Ordinary moonshine. Moonshine brewing technology at home

A recipe for moonshine from sugar and yeast is the easiest way to prepare mash for subsequent distillation at home. Moonshine is made from an alcohol-containing mass - mash, which is the result of fermentation of products containing sucrose or starchy compounds.

Moonshine brewing includes the following steps:

Making mash.
Distillation of mash. In fact, this is the distillation of alcohol from an alcohol-containing mass using a homemade or factory-made moonshine still.
Cleansing. When producing ethyl alcohol on an industrial scale, instead of distillation, the rectification method is used, which makes it possible to separate ethanol from fusel oils and aldehyde fractions; at home, even moonshine from sugar and yeast will have to be additionally purified from harmful components.

Braga, or mash, can be made from any starchy vegetables (potatoes, beets, peas), sugar-rich fruits and berries, grains, ready-made jam or starch. The classic recipe for making moonshine involves the use of pure sugar.. Equally important components are yeast and water.

From every kilogram of sugar you can get 1.1-1.2 liters of the finished drink. The yield of the final product is affected by compliance with the rules of distillation, in particular the temperature regime and the quality of the components used. For 1 kg of sugar you need to take 3.5 liters of water and 100 g of pressed or 20 g of dry yeast.

On average, to obtain 5 liters of ready-made 400 moonshine you will need:

6 kg sugar;
120 g dry or 600 g pressed yeast;
21 liters of water (3 liters will be used to prepare the syrup);
25 g citric acid.

Prepare clean dishes. It must first be doused with boiling water and wiped dry. In this way, all the utensils necessary for creating and storing the finished drink are prepared. This will protect the final product from foreign odors and tastes.

Different mash recipes differ in how they prepare sugar for the fermentation process. You can simply dissolve it in hot water or carry out the inversion process - the splitting of sucrose molecules into separate molecules of fructose and glucose. The splitting reaction is carried out at high temperature (not lower than 80°C) in the presence of a catalyst - citric acid. Inverted syrup is close in consistency and carbohydrate composition to natural honey.

Mash made from inverted sugar syrup, despite the additional costs of its preparation, has a number of advantages.

The fermentation process in it proceeds faster, which contributes to the accumulation of fewer unwanted impurities in the final product - by-products of yeast activity. The use of invert syrup for saccharification of cereals or other products for wort helps to improve the taste and other organoleptic qualities of moonshine obtained from them. Preparing syrup at high temperatures helps purify raw materials from pathogenic microorganisms and fungi.

If mash recipes call for the use of crushed vegetables or fruits rich in polysaccharides, sugar inversion is carried out separately to avoid the formation of a toxic substance from hemicellulose - furfural, which irritates the skin and mucous membranes.

Prepare the syrup as follows:

3 liters of water must be heated to a temperature of 80°C (it is advisable to use a thermometer for control).
Sugar must be added gradually, stirring constantly.
After the sugar has completely dissolved, the syrup is brought to a boil and cooked for 10 minutes.
Citric acid is added to the syrup. Cook over low heat for another 1 hour.

Water preparation

The quality of water is of great importance for the organoleptic properties of the finished drink. It is best to use filtered water. The tap liquid must first be allowed to settle for 1-2 days to free it from residual chlorine and reduce the hardness index. Spring, well or melt water is well suited for home brewing.

Boiling water is strictly prohibited. The fermentation process is caused by special cultures of fungi; single-celled organisms consume glucose and release carbon dioxide and ethyl alcohol. Boiling destroys the oxygen in the water and yeast cannot thrive in it.

Water is poured into the pan through a thin tube so as not to disturb the sediment.

Yeast preparation

Before adding to the mash, the yeast must be prepared. The pressed product is pre-kneaded by hand. It can be placed directly into the prepared liquid or first dissolved in a small amount of warm diluted syrup.

Dry yeast is activated by dissolving in diluted syrup, heated to a temperature of +33...+37°C. The container is wrapped and left in a warm room for 25-30 minutes until a uniform dense foam appears. After this, the mixture can be used.

