The basics of moonshine. Video instruction: how to make high-quality moonshine

Moonshine is a strong alcoholic drink obtained by distillation of alcohol-containing raw materials (mash).
As a raw material for the preparation of mash, sugar can be used (the easiest way at home), or the fruits of berries and fruits containing sugar (fructose) in its pure form, or starchy raw materials (rye, wheat, barley, corn, etc.) that are processed into sugar with malt or malt enzymes.

Let us consider in more detail the preparation of moonshine from the main types of raw materials:

1. Moonshine from sugar

This method is the simplest for cooking. To prepare it, you only need sugar, yeast and water.
The ratio of components is approximately the following: for 1 kilogram of sugar - 5 liters of water and 100 g of pressed yeast, or 18 grams of dry yeast such as Saf-Moment or Saf-Levure.
Sugar is dissolved in warm water, then yeast is added, pressed must first be diluted into parts of the sugar solution and wait until they are activated (3-5 minutes), dry ones can simply be scattered over the surface of the sugar solution.
The container is closed with a water seal.
Braga ferments for about 7 days, after which it is drained from the yeast sediment and distilled in a moonshine still.

To ennoble such moonshine various fruits and berries can be added to the mash, such as grapes, plums, blackthorn, etc., they transfer their taste and aroma to the finished drink, and also help the fermentation process due to the wild yeast contained on their surface.

2. Moonshine from starch raw materials.

Grain moonshine is considered one of the most noble due to its original taste and aroma. It is prepared much more complicated than sugar, but the result is worth it, try it yourself! Grain, flour or cereals are suitable as raw materials.

First, a little theory.

The grain contains a lot of starch, which contains sugar molecules. Starch lends itself to splitting into simpler molecules, among which there is also sugar, which is exactly what is needed for alcoholic fermentation. Enzymes are needed to convert starch into sugar. germinated grains - malt.
Enzymes work catalytically. Therefore, it is possible to germinate, grind 1 kg of grain and with the help of its enzymes turn starch from 5-6 kg of unsprouted grain (crushed), or cereals, or flour into sugar. Starch in unsprouted crushed grains, cereals, flour is closed inside the cells. In order for it to become available to enzymes, non-sprouted grain (crushed, or cereals or flour) must be boiled - cell membranes burst and starch goes into solution, this solution is called must.

It is not necessary to use malt to obtain sugar from starch, there are ready-made enzymes for this: amylosubtilin, which contributes to the liquefaction of the wort and glucavamorin, which promotes saccharification.

The saccharification process itself requires great care and strict adherence to temperature regimes, for example, enzymes will not withstand overheating above 75 degrees, and if underheated, fermentation will not be complete. Also, at the end of the fermentation process, it is important to cool the wort sharply to room temperature, this is necessary so that various microorganisms do not have time to multiply in the resulting nutrient medium during gradual cooling, otherwise the yeast may die.

After saccharification- obtaining sugar from starch, the wort is fermented with ordinary yeast, such as Saf-Moment or Saf-Levure.

Another complication making moonshine from starch is that the fermented wort is very thick, so it cannot be distilled in a classic moonshine still, because it will simply burn to the walls of the still and the drink will be completely spoiled. The distillation of grain wort is carried out either by steam or in a water or some other bath, such as glycerin.

3. Moonshine from berries and fruits.

Fruit moonshine has the taste and aroma of those fruits or berries from which it was prepared.
It is no more difficult to prepare than sugar, but it has its own characteristics.
If you have already decided on the raw material, you need to find out what sugar content it contains.
Next, the raw material is crushed.
BUT by no means don't wash it, the surface contains wild yeast, we still need them to ferment sugar and fructose!
The crushed or mashed raw materials are placed in a fermentation tank, it should ferment itself (1-2 days).
Then sugar and water are added, if necessary.
The sugar content should be around 25% so refer to the table above to calculate how much to add.
For example, if you are making slivovitz (the sugar content in the plum is about 10%), then 1.5 kg of sugar will be needed for 10 liters of crushed berries.
If you dilute it with water, then sugar is added to it as in ordinary sugar mash.
If during distillation it is supposed to use heating elements or a plate for heating, then make sure that the raw material is completely fermented, otherwise the remains or fruit peel may burn, which will lead to spoilage of the entire product and rapid wear of the heating elements.
For the distillation of fruit mashes, especially thick ones, it is recommended to use a steam generator or a water bath to eliminate the possibility of burning.

Moonshine is a traditional Russian strong drink.

Moonshine in Russia has a rich history.

The process of making high-quality moonshine is quite complicated. At all stages of the preparation of moonshine, from the selection of raw materials to the distillation and purification of the finished product, many components are involved, which requires a careful approach and the strictest adherence to technology. Some novice "distillers", not having sufficient experience, not knowing the technology of home cooking, become victims of their "kitchen" - undermine their health, get poisoned.

The proposed recommendations are useful not only for beginners, but also for those who have sufficient experience in making moonshine. Some secrets and recommendations will help you get "signature" strong drinks without exposing yourself or your friends to the risk of poisoning with various kinds of ersatz.

Technology for making moonshine

Obtaining moonshine is a complex technological process of interaction of many components, requiring compliance with the temperature regime at individual stages. The main stages of the process can be distinguished:

1) selection and preparation of feedstock;

2) fermentation;

3) distillation;

4) purification of moonshine;

5) "ennoblement", i.e. giving moonshine certain taste, aromatic and color qualities.

Cloudy moonshine with a "bad" smell and taste is the result of a careless attitude to the technological requirements presented at all stages of preparation without exception.

Therefore, it is necessary to highlight in more detail the key points at each stage of the technological process of making moonshine.

Feedstock

As a rule, the main criterion for choosing raw materials is their availability, that is, minimizing the cost of acquiring them. Therefore, sugar is often used as a raw material, but it should be remembered that sugar is not only valuable, but often a deficient nutritious product, while depending on the geographical location of the region, other types of raw materials may be more accessible: starch, various grain, sugar beets, potatoes, etc. For comparison, when choosing a feedstock, we give a table of the yield of alcohol and vodka from 1 kg of various types of raw materials.

1 - vodka is understood as a 40% alcohol solution.

Germination of grain

Good malt is the basis of high quality moonshine. Germination periods for different crops are as follows: 7–8 days for wheat, 5–6 days for rye, 9–10 days for barley, 8–9 days for oats, and 4–5 days for millet. During germination, active enzymes are formed in the grain, which significantly accelerate the saccharification of starch. If necessary, the malt should be dried, but after drying, the enzyme activity drops by 20%, and the germination time increases accordingly.

