How to make moonshine from apple juice at home. Apple mash: making apple cider

Apples are used in moonshine for a number of reasons. Firstly, due to the availability of raw materials in various regions. Moonshine can be prepared from any variety, regardless of the sweetness and ripeness of the fruit. Both carefully selected varietal fruits and wild game, carrion, and re-sorted fruits are suitable.

In addition to the low cost of the raw materials, one should not forget about the taste characteristics of moonshine. It has a subtle sweetish aroma. This is what captivates connoisseurs of aged Calvados, fruity eaux-de-vie and homemade cider. Our apple moonshine is a close relative of these noble drinks. Let's figure out how to make moonshine from apples using several recipes as an example.

Selection of raw materials

Apples

The taste of fruit is determined by an important parameter for home brewing - sugar content. Anyone who has ever distilled moonshine knows that yeast “eats” sugar and, in the process of its life activity, releases valuable ethanol. Accordingly, the alcohol content of the future mash depends on the amount of sugar in apples. On average, according to the percentage of sugar content, all varieties can be divided into 4 groups:

wild or sour varieties - 6%;
unsorted sweet and sour - 10%;
sweet, sour and tart garden varieties - 16%;
sweet - 20%.

Without yeast and sugar, only sweet fruits can be fermented. For mash made from sour varieties, it is necessary to add sugar. The more sour the apples, the more sugar you will need.

Yeast

Yeast when making apple mash for moonshine is a matter of taste. And both literally and figuratively. Artificial yeast speeds up the fermentation process significantly, but partially interrupts the fruity aroma. Use them additionally or rely on wild microorganisms living on the peels of berries and fruits - decide for yourself.

As natural alternative You can use raisins with baker's or dry yeast. If you want faster results without loss of aroma, opt for wine yeast.

Preparing apples

The jagged truth: “Fruits should be washed before eating” does not work in all cases. Apples for moonshine do not need to be washed, so as not to kill the wild yeast living on the peel. It is better to thoroughly wipe the dirtiest fruits with a dry cloth. Natural microorganisms will not interfere even if you are going to add additional yeast in any case. They will help create a nutritious environment and speed up fermentation.

The exception will be store-bought apples. Of course, it is understood that moonshine is usually distilled from one’s own harvest due to its excess. But if the stars align so that you are using imported apples of unknown origin, it is better to wash them well.

The next stage of preparation is cutting off the excess. To make apple moonshine at home, you don’t need seeds, cuttings, or stalks. They hold a lot of tannins. We also cut out the rotten pulp.

Apple mash for moonshine

This method attracts with its simplicity. Everything is quite simple even for a novice moonshiner. The amount of sugar added depends on the sweetness of the fruit. Experienced winemakers recommend 30 kg sour apples take 4 kg of sugar, for sweet and sour - 3 kg, for sweet - 2-2.5 kg. We take water at the rate of 5 liters for every kilogram of sugar. Here is one recipe for moonshine made from sour apples. For other varieties, the technology will not change, and the amount of ingredients can be recalculated independently.

List of ingredients:

sour apples - 15 kg;
water - 10 liters;
granulated sugar –2 kg;
pressed yeast - 50 grams or dry yeast - 15 grams.

Cooking method

Chop the prepared apples. It is not necessary to achieve a puree consistency. Moreover, it will be difficult to distill such a thick mash. For processing, you can use a vegetable grater, blender, food processor or even a crusher. It all depends on the volume of processing. You should get about 5 liters of apple porridge.
Measure out 9 liters of water and mix with apple porridge in a large container. Select a comfortable bottle with a wide neck in advance. Then it will be convenient to add apples and stir the mash.
From the remaining liter of water and sugar we prepare sugar syrup. Pour sugar into warm water and cook until it is completely dissolved. Cool the finished syrup to room temperature and add to apples and water.
All that remains is to introduce the yeast. To activate them, fill in warm water in a ratio of 1:10 and wait 10-20 minutes. To speed up the process, you can add a little sugar. After a light foam appears, add them to the apple mixture.
We leave the wort to ferment for 1.5-2 weeks. To do this, put the closed bottle in a warm place. Once every few days, stir the wort and knock off the dense cap from the surface.
We determine the readiness of the mash by several signs. The pulp will precipitate. The hissing and bubbling on the surface will stop. The taste of the mash will change from sweet to sour or even bitter.

