Home brewing is gradually becoming fashionable. A similar method of preparing alcoholic beverages is considered the safest and most cost-effective. Therefore, more and more questions arise regarding the preparation of various liquors, cognacs and tinctures. For example, very often people are interested in: how to paint moonshine so that it does not have an unpleasant smell and a cloudy color.
Basic Rules
In order to make moonshine, they first make the mash, after which it is subjected to primary purification and distillation. At the first stage, as a rule, they do not care about the future color of the drink. All the main actions to improve the taste, appearance and smell will occur much later. How can you paint moonshine? In fact, there are many ways to stain alcohol. For example, many people prefer to use tea, coffee, nuts, herbs, or even preserves.
Those who care about their own health prepare moonshine on herbs. Among them, the most popular supplements are St. John's wort. In addition, if you use oak bark, the drink will acquire the taste and smell of cognac. As for conventional food colors, some of them are completely unsuitable for moonshine. Therefore, it is advisable to pay attention to the recommendations of the manufacturers before mixing the powder with alcohol. In addition, food colorings, as a rule, have neither taste nor aroma.
How to paint over tea
How to quickly paint moonshine? In order to change the color of a homemade alcoholic drink, black tea is most often used. Green is not suitable for this purpose, since an unpleasant dirty yellow shade can turn out. As a rule, proceed as follows. Loose tea is added to the ready-made moonshine and sent to infuse for three to four days. The amount of tea will depend on your own preferences. In a word, the more tea leaves are added, the more intense will be the shade of an alcoholic drink.
Pine or Walnuts
This method is quite popular and has been used since time immemorial. As a result, the color and aroma of the drink is rich brown and extremely pleasant. We paint the moonshine with nuts as follows. Pine nuts are pre-boiled and only then added to moonshine. The drink is infused for a month. Usually, ten pounds of pine nuts are taken per ten liters.
Walnut kernels are usually not added to an alcoholic drink, but only partitions are used. Moreover, their number is carefully calculated. Experienced moonshiners advise the following proportions: for one liter of liquid, partitions of no more than fifteen nuts are used. The drink is infused for one week, after which the composition is filtered and poured into a new container.
With oranges and lemons
How to paint moonshine so that there is no smell? A similar staining method will not only eliminate the unpleasant odor, but also enrich the moonshine with vitamin C. Citrus peels are usually used, which are pre-cleaned of the white part and dried. Most often, the peel of lemons and oranges is taken. However, if desired, you can add a skin of tangerines and grapefruits. Experienced moonshiners are advised to use at least one peel of large or medium fruit per liter of moonshine.
With prunes
This recipe is called "Armenian brandy." It allows you to quickly fill the moonshine and remove the smell, which is what many users like. Experts advise to adhere to the following proportions: for every liter of moonshine, at least one hundred grams of prunes. The dried fruit is pre-washed, the stone is removed from the middle and only added to the liquid in this form. After about a week, moonshine acquires a pleasant shade and a light aroma. To its taste, this alcohol really resembles Armenian cognac, due to which the recipe has gained popularity among fans of homemade moonshine.
Caramel Tinting
Making caramel is easy enough. In one tablespoon sugar is poured without a hill and just warm it on fire. Sugar melts quickly enough, forming a thick brown caramel. After that, the burnt sugar is added to the moonshine and wait for its complete dissolution. The drink acquires a pleasant yellow tint and a sweetish aftertaste. As a rule, one liter of alcohol will need one tablespoon of homemade caramel.
Berry staining
With the help of berries, you can give moonshine various shades, ranging from orange to rich blue. For example, to make the drink turn yellow, use horseradish or lemon balm leaves. Before painting moonshine at home, the horseradish is twisted on a coarse grater and combined with alcohol. After about three days of insisting, the composition is filtered through double gauze, poured into a new container.
In order to get a blue color, you need yarrow inflorescences. Dry grass is thrown into an alcoholic drink and filtered after two days. A gentle blue hue is obtained as a result of the insisting of moonshine on the inflorescences of cornflowers. Too many people like it when moonshine is colored red. You can get this shade with the help of blueberries. If you add blueberries, the liquid will turn pale blue.
Before you fill the moonshine with berries, first proceed as follows. Frozen cranberries are allowed to thaw, after which they are pounded in a separate container until gruel is formed. Next, cranberry puree is diluted with an alcoholic drink, and then filtered through double gauze. The resulting juice is poured into a container with moonshine.
It can be done differently. For example, immediately add crushed cranberries to an alcoholic drink and let it brew a little. Then strain all the liquid and pour into another container. Both methods have both disadvantages and advantages. In the first case, the process of filling moonshine is much easier, and in the second case, the drink becomes more saturated and aromatic.
Instant coffee
This method is often resorted to if the moonshine turned out to be of poor quality due to incomplete distillation. Instant coffee helps get rid of fusel odors and quickly paint over the unwanted shade of the drink. As a rule, they proceed as follows. For every liter of moonshine you will need one teaspoon of coffee powder. Moonshine is painted quickly and effectively. The color turns out to be quite saturated, and the alcohol itself acquires a specific aroma of coffee beans.
Medicinal herbs
A very popular way of painting moonshine, allowing you to get rid of the unpleasant odor, is to use medicinal plants. For example, a herb such as St. John's wort has a good effect on human health, so moonshine acquires the properties of a medicinal tincture. You can buy dried Hypericum inflorescence at any pharmacy. Before painting moonshine, the grass should be carefully sorted. Next, dry raw materials are poured into moonshine and sent to infuse in a dark place for one week.
Experts advise occasionally to get a container with an alcoholic drink and shake it. At the end of cooking, the composition must be filtered through double gauze.
Hibiscus petals
With the help of this plant, you can paint homemade moonshine in an intensely red hue. From how many petals will be added will veil and color brightness. Hibiscus will add a touch of acidity to the drink. It contains a huge amount of vitamin C, which has a beneficial effect on human health. Experienced moonshiners are advised to use at least two tablespoons of petals per liter of liquid. As a rule, they are poured into an alcoholic drink, and after twenty-four hours they are removed.
How to make black or green
How to paint moonshine? The recipes for staining black or green are quite simple. Black moonshine looks quite impressive. Make it simple enough. For this, berries are again used. To get the drink black, you should take blueberries. Moreover, their number should be quite large. Otherwise, moonshine will turn purple. The berries are first pounded with a mortar in a glass container, after which they are mixed with a small amount of moonshine. Next, the composition is filtered and combined with the rest of the liquid. If the berries are crushed and simply added to the moonshine, then the shade will turn out to be more intense. After ten hours, the composition must be filtered through double gauze.
To get green, you need nettles. This plant gives a rather saturated shade, and regardless of whether the raw material is dry or fresh. As a rule, they act quite simply. Before painting moonshine, the stems together with the leaves are chopped with a knife. Then they are added to the container with alcohol, left to infuse for several hours. After an hour, moonshine acquires a herbal shade. The brightness of moonshine will also depend on the amount of added greens.
Spices for taste and smell
Some spices can dramatically change the taste and give the drink an amazing smell. Most commonly used are saffron, star anise, ginger, bay leaf, cardamom and rosemary. A rather interesting spicy taste can be obtained if you combine cardamom and nutmeg. Experts do not recommend using too many spices, otherwise the alcohol will turn out to be bitter, and the smell will be too intrusive. Thanks to saffron, the drink acquires a light yellow hue. If you add ginger to the moonshine, then its taste will be quite specific and also bitter. However, many people like this effect. In addition, ginger has a lot of useful properties. The resulting drink will be an excellent prophylactic for colds.