The process of making sugar mash

Ready-made moonshine has characteristic features, including:

Specific smell of alcohol.
Lightening due to precipitation.
Disappearance of signs of fermentation (gas bubbles no longer appear in the water seal).
Bitter taste (the process of converting sugar into alcohol is completely completed).
A burning match over an open mash does not go out.
The hydrometer reading should not exceed 2.5%. Otherwise, it is necessary to continue fermentation, for which yeast is added to the mixture again.

The finished mash is poured through a tube so as not to disturb the sediment. Then it is heated to 50°C, after which it is poured into a clean glass container. For additional lightening, you can use bentonite (a clay mineral). For every 10 liters of finished mash, add 1-1.5 tbsp. l. bentonite. The clay must first be diluted in a glass of warm water and allowed to swell until a creamy mass is formed. Bentonite is poured into a container with mash, shaken vigorously and left for a day. After this procedure, you can make moonshine.

Some mash recipes involve adding spices, herbs and other components to it before distillation to enhance the taste and aroma of the finished drink. In addition, for additional cleaning, you can pour whole milk into the mash: 1 liter for every 5 liters of alcohol-containing mass. In this case, after the first distillation, the raw material may have a whitish tint.

Distillation

The classic recipe for moonshine involves double distillation.

First stage

As the alcohol-containing mixture is heated, the liquid evaporates. Different components of the mash have different boiling points, and therefore do not evaporate at the same time. Water and most harmful impurities are evaporated at temperatures of 100°C and above, while distillation of alcohol begins at 78.3°C. This is why it is so important to control the distillation temperature. The temperature of the solution should not exceed 98°C.

During the distillation process, the mixture is divided into fractions. The first and last portions contain toxic substances such as acetic and other aldehydes, ethyl formic and methyl acetic ethers, and methyl alcohol. In this regard, the first distillation is divided into 3 stages:

1 faction - “cutting off heads”. The volume of the fraction is determined at the rate of 50 g per kilogram of sugar. In this case it is 300 ml. This is the so-called industrial alcohol, and consuming it internally is hazardous to health.
Fraction 2 - “body”. After collecting the first portion of moonshine, it is advisable to change the outlet tube, as well as the cooler and reservoir. At this stage of the process it is important to strictly control the strength of the product. Immediately after reducing the strength below 40% vol. the tank needs to be replaced.
3rd faction - “tail”. This portion of moonshine contains little alcohol, but many undesirable impurities, including fusel oil.

Cleaning procedure

After the first distillation, moonshine made from sugar and yeast, like any other, needs to be cleaned.

The most popular method. To do this, add potassium permanganate to the moonshine until a slightly pink solution is obtained and leave it for several days until a black precipitate forms. The drink purified in this way must be filtered through several layers of cotton wool.

Another simple way to purify moonshine is to use activated carbon during the distillation process, for which it is placed in a funnel.

Prepare the funnel in advance:

Cover the drain hole with a layer of gauze, sprinkle crushed activated carbon on it and place it under dripping moonshine.
After distillation, the drink can be filtered again through a layer of gauze with sorbent.
Coal can be placed in a container with moonshine for several days at the rate of 50 g per 1 liter of drink and stir daily, strain before use.

You can clean moonshine with milk. Many people like this method because of its simplicity and absolute naturalness. You can use any milk: homemade, store-bought, even dry. What is more important is the fat content of the product, it should be minimal, otherwise the output will be the same cloudy moonshine that appears in jokes. Although if you plan to re-distill the drink, then this does not matter; in the end it will be transparent. The purification is based on the ability of the protein molecules casein and albumin to establish strong compounds with the molecules of fusel oils and other impurities harmful to humans and precipitate.

For 10 liters of raw materials, 150-250 ml of milk will be required, the liquids are combined, mixed, and the container is covered. Moonshine should sit for 7 days, the first five of which must be stirred or shaken daily. After the end of the cleaning period, the moonshine is carefully drained so as not to stir up the flakes at the bottom, and the remaining liquid is filtered through a layer of cotton wool

Second stage

Repeated distillation allows you to obtain high-quality moonshine, purifying it from fusel oils and harmful impurities. It turns out crystal clear and does not have the unpleasant odor characteristic of raw materials. It can be consumed in its pure form or used to make homemade liqueurs, tinctures and other alcoholic “delicacies”.

Before re-distillation, the raw material is diluted with clean water to a strength of 20% vol., placed in a cube and distilled in the same way as the first time.

