Make non-alc spirits at home | gin & herbal liqueur

Can you really make your own non-alcoholic spirits at home with only a saucepan, a list of ingredients, and a couple hours of time?

This went through my head after reading through Chef Grant Achatz’s latest book Zero: A New Approach to Non-Alcoholic Drinks.

The book is certainly a new approach, with every recipe being developed in a culinary way. The recipes are a bit more complex, with more phases of prepping and crafting (not unlike cooking), and will likely have you making a special trip to the store to gather the necessary ingredients.

That said, if you can pull it off, the outcome is really special and unlike anything you can get on the market.

For this video, we’re going to focus on two recipes: a non-alc gin, and a non-alc herbal liqueur (inspired by Chartreuse).

While some store bought non-alc spirits are quite good, they can also be a bit pricy. We saved a ton of money on our gin ($8), but the herbal liqueur was a bit more expensive due to a couple hard to find ingredients ($36). But it was still less than what you would pay for a name brand alternative at the store, and the result proved worth the cost and effort.

In this video we compare our homemade non-alcs to Seedlip and Ritual's Gin Alternative. We also try them out in a couple of cocktails.

tl;dr One of the biggest chef’s in America has recipes for non-alc spirits. We made them, and compared them to a couple mass market options. SPOILER: they are much different, more intense and complex, and the end result was that they held up better in cocktails and produced a more full and complex experience (more akin to that of a cocktail with alcohol).

Below you'll find links to ingredients you'll need. I HIGHLY recommend going to an international foods store first, as a lot of these bulk spices can be found there at a fraction of the cost. There will be some you need to order. Mastic, for instance, was hard for us to find. As was fennel pollen.

If you find this process interesting, I also highly recommend checking out the Zero book.

If you've actually read this far, congratulations! We're doing a little giveaway. First person to find "Chad" the little man in a speedo that is meant to hang on the side of glass will win 3 syrups of their choice and a t-shirt. Comment with his location in the shot to win. Good luck!

Zero: A New Approach to Non-Alcoholic Drinks | https://amzn.to/3J10ik1

Recipe for non-alcoholic gin:
Total cost: ~$8.30 per liter
• 300g vegetable glycerin: https://amzn.to/3scWdCA
• 150g juniper berries: https://amzn.to/3gngOyw
• 150g water
• 750g water
• 17g coriander seeds: https://amzn.to/3gjknFZ
• 17g lemon peel
• 5g fennel seeds: https://amzn.to/3gn9t28
• 4g cinnamon sticks: https://amzn.to/3gi4b85
• 3g fresh ginger
• 2g star anise: https://amzn.to/3gi4Bvb
• 1g angelica root: https://amzn.to/3Gr2r75
• 1g green cardamom seeds: https://amzn.to/3ulLh8v
• 1g kosher salt

Recipe for non-alcoholic herbal liqueur
Total cost: ~$36 per liter
• 750g water
• 200g honey
• 150g vegetable glycerin: https://amzn.to/3scWdCA
• 50g fresh poblano peppers, stems and seeds removed
• 50g fresh ginger
• 50g mastic: https://amzn.to/330wlBu
• 30g fresh basil leaves and stems
• 25g fresh parsley leaves and stems
• 20g galangal
• 18g coriander seeds: https://amzn.to/3gjknFZ
• 12g star anise: https://amzn.to/3gi4Bvb
• 10g fennel pollen: https://amzn.to/3up6LBs
• 8g fennel seeds: https://amzn.to/3gn9t28
• 7g dried tarragon: https://amzn.to/3sf0BB5
• 7g whole green cardamom pods: https://amzn.to/3ulLh8v
• 7g fresh thyme leaves and stems
• 7g orange peel
• 5g lemon peel
• 5g whole black peppercorns: https://amzn.to/34zXeN3
• 5g cinnamon sticks: https://amzn.to/3gi4b85
• 4g fenugreek seeds: https://amzn.to/3shyKQz
• 3g dried mint: https://amzn.to/3Hpqrso
• 3g whole Szechuan peppercorns: https://amzn.to/3GpbjtK
• 1g whole cloves: https://amzn.to/3up7F0v
• 0.1g saffron threads: https://amzn.to/3gjeuZB

Sections:
0:00 Intro
1:39 Making the non-alc spirits
3:18 Straining the spirits
3:49 Gin tasting
6:53 Gin cocktail tasting
7:52 Herbal liqueur tasting
10:04 Herbal liqueur cocktail tasting
11:04 Final thoughts, worth it?

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