Malt preparation includes:

• grain sorting;

• soak;

• germination;

• germ removal and drying.

Let's take barley as an example.

Preparation of a solution from germinated grain

This is the step in making malted milk. For this process, it is desirable to use a mixture of malts: barley, rye and millet in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. The mixture is poured with water at a temperature of 60-65 C, incubated for 10 minutes and the water is drained. Then the mixture is finely ground in a coffee grinder or in a mortar, and then poured with a new portion of water at a temperature of 50-55 C, thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous white liquid is obtained. At first, water can be poured not all, but 1/3 or ½ of the volume.

To obtain moonshine with high taste and good aroma, various fruit and berry raw materials are used from apples, quince, mountain ash, shadberry, cherries, plums, raspberries, cherries and other fruits and berries. The quality of moonshine largely depends on the grade of the original product and its quality. So, for example, from apples it is better to use autumn and winter varieties that contain more sugar, acids and tannins than summer ones. Winter varieties of apples should be allowed to lie down, but apples ripened on a tree are more fragrant.

Fermentation

Fermentation is the main stage of the technological process of making moonshine. Both the yield of the finished product and its quality depend on how it happens. This is a complex chemical reaction that requires a strict temperature regime and a certain concentration of components. Schematically, this reaction can be represented as follows:

Sugar + ethyl alcohol + water + carbon dioxide.

The success of fermentation depends on maintaining the optimum temperature (at least 18 C and not higher than 24 C). So, a sharp cold snap in the initial period of fermentation can completely stop it, despite the fact that not all the sugar has fermented yet. At low temperatures, the yeast remains alive, but cannot work. In this case, it is necessary to increase the temperature; fermentation will go to the end, but for this it is first necessary to “disturb” the mixture by stirring the yeast. A high fermentation temperature is much more dangerous, as it can weaken the vital activity of the yeast to such an extent that it will not be possible to resume their work. In this case, we recommend removing the wort from the yeast with a rubber tube, adding fresh and placing the container in a room with a temperature not exceeding 20 C. The fermentation reaction rate under normal conditions is proportional to the sugar concentration in the mash, however, it should be borne in mind that the fermentation reaction stops when the concentration of alcohol formed is reached above 10 volume percent. With an insufficient amount of sugar, fermentation will be slow, and excess sugar will simply not participate in the alcohol formation reaction, which will lead to additional losses. In the manufacture of sugar moonshine, the constituent components (sugar, yeast, water) are recommended to be used in a ratio of 1, 0: 0, 1: 3, 0. This ratio can be used for almost many types of fruit and berry raw materials, taking into account the sugar content and moisture saturation of a particular mixture. The amount of yeast in this case is 25–30%.

Distillation

The operation of isolating ethyl alcohol by heating the fermented mash is called distillation. For the distillation of mash and purification of moonshine, various designs of moonshine and distillation apparatuses are used.

This is a complex process that requires strict adherence to the temperature regime at all stages.

In principle, the distillation process can be expressed as follows:

• the heating;

• cooling;

• Braga;

• alcohol vapors;

• moonshine;

• cleaning.

To obtain high-quality moonshine, the heating of the mash should be carried out in stages.

In real conditions, strict observance of the temperature regime is fraught with great difficulties, and often not feasible; In order to avoid mistakes often made by distillers who do not have sufficient experience, we suggest paying attention to the key points of the distillation process. The initial heating mode of the mash is practically unlimited, and the higher the heating rate, the more efficient the operation of the moonshine still. Upon reaching a temperature of 65–68 C, an intensive release of light impurities begins. Therefore, moonshine, commonly called "pervach", obtained by heating the mash from 65 C to 78 C, is the most poisonous and unsuitable even for external use (preparation of lotions and other alcohol-saturated infusions is unacceptable). The beginning of the process of intensive evaporation is easily determined if there is a recording device - a thermometer - in the evaporator chamber. In the absence of a thermometer, the boiling point of light impurities can be easily determined visually: a slight alcohol smell appears, condensation of moisture begins on the walls of the refrigerator - “fogging”, the first drops are released on the outlet neck of the refrigerator and the walls of the receiving flask. The moment of distillation, from the beginning of the boiling of light impurities to the release of ethyl alcohol, is the most critical, since it requires a sharp decrease in the heating rate in a relatively small temperature range. Otherwise, mash may be ejected. Reaching the mixture temperature of 78 "C, that is, the release of ethyl alcohol, corresponds to the beginning of the main process of moonshine distillation. It should be borne in mind that during distillation, the concentration of alcohol in the mixture will constantly decrease. This will cause an involuntary increase in the boiling point of the alcohol-containing mixture (mash), thereby worsening the distillation condition. The ideal conditions for obtaining high-quality moonshine is to maintain a temperature regime within 78–83 C during the main distillation time. An increase in the temperature of the mash to 83 C leads to a gradual decrease in the content of ethyl alcohol in the mixture. To extract these residues, it is required to increase the temperature of the mash, which in turn will cause an intensive release of heavy fractions - fusel oils, which significantly worsen the quality of moonshine. The temperature of the beginning of intensive release of fusel oils is 1=85 C.

The choice of the optimal distillation temperature regime within 78–83 C is due to the minimum low content of water vapor in the gaseous phase and the maximum high content of alcohol in the gaseous and then liquid phase of the alcohol-containing mixture - home brew.

Distillation should be stopped when the temperature of the mash rises above 85 C. If there is no thermometer built into the evaporator, then the need to stop distillation is determined using a piece of paper soaked in the moonshine received at the moment. If the wetted paper flashes blue fire, then the distillation can be continued. The cessation of sunbathing indicates that the concentration of ethyl alcohol is low, and fusel oils predominate. In this case, the distillation should be stopped or the product obtained further should be collected in a separate container for processing with the next batch of mash.

Moonshine cleaning

In addition to ethyl alcohol and water, moonshine also contains harmful impurities. For each type of impurities, their own cleaning method is used, but most often they are limited to the effects of potassium permanganate and charcoal. By correctly applying these methods of cleaning moonshine, you can achieve "crystal" purity. If such moonshine is also made according to a “special” recipe, then such “drinking” cannot be bought at all for any money.

A few old cleaning recipes:

"How to take away the bad spirit from vodka."

Add 1 liter of fresh milk to six liters of moonshine and distill so that it goes clean and there is not the slightest particle of chase. Or: pour 400 g of pure birch coals into 12.3 liters of moonshine. Insist until all the coals settle and the moonshine becomes clean, then drain, dilute with water in a ratio of 2: 1 (one part is water), add 800 g of raisins and overtake again.

