Moonshine is Composition, technology and recipe

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Moonshine is a home-made strong alcoholic drink. There are many recipes for making moonshine. Some craftsmen add the most unexpected products to the composition. Nevertheless, the cooking technology remains always the same. To make a quality drink, you should follow some rules and recommendations.

Equipment and tools

Many beginners are interested in: how to make moonshine? Most often, novice manufacturers purchase a ready-made moonshine in a specialized store. To date, there are no problems with its choice and purchase. It consists of two main parts: a condenser and an evaporator. The first is needed so that the resulting alcohol does not evaporate, but remains, falling on the walls in the form of drops.

The evaporator is a device in which the evaporation of alcohol takes place directly. All moonshine stills can be divided into distillation columns and a distiller. A home-made moonshine still consists of the following components: a coil, a cooling unit, a distillation cube,hoses and connecting pipes. Also, for the production of homemade moonshine, you will need to purchase containers of various sizes, thermometers and gaskets.

Essential Products

Moonshine is usually made from sugar, water and yeast. These are the three main and necessary products for the production of mash. It got its name because of the fermentation process, which is provided by the presence of yeast and sugar in the water. Both components create the necessary environment for the reproduction of yeast fungi. Sugar in this case is a nutrient medium for microorganisms.

Vegetables or fruits containing large amounts of starch or sucrose are also excellent "food" for fungi. For example, very often moonshine is made from potatoes, grains, beets or grapes. Despite the painstaking production, this moonshine is very popular in rural areas.

Preparation of components

First of all, attention should be paid to the quality of the "solvent". Do not use regular tap water straight from the tap. It is too harsh, in addition, it contains chlorine, which can kill microorganisms that will produce alcohol. The ideal option is well, settled water. In urban areas, it is not possible to obtain such water. Therefore, they use ordinary boiled or distilled water, mixed with settled tap water. The ratio will be one to three. Only warm water can dissolve sugar and yeast well. Therefore, the liquid is preheated.

Sugar is usually usedregular white. If vegetables or fruits are indicated in the recipe, then they are pre-peeled, and rotten and spoiled places are also removed. Leaves and stems are also removed. The water temperature should be about thirty degrees. After the yeast and sugar dissolve, the container is set aside. The room temperature should also be comfortable and warm.

Yeast selection

Two types of yeast are generally used: dry or wet. For the preparation of moonshine, it is advisable to purchase special alcohol yeast instead of baker's. The fact is that after baking, an unpleasant sour smell and cloudy color remain. While alcohol gives a fairly quick result without pronounced abundant foaming.

In addition, there are wine and beer yeast. The first option is usually quite expensive and does not have good enough properties. Brewer's yeast is a specific product of artificial origin, which is highly discouraged for making homemade moonshine.

Alcoholic have good resistance and do not die in Braga even at eighteen degrees. The best moonshine is prepared, as a rule, from this type of fungus. In addition, the use of alcohol yeast gives a chance to get a lot of moonshine in just five days. This is a fairly quick and convenient way to prepare an alcoholic drink.

How to make yeast

Sometimes moonshiners make their own yeast. To do this, you need flour, beer, water and sugar. Flour and water are taken in one glass,granulated sugar will need one tablespoon, and beer - two glasses. The best option would be dark beer with a short shelf life. The mixture is slightly heated and infused for a day in a warm place.

For the second method, you will need hops, which are brewed with boiling water in the ratio of two tablespoons per two hundred milliliters of liquid. After the broth is infused, it is filtered and combined with sugar and rye flour. All components are thoroughly mixed and left to infuse in a warm place for 24 hours.

It should be borne in mind that yeast is perhaps one of the most important components in the preparation of moonshine. The quality of this product should be given special attention. Do not use expired yeast as the mixture may not ferment.

Cooking mash

Seventeen and a half liters of warm clean water will need four kilograms of granulated sugar and 150 grams of yeast. As soon as the components dissolve, the mixture is left to infuse in a warm place for seven days. After this period, the mash is distilled in the apparatus. If for some reason there is no device, then you can use homemade devices. To do this, you will need one large mash pot with a tight lid and a small container to collect alcohol vapors.