It is necessary to dilute the raw material:

Firstly, if you skip this step or pour in little water, you can get an explosion and fire in the room caused by ignition of vapors.
Secondly, the high strength of the liquid makes the molecular bond of ethyl alcohol and fusel oils more stable, and it is impossible to obtain a pure product as a result, the meaning of the entire procedure is lost.

For the second distillation, the sequence of combining liquids is relevant. First, you should pour water into the container, and then alcohol, otherwise the final product will turn out cloudy. In fact, the process of secondary distillation is identical to the first, the difference is only in the amount of output, it will be noticeably higher. There are three fractions in re-distilled moonshine:

Head. Saturated with methanol and vinegar, it is absolutely not suitable for internal use, as it causes poisoning rather than intoxication. It can be used to ignite a fire or for technical needs. Occupies about 7-12% of the total output volume. It is easy to identify the head by smell; a drop of liquid is rubbed on the hand; if the smell of acetone is no longer present, you can collect what is suitable for drinking.
Moonshine body, then for the sake of which everything happens, about 80% of the volume. Verified by arson, the second faction burns with a blue flame.
Tails. At this stage, the alcohol strength decreases and the content of fusel oils increases. It is not advisable to drink them, but you should not throw them away either. A third fraction can be added to the mash to increase the strength. The tails are cut off at a strength of 45-40° and below.

Further distillations

There is no clear opinion on whether it is worth distilling moonshine for the third time. It is believed that if after the second procedure the alcohol was purified with charcoal, then this is quite enough. But if vegetable oil or milk was used to remove harmful components, then the third cleaning will help get rid of foreign impurities. The process repeats the sequence of the second distillation.

Here the head will be about 3-4%, and the strength of the main fraction is 60-75°, it should then be diluted to the required alcohol content with water. In principle, the distillation procedure can be repeated an unlimited number of times, but after the third, little changes in the composition of the drink, it turns out to be quite pure and all subsequent times are almost meaningless.

Moonshine made from sugar and yeast is sometimes mixed with whole milk instead of a second distillation at the rate of 100 g per 5 liters of raw milk. After the milk has curdled, the drink is filtered and considered ready for drinking. Nevertheless, the second distillation more reliably cleans moonshine from unwanted impurities and fusel oils than milk.

Distillate from grains or fruits does not need to be further purified; this will remove the pleasant aroma from them. But if you put herbs or citrus peels in the steamer, this will, on the contrary, improve the smell. Aromatization should be done only after the head is released and the main fraction begins to flow.

Moonshine brewing is completed by diluting the finished product with water to the desired strength. To improve taste, it is recommended to steep the finished moonshine for 3 days in a dark, cool room before drinking.

The popularity of homemade moonshine from sugar mash is difficult to overestimate - everyone who has a factory or home-made unit makes it. There is a completely logical explanation for this - sugar is available, it is easily and quickly fermented, and the finished product is pure. The whole process takes no more than 2 weeks. Most recipes differ only in the proportions of the main ingredients, so we will present a classic one with invert sugar, which can be used to prepare the drink by both experienced luminaries and novice distillers.

Preparatory process

Let us immediately note that the recipe for moonshine made from sugar and odorless yeast implies the use of only clean utensils, starting from the mash container and ending with the unit itself.

Ideally, all containers, bottles and pans should be rinsed with hot water (over 60°C) and wiped dry. Only in this case can it be guaranteed that the finished product will not have the smell of foreign impurities, and the mash will not turn sour even before the time comes to distill it.

For fermentation, you need a transparent bottle with a volume of 15-20 liters with a wide neck.

You will need an aquarium heater - it can be used to maintain the fermentation temperature at 27-30°C.

You will also need:

gauze for straining;
carbon column for filtering moonshine at home from a plastic container and charcoal;
sealable bottles for the finished drink.

Ingredients

You can prepare a quality product calmly and without haste only when all the necessary items and products are at hand.

Granulated sugar - 6 kg

Sugar - to prepare the classic moonshine recipe, use the most ordinary granulated sugar

The usual one, which can be bought at any store. It is not advisable to make mash for moonshine from cane, brown and other analogues, since the result in all cases will be the same in taste, smell and strength. But at the fermentation stage problems may arise.

