Moonshine: composition, ingredients, sugar, yeast, additives, features of brew tincture, distillation, purification and strength of pervak

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

Moonshine is a home-made alcoholic drink obtained by distillation of food products. For the first time, written references to it appeared at the end of the 9th century. Since then, moonshine has become extremely popular, and various recipes for making this alcoholic drink are still being improved. The composition of moonshine may be different, but the preparation procedure is always the same.

Harm moonshine

This homemade product does not pass the appropriate testing that factory-produced liquor is subjected to. For this reason, quite often a fairly large amount of harmful substances is found in moonshine. The reasons for their appearance are insufficient cleaning and infiltration. Fusel oils and ethanol are extremely harmful to human he alth. Anyone can feel the effect of these components within a few hours after taking moonshine. Poisoning is expressed by headache,diarrhea, body aches, nausea and vomiting.

Frequent consumption of this alcoholic drink leads to damage to the liver and kidneys. The internal organs do not have time to cope with toxins, because of which the tissues are destroyed and reborn. Sometimes 2-3 years of daily use of moonshine is enough to develop cirrhosis of the liver.

You can protect yourself from the destructive effects of toxins only by paying special attention to the distillation and purification of a home-made alcohol product.

His benefits

Based on it, homemade medicines for colds, prostatitis, arthrosis, arthritis and many other diseases are made. With the help of moonshine, rubbing and lotions are made. If you add fresh berries or medicinal herbs to the chemical composition of moonshine, then with the condition of dosed intake, you can significantly improve your he alth and strengthen your immune system. The fact is that in small quantities alcohol has a positive effect on the body. It dilates blood vessels, relaxes and warms. It can be used as a sleeping pill, or a stress reliever. The rate of drinking alcohol should be no more than 200 ml per day for wine, and 80 ml for vodka or moonshine.

Chemical composition

Moonshine has a calorie content of approximately 235 kcal. It has very few carbohydrates (0.5) and even fewer proteins and fats. 100 ml of moonshine contains 10 mg of sodium and 1 milligram of calcium and potassium. From the point of view of utility, pure moonshine is of no interest. On the other hand, if you add berries, fruits or medicinal herbs to its composition, then the drink will acquiresome medicinal properties.

Types and their names

Since ancient times, moonshine was divided into several types:

• Double distilled 55% alcohol. Otherwise, it was called "triple". It received such a name due to the fact that 2/3 of the composition burned out when ignited.
• A drink that smells like fried crackers is called "rusk". When shaken, it releases a mealy residue.
• Usually moonshine is made from grain. It has a strength of 35 to 50 degrees. And also one of the conditions for a good product is its transparency.
• Drink aged on honey is called “honey”. It has a nice yellow tint and a small amount of degrees.
• Sbiten is also prepared with honey. It has fewer degrees than honey moonshine.
• Berezovka is prepared on birch sap, and Peter the Great's favorite moonshine is made on horseradish - "horseradish".
• Such a popular drink as "Spotykach" contains cherry or plum fruit juice.

And they also singled out "polugar" and "foamy moonshine". The number of degrees in the second usually reaches 50, and when shaken, it forms foam. In the "polugar" the fortress is 40 degrees. A distinctive feature of this drink is that when ignited, most of it burns out.

Cooking recipe

The composition of moonshine mash includes grain, vegetables, berries, fruits and starch. The main ingredients are sugar, pure water andyeast. First of all, you should choose the appropriate inventory, which you can cook yourself or purchase at the store. You will need an alcohol meter and a regular room thermometer that shows the temperature in the room in which the moonshine is located. Experienced moonshiners acquire measured weights, various pipes and bottles with a sealed lid. You can't do moonshine without a large pot and a warm blanket.

Main Ingredients

They are taken in the following proportion: for 8 liters of water you need 40 g of dry yeast. They can be replaced with ordinary pressed ones, but then the amount will be 200 grams. Sugar will need 2 kg. The yield of the finished drink is from 2 to 2.5 liters.

• Yeast is desirable to purchase special, alcohol. They are sold in specialized stores and their action is slightly different from bakery. When preparing an alcoholic beverage, ordinary yeast gives it a characteristic smell, while alcohol makes the drink more pure. The type of fungi significantly affects the rate of maturation of the mash.
• If it is possible to use well water, then the best option for making moonshine is simply not to be found. It is defended a little for 2-3 days and used for its intended purpose. Tap water also contains oxygen and is considered more alive than boiled or purified water (called distilled water).
• In order to make moonshine as quickly as possible, use citric acid. It significantly speeds up the fermentation process, and also affectsthe quality of the liquor, significantly improving its taste and aroma.
• Sugar can be either brown or regular white.