Instead of a lid, you can use a bowl, the size of which will correspond to the diameter of the pan. Very cold water is poured into it and constantly monitored so that it does not heat up. The first distillation of mash is veryan important step. It is heated to a temperature of 65 to 80 degrees. As a result, the mash is divided into three factions:

• The first is the "head", which has a lot of harmful substances.
• The second faction is considered the main one. It is otherwise called the "body" of moonshine and is used for further filtration.
• The third is the sediment that gets rid of. It contains a lot of fusel oils, so it is not recommended to use the third fraction. However, many moonshiners use the sediment to add to the subsequent mash.

"The body" is collected until the alcohol content is kept within 40%. This is how simple moonshine is made at home.

Cleaning the mash

Before distillation, it is recommended to clarify it. That is, get rid of acids, fusel oils and the smell of yeast. To do this, moonshine is passed through a swab made from a piece of gauze folded in half. Cotton wool is laid between the layers. Then use the following methods:

• Lightening with the help of cold has proven itself well. This fairly simple method can be used during the winter months. The principle of its operation is as follows: only water and fusel oils freeze in a container with mash. As soon as ice appears, the drink is carefully drained. Due to the cold, bacteria die and precipitate. It is recommended to stir the mash during freezing so that carbon dioxide comes out of the liquid. The precipitate is drained off and the liquid is passed through a filter.
• Often, bentonite is used as a cleaning material. He is bred inthe following proportion: for half a liter of pure water you will need one tablespoon of the substance. After swelling (after 3–4 hours), it is added to the mash.
• Recipes of moonshine just from hibiscus tea have proven themselves excellently. In addition to good brightening properties, hibiscus has a lot of useful substances. It saturates moonshine with vitamins, microelements and organic acids. The composition is prepared as follows: two tablespoons of dried leaves are brewed in one glass of boiling water. As soon as the mixture settles, the liquid is added to the moonshine. For ten liters of mash, you need one hundred milliliters of brewed hibiscus.
• Many experienced moonshiners claim that before the first distillation, moonshine can be simply and easily cleaned with potassium permanganate. Thus, it is possible to partially get rid of harmful impurities in the form of various acids. From fusel oils and toxins, as a rule, the second distillation relieves. The ratio of potassium permanganate powder to liquid should be two grams per liter. The powder is not added immediately to the mash, but is first dissolved in a small amount of clean water.

For clarification, you can use milk, soda, activated carbon and other products. After the procedure, moonshine is distilled one more time. There are many moonshine recipes. At home, preparing this product is not so difficult.

Moonshine without yeast

Instead of yeast, you can use wheat, and replace sugar with honey. Fourteen liters of water will require three kilograms of honey and two - selected wheat. All componentsmixed and left to infuse for 10 days. This period is enough to complete the fermentation process.

Moonshine at home, made with stuffed sweets, is also made without yeast. For 20 liters of liquid, you will need at least 5 kilograms of sweets, which should be carefully dissolved in warm water. The infusion process takes five days.

Grape moonshine

He is often called "chacha" in the Georgian manner. This is one of the most popular moonshine recipes at home. For cooking, you will need 10 liters of grape pomace, 30 liters of pure water, about five kilograms of sugar and 100 g of yeast. If the pomace is fermented (as after red wine), then they will need at least 20 liters. Not fermented pomace (after making white wine) requires much less - 10 liters. You can take baking yeast, or completely abandon this product. Grapes already have enough fungus to do just fine without yeast. A mixture for making moonshine from grapes is sent to a warm place. The container is checked daily and stirred if necessary. After the end of the fermentation process, the “tail” and “head” are cut off and the liquid is distilled through the apparatus. Usually the output is seven liters of pure moonshine.