Water - 24 liters

Fermentation of mushrooms depends on the quality of water, so you need to be very careful when choosing it. Depending on the origin, you can use (in descending order of benefit):

artesian;
spring;
purified;
bottled;
tap water left for 2-3 days.

Pressed yeast - 600 gr. or dry 120 gr.

The amount of dry yeast may vary depending on the degree of dehydration. The packaging usually contains information about the proportions relative to the pressed ones and recommendations for volume.

foam less;
Fermentation proceeds faster - 3-6 days instead of 10-12;
do not die at high concentrations of alcohol (live up to 18°C);
When the shell ruptures (heating), less fusel oils are released.

You will learn more about the selection rules in the article “”

Citric acid - 25g.

This product is needed to prepare invert sugar. It is not necessary to replace lemon juice; it is enough to use dry powder.

Bentonite - 4 tbsp.

This is a natural product made from white clay. Needed for absorption and clarification of mash immediately before cooking. Classic moonshine made from sugar and yeast will not work if the mash is not clarified first - this will later affect the taste and aroma.

On the Internet you can find recommendations on the use of cat litter (bentonite is also used for their production). But from experience we will say that it is better to buy one that is intended for winemaking - it does not contain third-party fragrances.

Technology for preparing invert syrup

It has long been proven that it is better to make mash from inverted sugar, rather than ordinary sand. The fact is that the speed and quality of fermentation depend on the time spent breaking down this product. If mushrooms consume inverted syrup, the breakdown into simple monosaccharides - glucose and fructose - occurs faster, and accordingly, less time is required for fermentation. In addition, heating kills harmful microorganisms, which can lead to sour wort.

To prepare mash, it is not necessary to make inverted syrup, but if we want to get a recipe for moonshine from sugar and odorless yeast, it is better not to ignore this process.

What to do:

Heat 3 liters of water on the stove until almost boiling - white smoke will rise from the surface.
Add 6 kg of sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Try not to stop stirring so that the mixture does not burn.
Bring the syrup to a boil and reduce the heat to low, constantly skimming the foam from the surface.
The syrup should boil for 10 minutes, after which citric acid is very carefully poured in. Be careful - a lot of foam will appear.
Cover the pan and cook for an hour. Cool in a bowl of cold water.

How to prepare mash for distillation

We begin this stage after the syrup has completely cooled - it will not be too thick, its consistency is more like honey.

From the products that we indicated in the recipe for moonshine from sugar and odorless yeast, a total of about 30 liters of mash will be obtained. If you don’t have one large container for fermentation, mix all the ingredients in a saucepan and carefully pour them into the bottles you have.

First, dilute the invert syrup with a small amount of warm water so that it dissolves.
At this time, we make a starter from yeast, for which we dissolve 0.5 kg of sugar and all the yeast in a liter of water. You need to wait until fermentation begins and a foam cap appears on the surface.
Heat the remaining water to 26-28°C, dissolve the pre-diluted invert syrup and yeast starter in it. Mix all this well and pour into eggplants or leave in the same container.
The bottles are covered with a lid with a water seal or a rubber glove with small holes made in one or two fingers. This is necessary to remove carbon dioxide formed during the activity of fungi.

There must be room for the reaction in the bottles - the mash is poured only to ¾ of its volume.

Transfer all the containers to a warm, dark room and turn on the aquarium heaters at 26-31°C - this is the optimal mode for the growth and development of fungi. Usually it takes 4-12 days to prepare mash for moonshine, depending on the type of yeast.
During this period, the mash is stirred twice a day to remove excess carbon dioxide and incorporate all products, including those that settle to the bottom.

VIDEO: Mash made from sugar, yeast and water - recipe for sugar moonshine

Checking readiness

With experience, you will already learn to determine “by eye” when the mash is ready for distillation, but first you will need to correlate it with the following signs:

bitter taste - if the yeast has worked well, there will be no sugar left in the mass, and the liquid will acquire a bitter taste without sweetness;
no carbon dioxide smell is released - the glove has fallen off or the water seal has stopped gurgling;
a clear separation into layers is noticeable - the top one is very light and the deposited sediment is noticeable;
no slight hissing is heard even when stirring;
if you light a match directly above the surface, it will not go out;
The alcohol aroma is clearly noticeable.