All products used must be fresh. This is especially true for yeast. If an expired product is used as part of moonshine mash, it may not ferment.

Classic moonshine

Its preparation begins with the laying of mash. This initial step should be given special attention.

• In a large saucepan, heat 1/3 of the total volume of water and add sugar. The container is placed on a slow fire and boiled, stirring occasionally. The foam that has formed on the surface of the sugar syrup must be removed.
• After 10 minutes, add citric acid to the composition of the brew for moonshine and continue to boil the syrup. After about 60 minutes, all the liquid is poured into another container and the remaining water is added.
• Yeast is dissolved separately and only then added to the syrup. It should be borne in mind that when these components are combined, abundant foaming occurs, so the container for preparing the mash should be quite large and roomy. Sometimes there is so much foam that it comes out from behind the sides of the pan, and then you have to add a piece of rye crust of bread to the mash.

The composition of the brew for moonshine is poured into a glass bottle, and a special valve is put on top, which is called a water seal. Sometimes an ordinary medical glove is used for this purpose.

Distillation and clarification

As a rule, the fermentation process takesup to ten days. In the end, a noticeable yeast sediment should appear in the drink. If the mash is still sweet, this indicates that the sugar has not fermented, and alcohol has not been formed. The absence of bubbles and characteristic gurgling sounds indicates that the mash is ready for further processing.

Clarify it most often with the help of clay. To do this, a small part of the white powder is diluted with clean water and added to the mash. The ratio of liquid to powder should be 1:10. That is, for 20 g of clay (one tablespoon) you will need 200 ml of liquid.

Before you start distillation, you should find out some terms of home brewing. In total, it consists of three factions, each of which has its own characteristics.

• Almost harmless is the third faction, or the so-called "tail". Sometimes people, without waiting for the subsequent processing, begin to use it. The smell of such a drink is quite unpleasant, since fusel oils and methanol are still present in its composition. Usually after the use of the "tail" there is a main pain and mild nausea.
• Approximately 300 ml of the drink is referred to as the so-called "head". This is the most dangerous part of moonshine. And, nevertheless, there are amateurs who prefer “Pervak”. The composition of moonshine in this case will contain a lot of harmful impurities.
• The main part of the resulting drink is called the "moonshine body". It is diluted with water and proceed to further cleaning.

Fractions are determined by heating on fire. Thus, the wort turns into moonshine.

"Body"cleaned with activated charcoal purchased at a pharmacy or prepared independently. At least one hundred grams of coal is needed for two liters of alcoholic beverage. Moonshine is cleaned very simply: crushed coal is added to the liquid, the container is closed with a valve and shaken vigorously. It precipitates along with fusel oils. After that, the purified liquid is poured into a distillation cube, and the sediment is drained.

Cleaning with sunflower oil has proven itself well. It should be borne in mind that the oil must be exclusively unrefined, since the processed product contains chemicals. For every liter of drink you will need a tablespoon of oil. It is poured into a container and allowed to brew for 24 hours. Then, using a tube, carefully drain the body of the moonshine while the oil is on the surface.

An important part of the cooking process such as clarification and degassing cannot be ignored. It is thanks to them that the drink becomes suitable for consumption. To remove carbon dioxide, the liquid is heated to a temperature of 50 degrees (maybe a little higher). To lighten it, it is enough to take the container with the mash out into the cold, where the temperature will be 5 degrees Celsius (in no case more), or add clay to the composition.

Followed by the second distillation, during which the liquid is poured into the still and heated again. After that, the head part is again removed and the "body" of the drink is collected. If it turned out to be a fortress over 40 degrees, then it is diluted with water. If desired, you can leave it stronger.

Last stagecooking involves bottling in glass bottles and steeping at a temperature of about 15 degrees.

Mash recipes

When preparing any mash, water, yeast fungi and any product that they will eat are required. Experienced moonshiners claim that this drink can be brewed from absolutely any product. Most suitable are all cereals, berries, fruits, grape pomace and sugar. For example, mash made from jam, peas with sour cream, as well as potatoes and pumpkin has proven itself well.

Braga with legumes and sour cream

You will need dry peas, sugar, a small amount of sour cream, water and yeast. For 70 liters of water, as a rule, 700 g of yeast, a large package of sour cream, 4 kg of crushed peas and 15 packs of sugar, weighing 900 g, are taken.

Diluted yeast and peas are added to the heated water. After the composition is infused, sugar and a fermented milk product are added to it. The resulting mixture should be covered with a warm blanket and let it brew for 72 hours.

