Modern man is unique because he is always ready for force majeure. He knows where it is better to buy groceries, which movie session is the smallest, and which stash is needed for a rainy day. In particular, what is always at hand for a modern person? A certain amount of money, a pack of soothing tea, spare socks and several bottles of alcohol in the home bar. The type of alcohol itself depends on the personal preferences of each person. But in one, most people agree: purchased alcohol does not always indulge in quality, but homemade tincture is always tasty and healthy (at least not harmful). So the question arises: "What to insist on vodka to get a good result?"
Home bar
There are often reasons to get together at a good table, and everything would be fine if you hadn’t had to pre-pack food, choose alcohol, which means spending quite a lot of money. Therefore, the home bar always helps out. Firstly, you can save on ingredients. Secondly, you can diversify the range of drinks. Thirdly, you can be sure of the quality of the latter. Some methods of preparing homemade tinctures suggest an interesting recipe, and the taste promises to be much richer than that of a store counterpart. It is simpler and more rational to take vodka as the basis, but by itself it does not appeal to everyone without exception. So the question arises of what to insist on vodka. There are a great many recipes, and if you have imagination, you can achieve an interesting taste and optimal strength. Not for nothing that all cocktails are based on a certain amount of white. By the way, for homemade tincture the fortress of vodka is not enough - only 40%. So, you have to raise the degree (at least to 45). If you act on the basis of home remedies, then you can buy a couple of bubbles of ethyl alcohol. This is a quick way, but if you have berries, sugar or any other strong alcohol, then you can do without pharmaceutical additives.
Bit of theory
Before you insist on homemade vodka, it would be nice to know what such a natural product is. When vodka is mixed with ethyl alcohol, a water-alcohol solution with a strength of just above 50% is obtained. But even this is not enough, since tinctures usually have a strength of up to 60%. This is obtained by insisting on berries, fruits and herbs. You can also add sugar or sugar syrup and other ingredients to the solution. Of course, the process is not limited to simply mixing the components. The process takes an average of three to seven weeks. It should be noted that tinctures are radically different from liquors just because the tinctures are obtained in the process of fermentation or the addition of alcohol to fruit drinks. But in tinctures, aromatic substances and essential oils go directly to alcohol. To prepare them, you can use strong alcohol, for example, gin, rum, bourbon or whiskey. But it’s easier to work with pure alcohol, since you don’t have to remove the original taste of the drink.
Some nuances and tips
If you correctly insist vodka on herbs, roots, seeds or berries, you get a bitter tincture. The effect of using peels or leaves as the base will be the same.
For the spicy taste of the drink, tincture is prepared on spices, followed by filtration or distillation on a moonshine.
Fans of sugary drinks of relatively low strength (from 18 to 25%) use fruits, berries or roots with the addition of sugar or syrup in a proportion of 200 g of sugar per liter. Remember that if the amount of sweet exceeds 500 g per liter, the result is no longer tincture, but liquor.
For a sweet tincture of the berry, you need to slightly freeze it to destroy the structure of the fibers and get more juice. To insist you need darkness and room temperature. True, you can leave the tincture in the sun, but then the drink will become lighter, and the taste will be slightly smoked. Temperature directly affects the cooking speed. Here the elementary rules of physics and chemistry apply. To give the finished drink a caramel color, the fruits must be fried before use.
By the way, during the insistence it is not necessary to open the lid, as bacteria and oxygen can penetrate inside. But there are exceptions when tinctures, on the contrary, need oxygenation.
Basic recipe
So what do vodka insist on? This question is of particular concern to those who had not done anything similar before. It is worth starting with a basic recipe. You can insist berries or chopped fruits. Fill the container with two-thirds of the berries, and fill the remaining space with alcohol or vodka under the lid itself. So the alcohol will not oxidize. Close the lid tightly or use a cloth to cover. Every three to four days it is necessary to shake the drink, and then filter through a funnel with a filter or regular gauze, cotton wool. The finished drink must be poured into a clean bottle and put in the cold for several weeks. This method is used to prepare, for example, cedar and brandy.
For the basic recipe for spicy tinctures, the algorithm of actions is similar, but at the end it is advisable to filter the drink by distillation.
Finally, a bitter tincture is initially prepared for a sweet drink, and then approximately 250 ml of sugar syrup per liter is added to it. By the way, sugar can be replaced with honey. The most popular sweet tinctures with the addition of honey include pepper, horseradish and hacking.
