A gin infusion kit rests on a fact the gin industry rarely mentions: gin's flavour has almost nothing to do with the spirit it starts from. It comes from juniper and botanicals, so with a bottle of inexpensive vodka and the right blend you can make proper gin at home, no still, no licence, no special skill. This is the deep-dive: what infusion actually is, what each botanical does, how long to steep and how to know when to stop. Our worked example is the Ultimate Gin Making Kit, 13 botanicals and enough for up to ten bottles, the kit built for this sort of tinkering.
What is a gin infusion kit, and how is it different from distilling?
A gin infusion kit makes gin the oldest way there is: juniper and botanicals steeped directly in a neutral spirit until the flavour moves from one into the other. You supply a 700ml bottle of vodka per batch; the kit supplies everything else, the juniper, the botanical blend, the sieve or filter bags and the bottling kit.
Distilled gin adds a further step: after the botanicals go in, the spirit is redistilled, carrying the flavour over and leaving the colour behind. That step is also the legal line. Distilling your own spirit without a licence is illegal in the UK, while steeping botanicals in a spirit you already own is completely legal, needs no licence, and is the easiest and safest way to make gin at home.
Why vodka rather than gin? The botanicals bring the flavour, so vodka is the blank canvas, and inexpensive vodka is the right choice: a premium bottle's subtle notes would be lost under the juniper.
How does infusing your own gin actually work?
Here is the whole method; its shortness is rather the point.
- Measure. Using the measuring spoons and the quantities in your recipe booklet, add the juniper berries and the botanical blend to your vodka. Juniper is the heart of gin's flavour, so never leave it out.
- Seal and steep. Room temperature, away from direct sunlight, lid on to keep dust out. No pitch-black cupboard required.
- Taste as you go. This is where infusion beats distillation for the home maker: draw a little out with the pipette, and strain the moment it tastes right to you. The longer it steeps, the stronger the flavour.
- Strain. Pour through the metal sieve or a filter bag into a jug. If you use a bag, let it drip and press only gently. Squeezing hard pushes sediment through and clouds the gin.
- Bottle and label. Funnel into a clean, recycled spirit bottle or a swing-top bottle, tie on the supplied tag, and store sealed and out of sunlight.
One tip that saves fiddling: infuse in a large jar or wide-mouthed container, not the vodka bottle, because fishing botanicals back out through the neck is a faff. Decant at the end. For the first pour, a classic G&T with good tonic, plenty of ice and a citrus garnish shows a new batch off best.
What is each botanical actually doing in the jar?
A gin botanicals kit isn't a random spice rack. Each ingredient has a job, and understanding the jobs turns you from someone following a recipe into someone designing one.
- Juniper is the backbone and the one non-negotiable. It's what makes gin taste like gin rather than flavoured vodka, which is why every infusion starts with juniper berries plus the blend.
- The citrus: lemongrass, lemon peel and orange peel. These bring the bright top notes, and the dried peels do double duty, lending colour as well as flavour.
- Coriander and allspice supply the fragrant, spiced layer underneath the citrus.
Together they echo a premium London-style gin, and that's all it is: no sugars or sweeteners, so every bit of flavour in your glass came out of a botanical while you waited.
Can you design your own botanical blend?
Yes, and we encourage it, ideally after a batch or two with the kit's own blend so your palate has a baseline. Two rules keep an experiment on the rails: use whole ingredients rather than powders, which are very hard to filter out, and go gently with anything dried, no more than about a teaspoon. Then taste as the days pass and strain when it's just right.
We don't sell refill packs; we'd rather you make the recipe your own. A good starting blend per 700ml batch: the peel of a quarter orange, the peel of half a lemon, half a teaspoon each of allspice and coriander seeds, and your 10g of juniper berries. Fresh peel in long strips from a vegetable peeler gives an even brighter citrus note than dried.
How long should a gin infusion steep?
Days, not weeks. The standard kit infuses in under a week, the Ultimate kit in a couple of days, and the colour-changing gin in about 12 hours. Patience pays off in the flavour, but a gin infusion is a weekend project, not a cellar hobby.