"How to take away the bad taste of vodka." Before distillation, depending on the size of the cube, put from three to six handfuls of sifted birch wood ash with several handfuls of salt. The second distillation is carried out without ash and salt.

The complete purification scheme includes chemical purification, special distillation, filtration and infusion. To do this, you need to take moonshine after the first distillation at room temperature, since high-grade alcohol is very reluctant to part with its impurities, and at elevated temperatures, some substances are not captured. Then moonshine is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of 1-2 g per liter. The required amount of potassium permanganate should first be diluted in a small amount of boiled water. The solution is poured into moonshine, thoroughly stirred and left until precipitation and clarification (8-10 hours). Then it is filtered through a cloth and a special distillation is carried out.

When distilling high-grade moonshine, it is diluted with water in accordance with the table to a concentration of 40–45, then placed in a cube and heated at a high rate to 60 C, then, reducing the heating rate, slowly brought to a boiling point, which is in the range of 80–83 , 5 C. The values ​​in Table 7 show the number of volumes of water added to 100 volumes of a solution containing X% ethanol to obtain a solution containing Y%.

Flavoring and coloring moonshine

Any drink receives the first marks in appearance, texture, smell and taste. To improve the appearance and aroma of the drink, to give it a certain flavor, you can use various additives. For this, artificial flavored dyes or plant substances are used, both raw and pre-cooked. Let us consider in more detail the principles and methods of preparing various herbal flavoring additives that have a number of undoubted advantages over chemical ones.

Nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, vanilla and dozens of other spices contribute to obtaining aroma and imparting taste and color to moonshine and its better absorption by the body.

It is worth, for example, adding a pinch of cinnamon, cumin or coriander to moonshine, and a miracle happens immediately: a tasteless, and often unpleasant drink becomes tasty.

aromatic substances

A special unique aroma of spices gives a high content of essential oils and glucosides, which accumulate in various parts of plants. Spices are classified according to which part of the plant is used: seeds - mustard, nutmeg, anise, cumin; fruits - pepper (allspice, black and red, bitter), cardamom, vanilla; flowers - saffron, carnation; flower buds - capers; leaves - bay leaf, dill, tarragon, marjoram, savory; bark - cinnamon, oak bark; roots - horseradish, ginger, parsnip, golden root.

Plants in the process of growth produce a huge amount of complex chemical compounds, which are usually divided into biologically active and concomitant. Biologically active substances are the most valuable, although they are usually found in plants in small quantities - they have healing properties and are inextricably linked with concomitants that affect the action of the main compound. Therefore, the use of flavoring and flavoring herbal additives requires careful selection and certain proportions in the formulation and preparation of drinks.

Depending on climatic conditions, especially in the winter-spring period, it is not always possible to find suitable raw materials in their natural form. Therefore, the plants with which flavoring drinks are prepared in advance. There are two main types of preparations: dry plants and concentrated solutions and infusions saturated with aromatic substances.

Raw plant species

Active substances are formed and accumulated in plants during certain periods of their development, therefore, harvesting is carried out at a strictly defined time. These substances are distributed unevenly in plants: in some (lily of the valley, bearberry, lingonberry) they are concentrated in the leaves, in others (valerian, capsule, licorice, galangal) in the roots, in others (linden, chamomile, hawthorn, tansy) - in flowers , in the fourth (rosehip, viburnum, juniper, raspberry) - in fruits, etc. This determines the so-called morphological raw materials of plants.

When and how to collect

The above-ground parts of plants accumulate the maximum amount of active substances mainly during the flowering period - at this time they should be collected. Fruits contain the greatest amount of active substances during full ripening. The buds are harvested in early spring, when they are swollen, but not yet started to grow. The bark, on the contrary, is suitable for consumption during the spring sap flow. The roots are harvested in late autumn, after the aerial parts of the plants wither. All above-ground parts of plants are harvested in dry good weather, otherwise they deteriorate when dried.

Kidneys. Large buds (pine, lilac) are cut from the shoots directly on the spot, and small ones (birch) are harvested along with the shoots and only after drying they are threshed.

Bark. Suitable only smooth, from young plants and shoots, because. old, cracked, contains a lot of cork and is chemically inactive. Shelf life - 3-5 years.

Leaves. When harvesting leaves, it should be taken into account that thick and juicy cuttings contain few active substances, slow down drying, so they are removed. Small leathery leaves (bearberry, lingonberry) are cut with a part of shoots 8–10 cm long, then the leaves are cut off from the dried shoots or threshed, throwing out the stem parts. The leaves can be stored for up to three years, but their effectiveness decreases after one year of storage.

Herbs. Leafy and flower-bearing stems of herbaceous plants are implied. When harvesting herbs, the entire aerial part of the plants is used, with the exception of the lower leaves and bare stems. Shelf life of herbs up to 2 years.

Drying of harvested raw materials

This is the most significant moment in the course of harvesting.

Air shadow drying. It is used for herbs, leaves and flowers. Under the influence of sunlight, they fade, turn brown, the amount of active substances decreases. Dry in well-ventilated areas or in attics. You can also outdoors, but always in the shade under special awnings and only in good weather. It is convenient to dry on gauze hammocks, since in this case the raw materials are ventilated evenly from all sides. Do not dry herbs in dense bunches and hang them from the ceiling of the room.

Air solar drying. It is used mainly for roots containing tannins and alkaloids, as well as for juicy fruits. Raw materials are laid out in a thin layer (1–3 cm) and turned over at least once a day. At night, the raw materials are removed.

Drying with artificial heating. Such drying is optimal for all types of raw materials. The temperature regime is set for each type of raw material: herbs, leaves, flowers, roots, bulbs - 50–60 C; fruits and seeds - 70–90 C; all types of raw materials containing essential oils - 30-40 C. Thermal drying at home is carried out in Russian ovens. The oven should not be hot (to check the temperature, you can throw a piece of paper there: if it does not char and turn very yellow, then raw materials can be placed). In the first 1-2 hours, the pipe is not closed, the damper is installed on two bricks and the upper edge is moved aside for the influx of outside air. Warm air, saturated with moisture from the raw material, goes into the pipe. Drying can also be done in ovens of gas and electric ovens, but at the same time the oven door must be ajar, and the flame of the gas burner is minimal.

When drying, pay attention

The kidneys should be dried carefully, for a long time and in a cool room.

The bark requires heat drying, while it is necessary to ensure that the pieces of the bark are not nested in each other in order to avoid rotting it from the inner surface.

Leaves with thin plates dry unevenly, so they are dried until the petioles become brittle.