Pumpkin or potatoes

In order to prepare mash with the addition of these vegetables, they are pre-prepared. The pumpkin is cut into pieces and boiled lightly. Barley m alt and yeast are added to the grated mass.

The potato contains a huge amount of starch, so it is very often used for moonshine recipes. It is prepared quite simply. The main condition is that the potatoes mustbe ice cream. It is cleaned and interrupted in a blender. The resulting composition is poured with boiling water, mixed and left to infuse. For 30 liters of boiling water, you will need 40 kg of potatoes and 2 kg of wheat flour. After a while, the liquid is drained and again left to brew. After the second drain of the liquid, yeast is added. It will take 14 days to prepare this type of mash.

With jam or grains

If the mash is made from cereals, then the addition of yeast is not needed. They contain the right amount of sugar in order to start the fermentation process. It is advisable to pre-sprout the grain and only then add it to hot water with sugar. The fermentation process is no more than 10 days, provided that the room temperature is sufficiently warm.

Jam also makes excellent moonshine. The composition of sugar is sometimes inferior to it in the quality of the resulting product. For 60 liters of liquid you will need 12 liter jars of jam. It is enough to put about 6 kg of sugar, and 2/3 packs of yeast.

From grape pomace

Zivany can be prepared from this product. This is Cypriot moonshine, which sometimes contains cinnamon. It does not contain sugar, and the strength of the drink does not exceed 47 degrees. The moonshine recipe is simple. Zivany is prepared from unpeeled berry pomace, which is heated in cold water using a special ceramic vessel.

At home, you can also make mash from grape pomace. You will need grape pomace in the amount of 20 kg, 70 liters of purified water, 10 kg of sugar and 70 g of yeast. Prepare the wort enoughquickly, as grape cake contains spores of wild fungi, which has a beneficial effect on the speed of cooking. As soon as the fermentation process stops, the liquid is separated from the head and tails and poured into a new container. Then it is clarified and distilled. The name and composition of moonshine in Cyprus correspond to each other, since in translation "zivany" means "cake".

There are some rules to keep in mind while cooking:

• It is extremely important to monitor the temperature, because when it is cold, the fermentation process stops, and when the temperature is too high, foam begins to form. The composition of moonshine from sugar, water and yeast is rather capricious.
• A small part of the cake floats to the surface. It must be stirred regularly or mold will form.
• Special attention is paid to the quality of water in moonshine. In chlorinated water, it is impossible to imagine the normal development of microorganisms. In the end, they just die. Distilled and boiled water is also not suitable.
• Yeast must be fresh and preferably alcoholic. In the composition for moonshine, yeast plays an important role.

There are many interesting recipes for making moonshine. Fans of this drink prefer to cook it on medicinal herbs with the addition of honey, plants, spices and fruits. Some of them got their own names, such as Baikal moonshine.

Moonshine on herbs

In the moonshine "Baikal" there is St. John's wort, pine nuts, lemon peel, licorice and rose hips. And also add to the drinkEleutherococcus root. When cooking, you can use both dry raw materials and fresh ones.

All vegetable components in the composition of moonshine are taken equally, placed in a pre-prepared container and poured with moonshine. Infuse the composition for two weeks in a cool place protected from the sun. The finished drink is filtered and a small amount of honey is added to its composition. Moonshine "Baikal" has medicinal properties that it gets from medicinal herbs. It contains vitamins, trace elements and other useful substances.

What is added to moonshine?

Already ready drink can be infused with berries or spices. Sometimes honey is used instead of sugar. In this case, moonshine initially acquires the aroma and flavor of this product. Candy-based drink was very popular in the 80s. Its main condition is the selection of confectionery products with the same filling. They are also used instead of sugar.

Drink infused with oak bark with the addition of a few tablespoons of instant coffee acquires the taste and aroma of cognac. A cool composition of moonshine is obtained with wormwood or bay leaf. Adding these components does not make sense. They have a positive effect on the state of blood vessels, expanding them, and prevent the formation of blood clots. Wormwood fights the first signs of prostatitis, tuberculosis and bronchitis.

To get rid of the pungent odor, you can use spices such as cumin, cloves and saffron. Themadded in limited quantities. Each spice has its own effect on the human body, which is not always positive.

To give the drink a pleasant color, natural dyes obtained from plants are used. For example, a bright ruby hue can be achieved with blueberries, golden with saffron, and deep brown with honey and oak bark.

Bitterness disappears thanks to lemon. In order for the components from the dietary supplement to completely pass into the composition of moonshine, the drink should be infused for at least two weeks.