DIY E-Liquid Made Simple: Longfills, Flavour Shots & Nic Shots

Mixing your own e-liquid sounds technical, but with modern longfills and flavour shots it takes about two minutes and no real skill. It is also the cheapest way to vape per millilitre, which is why so many South African vapers make the switch. This guide walks you through how the pieces fit together and what to buy. Shop the full range under Additives & Shots.

The three pieces of DIY e-liquid

• The flavour shot (longfill): a concentrated flavour, usually 15ml of concentrate inside a larger empty 30ml or 60ml bottle, leaving room to top up.
• The nicotine shot (nic shot): a small unflavoured bottle of nicotine you add to reach your target strength. No nicotine? Leave it out for 0mg.
• Base (optional): extra VG/PG to fill larger bottles or thin/thicken the mix.

How to mix it — step by step

1. Start with your flavour shot in its longfill bottle.
2. Add the right number of nic shots for your strength (see below).
3. Top up with base if the bottle isn’t full.
4. Cap it, shake well, and let it steep for a few hours to a few days — the flavour deepens as it settles.

What you’ll need from ADVapes

Browse more concentrates and nic shots — including NLI PG Nic Shots, SSL VG base and the Bard Strawberry Lime flavour shot — across the full Additives & Shots collection.

How much nicotine should I add?

It depends on the bottle size and target strength, but a simple starting point: one 10ml 24mg nic shot brings a full 120ml shortfill to about 2mg. For a tighter MTL setup you may prefer higher strengths or a salt nic shot for a smoother hit. If in doubt, start low — you can always add more, but you cannot take it out.

Why bother mixing your own?

• Cost: longfills work out far cheaper per millilitre than prefilled bottles.
• Control: you choose the exact nicotine strength.
• Choice: a huge range of flavours that often aren’t sold pre-mixed.

Once you have your liquid, make sure you have a device and fresh pods ready — see our guide to Coils, Pods & Spares.

You must be 18 or older to purchase. Nicotine shots contain nicotine, which is an addictive substance. Handle nicotine with care and keep away from children and pets. Not for use by non-smokers, pregnant or breastfeeding women.