The roots are usually dried in thermal dryers with obligatory pre-grinding and variable mode - they start drying at a temperature of 35-40 C, and finish at 50-60 C.

Berries and fruits are dried either in thermal dryers (4–6 hours) or in the sun in good hot weather (3–5 days). Dry the berries until a sticky film appears on the surface. Readiness is easy to determine by taking them in a handful and squeezing lightly. If a lump forms without juicing, then the berries are dried.

Herbal infusions and decoctions

Flavoring substances are extracted from vegetable raw materials with the help of solvents - alcohol or water. Before processing, raw materials must be crushed. The easiest way to extract - insisting on alcohol. In the process of insisting moonshine is saturated with aromatic substances, the taste of the drink changes. Raw materials should be infused until all the flavoring substances from the plant are dissolved in alcohol.

When insisting, the solution is periodically decanted, and then the raw material is poured again and shaken. Plants give off flavoring substances more efficiently at a solvent strength of 45–50. Periodically changing to fresh flavoring raw materials, pouring it with the same moonshine, an infusion of a higher concentration is obtained. The same effect is achieved by boiling raw materials in a sealed container, followed by infusion or without it. Boiling time is 10-15 minutes.

The duration of the preparation of tinctures depends on the type of raw material and the temperature regime and, usually, is 3-5 weeks. When the temperature rises to 50-60 C, the infusion of some types of raw materials is reduced to 5-8 days. This tincture is called precocious. If you put the bottles with the infused drink on wooden blocks placed in a pot of water and boil, you get a good tincture.

By distillation of decoctions, concentrated solutions are obtained with a high saturation with aromatic substances and also with essential oils. These substances almost do not change the taste of the drink, but give it the desired flavor.

To add flavor, not only decoctions are distilled, but also infusions. Take some spice, finely grind, pour boiling water (take 3.5 liters of water per 400 g), cork tightly and insist for a day. Then add 2.5 liters of water and distill until the smell of the spice persists. Then add fresh spices and overtake again. You can perform the operation a third time. Such water is called triple, if 200 g of such water is poured into 1.2 liters of moonshine, the taste of the resulting drink will be similar to that obtained by distillation with spices.

If plants and spices are added to the mash, then the aroma is weak during distillation. To enhance it, the water with which the mash is diluted should first be insisted on the selected spices. You can make a decoction of them and dilute the mash with them.

It is more preferable to cook mash on flavored water. Such moonshine will have a stable aroma, interrupting the specific smell of fuselage.

The distillation of infusions produces flavored drinks with a high alcohol content. To give the moonshine the desired taste after distillation, it is mixed with infusions of the same plants, while the moonshine itself is insisted again. For example, moonshine infused with lemon peel, after distillation, insist again on fresh lemon peel.

The taste of moonshine

The choice of raw materials for the preparation of moonshine, as well as the use of various components in the form of fresh and dry herbal supplements and extracts prepared on their basis, make it possible to obtain the final product - moonshine, give a strong alcohol-containing drink that actively interacts with the additives introduced into it, as a result of which the taste of moonshine changes a lot. Table 8 shows the maximum permissible quantitative values ​​of the additives introduced to obtain a strictly defined taste characteristic of moonshine with its long infusion - (at least 2 weeks). Individual additives listed in the table (with the exception of saffron) can also be used in combination with each other, but they should be taken in strictly defined proportions. In some cases, the "express method" of making moonshine (2-3 days) with desired taste qualities can also be applied. Then the amount of added additives increases by 20-30%.

Tinting moonshine

Moonshine acquires a golden-orange, or orange, color by insisting on saffron and adding a small amount of juice from blueberries or blueberries. You can also infuse moonshine on orange peel, unripe orange peel or walnut partitions.

Yellows are dyed in the same way as golden, using more or less saffron, with which you can get all shades of yellow. Yellow color is also obtained by infusion with lemon balm, veronica or mint, as well as parsley, horseradish or celery leaves. Sometimes moonshine is distilled along with saffron and the resulting essence is stored in the dark in a tightly corked bottle.

Moonshine is dyed red by infusion of dried blueberries. They also use a mixture of food carmine paint and cream of tartar (ratio 6: 1), which are crushed to a powder and dissolved in hot water. The resulting solution is filtered and added to moonshine.

A scarlet color is obtained if 4 g of food paint powder and 4 g of purified cream of tartar powder are boiled in 1.1 l of water. Let stand, strain through cheesecloth and store for later use. With this solution, you can tint moonshine in the scarlet color of various shades, depending on the amount of dye.

Purple. Strain the moonshine tinted with carmine through the flowers of the femur or yarrow. You can add a few drops of a thick decoction of blueberries or sandalwood to moonshine tinted with carmine. And the easiest way is to insist moonshine on sunflower seeds.

Sweetening moonshine

When sweetening, syrup is usually used, for the preparation of which 1 kg of sugar is boiled in 1 liter of water, removing the foam until it stops appearing. Then they cool and stand for two weeks so that the thinnest “silt” remaining in it sinks to the bottom.

When mixing moonshine and syrup or honey, gases are released and the mixture is heated. If the gas evolution is over, then the process is completed. Then a few activated charcoal tablets are added and shaken well. Insist 1-2 hours at room temperature and filter through a dense cloth. The drink is bottled and kept for two or three days at a temperature of 3-4 "C. After that, it acquires a pleasant taste, and the alcohol taste practically disappears.

You can also sweeten moonshine with jam. Why do you need to put 3-4 teaspoons of jam on 3 liters of moonshine.

Equipment for the production of moonshine

The equipment includes apparatus for the distillation of mash, the design schemes of which are offered. Since the technological process of distillation is reduced to heating the raw material and condensing the resulting vapors, the entire range of different designs of apparatus for distillation can be represented by one principle diagram: To obtain moonshine, you must:

1 - mash, 2 - cold water, 3 - basin, 4 - moonshine

1. Heat container 1 so that the resulting alcohol vapor rises through channel 2;

2. Cool vapors in container 3 to a liquid state;

3. Carry out continuous or separate cleaning of the product;

4. Collect moonshine in container 4;

5. Observe safety precautions.

Connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages know how important it is for alcohol to be of high quality. Moonshine is a classic drink that you can make at home yourself from natural products.

It can be given any flavor you want. To get real high-quality moonshine, you need to strictly follow the cooking process.

The subtleties of home brewing

Moonshine is a drink of Ancient Russia. It was a must for any holiday table. In the 80s of the last century, the tradition of making this drink at home on our own was revived in our country.

