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;

Step 1: Cut & Wrap

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.

Step 2: Melt Wax, Glue Wick

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.