A gin making kit trades on a secret the drinks industry rarely shouts about: everything you love about gin, the piney juniper, the bright citrus, the warm spice, comes from botanicals added to a neutral spirit. Which means that with a gin making kit, a bottle of inexpensive vodka and a few days of patience, you can make proper gin at your own kitchen table. No still, no licence, no chemistry degree. This guide covers what's in the box, how the method works, why it's entirely legal, which vodka to buy, and how to choose between our three gin kits.
What is a gin making kit?
A gin making kit contains everything you need to turn shop-bought vodka into gin, except the vodka itself. Inside our classic Gin Making Kit you'll find:
- Juniper berries. The heart of gin's flavour and the source of its name. Juniper can't be farmed, so every berry in the kit has been foraged from the spiky wild plant. Crush one between your fingers and the aroma is instantly, unmistakably gin.
- The botanical blend. Built around bright citrus (lemongrass, lemon and orange peel) with fragrant coriander and allspice, designed to echo a premium London-style gin. It contains no sugars or sweeteners.
- Straining and bottling bits. A filter for separating the botanicals back out, a tasting pipette for checking progress, and a kraft paper tag for naming your creation.
- A recipe booklet. Full quantities and timings, cocktail recipes designed around the blend, and a short history of gin for impressing people mid-G&T.
You supply one 700ml bottle of inexpensive vodka per batch. That's the entire shopping list.
How does a gin making kit work?
There are two ways to make gin. Most commercial gins are made by vapour distillation, where the botanicals sit inside a still and the rising alcohol vapour takes on their flavours before condensing back into liquid. The older, simpler method is compounding, where the juniper and botanicals go directly into a neutral spirit and infuse naturally. That's what a gin kit does, and it's why the only equipment you need is a large jar.
The process is gloriously unhurried. The juniper goes into the vodka first, because it takes a little longer to give up its flavour, and infuses for three to five days; the botanicals join it for another couple of days. Taste with the pipette as it steeps, and strain the moment it tastes right to you, pouring it through the sieve or filter bag gently (squeezing pushes sediment through). Funnel into a clean bottle, label it, and that's gin.
Two practical tips: infuse in a wide-mouthed jar rather than the vodka bottle (fishing botanicals back out through a bottle neck is a faff), and skip the pitch-black cupboard. Room temperature, away from direct sunlight, lid on, is all it needs.
Is it legal to make gin at home?
Completely, and no licence is needed. The line the law draws is between distilling and infusing. Distilling your own spirit without a licence is illegal in the UK, which is exactly why gin making kits don't do it. You start instead with a spirit somebody else has already legally made, your bottle of vodka, and flavour it by infusion. Steeping botanicals in a spirit you already own breaks no law at all; it's the easiest, safest and only legal way to make gin at home without a distiller's licence.
What vodka should you buy? (Cheap is correct)
Buy inexpensive vodka, and enjoy saying so at the till. Gin's flavour comes from the juniper and botanicals rather than the spirit, so what you want is a blank canvas; a premium vodka's subtle character would simply be lost. Supermarket own-brand vodka works perfectly, though we'd avoid the very cheapest bottles, whose harsh edge is hard to cover. Smirnoff Red and Russian Standard both do the job admirably.
Stick to unflavoured vodka, since the botanicals carry all the flavour the recipe wants (though once you've a batch or two behind you, a citrus vodka can come out rather nicely). And your gin will be exactly as strong as whatever you pour in: infusing doesn't dilute the spirit, so a 37.5% vodka gives you a 37.5% gin.
How long does it take to make your own gin?
Days, not weeks. The classic kit infuses in under a week, the Ultimate kit in a couple of days per batch, and the Colour Changing kit in about 12 hours. You're in control throughout: taste as you go and strain when it's where you want it. A weak flavour means it needed longer; too strong means strain earlier next time, or soften the batch with a splash more vodka. It's a forgiving craft.
Why does homemade gin turn amber?
