Not many of us are lucky enough to have their dream job and I am happy to say that making gin every day is mine. I'm the Production Manager over here at Inspirited and I am the lucky one who gets to create all of your (and our) gins! 

I was fortunate enough to have been part of the Inspirited team from the very beginning and making bespoke ‘Create Your Own’ gin has always been my favourite part. Whether you like the idea of being an amateur distiller or want to wow a special someone with the perfect unique gift, you really can’t get better than customised gin.

So how does a day of making Create Your Own Gins for our customers go? Firstly, I have the fun part of checking the orders and making the recipes - some wonderful, some weird but always unique! Although we like to encourage creativity, there are a couple of rules to follow. Obviously, the inclusion of juniper is a must, or it wouldn’t be a gin! After that, it’s all about letting the creative juices flow. Juniper, coriander and orris root are the three botanicals included by default on the gin tool. These three amigos are a strong starting point for any great tasting gin so I would highly recommend including these. Orris root is an interesting botanical with a subtle liquorice taste which is commonly used in gin making for it’s ‘fixative’ properties. This helps to blend the flavours together but if you would prefer a different fixative, you could try angelica which is more earthy and bitter tasting.

Now you can decide on the other flavours to include. You have six categories to choose from – spices, fruits, citrus, floral, nutty and exotic, with a total of thirty-five botanicals altogether. If you are already a gin connoisseur then you may have an idea of what flavour profile suits your taste. If not, our gin tool can help provide inspiration. Some of our botanicals will be very well known, others less familiar, such as; grains of paradise, cubeb pepper and baobab. Just hover of the ingredient on the gin tool and click for a quick description of each. This is your chance to be creative and have fun, but I would suggest being selective with how many ingredients you choose. If there are too many then you risk overcomplicating the gin and not being able to pick out any individual flavours. Too few and it may lack the well-rounded, complexity of a premium tasting gin. Around 6 -10 botanicals should do the trick.

My top tip? Start with a base of flavours that you know you enjoy and build out from there. Don’t be afraid to include the obvious ingredients such as lemon, grapefruit and bitter orange if you prefer a more zesty, citrus finish but why not add some galangal for a spicy kick or coconut for an exotic twist. Spice more your thing? Cassia bark, coriander and ginger are always good options, but you could include some kaffir lime to add an intense citrus aroma. If you have a sweet tooth or prefer a floral bouquet, we have plenty of options too. The possibilities are endless and there is no right or wrong. Rest assured that after making countless combinations, we have developed the knack for expertly blending the botanicals in such a way to make a delicious end result.

After distilling and bottling your unique gin, I then get to work on labelling and packaging. Remember you have another opportunity to get creative by personalising the label. Again, this is completely your choice whether you want to go cheeky and fun or serious and sophisticated. You have three lines of text to play around with so feel free to get experimental. If sending as a gift, you will be pleased to know that each Create Your Own gin comes gift boxed which also includes a small envelope of the botanicals used.

So there you have it, now go get creative and CREATE YOUR OWN!

My ‘Create Your Own’ Inspiration: Juniper, Coriander, Cardamom, Orris Root, Cassia Bark, Cubeb Pepper, Sweet Orange, Grapefruit 

My Perfect Serve: Serve my 'CYO' Gin with Fevertree Mediterranean Tonic and garnish with lots of orange peel.