If someone already owns every gin worth owning, stop buying them bottles and buy them the means to make one. A gin making kit sits comfortably within a normal gift budget, takes days rather than weeks, and hands them something no distillery can: a gin blended to their own taste with their name on the label.
It is also the rare present that solves the real problem with gin lovers, which is that their shelf is full and their opinions are firm. Nobody has strong feelings about a gin they have not tasted yet, especially one they made. Here is which kit suits which sort of gin drinker, what to put alongside it, and the legal question everyone asks before they buy.
Which gin kit suits which gin lover?
Three kits, three quite different people.
For the classicist who drinks a proper G and T. The Gin Making Kit is the straightforward one. Its botanical blend is built around bright citrus, lemongrass, lemon and orange peel, with fragrant coriander and allspice, designed to echo a premium London style gin, and juniper provides the classic backbone. They add a bottle of inexpensive vodka, leave it to infuse for under a week, strain through the sieve or filter bag and bottle it with the supplied tag. It is the kit that most reliably produces a gin somebody actually wants to drink on the first attempt.
For the tinkerer who reads the back of the bottle. The Ultimate Gin Maker's Kit is our most generous: 13 premium botanicals and enough to make up to ten 700ml bottles, with a metal sieve, measuring spoons, tasting pipettes, a silicone funnel and bottle tags and string. Each infusion is juniper plus a botanical blend they measure themselves, so the point is not to follow one recipe ten times but to mix and match until they have a signature gin. It infuses in a couple of days, which means they can run comparisons rather than waiting weeks between experiments.
For the one who likes a bit of theatre. The Colour Changing Gin Kit uses blue pea flowers, whose natural dye shifts with acidity: blue in the spirit, then pink or purple the instant an acidic mixer goes in. It infuses in about twelve hours, makes five 700ml bottles' worth and keeps for up to a year once strained and bottled. The change happens almost instantly and it stays changed, so the magic is in the pour, which is exactly why this one gets poured in front of guests.
What should you add alongside the kit?
The kit does the making. These are the things that make the drinking better, and most of them are small enough to sit in the same parcel.
- Good tonic. The single biggest lever on a finished G and T, and worth more than an upgrade to the spirit. For the colour changing gin it matters twice over, because the change needs a properly acidic, non-diet tonic.
- Swing-top bottles. Our kits deliberately do not include empty bottles, because we would rather fill the box with ingredients than with glass and reusing spirit bottles is the greener option. A pair of 700ml swing tops still makes the finished gin look considerably smarter, especially if they plan to give some away.
- A decent glass. A large balloon or a heavy tumbler, one or two rather than a set. Gin drinkers notice glassware.
- Fresh citrus and a peeler. A vegetable peeler that takes long strips of peel with no white pith is the most useful garnish tool in the kitchen.
- A notebook. Genuinely. Anyone blending their own botanicals will want to remember what they did, and a small notebook turns a kit into a hobby.
- An ice cube tray. Then pass on our favourite trick: pop a couple of leftover juniper berries into each section, top up with water and freeze. They look fantastic in a G and T and float up as a garnish as the ice melts.
Is making gin at home legal, and is it difficult?
It is completely legal, and no licence is needed. Our kits make gin by direct infusion, steeping juniper and botanicals in a spirit you already own, and there is no still involved at any stage. Distilling your own spirit without a licence is illegal in the UK, which is precisely why the kits do not do it.
As for difficulty, there really is not any. Add the juniper and botanicals to a bottle of vodka, seal it, leave it, then strain the botanicals out. That is the whole method. The only skill is patience and tasting, and the pipettes exist so they can taste as they go and strain the moment it is right for them rather than when a timer says so.
Two things worth passing on with the gift. A slight haze is normal with natural botanicals and can be strained again gently, without squeezing the bag, which is what pushes sediment through. And if the finished gin comes out yellow or amber, that is completely normal too: this is a compound gin, and the dried orange and lemon peel lends a light colour along with its flavour. Clear commercial gins are redistilled after the botanicals go in, which leaves the colour behind, something that cannot legally be done at home.
How do you present a gin gift?
Pair the kit with the bottle of vodka it needs. It costs little, it removes the only obstacle between the box and the making, and it turns a present into an activity that can start the same evening. Ordinary supermarket own brand vodka is genuinely the right choice here, since the subtle character of a premium bottle is lost under the juniper and botanicals, though it is worth avoiding the very cheapest bottles whose harsh edge is hard to cover.
Then write the tag as an invitation. Naming a date to come round and try the results is a better gift than anything else you could add to the box, and it doubles the chance the kit gets opened in January rather than in June.
One practical note for posting: none of our kits contain alcohol. They hold the botanicals, equipment and instructions, and the spirit is bought separately, so there is no age restriction on the box itself and nothing complicated about sending one. Every kit is hand-packed in Britain.
Gin gift FAQs
Does the recipient need to buy anything else?
Just a 700ml bottle of inexpensive vodka per batch for the gin kits, and a plain, uncoloured gin they like the taste of for the colour changing kit. Everything else is in the box.
How long until they can drink it?
Days rather than weeks. The standard kit infuses in under a week, the Ultimate kit in a couple of days, and the colour changing gin in about twelve hours.
How many bottles does each kit make?
The Ultimate Gin Maker's Kit makes up to ten 700ml bottles and the Colour Changing kit makes five. The standard Gin Making Kit makes a smaller batch, with the exact quantity in its recipe booklet.
What strength will the finished gin be?
The same as the spirit they started with, because infusing does not dilute it. A 37.5% vodka gives a 37.5% gin.
How long does homemade gin keep?
Around twelve months once bottled, stored sealed and out of direct sunlight. We doubt it will last that long.
Buying for someone with a full gin shelf? Browse our gift kits and give them an empty bottle to fill.
