It’s Ginuary, which means that we will be celebrating one of our favourite craft spirits, gin, all month long! Dedicating a whole month to gin means that it’s the perfect time to play around with the many ways that you can include gin in your standby and experimental recipes. Plus, gin infusions are also a great way to use some of the leftover herbs and fruits from your holiday parties!
Gin infusions allow you to play around with a variety of flavours, especially those that are tough to find in stores. Below are some recipes to get you started, but we would love to know what flavour combinations you’re hoping to try out!
Rosemary Pomegranate Infusion
Most people will find themselves with a handful of leftover rosemary and possibly even some pomegranate (if you haven’t already eaten it all) after decorating a charcuterie board or cooking your favourite dinner. We’re here to tell you the best way to use the rest – make Rosemary Pomegranate Infused Gin!
Ingredients:
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- ¾ cup pomegranate seeds (about half a pomegranate’s worth)
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 375ml of Parlour Gin (½ a bottle)
- 2 tbsp sugar or 1 tbsp honey, more or less to taste
Instructions:
- Add the rosemary sprigs and pomegranate seeds to a clean jar that is at least 500 ml in size. Lightly muddle or crush the rosemary and pomegranate to release flavour.
- Add the lemon zest, then pour the gin over top and add the sweetener of your choice (to taste – less is better, you can add more later!). Stir.
- Seal the jar and set aside in a cool, dark place for up to 2 weeks, shaking every few days and tasting as you go.
- Once your infusion has reached your desired taste, strain into a new jar or bottle and enjoy!
Spiced Clementine Gin
What’s the quintessential winter fruit? We’d have to say clementines. Here’s how to incorporate this fresh flavour into your favourite London-dry style gin!
Ingredients:
- 1-2 clementines
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
- 375ml of Parlour Gin (½ a bottle)
- Optional: 1 ½ cups of simple syrup
Instructions:
- Cut clementines into quarters, leaving the peel on to avoid infusing the bitter pith.
- Add clementines and gin into a jar, leave for up to two weeks shaking lightly every few days.
- After straining off the gin into a separate container, you can choose to make a clementine infused simple syrup but repeating step 2, this time with the simple syrup instead of gin.
- Enjoy the gin and syrup together or separately. Cheers!
For a little extra spice (and colour) add a dash of turmeric! They say it’s healing, after all.
Cardamom Ginger Infusion
This warming infusion is the perfect way to make your favourite gin even more comforting on a cold evening. We have always loved the strong flavour of ginger in addition to its ability to work with varying levels of sweetness in a cocktail!
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup peeled and sliced fresh ginger
- 7 cardamom pods
- 375ml of Parlour Gin (½ a bottle)
- Optional: 1 tbsp sugar or ½ tbsp honey, or to taste
Instructions:
- Add the sliced ginger and cardamom pods to a clean jar. Slightly crush the cardamom pods to release flavour.
- Pour the ginger and optional sweetener into the jar and stir.
- Seal the jar and set aside in a cool, dark place for up to 1 week, shaking every few days and tasting as you go.
- Ginger can be quite strong, so you may want to adjust the infusion time to your liking. Once complete, strain into a new jar and set aside for your new wintry cocktail!
What Infusion Will You Try?
There are endless combinations that you could play around with to get a unique gin that you likely couldn’t find in the store! Do you have a GINfusion recipe that you use? We’d love to hear about your creations.
Share your Parlour Gin infusion with us on by tagging @eauclairecraft and using #ShareEauClaire on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!
