Lemon Gin Recipe.
Comments(40)
I went to New Zealand for the first time over 30 years ago and Lemon Gin was the pre dinner tipple in one of the houses that we visited. It came in gallon jars and was served neat in small tumblers. This was the first time I’d seen anyone pouring out drinks from such a large container. In this particular house the lemon gin jar doubled as a doorstop in the kitchen during the day.
I forgot all about lemon gin until my sister and I got into making sloe gin. We had made a heady investment of a case of gin and, after picking a vast sack full of sloes in freezing cold winds, decided to find another use for the remaining bottles. My sister found an old recipe for lemon gin; this stated that it would take three years to mature. I must admit I wasn’t keen on waiting three years.
My sister persuaded me to experiment. I did, after all, have five litres of sloe gin to see me through the long gap. I also liked the idea of travelling with a bottle of lemon gin in the boot of my car for three years (see method below).
We made a bottle each and, after a few months of rolling about in the boot of my car, I moved my bottle to the cottage larder where it slipped behind an old mixer and was forgotten. Four years later it was discovered and retrieved by a tall boyfriend who spent a lot of time in the larder as this was one of the few places that he could stand up in the cottage. The lemon peel had totally vanished. The liqueur was unbelievably good. A Dom Pérignon leap from the NZ brew. I hate to admit it but this is better than sloe gin and at least one notch up from our raspberry gin.
When Danny arrived the remains of the lemon gin had been buried again. A couple of years ago he unearthed and secretly sampled it (this was an eleven year old vintage). He rushed upstairs, woke me up and insisted that lemon gin must be made every year from now on, in vast quantities.
If you are patient, have a surfeit of gin or want to produce something exceptional for best friends that drop by, try this recipe. It’s well worth the wait.
Lemon Gin Recipe
Ingredients:
- I litre bottle of medium quality gin
- 200 g white granulated sugar
- 3 unwaxed lemons (just the rind, avoiding the pith)
Method:
- Make space in the bottle for the sugar and lemon by pouring off at least 200 ml of gin (reserve this).
- Gently pare the lemon rind from the lemon. Be really careful to avoid the bitter pith (at a pinch use a zester – although the results are not nearly as good).
- Add the peel to the bottle.
- Using a funnel add the sugar to the gin and shake well. Top up the bottle with the reserved gin. Find a use for the surplus (I usually mix myself a large gin and tonic at this stage).
- Label the bottle. Wrap it well (bubble wrap is ideal) and place securely in the boot of your car (The alcohol will not allow the bottle to freeze completely in cold weather).
- Drive the car hard for three years.
- Remove the bottle. Taste and taste again.
Tips and Tricks:
- If you make this every year, within three years you will have lemon gin available annually. Danny has just told me that we have passed the two year mark.
- Put an ingredients label on your jar so as to be able to recreate a particularly good vintage. Use decorators tape as this generally peels off easily and can be pased from jar to jar.
- Don’t use the cheapest gin. You might not live to regret it.
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What a user friendly site this is. Not only lovely things to do, but also easy to print.. thanks.
hi again!
i currently have a litre and a half of lemon gin rolling around in the boot of my car, but for three years? really? also, i was wondering if you had made or thought of making lime gin? i’m curious, and itching to try, but need to persuade loving husband!
Hi Sam,
Yes it takes 3 years. All citrus fruit gin takes loads of time but the results are spectacular. A million times better than Sloe Gin.
I am not sure about lime gin. Why not give it a go? Orange based gins are always great we have recipes for Seville orange gin and kumquat gin on the site (tried and tested).
I have never tried limes. 90% certain that it would work. If you try it report back in 3 years!
thanks for this, i think i will try a little bottle using the same ratios as the lemon.
i have read the seville orange and kumquat recipes and am looking forward to giving them a go when the fruit comes in. we now have a very full cupboard, 6 bottles of sloe gin and several raspberry and blackberry gins….. loving husband said a resounding no when i discovered the marrow rum recipe yesterday!
i will certainly keep you posted on the lime gin if we do it.
Hi Sam,
What a shame that you have been warned off making the marrow rum! Our’s has changed the atmosphere in the bedroom from light and airy to pub cellar (our airing cupboard is at the foot of our bed!)
