Home holidays or social gatherings are rarely complete without alcoholic beverages. Store shelves are dazzling with the number of products on offer. Unfortunately, their price often does not correspond to the declared quality. How to make sure that a couple of glasses do not turn into morning discomfort? With all the components present, alcoholic beverages can be prepared at home without much trickery. This process is not complicated, but long - please be patient.
Distillate
As you know, the basis of vodka is alcohol, its quality affects the final product. Alcohol is made from potatoes and sugar beets, the most expensive is wheat. It is used in the manufacture of elite alcoholic beverages and is labeled "alpha". The production of alcohol on an industrial scale provides for the process of maximum purification of the distillate from impurities. Filtration helps to obtain a quality drink. Glucose or dextrose help soften its taste. Russian standards set the strength of vodka from 40 to 56 percent. The great chemist D. I. Mendeleev once determined that this number reflects the mass of alcohol in relation to water in the resulting liquid. There is also a tradition of displaying the strength of alcohol in degrees.
When making alcohol at home, moonshine is used as the basis. At home, it is obtained from a wide variety of raw materials, any vegetables, fruits and berries are appropriate. Most often these are apples, beets, potatoes, mountain ash. Any jam will do. Before heating the mash, it is necessary to clarify and remove the sediment. It has been proven that the purity of a product directly depends on the quality of the equipment used. After distillation, the resulting alcohol-containing mixture has a fairly high strength and a large amount of impurities. Re-distillation using softeners will help to get rid of them and get a quality product. As a rule, it is sugar, less often glucose, due to its special reaction with yeast. In addition, it is advisable to filter the moonshine before the second distillation. This is more true for sugar distillates, starchy and cereal mash, to a lesser extent for fruit. The filter can be milk or egg white. Even a regular charcoal pitcher filter will do. But it is better not to use potassium permanganate or bread, they will change the taste of the product and reduce its strength. The most effective is complex cleaning, which removes alcohol odor and off-flavor.
It is best to wait a couple of days before using the double distillate. On the basis of the resulting liquid, you can make a huge amount of tinctures and liqueurs. Moonshine is a fundamental ingredient in the production of cognac and whiskey. But the most common domestic alcohol is considered to be vodka. Adding different ingredients to the base will create more interesting options. In addition, home-made drinks are cheaper than shop counterparts.
Classic recipe
After the distillate is ready, it's time to start making vodka. Step by step, this process is as follows. In order for the strength of the product to approach the established standards, the alcohol-containing base is diluted with distilled water. Mineral water or boiled water is not suitable for these purposes. An alternative can be children's drinking water, it is free of impurities and does not contain metal salts. Moonshine must first be cooled in a container, and then slowly pour water into it in a thin stream, stirring continuously with a spoon or wooden spatula. Some experienced moonshiners recommend, on the contrary, pouring the distillate into the water, stirring continuously. The strength of the resulting drink is regulated using a special device - an alcohol meter. If the liquid is stronger or weaker than desired, the optimal proportion is found. The finished mixture must be shaken and sent to the refrigerator, the aging period of such a product is 1-2 weeks. The classic recipe contains only two ingredients, but the result is good homemade alcohol.
Lemon vodka
Lemon vodka is especially popular. Its recipe is simple, and the taste is unusually interesting. In addition to moonshine and water, you will need a lemon. It can be purchased from a store or market. Wash the fruit and pour over with boiling water. Then, with a sharp knife, peel the skin from it and place in a separate container. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon in a separate bowl. Add moonshine to each container and leave for 2 weeks in a cool place. After this period, filter the drink through several layers of gauze or cloth. The taste of the product will be softened by sugar syrup or glucose.
With mint
The recipe for mint vodka is similar to making a lemon drink. Fresh leaves of the plant are poured with moonshine and stored under a lid for 14-20 days. Then filter and cool. In a bottle of mint alcohol of a pleasant greenish hue, a couple of plant leaves will look good. Mint alcohol is best served with ice and lemon juice and is often used in cocktails.
Pepper vodka
Alcohol with pepper is often called pepper or vodka. The main component that gives the taste and name to the product is red capsicum. Add the aroma of cinnamon, allspice and peas. Pepper pods and spices are poured with moonshine and infused for 2-3 weeks. The proportions of additives depend on individual tastes. The drink tastes hot and spicy. It will help with colds, but do not overuse a product with an increased strength. As a rule, 2 pepper pods and 5-7 peas are taken for 1 liter of distillate.
With spices
The following components will help to prepare such a fragrant drink: ginger, mint, anise, dill. To get a portion of alcohol, it is enough to take 2-3 grams of each spice. Pour with moonshine in a glass container, stir and insist in a dark, cool place for 2 weeks. After that, it is recommended to strain and re-distill. After cooling, you will get an interesting alcoholic drink that will surprise your guests.
Mead
Vodka with honey has been known in Russia for a long time. The mead value is high. Even one glass will help with the onset of a cold. For 1 liter of moonshine, you need to take 3 tablespoons of honey - a natural product with a high carbohydrate content. If alcohol will be used for preventive purposes, 1 capsicum, cut in half, will not be superfluous. After shaking and holding for a week, strain the liquid and store it in the refrigerator.
Pomegranate plus vanilla
This recipe is quick and easy. Simply add vanilla sugar to a container with moonshine and mix thoroughly. It is good to add a little powdered sugar to such a product; the juice of half a lemon will be appropriate. A pinch of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of sugar are used per liter serving of the product. After 2 hours, the chilled alcohol is ready to drink.
Lovers of everything original and natural can get pomegranate-vanilla vodka. For its manufacture, for 1 liter of moonshine, take 2-3 pomegranates and 1 vanilla pod. Pass half of the pomegranate seeds through a juicer and get juice, which is then mixed with an alcohol-containing base. Send the remaining grains and a vanilla pod, cut in half, there. The tart aftertaste of pomegranate is easy to remove with sugar, it will need about 300 grams. The extract of such a drink is 2-3 weeks, until the sweetener is completely dissolved. Pomegranate and vanilla vodka is good as a standalone product or an addition to alcoholic cocktails.
Add color
Homemade vodka can turn out to be not only tasty, but also beautiful. Adding different components will allow you to color the drink in the desired color and give it an unusual appearance. For a bright yellow alcohol, add ginger and saffron. To obtain a pale green - mint leaves, which have already been mentioned, horseradish and currant leaves are also suitable. But to give vodka a delicate pink hue, you can use sandalwood or tartar.
If you follow the step-by-step recommendations, the process of obtaining vodka at home will justify expectations and efforts. A product will be released that is not inferior in characteristics to an industrial one, and even surpasses it in quality. It is not a shame to treat friends with such alcohol at a home holiday. If you show patience and imagination, a lot of interesting and tasty alcoholic drinks will turn out from simple moonshine.
