and leave for 20 to 30 minutes, then strain. Heat pulls flavour out of hard, dry ingredients quickly, so this is the method for juniper berries, coriander seed, allspice, cinnamon and dried peel. Crush the harder spices lightly first with the back of a spoon. As a starting ratio, the blend we recommend to people making their own gin is a good guide: the peel of a quarter of an orange, the peel of half a lemon, half a teaspoon each of allspice and coriander seeds, plus 10g of juniper berries.
The cold steep. Botanicals in cold water in the fridge overnight, then strained. Slower, gentler and less likely to turn bitter, which makes it right for fresh citrus peel, cucumber, mint, rosemary and anything delicate.
Two rules carry over directly from infusing gin. Use whole ingredients rather than powders, because powders are very hard to filter out and leave a muddy drink. And go easy with dried ingredients, no more than about a teaspoon, so one assertive botanical does not flatten everything else. Taste as you go, and strain the moment it tastes right, because a steep left too long turns harsh rather than stronger.
To serve, build it like a gin and tonic: a big glass, plenty of ice, a measure of your steep, topped with good tonic or soda, and a strip of citrus peel twisted over the surface so the oils land on top of the drink.
What about syrups, and the drink that changes colour?
A syrup keeps far better than a steep and gives you something to build with all month. The method: warm equal weights of water and sugar until dissolved, take it off the heat, add your botanicals, steep, then strain and bottle.
The prettiest version uses blue pea flowers, which contain a natural dye that shifts with acidity. Warm 350ml of water with 350g of sugar until dissolved and steaming, around 90 degrees, turn off the heat, add 10 blue pea flowers and steep for 30 minutes, then strain and bottle. It keeps for a month in the fridge. Pour the syrup over ice, top with lemonade, and watch the colour turn from blue to pink up the glass. A squeeze of lemon deepens the change, and if nothing happens at all, the mixer is not acidic enough, which is most often the case with some diet tonics.
Garnishes are worth a moment too. Juniper ice cubes are the easiest flourish there is: drop a couple of berries into each section of an ice cube tray, top up with water and freeze. The berries float up as a garnish once the ice melts.
What should you do with a gin kit in January?
Leave it in the cupboard, guilt free. The Ultimate Gin Maker's Kit holds 13 premium botanicals plus juniper and makes up to ten 700ml bottles, and it has a shelf life of about a year, so there is no rush. Batches are meant to be spread out rather than made all at once.
January is a good month to plan rather than pour. The kit comes with measuring spoons, tasting pipettes, a metal sieve, a silicone funnel and bottle tags with string, and because you mix and match the botanicals yourself, the interesting question is which combinations to try first. Note down two or three blends you fancy while you are drinking your tonics and you will start February with a plan rather than a shrug.
When the month is over, one bottle of inexpensive vodka is all it takes to begin. The kit is hand-packed in Britain.
Dry January drinks FAQs
Can I make gin without alcohol?
Not really, no. Gin is a spirit, and our kits work by infusing juniper and botanicals into vodka you supply. What you can do is steep the same sorts of botanicals into water, tonic or syrup for a drink with a similar flavour profile and no spirit in it.
What is the best base for an alcohol-free botanical drink?
Tonic water or soda, rather than fruit juice. Tonic brings its own bitterness and dryness, which is what keeps a drink interesting after the first glass.
How long does a botanical syrup keep?
A blue pea flower syrup made as described keeps for about a month in the fridge. Keep it in a clean, sealed bottle and give it a look and a sniff before use, as you would any homemade syrup.
Why is my botanical steep bitter?
It steeped too long, or it included citrus pith. Strain earlier next time, taste as you go, and use only the coloured part of the peel rather than the white layer underneath.
Will my gin kit still be good in February?
Yes. Kits leave us with at least 12 months on the best before date, and there is no need to make all the batches at once, so a month in the cupboard costs you nothing.
Planning February already? Browse our gin making kits.