Now that you know how to make apple mash different varieties, let's learn how to make it from apple juice.

Apple juice mash

Getting Apple Juice

If instead of apples you became the happy owner of natural apple juice, you can only be congratulated. Making moonshine from apple juice is even easier than making moonshine from whole fruits. True, here you also need to be confident in the raw materials. The composition can only contain apples, sugar and a little citric acid.

The second way to get apple juice and be sure of its composition is to make it yourself. At first glance, this may seem like an unnecessary complication of the process. In fact, the labor costs are not so great, and the result is justified. Home brew made from fresh apple juice is more noble, and the taste and aroma are subtler. It is great for making fruit wines (eau de vie) and cider.

There is another argument in favor of apple juice mash. Apple pulp is rich in pectin. It decomposes to methanol during fermentation. It is difficult to determine its quantity in everyday conditions. But those who want to play it safe resort to preparing mash “white,” that is, without pulp.

Apple mash recipe

The composition of the mash is simple: juice, sugar and yeast. But again we pay attention to the sugar content of apples and, accordingly, the sweetness of the finished juice. Depending on the variety of apples you will need different quantities Sahara.

List of ingredients:

Cooking method

We obtain apple juice using any method available to you: a grater, a juicer, or a food processor. Squeeze out the pulp and strain. We wait a day. Drain the clear, slightly cloudy juice from the sediment.
IN warm water Activate the yeast for 15-20 minutes. Wine yeast allows you to achieve optimal results. Unlike bakery or dry ones, they do not impart a characteristic “brown” smell, but retain a natural one.
In a glass bottle of the appropriate size, mix the juice, sugar and yeast.
After 3-4 weeks, we check the readiness of the mash using the signs from the previous recipe. Shake the bottle periodically during the fermentation process.

Distilling moonshine from apples

The made mash must be removed from the sediment. Before this, it is recommended to move it from the warm room where fermentation took place to a cool place for 1-2 days. And only after that drain. Before distilling the mash, you can pass it through a cotton-gauze filter.

For the first distillation, slowly bring alcohol mashine up to 80°C. Braga can be distilled without separating fractions. At this stage it is not critical. The selection of the distillate is usually carried out “dry” until the strength drops to 5°.
To improve the aroma of the drink, before the second distillation, we recommend infusing the distillate on apples for several days. We dilute the flavored distillate 50 to 50 with water and move on to the next step.
During the second distillation, we must separate the primary “heads” and the final “tails”. For each liter of apple mash (recipe 1) we select 50-70 ml of “heads”, for apple juice mash (recipe 2) - 80-90 ml. After the strength drops below 40°, “tails” begin. To get more strong moonshine, you can stop a little earlier.

Before drinking, it is better to let the moonshine sit for 1-2 weeks. You can do this simply in regular bottle, or maybe in an oak barrel. An extravaganza of taste and aroma is guaranteed.

Attention, TODAY only!

Apple mash for moonshine, prepared at home, does not require excessive spending
financial resources. None of the recipes are complicated. Even those who use them for the first time have a chance to get delicious drink or aromatic cider. Ready mash can be left in its original form, and not turned into moonshine. The recipes are accessible to those who have the opportunity to use a large harvest of apples.

Owners of personal plots or country houses with a garden can afford to prepare jam, compotes or puree from apples for the winter in good years. These products, rich in useful components, are the optimal raw materials for creating mash. The prepared drink is suitable both for consumption in its original form and for distillation into apple brandy.

The recipe for moonshine can be found in an old cookbook. It is not recommended to use packaged juice products for this purpose. Carefully selected fruits can be crushed by squeezing the juice by hand, using a blender or food processor. Straining and boiling are not required. The mash is placed immediately after preparing the raw materials.

