How To Use Botanicals & Gin Making

Learn how to use fresh Botanicals to Make Gin at home

How to Make Gin With Botanicals

What is Gin? A Beginner’s Guide to Making Gin at Home

Gin is one of the most exciting spirits you can craft at home — fresh, aromatic, and endlessly customisable. At its core, gin is made up of two essentials:

  • A neutral spirit (a clean, high-purity base alcohol)

  • Botanicals (with juniper berries as the hero)

By law, for a spirit to be called “gin,” juniper must make up 40–50% of the botanical mix. That’s what gives gin its signature pine-like aroma and crisp, refreshing flavour.

The Role of Botanicals in Gin

While juniper berries may look like blueberries, they’re actually closer to pinecones. Their flavour can vary depending on where they’re grown — meaning no two gins are exactly the same.

Other popular gin botanicals include:

  • Coriander seed – adds lemony citrus with a nutty, spicy kick

  • Citrus peel – bright and zesty, though high volumes can cause haze in your spirit

  • Angelica root, cardamom, liquorice, cinnamon, nutmeg – layered spices and earthy notes

 A good starting point when creating your own gin blend is:

  • 50% juniper

  • 30% coriander

  • 20% supporting botanicals of your choice

This is where the fun begins — experimenting with combinations to create your very own signature gin recipe.

How to Make Gin at Home

There are two main methods for infusing botanicals into your neutral spirit: steeping and vapour infusion. Each creates different flavour profiles and colours.

Steeping Method

  • Add your botanicals directly into a jar or vessel of neutral spirit.

  • Let them soak (steep) until the flavour reaches your liking.

  • You can steep all botanicals together, or individually for precise flavour control.

Note: Steeping often gives the final gin a darker hue, especially from juniper.

Vapour Infusion Method

This technique avoids direct contact between botanicals and the liquid spirit. Instead, botanicals sit in a basket above the spirit in your still. As alcohol vapour rises, it extracts delicate botanical flavours.

  • Produces a cleaner, lighter gin with mellow flavours.

  • Works with both the Turbo 500 Reflux Still and Alembic Pot Still.

  • The Alembic Copper Still intensifies botanical character thanks to its copper surface area.

Step-by-Step: Vapour Infused Gin

  1. Distil your wash first to create a clean neutral spirit (the stripping run).

  2. Filter your spirit for purity.

  3. Load botanicals into a botanical basket (e.g. Still Spirits basket).

  4. Run a second distillation — the vapour passes through botanicals, picking up flavour.

  5. Dilute to bottling strength (around 40–45% ABV).

Using the Turbo 500? Remove the saddles and adjust your condenser as per the instructions in the T500 manual. (We have a full guide on our website: How to Make Gin with the Turbo 500.)

Making Gin with the Air Still Pro

If you’re experimenting, the Air Still Pro  is  the perfect small-batch option:

  • Ideal for testing different botanicals without wasting big volumes

  • Uses the Air Still Botanical Basket for vapour infusion

  • Great for beginners who want to explore gin flavours

A great starting point is a london Dry style — around 30g of botanicals for one batch. From there, swap ingredients to create citrus-led, spice-driven, or herbaceous gins.

Why Home Gin Making is So Rewarding

  • Total flavour freedom — craft a gin that’s uniquely yours

  • A spirit that’s fresh and personal — not mass-produced

  • Endless room for experimentation with botanicals and methods

At Australian Home Brewing, we stock everything you need: juniper berries, botanicals, Air Still kits, Turbo 500 systems, and botanical baskets. We’re here to guide you from your very first batch through to signature recipes you’ll be proud to share with mates.