What is most often cooked at home
When deciding the question "what to insist on vodka", the main factors will be their own taste and the desired result, but still there are several of the most popular drinks, which can most often be found in the home bar of an ordinary Russian. Here they should be guided. They are economical in selecting ingredients, so you can cook them at almost any convenient time.
So, the bitter cherry tincture. Ideal for the berry season. It will take 1.5-2 kg of cherries, which need to be slightly dried in the oven over low heat. If necessary, you can add water. Then you need to pour the cherry under the neck with alcohol or vodka. The process of insisting will take almost three months, and from time to time the infusion should be shaken.
Remember about hydrocyanic acid in cherry pits. It becomes harmful after six months of insisting, so that with timely filtration, the bones can not be reached. They also ennoble the taste of tincture. If you pour berries with alcohol, then after insisting it will be necessary to dilute the drink with water to the optimum strength.
Spicy tincture on cinnamon is in good demand - it will warm on cold evenings. So, what can vodka be insisted on to get a full analogue of mulled wine? For a liter of vodka, you need a few tablespoons of dried blueberries, a little crushed almonds, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and lemon zest. Cloves and star anise are also useful. The process of insisting will take two weeks (according to the basic recipe).
Favorite sweet tincture - Voronets - is made with honey, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves. The tincture prepared according to the basic recipe must be placed in the oven in a tightly closed container and kept at a temperature of 50 degrees for 5 hours. Then the drink needs to be filtered and placed in a dark place so that it has time to infuse.
I must say that, having studied the principles of preparing basic tinctures, you can prepare almost any drink, but you still need to experimentally test the algorithm of actions. Nobody has canceled the share of fantasy, because even a strict recipe can turn into a disastrous result, and it is impossible to spoil the porridge with butter!
By the berries!
The best time to fill up the home bar is autumn, when the berries yield of many housewives is baffled. It seems that there is simply nowhere to do good. After all, a pair of jars of jam, compote and jam from one type of berries is enough. But homemade tincture is useful not only for drinking in the circle of loved ones, but also for treating guests. The drink is strong and natural, and even good for health, if, of course, you know the measure. Otherwise, a preventive technique can turn into an immoderate libation. For medicinal purposes, you can take a tablespoon of vodka tincture a couple of times a day. Such a dose improves blood circulation, normalizes blood pressure and relieves stress.
Rowan tincture has a pleasant copper color, rich taste and sweet berry aroma. For 10 liters of tincture you will need 6 kg of berries, a pound of sugar and, of course, vodka. Before cooking, the rowan needs to be washed, peeled and poured into jars for two-thirds of the total. It is necessary to insist the drink at room temperature, periodically updating vodka, since the berries absorb the liquid strongly. Brandy infused for a month. Then the liquid is drained, and the berries are again poured with vodka. The new infusion must be kept for another month and a half, and then mix the first infusion with the second. The drink should rest for a week, and the longer the "rest", the tastier the result.
A similar algorithm of actions is followed if you want to make a bite. So, how to insist on cranberry vodka? It should be borne in mind that cranberries are tasty but sour berries. That is, sugar should not be spared, and you should focus on the volume of berries. For example, for 2 cups of cranberries you will need a cup of sugar, 0.5 liters of vodka and 0.5 cups of water. By the way, honey can be used instead of a sweetener. With it, the tincture will be healthier and more aromatic. In addition, the natural product can be consumed not only during the feast. Klukovka is a hoppy but tasty cold medicine.
So, the berries need to be washed and dried, and then passed through a meat grinder or mashed potatoes. Pour vodka directly into this mass. Pour into a jar, tightly close the lid and leave for three days (maybe a week), and then the resulting liquid must be filtered. To do this, take a colander, place it over a saucepan, cover it with folded gauze. We carefully monitor that no grains slip through the fabric! At the end, twist the edges of the gauze and wring it in the palms. Sugar is dissolved in water and added to the tincture. All! If desired, the drink can be poured into beautiful bottles and set aside until the arrival of dear friends. Why exactly girlfriends? Because the product is weak - only 15-20
o , which means women will like it more.
Nuts for your feast
Now, not everyone can afford to have a nut supply at home - this is an extremely expensive product. But if you have your own hazel, you can insist nuts on vodka and get a very interesting result. For example, tincture on pine nuts is generally a remedy for many ailments. But it is undesirable to get involved in it. To prepare the drug you will need a glass of unpeeled pine nuts, about 150 g of sugar and half a liter of vodka. Pour the fruits with vodka, pouring sugar. The drink should be infused in the dark and warm for about two weeks. Shake the container daily to completely dissolve the sugar. After insisting, do not discard nuts, but add vodka again. The second and first infusion should be mixed and given a little rest.
