Cognac from moonshine at home: recipe, cooking features and recommendations

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

Cognac is one of the most famous strong alcoholic drinks. It has long been produced in France from grapes grown on its sunny fields. The drink is so popular and loved all over the world that the French consider it their national treasure. Only drinks produced in the French province of Charente are allowed to be called real cognac. Anything produced elsewhere using the same technology is called brandy. This is a drink made from certain grape varieties, distilled in special cubes subject to numbering and certification.

Details of cognac production technology are protected by the laws of the country. This drink owes this attitude to its unique taste and tonic effect. No less than in other countries, the drink is also loved in Russia. But good cognac, to put it mildly, is not cheap. Many wine lovers would not refuse to make cognac from moonshine at home.

What is cognac?

First of all, let's briefly tell you what it isdrink and how it is produced.

The drink is made exclusively from grapes, and using only certain varieties. Fermented grape juice is subjected to distillation and subsequent aging in oak barrels for several years.

The process of making cognac consists of several stages:

1. Juice squeeze.
2. Flagation.
3. Distillation.
4. Holding.
5. Further storage of the finished drink.

The history of cognac begins with the grape harvest. Carefully harvested fruits are delivered to the plant for pressing. The taste and properties of the resulting drink depend on the acidity, maturity and variety of grapes.

The full spin process is not allowed. A special, less effective in terms of quantity, but sparing technology is used. The resulting juice is poured into special containers for further fermentation. Adding sugar is not allowed. After the process is completed, it turns out, in fact, a dry wine, and with a very high acidity and strength. The liquid with sediment is stored, without draining and filtering.

The wort is then double distilled. An interesting fact is that distillation can only be carried out in the same geographical area where the grapes were grown. Distillation is carried out in special copper vessels called alambiks. Fractions of "heads" and "tails" are cut off, and only fractions with a strength of 67 to 73 degrees are collected for further production. On average, to obtain one liter of such a final distillate, up to ten liters of grapemust.

The resulting product is aged in special oak barrels. These vessels are made without the use of metal or glue. Before use, they are weathered for several years in the open air. It is worth noting that in the process of aging cognac every year loses about half a degree of alcohol strength. But the proportion of alcohol in a drink cannot be less than forty percent. This is enshrined in law.

Cognac at home for real

Reproducing this process at home is quite difficult. It is much easier to make homemade cognac from moonshine. But difficult does not mean impossible. Next, we will describe the recipe for obtaining brandy from moonshine, expelled from homemade grape wine.

Wine production and distillation

First of all, we get the wort. For this, it is better to use Muscat varieties, but, in principle, any grape will do. If only it did not contain a large amount of tannins. It is also important to use ripe grapes.

So, to make cognac from moonshine you will need 15 kg of grapes, 2 liters of water, 2.5 kg of sugar and an oak barrel. The ratio of ingredients is approximate. It can vary depending on the juiciness, sugar content and acidity of the grapes. If it is not possible to use a barrel, glassware and oak pegs can be used.

Squeeze juice from grapes. Since the yeast is on the surface of the berries, they are not washed, in extreme cases, they can be wiped slightly. Pour squeezed juicein a large container, add sugar and cover with gauze. Every two days you need to remove the cap from the pulp to prevent the wine from souring. Also, the product must be stirred several times a day.

About a week later, when all the pulp floats up and the smell of wine appears, you need to filter the resulting mass. Drain the juice through cheesecloth, squeeze the rest with your hands. Add sugar again, based on 5 liters - 1 kg. Further fermentation should take place in glass containers at room temperature, without lighting. Water seals must be inserted into the covers. The process takes about three weeks. After stopping the exit from the bubble water seal hose, you can send the wine for distillation.

We will not dwell on the distillation process itself, we only note that it is better to carry out distillation three times, diluting the intermediate product with water, not forgetting to cut off the “heads” and “tails”. The result should be wine alcohol with a strength of 70-80 degrees.

Oak-aged

To make cognac from moonshine at home, we turn to insisting on oak. The use of an oak barrel is not always possible. You can replace it with chips. It is necessary to take oak pegs with a diameter of about 20 cm, cleaned of bark and sawdust, and, having split, immerse them in three-liter jars. Bay with wine alcohol, diluted to 45 degrees, withstand from ten months to three years.