It is best to use whole sweet fruits, as well as pulp, carrion, unripe fruits or pieces with rot removed.

When choosing a variety of apples, you should remember that the sweeter they are, the less sugar will be used in the mash. The composition of the prepared drink will affect its alcohol content after distillation.

Using sour and neutral fruits requires additional sugar. Approximate ratio of the amount of sugar to fruit acids in certain varieties of apples
is:

wild and sour fruits - 6% sugar and 1.3% acids;
sweet and sour varieties - 10% sugar and 0.9% acids;
tart soda fruits - 10% sugar and 1% acids;
sweet apples - 10% sugar and 1% acids.

It is useful to consume the product in its finished form without processing. After straining and cooling
apple mash you can taste a natural drink with a pleasant aroma. This one is environmentally friendly pure product its quality sometimes exceeds the factory ones weakly alcoholic drinks, energy drinks or beer. In hot weather, apple mash quenches thirst well.

Experienced home winemakers do not recommend washing fruit if the mash will be left to ripen wild yeast. No sugar, starter cultures, or baker's yeast are added to the wort, so the taste of the product
it gets cleaner. This recipe is suitable for those who plan to distill mash from sweet varieties of apples, which contain fructose and sugar in large quantities.

In other recipes, it is necessary to wash the fruits. It is important to remove the seeds and cores, which give the finished alcoholic drink a bitter taste. The prepared slices are placed in a special container for subsequent fermentation.

Preparing apple mash - proportions for 20 liters

Before making mash from apples, you need to choose the most suitable recipe. For the following method of preparing the drink, you will need to prepare whole apples. The product is suitable for consumption in finished form or for distillation. You will need the following ingredients:

apples - 30 kg;
sugar - 4 kg;
water - 20 l;
dry baker's yeast - 100 g.

By choosing this recipe, you can use wine yeast. To prepare the drink, you must follow these steps:

Cut the apples into 2 or 4 parts.
Grind the fruit in a meat grinder until smooth applesauce is formed (you can use a drill with an attachment).
Transfer the finished puree into a special fermentation container and add water (16 l).
Dissolve sugar in water, add it to the container with puree.
Before use, dilute the yeast by pouring it into warm water in a ratio of 1:10, the temperature of which is +30...+35°C, leave for 10-20 minutes.
Add the yeast to the wort after the wine head has risen, and then stir everything.
Close the container tightly enough by installing a water seal.
Put apple mash to a warm place with a temperature level of up to +25°C for 7-12 days.

After a day, the container must be opened to check the mash. If a dense layer of pulp appears on its surface, that is, the drink needs to be mixed thoroughly. When the cap turns into sediment and the composition becomes light, you can begin additional lightening using
bentonite.

Apple mash is distilled 2 times. Initially, the procedure is carried out using a steam generator
or a steam-water boiler. It is carried out almost up to the alcohol content in the liquid stream
5%. This method ensures the distillation of mash without filtration, which better preserves the aroma of apples,
But fusel oils the fruits make the moonshine cloudy.

Before the next distillation, you should measure the alcohol strength and determine its quantity. To dilute the resulting raw material, pure water 20-30% is used. Additional methods no cleaning is necessary, since the finished product should have a pleasant apple aroma.

Second distillation of mash

In order to distill the mash 2 times with maximum effect, it should be divided into fractions. To do this, you will need to remove the first 10% of alcohol (head), which has unpleasant smell. Primary apple mash contains various harmful impurities in large quantities, so you should not drink this composition.

First, the main product must be selected, and the rest must be selected to be processed separately, for example, rectified.
After receiving the moonshine, you will need to dilute it to a strength of 40% vol., and then leave it in a glass container in a dark place for at least 7 days.
Moonshine aged in this way should acquire delicate aroma and lose the unpleasant aftertaste.
To make the moonshine smell more pleasant, before the second distillation the drink is infused for 3-4 days on fresh and dried apples. Take a handful of each component.
Before starting secondary processing, the distillate should be sorted and filtered.
The output should be a high-quality alcoholic drink with a mild taste and fruity aroma.