The honest answer, though, is that the steep is done when you say it is: the pipette exists so you can catch your gin at its peak rather than trusting a clock. Weak on day two? Leave it another day. Bang on? Strain it now.
Why does home-infused gin turn amber, and how does colour-changing gin work?
At the first strain, most first-timers ask the same worried question: why is my gin yellow? You've made a compound gin, where the botanicals infuse directly into the spirit, and the dried orange and lemon peel lend a light amber colour along with their flavour. Commercial gins are clear because they're redistilled after the botanicals are added, which leaves the colour behind and, as covered above, can't legally be done at home. The amber tint isn't a flaw; it's visible proof that flavour has moved into your spirit.
Colour can go further, too. Our Colour Changing Gin Kit infuses blue pea flowers into a bottle of gin, and their natural dye responds to acidity: blue in the neutral spirit, turning pink or purple the instant something acidic like tonic goes in. Eight to ten flowers, a shake and about 12 hours is all it takes, and the change happens almost instantly as the mixer goes in, so pour it in front of your guests.
What are the most common gin infusion mistakes?
Nearly every disappointing batch comes down to a short list, all of it avoidable.
- Squeezing the filter bag. The classic. A hard squeeze pushes fine sediment through and clouds the gin. Let it drip and press gently; if a haze sneaks through anyway, strain again and chill it.
- Spending too much on vodka, or too little. Supermarket own-brand works perfectly; a premium bottle is wasted under this many botanicals, while the very cheapest have a harsh edge that's hard to cover. Smirnoff Red and Russian Standard sit in the happy middle.
- Oversteeping. Left too long, the flavour turns too strong or harsh. Strain earlier next time, and soften the current batch with a little more vodka.
- Understeeping. A weak gin needed longer, or a touch more botanicals. Taste as you go and it disappears.
- Worrying about sediment. A little fine sediment is normal with natural botanicals. Let it settle, then decant off the clear gin.
Which gin infusion kit should you start with?
All three of our kits use the same direct-infusion method; they differ in scale and ambition. The Gin Making Kit is the classic starting point, a smaller batch that infuses in under a week and teaches the whole method on your first bottle. The Colour Changing Gin Kit adds the blue pea flower theatre and makes five 700ml bottles. For the maker who wants to go deepest, the Ultimate Gin Making Kit is our most generous: 13 premium botanicals, up to ten 700ml bottles, and the freedom to mix and match blends into a signature gin that's yours alone. In the box are a metal sieve, measuring spoons, tasting pipettes, a silicone funnel and bottle tags with string, hand-packed in Britain with free UK delivery over £25. You add the vodka.
Two practical notes. The kits don't include empty bottles; reusing spirit bottles is the eco-friendly option, and 700ml swing-tops are the ones to buy for a gift. And there's no rush: the kit keeps for about a year, and each batch needs one bottle of vodka whenever you're ready.
Gin infusion kit FAQs
Is it legal to infuse your own gin at home?
Completely legal, no licence needed. The kits steep botanicals in a spirit you already own; distilling without a licence is what's illegal in the UK, which is why the kits don't do it.
What strength will my infused gin be?
The same as the vodka you started with. Infusing doesn't dilute the spirit, so a 37.5% vodka gives a 37.5% gin.
How long does home-infused gin keep?
Once made, it keeps for 12 months stored sealed and out of sunlight. We doubt it will last that long.
Can I use flavoured vodka as the base?
We recommend unflavoured, as the botanicals carry all the flavour the recipe wants. That said, experimenting is half the fun, and a citrus vodka can come out rather nicely.
Can I make sloe gin with an infusion kit?
Yes, in two steps. Make your gin with the kit first, then steep washed sloes and sugar in the finished gin for a few months, tasting now and then.
What should I do with leftover juniper berries?
Juniper ice cubes. Pop a couple of berries into each section of an ice cube tray, top up with water and freeze. They look fantastic in a G&T, and the berries float up as a garnish as the ice melts.
Ready to infuse your own? Browse our gin making kits and have your first batch steeping by tonight.