I took my lemon gin out of the car after a year as I was worried that it might get stolen. The gin rather than the car. Then it lived beside the fridge freezer in the larder (there is a slight vibration there).
I found your site by accident, as i was looking for a different sloe gin recipe, having picked far too many in this great year for sloes in Yorkshire. we have just consumed some 20 year old sloe gin which we had mislaid at the back of the drink cupboard, ummh – nectar of the gods.
most fortuitous to find your recipe for lemon gin, had a good chuckle, and am off to get more gin (and lemons!) and start a(nother) 3 year cycle.
a mixed case of citrus gin in the back of the car will likely increase it’s value!
by the way what about a mixed citrus gin?
will now bookmark your blog
thank you
Hi Richard,
So pleased that you found my recipe. Lemon gin is wonderful stuff and as you have spotted could increase the value of your car enormously.
Yes a mixed citrus gin sounds like it would work. It might be best to dedicate a bottle to each fruit and then blend them.
Thanks for leaving a comment.
[...] If you can’t get the pure alcohol, you may want to try this Lemon Gin recipe by The Cottage Smallholder. You’ll have to wait 3 years though. And, you’ll need a car and plenty of bubble wrap! [...]
Hi
I made my first batch of lemon gin in August last year following your recipe. The gin is now a satisfying golden colour.
One question. The lemon is looking pale and doesn’t seem to be dissolving. Do I leave it or remove it?
Hi Geo
You leave the lemon in the gin. It will dissolve over the three year period, especially if it’s shaken a bit. Is it in the boot of your car?
Geo
I keep the bottles in a sideboard and shake them when I remember.
We also have two grape vines that we planted a few years ago.
I’ve been throwing away bucketfulls of black grapes every year but this year want to try and make wine. Any suggestions?
Hi Geo
Put the bottles in the boot of your car. They need a gentle shake on and off for the first few months. If they are in your boot you don’t have to think about it and you do not risk cartilage damage. A shake every now and then, when you remember won’t do.
You are very lucky to have your own grapes for winemaking. I recommend 2 books – Daphne Moore (Country Winemaking) and Gillian Pearks (Complete Home Winemaking). The latter is out of print but worth buying at any price.
Silly Limey’s. Why wait 3 years of you can purchase your liquors at a good shop? Instant inebriation, no waiting, no muss, no fuss. Silly Brit’s.
Hi Lazy Joe
Glad to hear that some people are still buying liqueurs from the shops!
One year down – two to go!
I just hope I don’t have the car nicked or written off in the meantime!
Lazy Joe, it’s all in the name really isn’t it!? I think you’ve totally missed the point!
Hi
I made some of this Lemon Gin last year, and although it was only 1 year old i entered a small bottle of it in a local show. i am delighted to report it beat of over 30 other bottles to win first prize. Just imagine how much better it will be after another 2 years!
I am going to try lemon vodka this year as i have just found a bottle of vodka in the cupboard and have used the last of the gin to make elderberry gin.
Thanks for a fantastic recipe
I haven’t made raspberry gin for years and am about to this afternoon. Love the sound of the lemon gin; will try that too!
Do you need to take the gin out of the car when the weather is hot??
Hi Graeme
Thanks for dropping by!
Hello Mary
Well done winning best in show! I’m impressed.
Hi Loubi
Mine is in an insulated box in the boot of the car. It stays in there whatever the weather.
I live in Cyprus and one of our lemon tree branches broke this morning (overloaded with fruit). I now have 7 large carrier bags of lemons and, while searching for something to do with them, came across this fantastic site. I love the idea of lemon gin but am concerned about keeping it in the boot of the car. The temp here can be as high as 46C – not good for the gin I wouldn’t have thought. Any suggestion for an alternative storage place?
Great site. Thanks.
Clare
Hello Clare
Lucky you with seven carrier bags of lemons!
The boot of the car method is only for those living in the northern hemisphere. You need to find something with a variable vibration. Such as a fridge or freezer. The thermostat turning on and off will give the gentlest shake to your grog. Don’t leave it sitting on a steady shelf for three years.