If the strength of double-distilled apple moonshine is 65-70% vol., then before
Drinking the drink will require diluting it to 40% vol. Before this, it must be allowed to stand for 1-2 weeks so that its aroma and taste improve. Then the liquid is filtered through cheesecloth and put on fire with water (3 l) added to it. Double distillation allows you to get Calvados of excellent quality, the strength of which is about 65% vol.

If the apple mash that was planned to be used for distillation quickly turns sour, then all efforts to distill it will be in vain.

When it is not possible to start distillation right away, the mash can be stored in the refrigerator for a short time by pouring it into an airtight container with a water seal. Making mash from apples may be unsuccessful if the temperature required by the chosen recipe is not observed.

Use of yeast raw materials in insufficient quantities will also not allow you to achieve a positive effect. Third-party microorganisms may begin to develop in the liquid. To restore fermentation, add fresh yeast, but if the process has not started again, it will be necessary to distill what was previously obtained.

How to make apple cider for Calvados - step-by-step recipe

Apple cider is used for distillation, which requires oak barrels for aging.
If you don't have them, you can use glass jars with oak pegs. They represent
wooden blocks having a length of 10-15 cm and a thickness of 5-7 mm.

The future drink is poured into a container after dilution to a strength of 40-45% vol.
Jars of apple cider are hermetically sealed and placed in a cool place (basement or cellar) for ripening.
The minimum amount of aging time is 6 months. The longer it is, the more delicious the cider becomes.

The preparation of the famous Calvados at home is of high quality. It's not
inferior noble drinks, produced at the factory. In order not to disrupt technology
When preparing a drink, you should adhere to the recommendations below:

Almost only sweet varieties of apples with a sugar content of more than 7% are used.
Several varieties are taken in the following ratio: sweet - 70%, sour - 20%, bitter - 10%.
Unripe fruits should be stored for some time in a dark room at room temperature.
You can make apple juice using a centrifugal juicer.
The cake should not be thrown away; it is diluted with water, and then left for 8-12 hours and squeezed out.
Cider is prepared from the juice of 1 and 2 pressings, taken in proportions of 80% and 20%.

Recipe without using yeast and sugar

To make Calvados, real apple mash without yeast is used.. Fermentation of the wort occurs due to the starter, which is prepared using crushed unwashed apples, sugar and water. It pours in after it starts to ferment. Cider ripens in 1-1.5 months at room temperature 20°C.

At low temperatures indoor fermentation is extended for up to 3 months. For the manufacture of
Calvados, the finished cider should be distilled 2 times. The distillate must have a strength
component of at least 70-80% vol. Next, the finished drink is filtered and bottled
it in bottles with tight corks.

Making mash, aromatic cider or strong Calvados from apples is interesting. The finished product itself
is natural drink, it can please even the most fastidious connoisseurs of alcohol. It is important not to overuse mash during friendly gatherings.

Moonshine can be prepared from a wide variety of products, and apples are not the least important in this matter. The fruits give the alcohol a pleasant aroma and excellent taste, similar to apple cider. Apple mash for moonshine is prepared according to several recipes, the result of each has some differences in the concentration of smell, astringency and aftertaste. By the way, if you use sweet fruits, you can save a lot on sugar consumption.

What varieties do you choose?

Most often, cider, compote and, accordingly, mash for moonshine are made from this fruit. In the first two cases, they should be good, ripe, without wormholes, in a word, best part harvest. Unsightly ones are also suitable for mash, the main thing is to cut out the wormholes, and this applies to all varieties that differ in the concentration of sugar and fruit acids. And if for cider and compote this parameter is insignificant, then for future moonshine it is a fundamental point on which the fermentation time and the taste of the finished run after distillation will depend.

Fruits don’t have to be “standard” - you can take unsightly ones, you’ll cut off all the excess anyway

If you are preparing sourdough without yeast, you will only need sweet varieties - White filling, Medunitsa, Orlik, Jonathan, Golden, Simirenko, etc.