The ban on alcohol and the shortage of granulated sugar in stores prompted people to make moonshine from natural products. Most often began to use cereals.

In addition, grain-based drinks taste better than sugar-based drinks. It takes longer to prepare, but the result is a sweet-tasting alcohol that is easy to drink.

Preparing high-quality products at home is a very difficult task. It is necessary to carefully approach this process, observing all the subtleties and stages. Failure to follow the rules of preparation can lead to the fact that in the end you will get a cloudy drink with an unpleasant smell and taste.

Classic cooking technology

Making moonshine takes up to two weeks. The whole process of moonshine brewing at home includes several stages:

1. Selection of raw materials;
2. Fermentation;
3. Distillation;
4. cleaning;
5. Tradition of taste and aroma.

Raw material selection

The main criterion of this paragraph is saving money. Sugar prices are not cheap today, so many are trying to replace it with other products that contain sugar and tannins. These products include:

• corn;
• sugar beet;
• potato;
• starch;
• berries and fruits.

Everyone chooses yeast according to their taste.

Fermentation

The main process in home brewing is product fermentation. The quality of the resulting moonshine depends on how it is organized.

Braga is made as follows. For 1 kg of sugar we take 100 g of pressed yeast or 20 g of dry. It is poured with 4.5 liters of water just above room temperature. Ideally, the temperature should be between 28 and 30 degrees.

In the bank you need to leave a little space, do not pour to the very brim. Everything is thoroughly mixed. Moderate yeast into cubes and add to water. Leave for thirty minutes to dissolve the cubes.

Shake the jar to mix the contents well. Crumble a small piece of biscuit inside. This will help you avoid foam coming out. You don't need to mix. Insert a small plastic tube into the bottle cap.

We close the lid. Pour water into a small jar and lower the hose into it. Fermentation will begin in forty minutes. This can be seen from the bubbles in the small jar. The future moonshine is removed for two weeks to settle.

During the fermentation stage, certain rules must be observed:

1. It is necessary to observe the temperature regime. At the very beginning, it is necessary to ensure that the temperature is not very low. This can cause fermentation to stop. Fungi will not be able to die, but they will not develop either. At the same time, very high temperatures will lead to the death of fungi;
2. It is necessary to strictly observe the number of ingredients. For example, not enough sugar will cause slow fermentation.

Distillation

The right technology includes distillation of the product. For this, moonshine stills are used. By heating the mash, they release ethyl alcohol. Distillation is an important step, but at home it is difficult to observe the temperature regime for its implementation. The purpose of this step is to separate alcohol from other substances.

The first distillation is carried out at maximum power. The tank of the moonshine is filled 2/3. As soon as the temperature reaches 89 degrees, the first drops will begin to separate.

During the first distillation, the “heads” and “tails” are not separated. This is due to the fact that during the boiling process, the yeast emits a very unpleasant odor. The longer they cook, the worse it will get.

But often there are cases when the "heads" and "tails" are separated already at the first stage. With strong heating, the “heads” will come out first. They are understood as light impurities that begin to separate at a water temperature of 65 degrees. H of each kilogram of sugar comes out impurities up to 30 ml. It is imperative to get rid of them.

After the heads come out, heating continues. During this period, the bulk of the drink is separated. The distillation temperature should be 98 degrees. As soon as the temperature rises to 96, "tails" or fusel oils will begin to separate. This is a particularly harmful part of moonshine.

During the first distillation, “tails” are separated only from sugar-based mash. But in grain and fruit mash, these compounds give the aroma and taste of the drink. Therefore, they are not cut off in the first distillation.

"Tails" are not as harmful as "heads", so they can not be thrown away, but used to add to the next mash.

cleaning

After the completion of the first distillation, the drink must be cleaned and prepared for the second distillation. This process can improve the quality of moonshine. There are several ways to clean up:

Many use complex cleaning, using several options.

High-quality cleaning of moonshine is very important. It will not only add flavor to the drink, but also save you from headaches and a hangover in the morning.

It is best to clean the product when the strength is less than 35 degrees. It is at this concentration that fusel oils are best separated. Before cleaning, the drink must be defended for at least two days. Also, it should be at room temperature.

The fastest and most effective cleaning is done with activated carbon. The method of the procedure is as follows:

• a cotton pad is placed in the funnel;
• then comes a layer of fine fraction of coal;
• large fractions on top;
• then cotton pads.

Thus, you can clean the moonshine immediately without additional difficulties.

If you wish to purify with milk, this is best done after the final distillation. This is due to the fact that protein particles can remain in the drink, and when heated, they will emit an unpleasant odor.

To clean 20 liters of a drink with a strength of 50 degrees, you need a glass of milk. Take only pasteurized milk with a fat content of no more than 1.5%. The order of procedure is as follows:

• milk is poured into moonshine and shaken well;
• tightly closed with a lid and removed for a week in a dark place;
• five days the liquid must be well mixed to ensure the reaction of milk;
• we leave the drink for the last two days so that everything settles;
• filtration is carried out through layers of cotton wool.

This method is considered effective, since this is how the purification is carried out in the production of vodka.

Secondary distillation

The second distillation is carried out in the same way as the first. The drink is heated, portions of 50 ml are collected for each kilogram of sugar. The process is carried out until the fortress drops to 40 degrees.

Tradition of taste and aroma

Flavorings and additives are used to improve taste and get rid of unpleasant odors. The taste is given to the drink by adding lemon and orange zest. A bitter taste can be made with vanillin and bay leaf. Cinnamon. Muscat will add a spicy flavor to your drink.

moonshine recipes

Standard

The classic moonshine recipe will require:

• 6 kg of sugar;
• 25 g of citric acid;
• 18 liters of water;
• dry yeast - 120 gr.

Three liters of water are poured into the pan and all the sugar is poured. The water is heated to 80 degrees. The resulting syrup is boiled for 10 minutes. Next, add citric acid and cook over low heat for 60 minutes.

The remaining water and softened yeast are added to the cooled liquid to 35 degrees. Then the fermentation process begins.

To understand that the mash is ready for distillation, you need to observe the following signs:

1. The appearance of an alcohol smell;
2. The surface of the mash brightens;
3. A precipitate appears;
4. Bubbles and hiss disappear;
5. A match does not go out over the mash.

Moonshine on oak bark

Moonshine infused with oak bark is similar to cognac. For cooking you need:

• 5 liters of jam or 5 kg of sugar;
• 15 liters of water;
• 350 gr of yeast;
• 50 gr oak bark.