The cooking process, as you see, is simple, the main thing is to observe proportions and endurance. In moderation, tincture can be used for pleasure and to enhance immunity, as well as for the prevention of stomach diseases. Since vodka is insisted on pine nuts in different countries, the drink became known as “cedar.”
Experienced lovers of such a product are advised to boil pine nuts twice for five minutes, and after the first boil, water must be drained and a new one added. Why is this needed? Yes, just boiling removes the resin from the pine nuts and thereby makes the tincture tastier. The boiled nuts need to be thrown into a colander and only then put in a jar. Cedar should be infused for almost a month at room temperature, and then filtered through gauze or a layer of cotton wool. Sugar or honey is added to taste - and the tincture is ready. In a sealed container and in the cold, it can be stored for up to three years.
Also, a very tasty drink will turn out if you insist vodka on walnuts. For this, shelled nuts, vodka and, of course, sugar are needed. By the way, partitions can not be thrown away, but used along with the cores. So, you need 400 g of nuts, 0.5 l of vodka, sugar (honey) to taste. The process is not difficult. The nuts must be carefully chopped, scalded with boiling water and pour vodka. Insist 3-4 days, periodically shaking. Sugar is added at the very end, and the tincture is mixed until it is completely dissolved. The color of the tincture depends on the time of infusion and the number of partitions, so if you want to achieve cognac color, you will have to be patient and wait a month.
On the roots and herbs
If you insist on ginger root, you get a rather interesting drink - it does not feel alcohol at all, the aftertaste and aroma of spice are pronounced. The classic ginger tincture is made from a liter of vodka (40-45%), 50 g of fresh ginger and 100 g of honey. The latter softens the burning taste of tincture, sugar is not so effective. So, the root needs to be washed, peeled, grated, put in a jar for insisting. Add vodka and honey, mix, cover and take the container to a dark place for 2 weeks. Shake periodically. Filter the finished tincture through cheesecloth folded in several layers, and if you want the drink to become more transparent, filter it also through cotton wool. All. It remains to be bottled, hermetically sealed and sent for storage (shelf life - up to two years).
In general, vodka is the most effective basis for medicinal plants, since alcohol draws a maximum of useful raw materials from medicinal herbs. For example, from anise and wormwood. Cooking You will need vodka (3 l), anise (100 g) and wormwood (50 g). Insisting goes in two stages. First you need to insist anise for a couple of weeks (use 2 liters of alcohol for it), and then another couple of days for wormwood (pour the remaining liter). As a result, two infusions are mixed, and the resulting mixture is bottled.
Original danger
Amanita mushroom is notorious, but we must not forget that it really is deadly poisonous. At the same time, on the basis of this gift of the forest, you can prepare tincture - for healing purposes, of course. Only the question arises: "How to insist fly agaric on vodka?"
This mushroom is found throughout Russia. It evokes associations with witchcraft and secret rituals. Today, the therapeutic effect of the fungus is scientifically confirmed, and it is widely used in medicine.
Fresh mushrooms must be cleaned of debris, rinsed thoroughly under running water and chopped. The raw materials are spread on cheesecloth and the juice is carefully squeezed. The resulting liquid is poured into a jar and the same amount of vodka is added (1: 1). Insist in a cool dark place. They drink such a tool with teaspoons, not glasses!
Knowing how to insist fly agaric on vodka, you can later use both infusion and pulp. In particular, the gruel is used to treat joint pain, and is also effective for bruises and injuries. Do compresses at least once a day.
For prophylaxis
In conclusion, you still need to tell how to insist propolis on vodka. This drink is very healthy. Its composition is truly unique:
- antioxidants - compounds that have the effect of an antibiotic, but only it is gentle and practically harmless;
- acids;
- nutrients;
- vitamins.
An interesting feature is the property of propolis not to lose its usefulness over time.
According to many people, this is a real panacea for many diseases, chronic body dysfunctions. To prepare the tincture you will need real propolis (70-80 g), which must be frozen and then crushed. Ground propolis is poured with vodka (0.5 l) and placed in the dark for a couple of weeks. During this time, part of the nutrients will be transferred to the solution, and it can be used for prevention and treatment.