How to Make Homemade Gin in Instant Solution [Updated With Safety Warning]
Updated on 8/25/18 at 1:02 PM ET: While we were able to prepare this recipe without incident, it turns out that making strong alcohol in your instant pot is unsafe as it generates flammable vapor that can be ignited by the heating element in the appliance. According to Laura Pazzagli of Hip Pressure Cooking, the Instant Pot does not recommend using the appliance for this purpose, and when she approached them, she said: “When it comes to making alcohol in the Instant Pot, there are many factors that can be a source of ignition of alcohol smoke. They are not part of the Instant Pot product and are outside the control of the Instant Pot. We cannot formally approve such use given the potential for unforeseen risks. – Robert Wang, CEO of Instant Pot. We look to Instant Pot for more information and will update you as we learn more. If you’ve already bought the ingredients to make your own gin, try it at room temperature or use an immersion circulator .
Gin may be a flavored vodka, but it is the best flavored vodka. However, since the only requirement for calling something “gin” is that the main flavor is “juniper,” you can make it yourself using a simple infusion, and you can use the Instant Pot to do this very much. quickly.
When preparing juniper berries and other plants in vodka under pressure, alcohol with a deep amber aroma is obtained. Imagine a simplified Old Tom gin, but made from plant parts of your choice. To make sure you meet that juniper requirement ahead, use two tablespoons of lightly chopped dried juniper berries in 750 milliliters of vodka, but feel free to experiment with the rest. Here are some bright friends you might want to invite to the party:
- Allspice berries
- Pink or black peppercorns
- Dried rose petals
- Dried chamomile flowers
- Lavender
- Cardamom pods
- Coriander seeds
- Fennel seeds
- Bay leaf
- Rosemary
- Lemon, lime, or grapefruit zest
The only ingredients I wouldn’t add to your Instant Pot are soft, meaty fruits and vegetables, as even setting the cooking time to zero will give your gin a “cooked” flavor. (I tried with cucumber and the resulting alcohol had a distinctly vegetable flavor.) Since the Instant Pot takes minutes rather than days to infuse, you can quickly experiment with plants to create your perfect gin. If you need a starting point, you can use my recipe, which has a lot of rose and cardamom. To make it you will need:
- 750 milliliters of vodka
- 2 tablespoons juniper berries, lightly chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried food rose petals
- 2 green cardamom pods, minced
- 3 allspice berries
- 2 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 long strips of grapefruit zest
- 1 2-inch sprig of rosemary
Add everything to the Instant Pot insert and close it. Move the pressure relief valve to the “seal” position and press the Manual or Pressure Cook button on the Instant Cookware, depending on your model. Use the “+” and “-” buttons to set the time to 20 minutes. Leave and do something else for about half an hour; maybe have a martini. As soon as you hear the high-pitched sound of the pot, hit Cancel and let the pressure go all the way down (so don’t do anything). Once the pin falls, open the pot and strain the gin through a fine metal sieve lined with gauze back into the vodka bottle. Let it cool to room temperature and use it like any fine juniper alcohol.