Oak bark is added at the rate of 50 grams per 1 liter of moonshine. The product is infused for about a week.

homemade cognac

On the basis of moonshine, you can make delicious homemade cognac. To do this, add 2 tablespoons of sugar and black tea, 10 black peppercorns, a pinch of vanillin, 6 bay leaves, lemon zest to 5 liters of moonshine. The drink is infused for 10 days in a dark place.

The technology of home brewing is a very complex process, which has its own subtleties and secrets. The nuances of making a drink come with experience, but if you listen to the advice and recommendations of those who have been making moonshine at home for a long time:

• for cleaning it is best to take birch charcoal. It is he who is used in purification filters for water;
• for a softer and more natural drink, brew wheat-based moonshine;
• do not skip a single step in the preparation of the drink. This may adversely affect the quality of the drink;
• if, after cleaning the moonshine with milk, a cloudy shade has formed, add a little orange zest;
• To get a quality drink, you need to take only clean water. If tap water is used, it must be left standing for at least 24 hours.

Having understood the process of moonshine brewing, you can make natural alcoholic drinks for every taste at home. Using flavorings, you can make both cognac and tincture. Bottles with high-quality and tasty alcohol will always flaunt on your festive table.

If you have not tried to cook homemade moonshine yet, but are already looking towards moonshine stills, it's time to read our article. We do not campaign for alcohol, on the contrary, we insist that even alcohol can taste good and sometimes even be useful.

Despite the impressive store assortment and quality control of manufacturers, there are still a lot of surrogates on our shelves. And the cost, I must say, is also not the most compelling argument in favor of such a purchase. It’s much more interesting to do distillation yourself, especially since we describe moonshine brewing for beginners in such detail.

What you need to get started

Of course, you can’t get by with improvised tools, but everything is not as scary as it seems at first glance. So, a beginner should start with the following set:

• moonshine, preferably factory-made;
• alcoholometer or hydrometer for measuring the strength of alcohol;
• ingredients for making mash;
• container for cleaning;
• storage bottle.

This is the minimum set of what will make the first moonshine for beginners from scratch. In the future, when your hand is already “full”, you can get a bubbler to increase the strength, a selection of interesting recipes, a flavoring basket and other “goodies”, without which it is difficult to imagine a home distillery.

Equipment and utensils

First you need to find a glass bottle for the wort. We recommend that it is transparent, so that you can clearly see how fermentation occurs when the foam settles and a precipitate forms. Experienced moonshiners are guided by a glove and give another day or two reserves. But for beginners, it is better to see what is happening with the wort in the initial stages.

The volume of this container is at least 20-30 liters, preferably with a wide neck, so that in the future it would be possible to make not only sugar, but also grain and even fruit and berry mash.

The main thing that the distiller needs is the aggregate. Previously, when this process was part of criminal proceedings, such devices were made from improvised means - pots, basins, etc. Today, moonshine stills are sold ready-made and the only question is which one to choose and how much to pay for it.

It is obligatory to have a hydrometer - at all stages of production it is necessary to measure the strength of alcohol in order to start preparing the drink in time, to be able to separate the tails and heads and subsequently dilute it correctly with water to the desired strength.

The thermometer, as a rule, comes complete with a distillation cube, and shows the boiling point of the mixture.

VIDEO: The first moonshine for beginners from scratch

How to cook the simplest mash

Since we have touched on the topic of the first moonshine for beginners from scratch, we offer you the simplest recipe for sugar mash. From it you will get high-quality alcohol, excellent vodka and other derivative drinks. In order not to get confused in the assortment of recipes, let's start with this:

• purified (bottled) water - 22 l;
• granulated sugar - 5 kg;
• alcohol yeast - 200 gr.

A few words about the choice of yeast

We highly recommend using alcohol rather than baker's yeast. They ripen faster - within 6-7 days, and not 12-15, like bread. Less foam is formed, so no defoamer will need to be used. But the most important thing is that mushrooms do not die at a high concentration of alcohol, as often happens with bakeries, and new yeast has to be added during the fermentation process.

• The already prepared composition is stored in a warm dark place.
• The fermentation temperature must be at least 26°C.
• Water for the wort should be spring, well, in extreme cases, bottled. It is forbidden to use boiled - it does not contain dissolved oxygen, which is necessary for the growth of fungi.
• Strictly follow the dosage instructions.

Home brew

From the above ingredients, you can get about 5 liters of ethyl alcohol with a strength of 45-48 ° C.

So the order is:

1. We heat the water to 26-28 ° C. Part of the cast and dilute the sugar until completely dissolved.
2. Add the yeast crumbled by hand to the workpiece, mix until it is completely dissolved. We wait until abundant foam appears.
3. Pour the yeast solution into the rest of the water (heated to 26-28 ° C, close it with a medical glove and send the container to a warm (not lower than 27 °) and dark place.

Do not fill the bottle to the brim - there will be a lot of foam for the first 4-5 days. There must be at least 1/3 of the free space left.

1. We make several holes on the glove with an awl or a needle - excess carbon dioxide will escape through them.
2. We are waiting for 5-7 days until the yeast ripens.

How to determine readiness

It no longer depends on whether you drink alcohol 10 times or just for the first time. There are 3 main signs by which it becomes clear that the mushrooms are ripe:

• the glove fell off, which means that the release of CO 2 has stopped;
• there is no foam and the fallen sediment is noticeable;
• the taste does not feel sweet, only bitterness and alcohol aftertaste.

Gently, preferably with a hose, so as not to stir up the sediment, pour the mash into the distillation cube by 2/3, so as not to create excessive pressure during the boil.

First run

After the base has been poured into a cube, we collect all the other parts of the moonshine still according to the scheme. There should be constantly cold water in the refrigerator - in the factory models, a flow of water is made, which allows you to quickly cool the drops and get an almost cold product at the outlet.

Since we are preparing a distillate from sugar mash, there is very little sediment here, and you can immediately heat the still. We do this gradually, controlling the temperature with a thermometer. For a minute, it should increase by an average of 5-6 ° C, and bring it to 86 ° C, then gradually reduce it also by 5-6 ° C per minute to 68 ° C. At this point, the first drops begin to appear. They are collected in a separate container, as this is the most poisonous part of the distillate, popularly referred to as "heads".

Their number is determined in this case by the amount of sugar - for each kilogram of 50-60 ml. Since we used 5 kg of sugar to prepare the mash, it means that about 300 ml of heads will come out. This part is poured out, as it has a very high concentration of methyl alcohol and acetaldehyde.

If you plan to make a second distillation, and this is a necessary condition for obtaining high-quality alcohol, at the first one you do not take 50 ml from each kilogram of sugar, but only 30 ml. The remaining 20-30 ml heads will go in the second distillation.