Sour varieties are suitable for yeast fermentation - Antonovka, Granny Smith, Boyken, and sweet and sour varieties - Krasnaya Gorka, Serebryanoye Kopytse, Miltosh, etc. In addition to yeast, sugar will also need to be added to these varieties. The proportions of sugar and fruit acids are shown in the table.

When fermenting sour, wild and sweet-sour varieties, the fermentation period is much shorter, since in an acidic environment the mushrooms grow faster and produce more waste products. Accordingly, sweet ones ferment longer.

Traditional apple mash recipe

Prepare ripe apples, it is possible that they are a little overripe. It is very important to use fruits that have a thin skin, since thick-skinned fruits are often either too sour or tart, and this will make alcoholic drink tough.

It is best to take with thin skin - they give off their taste more easily and there will be no astringency

As for sugar, you should give preference to white fine-grained sand, it dissolves faster. Water should be used exclusively purified, since what we get from the tap of a centralized system has various impurities and is not suitable for moonshine brewing.

What is needed to make moonshine using the traditional method:

sweet apples - 15-17 kg;
instant yeast dry - 10 gr. or 50 gr. wet;
fine-grained sugar - 2.5 kg;
purified water - 10 l.

Before you make mash from apples, you should prepare all the products. Wash the fruit thoroughly, cut off the rotten part, remove the center with seeds and stalks. Peeling will only be necessary if it is thick or too acidic.

Rub on coarse grater fruits or use a special crusher; a blender will also be a good helper in this case.
Pour the resulting mixture into a glass bottle where the mash will be prepared. Pour 10 liters of warm water into it. Stir the remaining liquid separately with sugar until the sand is completely dissolved and add it to the mass.

Place dry or wet yeast in water with temperature conditions 25-27°C. When the consistency becomes completely homogeneous, pour the liquid into the general apple mass and mix everything thoroughly.
Place a water seal on the top of the bottle and place the container in a dark and warm place for 10-14 days. Every 3 days, stir the apple mash for moonshine and remove the resulting “cap”.

The readiness of the product is determined by a hydrometer; the consistency should show 0-1% sugar content. Also, the mass will not taste sweet, the bottom of the container will be covered with thick sediment and the formation of carbon dioxide will stop. These are the main signs that the apple mash for moonshine is ready for distillation.

VIDEO: Instructions for making mash from apples

Compote preparation

Often after winter it remains a large number of canned apple juice. But it is considered an excellent ingredient for preparing a soft and aromatic alcoholic drink. Naturally taste qualities the resulting alcohol will be slightly inferior to the previous recipe for apple mash, but it is easier to prepare and does not require work on preparing the fruit.

Dried or boiled fruits are easier to work with, but you will need to infuse to reveal the taste ready drink on the bark

Tasters note that the taste will become much better if, after distillation, the alcoholic drink is infused for oak chips 1-2 months.

Before you put the mash on the apples, prepare the following ingredients:

apple juice - 10 l;
sugar - 2.5 kg;
fast-acting dry yeast - 20 gr.

Manufacturing stages:

For preparation, use a plastic, or preferably glass, container with a narrow neck and a volume of at least 14 liters. Place 8 liters of compote in it, dilute sugar in the remaining 2 liters.
Pour the syrup into a bottle and add the pre-dissolved yeast in the warm liquid.
Mix everything thoroughly and put a stylish medical glove on the neck and seal it tightly. You can use a water seal. Transfer the bottle to a warm place, leave for 3 weeks, but shake the contents every 5 days.

At the time of preparation, the apple juice mash for moonshine will have a slightly bitter aftertaste, an alcoholic aroma and a dense sediment, which must be eliminated before distillation. This cooking recipe involves double pasturing followed by aging for 4-5 days or infusion on oak chips for 2 months.

Braga without yeast

To make moonshine from apples without yeast, just add a few dried raisins to the recipe. As a result, it will come out completely natural product with a small percentage of alcohol and an excellent smell. It should be noted that this apple mash for an alcoholic drink can be drunk to quench your thirst on hot summer days.

What products will you need:

sweet fruits - 11 kg;
raisins - 120 gr.;
white fine-grained sand - 3.5 kg;
purified water - 3 l.