This method can be considered the best recipe for homemade cognac from moonshine. To get a real cognac dark color, you can add caramel. It remains only to pour the drink into bottles, preliminarilyfiltered.

Cleaning moonshine

The method of obtaining cognac described above is not cheap and requires considerable time. Here are some simpler recipes for homemade horse from moonshine. You can greatly simplify the process by using ordinary moonshine as a feedstock, and not grape alcohol. But in this case, it is worth paying special attention to the quality of raw materials for tincture.

The distillate that you will use to make cognac from moonshine at home must be at least double distilled. Only the middle fraction should get into the final product. In addition, it is necessary to subject the resulting liquid to additional purification.

To do this, you can skip moonshine through activated carbon. Use a regular plastic bottle with a cut neck. After pouring activated carbon over the gauze layer into the upper part of the bottle at the rate of two tablespoons per liter, insert it into the neck of the dish where the product should fall. You will receive a filter. You need to pass moonshine through it two or three times. It is important to remember that after 30-40 minutes of contact with liquid, the charcoal loses its absorbent properties.

How to make cognac from moonshine on oak branches?

Here you can use not only wood chips, but also oak bark and branches. They contain much more tannins. The branches must be properly dried in a dark, dry place at room temperature. Then pour strong moonshine. Insist two months. Afterfilter cognac tinctures from moonshine and dilute to 40-43 degrees. Pour into cognac bottles, and you can invite guests for a tasting.

A similar recipe for cognac from moonshine on oak bark. In a three-liter jar of moonshine with a strength of not more than 50 degrees, you need to add four tablespoons of crushed oak bark. Also, a teaspoon of loose-leaf tea will not hurt for color. To neutralize the specific taste and smell, use 20 g of dried rose hips, a sprig of St. John's wort, 3 tablespoons of sugar. Withstand forty-five days. Home-made cognac from moonshine must be filtered from residues added ingredients. The drink is ready.

Greek cognac

It's not difficult at all to get walnuts and dry their partitions. Let's continue to consider how to make cognac from moonshine, according to the recipe, the following ingredients are needed:

• a handful of dried walnuts;
• a few carnation buds;
• 15 g each of cumin and vanilla;
• 15g sugar;
• 2g citric acid;
• 25g black tea.

All components are poured with moonshine with a strength of 45 degrees. Next, you need to mix everything until all the sugar is dissolved. Leave for a week. Pass through the filter. Bottled.

Cognac with cappuccino

For this recipe for cognac from moonshine at home, we need:

• 15g cappuccino;
• three bay leaves;
• 5g vanilla;
• 10g soda spoon;
• 15 grams of good tea;
• 50 grams of granulated sugar;
• a few black peppercorns;
• three-liter can of moonshine with a strength of 45 degrees.

Pour moonshine into a saucepan and put on the stove. Next, throw in pepper and bay leaf. We wait ten minutes. We drop everything else. It is important not to let the future cognac from moonshine boil. Turn off the fire after a few more minutes. Leave for seven days, filter.

Oriental variant

How to make homemade cognac from moonshine based on cinnamon and cloves? One tablespoon of cinnamon, fifteen cloves are enough per liter. In addition, you need to add three teaspoons of coffee and sugar and a small pinch of vanilla. All ingredients are mixed into a powder, after which half of the moonshine is poured. The liquid is agitated and stirred until all crystals are gone. After that, the remaining moonshine is poured, the container is carefully closed and removed for two weeks in a dark place.

Fastest

Describe how to make cognac from moonshine, which can be drunk in three days.

We will need:

• 50g sugar;
• 10g tea;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 5g soda;
• 3 g vanillin;
• liter of moonshine with a strength of 50 degrees.

Add spices to moonshine. Put on fire and heat up to 75 degrees. Then pour into a jar. You can add 10 g of coffee. After three days, filter the spices and drink.

Home Drink Benefits

The moonshine cognac recipes listed here will allow youget a quality drink with proven taste. Of course, most of the listed drinks only resemble the original in color and taste. But if you are not a gourmet, then cognac from moonshine will quite adequately act as strong alcohol. This option is undoubtedly more preferable than buying inexpensive cognacs of dubious origin, both in terms of cost optimization and to reduce the risk of running into a low-quality drink. The advantage of this solution is that you can be sure how and what your drink is made of. Plus, you save a lot. And of course, do not forget about the pleasure of the creative process.