Factions

The main task of the distiller is to correctly separate the fractions and get a pure alcoholic drink, as free as possible from fusel oils and other harmful impurities.

There are 3 main fractions with different boiling points:

• "Heads";
• "Body" or "Heart";
• "Tails".

The first part, as mentioned earlier, is the heads - a concentrate of poisonous alcohols. The fortress is 75 °, the color is cloudy. Popularly, this part is called pervach or pervak, and some people prefer to drink this drink, considering it to be very strong. In fact, a person does not get drunk, but is poisoned with methyl.

"Body" - the middle part of the distillate with a strength of 40-60 °, and making up the very drink for which the whole process of distillation is started. They drive exactly until the fortress drops below 40 °, which is checked with a hydrometer, alcohol meter, or simply set fire to alcohol on a spoon. While it burns - they take it away, it does not burn - tails go.

"Tails" - the final part of the distillation, which includes residual fusel oils. Some experts merge the tails into the next portion of the mash in order to get a fuller bouquet. In fact, such a waste of time is inappropriate. You can't get a pronounced bouquet with their help.

If the moment of cutting off the tails is missed, the fusel oils can be selected at the stage of the heads in the second distillation.

VIDEO: Instruction for beginners - moonshine, mash distillation process (heads, body, tails)

Second stage

Before proceeding to the second distillation, you need to clean the body by passing it through a charcoal filter. You can make the most primitive, as shown in the photo, or use a ready-made sample.

The second distillation occurs in exactly the same way as the first:

• we select 150 ml of heads in a separate container;
• in the main we recruit the body - 4.5-6 liters;
• we cut off the tails after the fortress drops to 40 °.

And then comes another crucial moment - cleaning, since not all fusel oils left with tails and heads. Their boiling point is higher than that of water and alcohol, so they cannot physically evaporate during the distillation process.

cleaning

Let us dwell on this process in detail, since we are studying the subject of home brewing for beginners. The author of the article practices 3 basic methods that have never failed:

• charcoal;
• potassium permanganate;
• vegetable oil.

Charcoal

A very high-quality purification method, when the porous structure of the coal absorbs (absorbs) up to 80% of harmful impurities. How to clean it doesn't really matter. You can simply put charcoal or activated charcoal in a container with alcohol, leave for a day, then strain through several layers of gauze 3-4 times. You can make a simple filter, as shown in the photo above, and pass alcohol through it at least 3 times, then use gauze again.

Potassium permanganate

The principle of action is the same - the absorption of fusel oils. Add 3 grams of potassium permanganate for each liter of potassium permanganate, leave for 3 days. Next, add a teaspoon of baking soda for each liter, stand for a day and filter through cheesecloth.

Vegetable oil

A very convenient method, which is also based on the collection of all impurities on the film. Pour vegetable oil (2 tablespoons per liter), shake vigorously for a minute, leave for a couple of minutes, stir again for a minute, rest again, and shake again. Then leave the solution for a day, after which the film is carefully removed from above. Be sure to pass through a charcoal filter and then filter several times through gauze.

Either method will yield a pure product. You don’t have to use everything at once - choose one, but do it well, because even for a beginner it’s not difficult.

Dilution with water

The goal is to reduce the fortress to reasonable limits. If you need vodka - it will be 40 °, if tincture - 35-38 °. For breeding use pure spring, borehole or bottled water.

The amount of water is determined by the formula:

(A / B) x C - C \u003d V

• A - the fortress of the original moonshine;
• B - desired degree after dilution;
• C is the volume of the product;
• V is the volume of water in which moonshine is diluted

More details about the methods and rules of dilution are described in the article "".

When diluted, alcohol is poured into water, and not vice versa, otherwise you will get hot alcoholized water.

Aromatization and flavor enhancement

When you use the recipe for sugar moonshine, you get a fairly sharp, although not aggressive taste and aroma. It is advisable to soften it in order to remove excessive hardness and drink soft vodka rather than strong moonshine.

Each master has his own secrets and proportions, but such additives are considered universal:

• lemons;
• orange peels;
• skins of oranges and grapefruits;
• pine nuts with husks;
• walnut membranes;
• caramelized sugar (2 tablespoons of sugar diluted with 1 tablespoon of water and fried in a pan until dark amber).

All these additives will actively give taste, aroma and astringency only to drinks up to 40 °.

On this, the study of the theoretical part of home brewing for beginners can be considered completed, and now it's time to start practical exercises. Good luck!

VIDEO: Moonshine for beginners

Almost every person, especially those who love to receive guests, sooner or later has a desire to master moonshine brewing at home and treat guests to a quality product of their own preparation.

Perhaps someone will object that gatherings can be arranged without alcohol, say, over a cup of herbal tea. But after all, for sure, there are a great many of those who will find a lot of arguments in favor of a feast with "warming" drinks.

Agree: it is not in the traditions of our people to sit down at the table “dry”: they will not understand, they will condemn and stop being friends.

How can one not recall the memorable struggle for sobriety in the time of Gorbachev. Yes, the older generation remembers very well the planting of “non-alcoholic” weddings, a wave of which swept across the country for the sake of reporting to the top that, they say, we have introduced, we are re-educating, we are convinced of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle!

But what is it really? Somewhere one by one they ran to the back room and returned from there clearly cheered up, with a gleam in their eyes. And somewhere they even put alcohol in teapots on the tables. So the people laughed at the dry law, and the production continued to be a favorite creative hobby of the people.

There are innumerable arguments in favor of the fact that home-brewing is of high quality. But we will mention only the most important of them:

1. Having prepared high-quality moonshine, you will be sure that after drinking it, neither you nor your guests will end up in intensive care, if not worse.
2. This is much cheaper than buying vodka in a store.
3. Home-made moonshine can be much cleaner and tastier than a product from a supermarket.
4. Even if you are an opponent of alcohol, you still probably know that various medicinal products are best prepared on strong moonshine, and not vodka bought in a store.

Manufacturing process

It is unlikely that anyone does not know what moonshine is, but far from everyone knows how to do it correctly and what is needed for this. So, let's start with the basics. Moonshine is product with a high alcohol content, obtained in the process of distillation of fermented raw materials (mash). In turn, the main components of mash are:

• yeast;
• sugar;
• water.

Some of these three components make for a very good product. But it is static, so to speak, boring, it lacks a bouquet of taste, and the smell is not very attractive. And here other ingredients for moonshine can come to the rescue, adding a touch of piquancy and seducing with a more pleasant aroma:

• jam;
• berries and fruits;
• bread;
• corn.