Step-by-step instructions for making mash from apples for homemade alcoholic drink:

Peel ripe or overripe fruits of sweet varieties from the core and grains without washing, grate on a coarse grater.
Puree from fresh apples transfer to an enamel-lined pan, add 1.5 liters of clean liquid and 1.5 kg of sand. Mix everything well, cover with thin gauze and place in a warm room.

Please note that during fermentation the product will emit unpleasant sour odors. Choose a place to infuse the wort based on this factor.

After 2 days, pour the mixture into a glass bottle and add the remaining ingredients - 1.5 liters of water, 2 kg of sugar, 120 g. raisins Cover with a gas seal and leave the wort until the fermentation process is complete.

The resulting one can be consumed “raw” or distilled into moonshine, but in any case it must first be strained.

Apple pomace starter

After making juice at home, a large amount of pulp remains. The mass contains a lot of sugar and aromatic components, which is excellent for making mash.

Ingredients:

apple pulp - 12 kg;
water - 30 l;
granulated sugar - 1 kg;
wine yeast - 8 gr.

Cooking method:

Squeeze from fresh fruits place in a large fermentation container, add 30 liters of water at room temperature, stir.

During the fermentation process, the wort increases in volume, so choose a large container so that it has a reserve for foam from the fruit pulp.

Add granulated sugar to the consistency, mix the mixture, dissolve wine yeast in it. Cover with a water seal and place in a warm room.
Shake the liquid daily and melt the resulting foam.
After approximately 3 weeks, the fermentation process will be completed.

The last step is to strain the wort through a gauze sieve and distill it into moonshine.

How to make it correctly from dried fruits

Requires 2 kg dried apple fruits, you can have different varieties, 10 liters of purified water, sand 3.5 kg and dry yeast - 300 gr.

Dried fruits are filled with water and boiled for 25 minutes. Afterwards, sugar is added to them, everything is mixed and cooled to a temperature of 25-30°C. Yeast is introduced into the composition, and it is left to ferment for 1-2 weeks under a water seal in a warm place. The sediment is removed, the consistency is filtered and distilled into moonshine.

Apples are an affordable product, especially when you have your own garden, so the cost of preparation will be kept to a minimum, and the result will please you.

VIDEO: How to cook apple brandy(Calvados)

Making light alcoholic drinks from apples for family and friends is not only enjoyable, but also very profitable. Apples cost little, and if you have apple trees, nothing at all, since you can collect up to five boxes of fruit from the trees. Making mash from apples is incredibly simple, but you should also be aware of the pitfalls, if you avoid them, you will get a truly worthy drink.

A correctly selected recipe will allow you to create with your own hands not only mash, but also the well-known cider, schnapps and brandy. It is extremely important not only to select good fruit for apple mash, but also to prepare moonshine from them properly.

Remember the most important thing, never forget to remove seeds and pits from apples so that when you leave the drink to ferment, it does not have an unpleasant odor or bitter taste.

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How to choose dishes and ingredients

To start making apple mash for moonshine, you will need water, sugar and yeast. However, all of them have certain requirements.

To make low-alcohol mash, you can use bread yeast. But to increase the strength of the drink, it is recommended to use wine or alcohol yeast, which will raise the alcohol level to 18-25%.
Sugar levels are higher in summer fruits, however, autumn fruits have a juicier taste. bright aroma. To make mash, we recommend using mixed varieties. The higher the sugar level when making mash, the stronger it will be.
There are also requirements for water. The most the best option Spring water is used, but filtered water is also suitable. Never use boiled water.
From the dishes you should choose a glass bottle or jar, a wooden barrel, an aluminum flask or an enamel tank.
Suitable lids for dishes include: a glove on a jar, which can be purchased at any pharmacy, a sealed lid designed for it on a flask, etc. Remember one important detail: carbon dioxide should gradually escape through the lid, without letting oxygen in.

And last but not least in importance. Braga for apple moonshine should be infused at a temperature of 20-30 degrees. At a lower temperature, the fermentation process does not occur, and at a higher temperature it stops altogether, since all microorganisms in the mash begin to die.