A coincidence of 1-2 signs is not enough; they must all coincide so that you can confidently proceed to the next stage.

VIDEO: Classic recipe for moonshine made from sugar and odorless yeast

Degassing and clarification

At this stage, it is necessary to remove as much carbon dioxide as possible - its concentration greatly affects the organoleptic properties of the finished drink. Degassing is carried out very simply - by heating and stirring.

First you need to carefully drain the fermented composition without affecting the sediment. It is best to use a thin hose for this - lower it into a container, suck it from the other end and wait for the clean layers to merge.

Next, put the pan on the fire and heat it to 50°C - no higher, so that the release of alcohol-containing vapors does not begin. When heated, CO2 begins to actively escape, and by stirring this process can be accelerated. After 10 minutes, you can remove the pan from the heat and start lightening.

To do this, first grind the bentonite and it in very hot water until you get a dense mass with a consistency reminiscent of country sour cream.

For 1 liter of mash, use 15 grams. bentonite.

Pour bentonite into the mash, shake or stir vigorously and leave for a day and a half. After this, it is also carefully poured into the distillation cube, and the sediment is thrown into the trash.

Do not pour bentonite into the sewer - when it reacts with itself, it forms cement pieces that clog pipes.

VIDEO: Description of the classic method of clarifying mash

First distillation of moonshine

At this stage, the task is to separate the body of the moonshine as thoroughly as possible from the head and tails, where fusel and other toxic impurities are concentrated.

We have already repeatedly told you what heads and tails are, and how to cut them off correctly (read “”), so now let’s move on to practice.

We make classic moonshine from sugar and yeast, so we carry out double distillation with intermediate purification.

During the first distillation, we heat the cube to 86° - in the first 15 minutes over high heat we bring it to 65-68°, then we reduce the heat to a minimum and raise it to 86-88°C. The slower the heating is at the second stage, the more impurities will be removed.

The first liquid to come out of the refrigerator is the heads. We take them in the amount of 180-200 ml (30 ml for each kilogram of sugar), but periodically we take drops and rub them on the wrist. The heads are cut off until the strong smell of acetone is felt.

After cutting off the heads, wash out the steamer and change the receiving container.

Next comes raw alcohol - the body or heart of moonshine. We collect it according to its strength. On average, one kilogram of sugar produces 0.9-1.0 liters of alcohol, so we should get about 6 liters of alcohol. Periodically measure its strength with an alcohol meter. As soon as it drops to 40°, we move on to cutting off the tails. We also collect them in a separate jar. There are not as many tails as heads, but it is important to select them before proceeding with re-distillation.

Cleaning between distillations

Moonshine brewing at home involves several cleaning steps:

cooked mash;
between the first and second distillation;
after completion of distillation.

In this case, we are talking about intermediate cleaning to eliminate foreign elements. An ordinary charcoal column is suitable for this, when the bottom of the bottle is cut off, pieces of charcoal are poured tightly, this funnel is inserted into another container and alcohol is passed through it. Fast, convenient and very effective. If you know and use other cleaning recipes, you can do it as you wish.

Re-distillation

Before pouring raw alcohol into the distillation cube, it is diluted with water to 20° - all this is done to maximize the removal of fusel oils and impurities.

Next, the whole process is completely identical - the liquid is gradually heated, the heads, body and tails are collected. The volume of the heads is exactly the same - from 6 kilograms of sugar from which the mash was prepared, 200 ml of tails are collected.

Body volume is about 6 liters, depending on the intensity of the refrigerator (the colder the water in it, the higher the productivity).

Tail cutting is an optional step. You can simply stop distilling as soon as the body strength drops to 40°.

During the second distillation, aromatic herbs and spices can be added to the steamer to give the drink a light aftertaste.

Upgrading the drink

Each moonshiner has his own arsenal of recipes for purifying moonshine. We practice good old fashioned carbon filtration. Activated carbon is an option, but it is better to use charcoal. This is quite fast and very effective, but you can also use potassium permanganate, milk, vegetable oil, etc.

Diluting moonshine with water

This is needed for:

reducing the strength of the finished drink from 80-88°, obtained during distillation, to 40°, perceived by the body;
breaking molecular bonds and more complete purification from harmful impurities.

