StillSmart

I have a dehydrator that I use for dehydrating vegetables and meats and for cheese making.

I am soon going to try making my own gin with botanicals and had a look at Lovebrewing's range.

It got me to thinking - for things like the orange peel, is it nothing more than dehydrated peel? Could I make these myself with my dehydrator? Are there other things that could be dehydrated and put in the vapour path? Anyone got any ideas?

Yup sounds like a plan.

The issue with orange peel is..it is BITTER orange peel (no eating orange) - its a different sort of orange and it does it make a different gin.

Interesting, doubt that type of orange is easy to come by fresh.

If this works, I can do things in batches and send out in the post to anyone who's interested.

What's the connection with the cheese & dehydrator then??? we now make our butter and have thought about having a go at cheese...it would be another string to our bow.

@ Seagull
have a look on Ebay for cheaper botanicals
when you get going. Larger quantities
same sort of price.
Also dried bitter orange peel is the biz
for Gin mate.

I put the stock pot of milk in the dehydrator to set the curds - it controls the temperature perfectly

Mash wrote:The issue with orange peel is..it is BITTER orange peel (no eating orange) - its a different sort of orange and it does it make a different gin.

Some gins use sweet orange peel rather than bitter orange peel. Some use both. Some use neither. Other citrus peels get used too.

I have a dehydrator I use for drying herbs and stuff, but citrus I usually zest and keep in the freezer.

Hi Seagull, Put me down for a batch when its under way, happy to share the costs, strangely I was going to order this one today

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401199123390

Anyone here tried it before?

No I have not, but you will probably make
a better Gin using individual botanicals
and following one of the recipes here.
I think it would be cheaper to.

Yup sounds v expensive to me.

wormwood wrote:...... but citrus I usually zest and keep in the freezer.

Thank you. I am so pleased someone else used the 'f' word. I was convinced that it was only me

I am seeing citrus peel able to be used from dry or frozen.

Equally, I have started down a slow road of Odin style gin, A maceration on Juniper. Air stilled.
With other flavours added from essential oils, and there is the tricky bit!
So easy to make a change. A drop of this one or that one.
I seriously do not expect to come to a "BEST" conclusion.
The Gin is one drink that will follow or chase me to the grave.
Life can be shit.

Robert.

Mash wrote:

wormwood wrote:...... but citrus I usually zest and keep in the freezer.

Thank you. I am so pleased someone else used the 'f' word. I was convinced that it was only me

Not just you. I have a bunch of botanicals in my freezer.