From cherry

The seeds are removed from the fruits, then the fruits are put in a separate container and left for fermentation. After 48 hours, a sufficient amount of juice will stand out from the pulp. It is then mixed withpre-cleaned moonshine and distilled again. If the drink remains cloudy, then it is distilled a second time. Cherry pits can be crushed and added at the end of cooking. Usually, a quality drink has a clear color and a pleasant almond flavor that transitions to moonshine from the pits.

Moonshine at home from fruit has a number of advantages. It has all the beneficial substances inherent in fruits. And also it retains the taste and aroma of natural fruit juice. The cooking technology is simple, but has some features. Fruits, as a rule, are not washed, so as not to remove "wild" fungi. Only in the presence of obvious dirt or a thick layer of dust, you can rinse them lightly. Berries and fruits are pre-crushed and sent to a fermentation container. Usually two days in a warm place is enough for the process to start. After that, water and sugar are added. The amount of granulated sugar will depend on the type of fruit. For example, for plums, you will need one and a half kilograms of sugar per ten liters of plum pulp along with juice.

Oak moonshine

It will taste like cognac. This moonshine is made on the basis of an already prepared product after double distillation. You will need crushed oak bark, a few pieces of clove spice, four tablespoons of sugar (dissolved in water), nutmeg and coriander. All ingredients are added to three liters of moonshine, which has a strength of 50 degrees. The composition will be infused for 20 days, after which it is filtered through double gauze. Readythe product will have a pleasant oak aroma and brown color.

If you add some fragrant herbs to this drink, then the infusion of moonshine will acquire an additional aroma and taste. Most often, St. John's wort or oregano is used for these purposes. Liquid honey can be used instead of sugar. Then proceed in a similar way. After 20 days, the composition is filtered and bottled.

Oak bark can be purchased at a pharmacy or collected by yourself. It should be borne in mind that the raw material must be necessarily dry, for which it is pre-crushed, boiled in water for one hour and dried. Experts advise lightly roasting the bark over a fire after drying.

Moonshine from potatoes

For 40 liters of liquid you will need at least 10 kg of potatoes and four kilograms of oats. Yeast is taken in the amount of 600 grams. The potatoes twisted through a meat grinder are combined with ground oat grains and mixed thoroughly. The mixture should be infused for four hours. Then it is added to warm water along with yeast. The composition is infused in a warm place until bubbles appear and a precipitate forms.

From hops and apples

This is a simple moonshine recipe. At home, the drink is prepared from m alt. It is obtained using germinated grain. Commonly used wheat, rye or barley. After the grains germinate, they are twisted through a meat grinder. Hop cones are brewed in boiling water in a ratio of 1:10. In order for the hops to ferment, a small amount of flour is added to it. Usually 2-3 hours is enough for the broth to infuse. Apples are ground through a meat grinder and combined with m alt and hops decoction. Then they are added to warm water. Braga is infused for 7 days and then sent for distillation.

Moonshine in three days

This is a fairly quick way to make an alcoholic homemade drink. As a rule, fast mash is prepared with special alcohol yeast. For 30 liters of clean, prepared water, you will need 6 kg of sugar and 600 g of wet yeast. If dry yeast is used, then no more than 60 g will be needed. After the water is heated, sugar is poured into it and the composition is stirred until the sweet sand is completely dissolved. Next, diluted yeast is added and the container with the mash is set aside. The temperature must be constantly maintained at 25 degrees. To do this, very often use a lamp or a room heater. In winter, the container can be placed near the hot battery. Three days later, the composition is distilled.

Also, this moonshine can be made using peas. In addition to legumes, the composition of the drink includes a glass of sour cream, seven kilograms of sugar, 35 liters of water and 60 g of dry yeast. Peas should be taken peeled and not more than 2 kg. In a pre-prepared container, water is heated to a temperature of 35 degrees. Next, pour the peas, mix it and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Then sugar, yeast and sour cream are added. Thanks to the fermented milk product, the amount of foam will be moderate. The mixture is covered with a lid and insulated. After three days, you can proceed to the next stage.