At some point every new gin maker peers into the jar and notices the contents turning a light amber. Completely normal, and actually the signature of the method. Yours is a compound gin: the botanicals infuse directly into the spirit, and the dried orange and lemon peel lends a gentle amber colour along with its flavour. Commercial gins pour clear because they're redistilled after the botanicals go in, which leaves the colour behind, and that's precisely the step that can't legally be done at home. The colour in your glass is proof you've made the real thing. A slight haze from the natural botanicals is normal too; strain it again, chill it, and carry on.
Which gin kit should you choose?
We make three, and all of them are gin kits with botanicals doing the hard work. The difference is scale and theatre.
The classic Gin Making Kit is the one-batch beginner's route: a 700ml bottle of vodka becomes a 700ml bottle of London-style gin, with one beautifully balanced blend and nothing to decide except when to strain. It's the one to buy for a first-timer or a gift.
The Ultimate Gin Maker's Kit is the gin maker's set for the properly enthusiastic: 13 premium botanicals, from cacao nibs and dried ginger to hibiscus and rose petals, with enough of everything to make up to ten 700ml bottles. A metal sieve, measuring spoons, tasting pipettes, silicone funnel and bottle tags are all in the box, and the booklet holds recipes for ten different gins, from Dark Chocolate to Gingerbread to a Christmas-spiced Ho Ho Ho, before you start mixing and matching your own signature blends.
The Colour Changing Gin Kit is the show-off of the family. It starts with a bottle of gin rather than vodka and infuses natural blue pea flowers into it overnight. The flowers hold a dye that responds to acidity, so the gin pours a deep blue and turns pink or purple the instant the tonic goes in. It makes five 700ml bottles, and the magic happens in the pour, right in front of your guests.
One honest note: none of the kits includes empty glass bottles. We'd rather fill the box with ingredients than glass, and reusing spirit bottles is the eco-friendly option (700ml swing-top bottles are the smarter choice for gifts).
What should you expect from your first batch?
Expect bright citrus, warm spice and that unmistakable juniper backbone, at the same strength as the vodka you started with. Bottled, sealed and kept out of sunlight it lasts for 12 months, though we doubt it will. A little fine sediment is normal; let it settle and decant off the clear gin.
Serve the first pour as a classic G&T: good tonic, plenty of ice, a citrus garnish. Leftover juniper berries make brilliant ice cubes; pop a couple into each section of the tray, freeze, and they float up as a garnish as the ice melts.
Then start experimenting, because this is where a make your own gin kit earns its keep. Try different citrus, spices and quantities; use whole ingredients rather than powders (very hard to filter out) and go easy on dried ones, a teaspoon at most. Sloe gin fans can steep washed sloes and sugar in the finished gin for a few months.
Gin making kit FAQs
Are gin making kits for adults only?
Yes. Every batch starts with a bottle of vodka that you buy separately, so these are firmly kits for grown-ups, whether you're making or receiving.
I bought a 500ml bottle of vodka instead of 700ml. Can I still use the kit?
Yes. Add the full sachets as normal and taste as you go with the pipette; your gin will simply be ready a little sooner.
Do I have to make all the batches at once?
No rush at all. The kit has a shelf life of about a year, and each batch takes its own bottle of vodka, so spread them out and enjoy the process.
What do I do when the botanical blend runs out?
We don't sell refills; we'd rather you make the recipe your own. Start with 10g of juniper per 700ml batch, plus the peel of a quarter of an orange and half a lemon, and half a teaspoon each of allspice and coriander seeds.
Why isn't my colour-changing gin changing colour?
The change needs something acidic, so use a proper non-diet tonic (some diet tonics aren't acidic enough) and add a squeeze of lemon if needed.
What if my batch goes wrong?
Nearly every wobble has a simple fix, and the Help Hut gin guide covers the ones we're asked about most, from cloudy gin to flavours that need coaxing.
Pick up a gin making kit, grab an inexpensive bottle of vodka, and by this time next week you'll be pouring a G&T that's entirely yours.
