How to make moonshine like cognac in taste and color

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

It seems that no one will be surprised by the news that, according to international standards, cognac is made exclusively in France. Moreover, only six French districts can produce a drink under the Cognac brand. Everyone else is required to call the alcoholic product they produce "Brandy". But all these conditions are valid only for international trade. In domestic markets, manufacturers have the right to name their products whatever they like. And you, too, having mastered the preparation of cognac from moonshine, have every right to put the aforementioned drink on the table, and not hide it behind the modest word "brandy".

Homemade cognac. Recipe

It is quite possible to make a drink from moonshine, the color and taste reminiscent of, if not French, but Georgian or Armenian, but still cognacs. However, not all connoisseurs of this drink drink exclusively Camus and Napoleon with Courvoisier. Winston Churchill, for example, preferred Armenian Dvin to all cognacs.

Actually, cognac is grape infused in oak barrelsalcohol. That is, it is possible, without greatly sinning against the truth, to say that the French simply store moonshine in barrels for several years, and then sell the resulting drink under the Cognac brand.

And even though few of us make pervach from grapes, we still know how to make moonshine like cognac. The technology is simple: you will need the original product and some spices.

Any producer of pervacha knows how to make moonshine like cognac - for this you just need to insist the resulting drink on walnut membranes or simply add tea leaves to it. But it will not be brandy at all, but simply colored moonshine. And both in taste and smell. But in cognac, first of all, the bouquet is valued. We will deal with you differently.

We will double-distill our pervach, getting rid of most of the aldehydes in the liquid, and purify the distillate with potassium permanganate and activated charcoal. Yes, it will take more than one day, and even more than one week. But you want to know how to make moonshine like cognac, and not a slop that looks like it. Moreover, we do not force you to brew moonshine for five to seven years in oak barrels, so a couple of weeks looks like nothing compared to five years…

After waiting until all the muck in the liquid settles to the bottom, it needs to be filtered and, preferably, overtaken again, but no one will insist on this point. Pour it into an enamel saucepan and put it on low heat, covered with a lid - you don’t want part of the future cognacevaporated? For 3 liters of strong moonshine, you put 3 peas of allspice, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of tea leaves, vanillin on the tip of a knife and a little cinnamon. Experts also advise adding 2-3 carnation inflorescences and 2 bay leaves, but you can do without them. But to add flavor to the drink, it does not hurt to put two tablespoons of oak bark in the moonshine.

Never bring the liquid to a boil: it must be hot just enough for the tea to give it its noble color. As soon as the moonshine is close to boiling, immediately turn off the stove. Let it cool down a bit and pour into bottles. The future cognac does not need a particularly long exposure, and after a couple of days after filtration it is completely ready for use.

Now you know how to make moonshine like cognac, and you can serve an almost real noble drink on the table. For greater effect, we advise you to put it on the table in authentic bottles. See for yourself that most guests will never recognize a forgery.