How To Make Rhubarb Gin: 2 Different Methods For Making It At Home

you live here in the UK and you’re a gin drinker – the chances are you will have heard of Rhubarb Gin. Rhubarb gin has grown in popularity with the market offering a number of amazing options. However, recently I wanted to learn how to make rhubarb gin. Don’t ask me why, but ever since I made toffee vodka, I wanted to try my hand at something different.

Plus I do love my gin and tonics. I mean who doesn’t. Nothing says Keep Calm & Carry On more than a gin and tonic at the end of a long day. I’m so into my G&Ts I even reviewed the best tonic waters.

I did discover a few ways on how to make Rhubarb gin, mostly online. But let me tell you, to do it properly takes real patience. And I don’t mean like a little bit of patience, I’m talking weeks of patience. It’s not like toffee vodka when your concoction is almost immediately ready. The 2 recipes below require waiting. One of them is up to a month for the gin to really take on all the rhubarb flavours and colour, whilst the other method can take up to 4 months.

Gulp!! 4 months you said?

Yup !! 4 Months.

Bet you weren’t expecting that. Nor was I. But both methods had pretty profound and delicious outcomes. I can safely say that it was truly worth the wait; though there’s no question that Method 2 was our favourite. By favourite I mean produced the nicer tasting gin.

How To Make Rhubarb Gin 

Method 1 – How To Make Rhubarb Gin in 4 Months

Ingredients

3 sticks rhubarb

one bottle of gin

2 table spoons of sugar

zest of one lemon

one cinnamon stick

3 cloves.

Instructions

1. Firstly make sure that you chop all your rhubarb up finely
2. Grate the zest of the lemon.
3. Add all of that to a glass jar
4. Pour in the gin
5. Store in a dark place for 4 months
6. Shake every 3 days.
7. Strain jar and enjoy

Method 2 – How To Make Rhubarb Gin in 4 Weeks

Ingredients

1. Rhubarb
2. castor sugar
3. gin

Instructions

1. Cut off both ends of the rhubarb with a knife
2. Get rid of all the leaves as they are highly toxic
3. Cut the rhubarb into smaller pieces (3cm pieces)
4. Keep aside 1kg of the stalks
5. Pour all of the above in a jar along with 400 grams of castor sugar.
6. Add 800ml of gin
7. Shake the jar every few days. Remember to do this so that all the sugar dissolves.
8. Store for 4 weeks. In that time, the sugar will have all dissolved whilst the rhubarb would have macerated.

After 4 weeks you’ll find that your gin will not only taste of rhubarb but in both methods will turn a pink in colour as it will have adopted the colour of the rhubarb.

As I said above, it’s all about patience. And if you think you’re lacking the patience or just don’t have 4 weeks let alone 4 months to wait around, then feel free to buy some rhubarb gin. The market offers some truly amazing options.

And if you’re wondering how to serve your newly made Rhubarb Gin, we’ve got you covered there too; check out our guide on the best gin glasses around.

All in all, would I say it was worth the wait? Oh absolutely!!

If you want to learn more about the history of gin, and how to make gin at home, then check out our guide.