Some "national traditions" should also be mentioned. In Ukraine, for example, often in the manufacture of moonshine at home they use sugar beets and a by-product of its processing - malas. In Belarus, a strong drink made from potatoes is popular.

However, the mentioned "national drinks" can hardly be attributed to the masterpieces of moonshine. The resulting product has a characteristic, not too pleasant smell and taste, which is unlikely to be pleasant to the connoisseur.

You can cook it correctly according to the classic recipe in one or two steps, achieving maximum purification of the finished product from impurities:

• pour the mash into the cube;
• bring the liquid to a boil over high heat;
• reduce the heat by half as soon as the first drops of pervak ​​appear;
• separate the “head” with a quantity of 50 ml. This product can be consumed as technical alcohol;
• mash should be distilled until moonshine contains 35-40 ° fortress;
• the rest of the distillation product (“tails”) is characterized by an increased amount of fusel oils, therefore it is not suitable for internal use. If a second distillation is foreseen, then the “tails” are poured into the mash. Otherwise, the liquid will spill out.

Apparatus for distillation

Learn the secrets of home brewing and reach the quality level of making drinks of the highest category can only be done practically. And for this, of course, you need a moonshine. What does he represent?
In fact, a moonshine still is a distiller that operates on the principle of evaporation (only not water, but alcohol), cooling and turning the steam back into a liquid, but with different properties.

How are moonshine stills made?

1. Ready-made moonshine stills called "Distiller" are sold on the Internet. The device, as a rule, is adapted for running water (to cool the evaporator). In such a distiller, only one thing is bad - the price, which is usually very high.
2. However, in the people everything has long been invented. The main differences are only whether you have to change the cooling water manually (which is only necessary if there is no water supply), or connect it to running water.
3. For a long time and successfully, the well-known pressure cooker was adapted for moonshine.
4. New technologies "gave impetus" to the people's "innovation" - there are craftsmen who have already adapted the slow cooker to make moonshine at home. It is desirable that it be of maximum capacity (there is already not only 6-7 liters, but also 10, and even 12.5). A tube is inserted into the steam valve that every multicooker has, water cooling is connected, and moonshine is obtained.

The moonshine still consists of:

• tank for mash. It is either made of stainless steel, or a milk flask is fitted. A flask from a milking machine is very convenient, in which there is already a hole in the lid with a nozzle, on which a hose (tube) is put on;
• cooler. In the absence of water supply, it is needed (a wave-shaped tube in a large container - a trough or a boiler, a saucepan). Water is poured into the container, which constantly needs to be changed - hot is taken from above, cold is added, etc. If there is a tap with cold water, then they make a small water jacket around a part of the tube and two taps (tubes on which hoses are put on). Cold water enters the upper tube, heated water flows out of the lower tube;
• tubing or hose, along which alcohol-water vapor rises from the tank, cools and flows into a substituted container in the form of moonshine.

To avoid foreign smell and harmful compounds, it is best to use a copper pipe or hot water hose.

Mastering the technology

The correct moonshine technology includes the following steps:

1. Home brew. Proportions are very important here. Recommended amount: for 4-5 liters of lukewarm water (its temperature should be about 30 ° C), you need 1 kg of sugar and 100 g of pressed yeast, which can be replaced with dry (20 g).
2. Mix, leave to ferment warm for several days. It would be nice to put a tank or pot with mash on a warm bedding so that it does not stand on a cold floor and wrap it up additionally. Braga ferments well at temperatures above 18, but not below 40 ° C. Braga must be covered, but not hermetically - air is needed for fermentation.
3. Duration approx. 4 to 10 days. It depends on many factors: the temperature, the added ingredients, and the quality of the yeast. When violent fermentation has already passed, it is believed that the mash can be distilled. But not everything is so simple.
4. The brewing process itself usually lasts a few hours. The fire should be kept slow so that the mash does not boil sharply and is not thrown into the pipe, which will simply spoil the product that you have carefully worked on.

Tips from experienced winemakers:

• Experienced craftsmen do not recommend the use of dry yeast fast food. They help to reduce the fermentation period and reduce the yield of finished products.
• Information for beginners: yeast does not develop in the cold and your mash may simply not play. At a high temperature, the yeast also stops its vital activity and your product will turn sour, never reaching the moonshine still.
• You have to try it to check it out! If it's sweet, it's not time yet, let it wander for a day or two. Braga should be slightly bitter - with a taste of vodka, then it's time to prepare the moonshine.

A sure sign that you did everything right - a strong liquid with a rather pleasant intoxicating smell pours from the tube into the jar. It is best to learn the secrets of home brewing in practice - the more you drive it, the better you will succeed. And it will help you calculate all the important parameters online.

There are calculations regarding the rate of output of moonshine. The industry norm, considered an excellent result - 1.28 liters of 50% vodka from 1 kg of sugar. A good result is 1.24 liters, a satisfactory result is 1.2 liters. Among moonshiners, it is generally accepted that conditionally, from 1 kg of sugar in Braga, 1 kg of sugar is obtained, strong 50% of moonshine is obtained.

"Heads" and "tails"

It has been proven that the very first and last portions of moonshine are unusable. Want to know how to make the right moonshine? If you plan to expel about 5 liters of moonshine, you need to remove the first 200 milliliters.

This is the so-called "head" or pervach - the strongest moonshine, but at the same time - containing the largest number of extremely harmful ones that are not removed by any cleaning. What to do with them?

Pervac is very good to use for tinctures of various medicinal plants intended for rubbing (not for oral administration). Its strength is about 80%, which contributes to a better "selection" of medicinal substances from plants.

What is commonly called the “tail” is the latest moonshine. Firstly, it has a very small strength, and secondly, it is also replete with harmful substances. How to determine that this is already a "tail"?

Some define it by the fact that it no longer lights up. But this is not a completely correct method. The best score - alcohol meter. All moonshine is drained and the fortress is measured. There are 50 degrees, you can stop the process, more - drive a little more to reach this figure, which is considered the reference for moonshine.

Favorite recipes

Now you know how to make moonshine at home. And there are very, very many of them, looking for them and trying them out in practice is a very interesting hobby.

Over time, you will turn into a real pro and learn how to properly make moonshine at home from grain, winemaking waste, old jam. How to clean the finished product from harmful impurities and turn your product into a masterpiece of taste, after which you want to sing and have fun, and without a heavy hangover!

The above recipe for moonshine from sugar is, so to speak, the base, the basis necessary in order to refer to it in the future, adding the ingredients to the container with the future mash. We introduced you to the basics of moonshine brewing - this exciting activity that brings pleasure and saves you money.