Gin & Tonic Candle

In this Instructables I will show you how I made my Gin & Tonic Candle. This is a really fun project, not in part because you need to drink a bottle of gin before you can start. Though I do recommend drinking it the day before, not the day of, making this. Candles are perfect to se the mood, and this fun Gin & Tonic one is perfect for all you gin lovers out there.

Don't forget to watch my YouTube video for a guide on how to make it.

For this project you will need;

• Bottle of Gin (Must be a round bottle)
• Soy Wax
• Candle Wicks
• Juniper Berry Oil
• Glass Bottle Cutter
• Wet Sandpaper
• Hot Glue Gun
• Slow Cooker / Crock Pot

I started with a bottle of Gin, you can use any bottle you want, but to use this type of cutter it needs to be a round bottle. You can use square bottles but you need to use a different type of glass cutter. To use this one I started by emptying the gun out of the bottle and washed it out. Then I slid the glass cutter over the bottle, and tightened down all the screws. Then I rotated the bottle so the blade left a score into the glass.

Once I had gone all the way round the bottle I wrapped the label in cling film and sellotape to protect it from the water in the next step. I alternated pouring boiling hot and cold water along the score, after a while it should just crack straight off. Unfortunately it wasn't the cleanest cut, but I sanded round all the edges with some 600 grit wet sandpaper so it was all smooth to the touch.

I'm using Soy Wax for this, it is a nice clean burning wax and is eco friendly. Check above for links where to buy. To work out how much to melt I filled up the bottle, in the end I had to use about the same again, so as a general rule for this type of soy wax pellet you need to fill double the bottle. To melt them lots of people use different methods. I like to melt it all down in a slow cooker or crock pot, its much easier and less messy than a double boiler or microwave. But make sure you don't reuse it in the kitchen for food, I have this one dedicated to crafts. It took around 10mins to melt down.

I added about 15 drops of of Juniper Berry Oil to add the gin smell. One of the main flavours of gin is Juniper Berry, I probably could have added a few more drops to make the smell a bit stronger.

I used some pre-made wicks, they came with the metal bases already attached, and I used my hot glue gun to stick it to the bottom of the bottle. This isn't strictly necessary but a step I like to do it to stop it floating up. Once the wax had all melted it stirred it to ensure all the oil had also been mixed throughly, I transferred the melted oil from the slow cooker into a jug to make it easier to transfer into the bottle.

All that's left to do is light the candle and enjoy! If you didn't make sure you head over to my YouTube Channel to see the video.

What I love about this is you can make any sort of candle with these simple steps, and make amazing personalised gifts.