Dad’s Gin

One day when looking for a present for my father the idea struck me to doctor up some gin.  I had a pretty bottle with a swing top that I wanted to use for something and I had plenty of gin.

I have written before about my enjoyment of and support for Trader Joe’s Rear Admiral Joseph’s London Dry Gin.  It is perhaps the best gin deal on the planet.  It is crisp, clean and elegant and at eight measly bucks a bottle it is a delight not just for the palate but for the wallet as well.  This gin also lends itself well to infusions.

The first bottle I put up for dad was Rear Admiral Joseph’s London Dry Gin in a fancy bottle and I added a long strip of grapefruit peel and a nice long center cut slice of Jalapeño.  It is important when doing this to make your cuts with care because I leave everything in the bottle and you will want it to look nice.  Also be careful, a little Jalapeño will go a long way.  It takes about a week for the heat to build from the hot pepper and about two weeks for the grapefruit flavors to fully come out.  Dad likes to sample it as the flavors change.

This makes an attractive gift and is delicious.  If you don’t like heat skip the Jalapeño.  I also tried Serrano and it was very good.  Experiments with adding coriander, cardamom and other herbs were also successful but be cautious these dried herbs give off tons of flavor in alcohol and can be overpowering if you use too much.  I recommend no more than one or two cracked cardamom pods.  remember I leave all of the ingredients is the bottle and they will keep fusing over time.  After a few weeks you will notice all the color will leach out of your ingredients and they will eventually look almost completely white, if your gin lasts that long.

Dad’s gin is strongly flavored spicy stuff with great intensity and character.  Gin lovers will enjoy this but it is not for the timid palate.