Finishing the last of your favourite gin can be pretty sad - especially when the bottles are so stunning! So rather than sending that bottle to be recycled, why not unleash a bit of crafty genius and upcycle the bottle into something else? There are so many clever things you can make - even with limited supplies and crafting skills. Not only is it great for the environment but you get a lovely home decor item and the smug satisfaction of telling your next house guest "yes, I made that fancy soap bottle".
Here are 5 of our favourite ideas for upcycling gin bottles and what level of crafting skills you'll need for it:
Flower Vase - Crafty Skill Level: 0
This is definitely the easiest upcycling project because it doesn't require any modification and can be done with any flowers or leafy plant. All our gin bottles would work beautifully as a vase so you could choose whichever matches your home aesthetic best. We personally love the Porcelain Shanghai Dry Gin because the bottle already looks like a ceramic flower vase (and the label can easily be taken off if you wish). Additionally, the Amato Gin or Bauhinia Gin bottles are clear and would be great for this project since you'll be able to see all the roots from plants or herbs you're growing.
Candle Holders - Crafty Skill Level: 1
Another relatively simply DIY project is turning your empty bottles into a candle holder by replacing the cap/cork with a long candle and you have yourself a lovely candlestick. You can also level up with paint or decoration but personally, we love the look of the original bottle - especially after some of the wax melts and drips down the bottle. The bottles we'd pick for this project would be the timeless stoneware bottle from the Heimat Dry Gin or you can achieve a trendy apothecary look using the François Hanau Dry Gin.
Reed Diffuser - Crafty Skill Level: 1
We love this idea of re-using pretty gin bottles to make your own Reed Diffusers - especially since store-bought ones can be pretty pricy! And actually, gin bottles are the ideal shape for diffusers because the oils will evaporate slower in a bottle with a more narrow opening. You can use any small to medium size gin bottle, a few supplies, and your favourite essential oils. Here's exactly what you'll need:
- Glass gin bottle (empty and well cleaned)
- Base Liquid - Sweet Almond Oil (or other base oils) or a mix of water and vodka.
- You Favourite Essential Oil
- Reed Diffuser Sticks
If using a base oil: in your bottle combine 70% Sweet Almond Oil with 30% Essential Oil. Then add your reed diffuser sticks and stir the mixture. Once reeds are saturated flip the sticks and that's it!
If using the water base: add 1/4 cup of water and a splash of vodka into your bottle. Then add 12 or so drops of your essential oil - the vodka is used to help bind the oils to the water. Then add your reed diffuser sticks and stir. Once reeds are saturated flip the sticks and enjoy!
For both methods, you'll rotate the diffuser reeds once a week. Any gin bottle will work for this DIY diffuser so you can match to the style of your home. We personally love an apothecary look of the François Hanau Dry Gin or the Monkey 47 Gin bottles. But this would also be a great project to make as gifts with the Gin Mini bottles!
Soap Dispensers - Crafty Skill Level: 2
Probably our favourite easy upcycling project for gin bottles is to make them into soap dispensers. Start with a clean empty medium size (500ml) bottle and measure the neck width for the pump. If you have one the right size, you can re-use a pump from a soap dispenser you already have, pick one up from your local hardware store, or order one online. Then fill the bottle with your favourite liquid soap and that's it! Any bottle would for this but we love the Monkey 47 Gin bottle or the fresh look of the Muscatel Distilled Gin bottle would look great in any bathroom.
Bottle Lamps - Crafty Skill Level: 2 or 5
There are two different ways to make a gin bottle lamp so you can decide how advanced you want to get with things. For the more advanced DIYers with some extra time, you can make a fancy table lamp with some supplies from a hardware store or simplify things and order a Bottle Lamp Kit online. We found this tutorial on YouTube but we're definitely not experts when it comes to electrical hardware so we recommend you do a bit of research on how to safely do this project before diving in. We personally would opt for lamp option 2 (for all us beginners) where you simply fill the bottle with some LED fairy lights for a pretty soft light that would be great indoors or outside on your rooftop or terrace.
For the proper table lamp, the Gin Sul bottle or the Bauhinia Gin bottle would probably be best since they are a bit bigger - but we'd recommend doing some research before choosing your bottle for this project. And for the fairy light lamp, a larger clear bottle such as the Bauhinia Gin or the N.I.P Rare Dry Gin bottle would be perfect for these bottle lamps.