The car boot is perfect although less dramatic places work equally well.
Thanks so much. I made it yesterday and have put it in the boot for the winter. I’l take it out in March & put it on top of my ancient fridge it makes a fine old noise so I’m sure it’s vibrating lots too.
Can’t wait for the three years to pass!
By the way – any good recipes to use up the lemons? I made marmalade, lemon curd and lemon squash yesterday. I just can’t bear to throw the lemons away but am running out of ideas for preserving them. Today I’m going to make preserved lemons (Moroccon type) and some candied lemon peel. After that I’m stuck!
Clare
Hi.
I have been reading all the different gin recipes on this site and i am keen to give one or two a try. I would like to know if it is possible to use peaches or if anyone has tried it.
Any info appreciated.
Jon
[...] for tart aux citron which I didn’t have time to make so I did a bit of searching. Lemon Gin http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=112 from the cottage smallholder took my fancy. I realised that the Gin bottle had one of those none [...]
I’ve made my second batch of Sloe Gin this year; 2007 was my first (missed 2008 as did most brits).
My sister-in-law mentioned making Lemon Gin this year and going by your excellent post and comments I’ve got to try it too; i’ve got 70cl of Gin left over from Sloe Gin making so will buy some lemons over the weekend.
Didn’t think it would take 3 years to make though, but then again the best things in life are worth waiting for!
Hi Steve
After letting the bottles rattle around in the car, they got lost in the larder and after 3 years they were sublime. So now I try and make a batch each year. Our oldest are 2 years old now. They taste good but not as good as the 3 year stuff.
Hi, I’ve just made my second batch of lemon gin and placed in the boot with last years! Although it is still 2 years until I can taste the first batch I was wondering how you drink this? Do you have it with something as a long drink or neat like sloe gin??
Hi Beth
We drink it neat – like a liqueur.
i’ve just made my first bottle
wish me luck
Have to admit that mine didn’t get the car treatment – just the occasional shake. Couldn’t resist sampling after 12 months – friends also joined in, end of gin! It was pronounced ‘superb’ both as a liqueur or with a mixer. I’m keeping my second batch hidden and I’m now making more on a regular basis – the recipe’s been passed on too so my friends can make their own!
Loved the sound of this recipe. I tried your raspberry vodka recipe 2 years ago at my sister – in-law’s suggestion after a glut of raspberries on the allotment. Huge hit with family and friends and a great Xmas present in smaller bottles. Moved on to gooseberry vodka last year and rhubarb and blackcurrant this year..where will it end (apart from cirrhosis of the liver..)
I made lemon gin a few years ago, didn’t think of the mechanical car boot aggitator (just gave the bottle a good shake every couple of weeks). Its fantastic stuff. Did mixed fruits last year and trying manderine this year, much more fun than buying it ready made.
Must say the comment about not using the cheapest gin is a good tip I did a couple of year ago and you could taste the difference.
Tried this a couple of years ago, I have to say the results were much better than I could have expected, I now have a large surplus of the stuff (mine, all mine ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!) Sorry about that…
I am thinking of trying it with lime next, Seville or Shimouti orange, and, as an experiment in foolhardiness, red chilli and lemongrass, to test out a personal theory of mine – see you on the other side….
Out of curiousity, why do you pare the lemon peel? Then you have to scrape out the pith every time you mess up. Why not use a Microplane rasp to scrape off just the zest?
I know you said it is not as good, but why not? Afterall, you are just looking for the zest anyway, and by zesting it you would increase the surface area of the zest many times over. Wouldn’t that cut down on the time it needs to mature as well? Or do you want minute amounts of the pith in there, to give it some bitterness as well?
And one last thing: When you say “medium quality gin,” do you mean a less expensive gin that isn’t really any style, or a London Dry Gin, a Plymouth style gin, a Dutch or Genever gin?
Sorry for the odd question, but you must understand I come from a place where “cordial” means an alcoholic syrup, lemonade is lemon juice water sugar, and tea is always sweet and ice cold(with lemon). I don’t want to get the wrong kind.
I am terribly sorry to make two posts in a row, I know it is considered bad manners, however, I have a question that occurred to me upon while reading some of the comments here.
