People who make flavoured gins etc I need you!!

[Makemineacabsauv]

Pretty skint this year and I'd like to make some flavoured gin or things like that to give as gifts. I am hopeless at making things so thought this would be a simple but easy thing to make that people will like! Any recipes will be gratefully received!

Do you have to add sugar? I fancy gin with morello cherries.

Caramel vodka with crushed up toffees like werthers.
Fruity vodka with skittles (chose which colours you want to use/mix and match like lemon and lime)
Sloe gin easy if you have sloes growing wild near you. Prick them with a fork all over and leave in a jar you can seal with gin and sugar, give it a good shake every day then strain. You can make sloe cheese (like lemon curd) or sloe chocolates with the boozy sloe berries.

What about your dd making fudge (will be cheaper than the gin and vodka!) we make salted caramel fudge at Xmas to give for presents, its delicious. There are loads of variations.

I don't have anything valuable to add but definitely want this in my threads I'm on.
Apologies for the blatant placemarking

I like to make cranberry vodka. Prick the cranberries, bung them in the vodka with some sugar and some orange rind. Seal. I upend this every day to encourage the sugar to dissolve and the flavours to mix. Leave for at least a couple of weeks, longer if you can. Goes a gorgeous red colour, very festive. I don't give it away but drink it myself looks lovely in a tall glass with tonic, with a few of the berries floating on top.

I've currently got Gingerbread Vodka steeping (in a very difficult to reach place under the kitchen sink). I fished it out to see how it looks and to be honest I'm not sure anyone but me will be getting any !

Keep the sloes after draining your sloe gin - use them to make sloe chocolate.

Ikea do really cheap glass bottles, jars etc.
Iidl do cheap booze.
You can use frozen berries if you don't have time to pick them.
Have fun!

If you are using hard make sure you check they have no 'seams' . Got lovely spring top jars in home bargains a couple of years ago and bloody slow gin leaked out the bottom all over my shelf. The stain is still visible!

Bloody auto correct 'jars' not hard.

Can I ask a question please - this seems the right thread for it!

I've got a jar of damson gin on the go. I pricked the damsons and put them in with sugar four days ago. I've been shaking it with no leaks. Last night I added the gin, but when I shook it, yep, it's leaked!

Obviously the seal is shot on the jar. Will it all be ok? I'm going to get a proper Kilner to replace it, but probably not until Wednesday.

It's not a cheap thing to get into but it is bloody gorgeous - once you've bought the jars and bottles and base spirits you've shed a few pennies but the results are lovely.
I've been doing it a few years now mainly with fruit from our garden as I have too much of it and I don't really like jam and this year I have on the shelf :
Plum brandy
Sloe gin
Blackberry gin
Gooseberry gin
Blackcurrant gin
Cherry brandy
Strawberry / Strawberry, lime & rosemary / strawberry & elderflower / Strawberry & black pepper gins
Rhubarb / rhubarb & ginger gins
Pear brandy
Elderberry gin
Christmas pudding liqueur

I buy small bottles from amazing to decant it for gifts

When we made sloe gin, we re-used bottles (the bottle the gin came in and another smallish one) and used cheap gin so it wasn't too expensive. Once you've peeled the label off, even an old bottle of value spirit looks OK, and they have screw top lids so I see no reason to buy bottles specially.

blatant place mark

I'm about to attempt to make LemonGino. My friend makes it same as lemoncello but instead of vodka uses gin. Going to start it later this week and if good give away for Christmas gifts if not then we'll drink it ourselves

Bee- as long as the fruit is fully covered it should be fine for a few days. A layer of clingfilm might make you feel better about leaving it.

As for reusing the original bottles, I use them to make the gin in but buy smaller bottles to gift as you can give several bottles from 1 litre. I bought 20 last year so have some left. People have been known to reyurn the empties too (hoping for more this year).

Thanks, theimpossiblegirl (or 'Thrones Legislation' as my phone decided to autocorrect you to!). I definitely can't get another jar until Wednesday. It's all submerged so it'll last until then.

Oh wow!! Can't wait till pay day!! This was just a thought for a few people, but guess what nearly everyone (except dc) are going to get?!! Feel like I'll be opening my own distillery! Thank you so much!

Lime vodka incredibly easy. Zest of a lime in a bottle of vodka. Leave at least 24 hours in freezer. The longer you leave it the limier. Strain, decant.

If you do a soft fruit one, when you strain the fruit out don't throw it away. Simmer gently to soften. Remove any stones. Either put the fruit into tiny sweet paper cases or little heaps on grease proof paper. Then melt your chocolate of choice. Pour into paper cases or onto heaps. Wait till sets and then package up in nice cellophane with ribbon. Alcoholic chocolate.

Means you get two sets of alcoholic presents out and the average cost comes down.

Don't do the chocolate till the last minute as it doesn't last so long.