Recipes for mash made from fresh apple fruits

If you are going to use apples growing on your property, they can be left unwashed, as heavy rains regularly clean them and there are natural yeast cells on the top. If you plan to use store-bought fruits for your mash, be sure to rinse them, since it is not known what kind of chemical treatments they were subjected to.

Braga from apple slices

Take 9 kilograms of apples, remove the seeds and all bruised areas and dubious spots, keeping the peel. Cut the apples into slices and place them in a container, filling it.

To make mash according to the recipe: You will need six glasses of sugar, but you need to use it in 2 doses. First, take 3 tablespoons of sugar and mix it with 20 grams of yeast and half a liter of water. Stir the prepared yeast solution well and place it on the apples.

Then, dissolve the remaining sugar in 5.5 liters of water and pour it over the fruit. Put a glove on the vessel, which has 2-3 holes made with a thin needle. While the fermentation process is underway, the glove is inflated; when it is completed, the glove will fall off. The entire fermentation process will take no more than a week.

The finished mash should be filtered and strained, then bottled and stored in a dark place.

Fruit puree as a base for moonshine

To make apple mash according to the recipe: Make 15 kilograms of apples fruit puree, diluted in 14 liters of water. For 25% starter, mix one liter of water with 1 cup of sugar, adding 50 grams of yeast, 10 grams of which is dry. Pour the starter into the puree and add almost 2 kilograms of sugar (remember, one glass of sugar went into the starter). Mix the ingredients thoroughly, then close the lid tightly. However, do not fill the container completely.

After 10-12 days, you need to make the first distillation of the resulting mash, first straining it and waiting until all the puree settles at the bottom. To enhance the aroma, you can add dried candied fruits to the mash. The second distillation takes place after another five days.

Apple juice mash

There are many ways to make mash from apple juice, however, now you will get acquainted with only two, which differ in the speed of production.

Fast fermentation

Take 20 grams of powdered dry yeast and mix it with 2 kilograms of sugar, pour 10 liters of apple juice, not completely filling the vessel. Cover the container with a glove and leave it for about a week in a dark place at room temperature. After the glove falls off, filter the drink, then bottle it. It is recommended to store the mash in a cool place.

Long fermentation

Take 200 grams of fresh, pressed yeast, mix it with 4 kilograms of sugar and pour 20 liters of juice. Cover the tincture with a lid and leave for a month. When the fermentation process comes to an end, the mash needs to be filtered twice, at intervals of a day. This type mash is more suitable as a base for strong drinks.

Apple cider

This cider is made exclusively from apples. For cider, 10% bitter apples, 20% sour apples and 70% sweet apples are used. Fruits need to be peeled and cut, but not washed.

Squeeze apple juice from fruit into a container. Place the remaining cake in water and leave for a day. After a day has passed, the pulp must be squeezed out and the resulting solution added to the juice. Leave the prepared wine starter for a day. Discard the grounds and foam and stir into the cider base. Seal the vessel tightly with a lid into which a tube is inserted, one end of which is lowered to the bottom of the vessel and the other into a jar of water. You can also use a latex glove or water seal as a lid. Leave the vessel to ferment for 3-5 months.

Instant cider

Take three kilograms of strong, sweet and sour apples and grate them. Applesauce put in a jar, alternating layers with 600 grams of sugar and 50 grams of raisins. Fill everything with 600 ml of water. Seal the vessel with a intact glove and leave in the dark at room temperature.

A week later, after the glove falls off, filter the mash and pour into vessels. This cider has a light taste, similar to champagne, but this drink is not intended for long-term storage.

Having mastered the art of making alcoholic drinks at home from fruits, you will always have a bottle or two ready apple moonshine in case of unexpected gatherings for you and your loved ones at no extra cost.

Apple mash is excellent low alcohol drink for drinking, which can be prepared either from whole fruits or from juice. In addition, it can be used to make homemade moonshine. Apples contain a lot of iron and vitamins, so apple mash is also healthy.

