In Russia, moonshine still took root for a long time - the locals did not understand them. Hopping drinks were widely advertised by foreigners, trying to start earning huge amounts. Not everyone could afford to have a moonshine at home, so soon the availability of the apparatus indicated high incomes. Foreigners who brought moonshine to Russia and taught him how to drink, opened taverns and lobbied for the ban on private ownership of the device.
The ban on brewing moonshine at home was lifted only in 2002 by the Federal Law of Russia. Of course, at any time there were ardent admirers of moonshining, who, under pain of punishment, continued to produce intoxicating drinks. Today, one who has decided to try himself in this matter is struggling to get through numerous recipes and tips. There are as many recipes for each hop drink as there are moonshiners, each brings its own contribution and has its own little secret of producing the perfect drink. The moonshine still is a means for the production of a wide variety of drinks, of different strengths and aftertaste. Over the centuries, people have not yet experimented and continue to invent new recipes. Using a moonshine at home, you can make cognac. As a rule, grapes are used for this, others simply ennoble moonshine improving its color and taste by adding coffee, sugar and other ingredients. Real cognac from grapes is also called brandy and it is quite possible to cook it at home. Today, moonshine can be easily bought in specialized stores, for example - A great choice for beginner moonshiners. Experts advise using nutmeg grape varieties with a specific aroma, but any other variety will do. The main requirement for grapes is its ripeness.
Making brandy is a laborious and multi-way process.
First you need to prepare the wine material. Cognac alcohol can be obtained by distillation of young wine through a moonshine, so you need to start with wine. You do not need to wash the harvested grapes, the berries are simply removed from the bunches and choked with the bones. The reasonable question is why grapes cannot be washed. Wine yeast, necessary for fermentation, is formed on the surface of berries, without them, wine will not work. Heavily dirty berries can be wiped with a dry rag. Grated grapes are placed in enameled dishes, diluted with sugar (calculated as 2 kg per 10 liters of grapes). Cover the resulting product with a clean cloth or gauze and place for a week in a warm and dark place. You should not forget about the wort, it is advisable to mix it regularly with a wooden spoon. Around the second day, a “cap” of pulp begins to form, which interferes with fermentation. Wine for better fermentation is thoroughly mixed two to three times a day. About a week later, the wine will begin to emit a characteristic wine smell, and the whole pulp will be on the surface - signs that it is time to filter the wort. The liquid is carefully poured into another vessel, the remaining is squeezed out through a tissue or gauze. Sugar is added again with the same calculation of 2 kilograms per 10 liters of liquid. Grape juice is poured into glass bottles (maximum fill up to 70% of the volume), a water seal or a medical glove with a hole is installed. Tanks for 20 days are installed in a dark and warm place. After 18-22 days, fermentation ends and wine material is obtained with a strength of 11-14 degrees.
Now the moonshine is connected to the process.
- Young wine is poured into it without sediment. At this stage, slow distillation is used (up to 3 liters per hour) and the first 50 ml of distillate is poured. They stop taking alcohol when the fortress drops below 30 degrees. The drink obtained as a result of the first distillation is diluted with water 1: 1.
- The second distillation is carried out as well as the first. To get pure wine alcohol in the end, you need to drive the wine through the moonshine still one more time.
- For the third distillation, the distillate is selected at least 45 degrees. Now brandy production requires infusion. Some use an oak barrel for this, others use oak pegs. Oak 50 and more years old with a trunk diameter of 30-35 cm is perfect for brandy tincture. Waste from production, such as sawdust, wood shavings and bark, are not used in brandy preparation, as the brandy is tough with a high content of tannins.
If you use oak pegs - they must be prepared in advance. It is advisable that the felled tree is naturally soaked (lay down for several years in the snow and rain). Pegs are placed in three-liter jars, where alcohol is poured. Before bottling, the distillate is diluted with water to obtain a strength of 42-45 degrees. One of the secrets of homemade brandy manufacturers is to pour alcohol into water so that the liquid does not cloud. Cans with pegs and alcohol are cleaned in a cool dark place for six months to a year. The exposure time affects the quality of cognac. The last step in the preparation of brandy is caramelization. It is necessary to change the color of cognac and soften the taste. This process is purely individual, depending on your individual preferences. On average, no more than 50 grams per 3 liters of drink is used, citric acid at the tip of a knife. After caramelization, cognac is aged in a sealed vessel for another 7-10 days. After this period, the drink can be bottled by filtering it through a layer of cotton wool. Today moonshine stills can be purchased on the open market and their variety is impressive, for example it is possible in a specialized store "Pan Moonshine".
Of course, most devices are used to distill mash at home and the production of strong alcoholic beverages. The most primitive apparatus consists of two components - a distillation cube and a holder (coil). The feedstock is poured into the distillation cube, then it is heated to the desired temperature. During heating, the feed begins to evaporate lighter fractions, which condense in the coil. Modern moonshines are equipped with a variety of design solutions that allow you to control the distillation processes.