You mention leaving the gin in you trunk for 3 years to agitate it. I was just worried(after reading the post from the lady in Cyprus) about the temperature as well.
In the summer time, it usually idles at 96 F(35.6 C), but has been known to get above 103 F(39.5 C) here. As well, the humidity is always high. Heck, its 90 F(32.2 C) here now, and 60 F(15.56 C) this afternoon in London. Would the gin be adversely affected by the higher temperatures? Would it be better if I stored it in the cupboard, and shook it weekly/monthly? Or is daily shaking required?
Jackson,
Firstly, I would hold off on using a scraper or zester, as it ‘bruises’ the lemon skin and sprays the essential citrus oils into the air instead of keeping them locked in the skin – after all, it’s these oils that interact with the gin to give it such a unique depth of flavour – carefully paring the outer skin keeps the oil in the skin cells intact and in place.
Secondly, I use a London Dry Gin (Gordons, for preference), although one year I did use Bombay Sapphire; the result was exquisite, and only gets ladled-out to the very oldest and closest friends…
Thirdly, if you keep the bottled mix wrapped in black plastic and stashed in a small insulated ice-chest or picnic cooler in the car it should be fine. The thing about keeping it around the house and occasionally shaking it is that eventually it becomes a chore, and then becomes forgotten. my friend did this, and after 2 years re-discovered them in his toolshed, only to find he’d ended up with bottles of slightly acidic, vaguely lemony gin, with a harsh undertow and a sludgy yellow goop pasted to one side of the bottles; attempting to rescue them by shaking them vigorously (‘to mix in all the goodness…’) didn’t help; shaking the gin vigorously for a few minutes is only going to bruise it, not do the work of two years of gentle stirring!
Eventually we re-bottled the whole lot, with a fresh infusion of Beefeater London Gin and a couple of pieces of crushed lemongrass in each bottle (as well as fresh lemom peel) to mellow and freshen the aftertaste. Here’s hoping…
Thank you for the information. I will try putting the gin in a styrofoam cooler, thank you for the idea. And thank you for the information on zest. I had read on a website about limoncello that zesting makes a cloudier liquid that could be clarified later, but did not realize the loss of essential oils.
Is gin the spirit that produces the best flavor? I was just wondering, as gin is a more, well, British drink(yes, I realize that it is technically Dutch), whereas we are more a whiskEy or applejack place. Most all these recipes here use gin as a base. Is it because gin is the traditional spirit used in the United Kingdom, or do the juniper and other florals pair well with fruit based infusions?
I don’t know about using Whiskey, although the lemon should produce quite an intersting combination of tatses! I personally believe that clear, non-sweet spirits (such as Gin, Vodka, Schnapps etc) provide for a fresher, more sophisticated taste as the lemon is not competing with a more complex flavour base such as one would get from sweet spirits like Scotch, Bourbon, Brandy or Rum. I think I also agree with the notion that the florals and juniper pair well with fruit infusions; I’ve noticed that people who infuse fruit with sweet spirits tend to regard the spirit as a flavour infusion for the fruit, rather than the other way round, and re-use the spirit to infuse more fruit, almost as though the fruit has given nothing to the spirit base (although I may be wrong here, cue shrieks of outrage…)
Gooseberry gin was mentioned last weekend and am delighted to have found out how to make it. As I’ve just come back from shopping with unwaxed lemons – I’ll now have to go back to get some more gin and make that one too. I’ve an insulated bottle carrier in the loft I can make use of to put it in the boot of my car. Am looking forward to Gooseberry & raspberry gins and much much later lemon gin!!Thank you
Thank you for this gorgeous recipe! I’m in New Zealand with an enormous lemon tree and a real glut of fruit. I made the lemon gin from some revolting tasting stuff. I had a sip when my lemon gin was a month old (yes, I know its supposed to be 3 years but it became the colour of sunshine and was just too tempting…) Completely delicious! Obviously the lemon zest has not completely disolved but the taste is perfection. I have sealed it up though and will exercise patience….maybe leave it another year!
Just made 2 lots of lemon gin.Hope i last 3 years to try it. Juiced the remaining lemon and froze it,for hot toddies in the winter.