Different varieties of apples are suitable for mash (Ranetka, Antonovka, Melba and others), which grow on any estate, and the sweeter they are, the better. The fruits should be moderately ripe. Green ones are not suitable because they are still sour, and overripe ones are not juicy enough. The mash made from late varieties, which contain a lot of sugar and tannins, will be especially tasty and aromatic.

To prepare the drink, it is better to use apples picked from the tree. You don’t have to wash them, so the “wild yeast” will remain on the skin. The fallen fruits will have to be washed, and artificial yeast will later be added to the mash.

There are several proven recipes for making mash from apples. Which one is better, everyone chooses for himself.

Recipe with whole apples

To prepare mash, it is better to use several different varieties, then the taste will be more interesting. The apples need to be sorted, the rotten and spoiled ones must be removed, and the good ones should be placed in a dark, dry place for several days to reach them.

Composition and correct proportions:

30 kilograms of apples;
300 grams of compressed yeast (optional);
4 kilograms of granulated sugar (optional);
20 liters of water (5 liters per kilogram of sugar).

Step-by-step sequence of actions.

1. Wash the apples, remove the stems and trim off the rotten areas. It is advisable to remove the core, since in the future this may affect the taste of the drink for the worse. Cut into small slices and grind with a blender, you can use a meat grinder or grate to a mushy mass.

2. Place the resulting puree in a fermentation container and dilute with 18 liters of water. Experienced moonshiners advise using spring water. Filtered will also work. The main thing is not to take tap water, otherwise the drink will taste like pipes.

3. Prepare syrup from 2 liters of water and sugar, add it to the container with the apple mixture. Add yeast diluted in warm water and mix.

4. Install a water seal and place the container in a dark, warm place for 7–10 days.

5. Already in the first days of fermentation, the mash must be stirred in order to destroy the dense layer of pulp that forms on its surface. When the mash brightens, the sediment settles and the emission of bubbles stops, you can begin distillation (distillation).

Recipe with apple juice

It is better to use freshly squeezed juice. On average, 2–2.5 kilograms of apples yield 1 liter of juice.

Ingredients:

5 liters of juice;
30 grams of compressed yeast (optional);
1 kilogram of sugar (200 grams per liter of juice);
1 liter of water.

Preparation.

1. Pour juice and syrup (sugar and water) into the fermentation container, add dissolved yeast. Mix everything thoroughly and install a water seal. Instead, you can put a medical one on the neck rubber glove with a pierced finger.

2. Place the container in a warm place for about a week. Shake occasionally during the first days of fermentation.
Water and sugar in the mash are needed to reduce the acidity of apple juice and increase the yield finished product during further passage.

The liquid brightened, a sediment appeared, the hissing stopped, the glove fell - this means that the apple juice mash is completely ripe. Now it needs to be carefully drained (without sediment) and distilled into moonshine. But you can also use the mash as an independent drink. To do this, it must be poured into glass jar(to the very neck), close the lid tightly and place in the refrigerator, basement or cellar. Under such conditions, the drink can be stored for up to 10 months.

Apple mash can be made without yeast and sugar. In this case, there is no need to wash the apples, which is why it is better to use relatively clean fruits picked from the tree. On their surface live unicellular yeast fungi (“wild yeast”), which will participate in the fermentation process. It is better not to buy apples in the store; they can be treated with chemicals, then the mash will not ferment at all. Sugar may not be added if sweet apples are used.

The cooking technology is the same as in the recipe described above, only without the addition of pressed yeast. Instead, apple pulp is used (you can also add 150 grams of unwashed raisins), which needs to be filled with water and kept warm for a day. Then add to the main mash.

It is by fermenting the juice with “wild yeast” that low-alcohol apple cider (7–10 degrees) is prepared, and after distilling it, Calvados is obtained. Apple mash ferments with “wild yeast” for 30–45 days.

Making apple mash at home is not at all difficult. If you are afraid of yeast-free mash souring, you can add a little wine yeast to it (about 5-6 grams). They will not spoil the taste and aroma of the finished drink.