Dilute with water according to the formula:

(A/B) x C - C = D

A is the strength of the finished drink;
B - required strength after dilution;
C is the volume of the product obtained;
V - required volume of water

If we have 6 liters of moonshine with a strength of 75°, then to dilute it to 40° we will need 5.25 liters of purified or artesian water.

This is the final stage of moonshine brewing. After which the drink is simply bottled, closed and allowed to brew for a week.

Afterwards, you can make various derivatives - the legendary Italian or strong - or simply enjoy pleasant moonshine without the characteristic fusel smell.

VIDEO: How to properly brew moonshine from sugar and yeast

Connoisseurs of alcoholic beverages will certainly not ignore such a well-known drink as moonshine. After all, moonshine can be considered a classic drink that you can prepare yourself, and its taste can be very diverse and it will meet the requirements of even the most demanding gourmets. Knowing the intricacies of the process and the characteristics of the composition will help you avoid mistakes.

Sugar mash

Braga, made from sugar and yeast, is considered the most popular alcoholic drink among Russian residents, and there are many varieties of it.

However, the process of its preparation should begin by studying some fairly simple recommendations that will allow you to obtain a mash of the highest quality, free of foreign tastes and odors, and also characterized by absolute transparency, which should also be considered an important advantage of this drink.

Since it is often the presence of a foreign odor that is considered the main defect of home-made moonshine. It is precisely getting rid of it that should be considered a priority task before starting the moonshine process.

To ensure that the resulting sugar mash is aromatic, does not disappoint with its taste and does not require secondary purification, the following rules for preparing for the main process should be followed:

All containers that are required in the process of producing mash must be perfectly clean. Don’t be lazy, rinse with hot water and a sufficient amount of detergent all the pots, bottles and basins in which you plan to produce the mash, and you will be sure that your moonshine will pleasantly surprise everyone whom you decide to pamper with your own prepared drink;
after thorough rinsing, the container should be wiped with a clean cloth - this will also ensure that the resulting product is of the highest quality and has no foreign odor or taste;
strict adherence to the quantity of all components - this condition must also be observed as precisely as possible, since it is their ratio that makes the drink itself rich, having a clearly defined taste and smell.

Today, moonshine lovers are presented with many different recipes, which may differ both in the constituent components, their quantity and ratio, and in the stages and their sequence in the process of preparing moonshine. The recipe for moonshine may vary depending on the place of its production, the characteristics of the culture and even the natural conditions of the region where it is planned to begin making the mash.

Classic technology for making mash from sugar and yeast: amount of initial ingredients

Moonshine at home, which is prepared using classical technology, is of the highest quality, has no unnecessary odor or unpleasant taste, but is uniquely transparent and at the same time pleasant to the taste, made from the following components:

granulated sugar - 6 kg;
citric acid in the amount of 25 grams;
preferably purified drinking water - 18 liters;
yeast - dry 120 grams or compressed yeast 600 grams.

From the listed amount of ingredients you will get about 5 liters of amazingly tasty moonshine, and the resulting forty-degree drink will be delicious.

Classic mash recipe at home

The classic recipe has a number of specific features that are used when using any number of components and their combinations. The technology for producing mash made from granulated sugar, carried out at home, is quite simple.

Let's take a closer look at what steps should be completed so that your work is not in vain, and your time and effort are not wasted.

Calculation of proportions

To obtain mash at home, you should first calculate the amount you want to receive.

To more accurately calculate the required ingredients, you need to know that 1.1 liters of forty degree drink will be obtained from 1 kg of sugar. However, it often happens that due to the not entirely correct amount of initial ingredients, errors in distillation technology and poor adherence to temperature conditions. For this reason, you should change the recipe for moonshine, and take 10 percent more of all components than recommended.

In order for homemade moonshine to have a pronounced taste, the following ratio of components should be observed: for 1 kg of granulated sugar, take 3.5 liters of high-quality purified water, preferably not tap water (half a liter is added when inverting sugar), as well as yeast in the amount of 100 g if yeast pressed, or 20 g when the yeast is dry.

Sugar inversion process

Inversion, which is the production of syrup from granulated sugar, allows for a more complete breakdown of glucose and destruction of pathogenic microorganisms by raising the temperature. After all, it is microbes that worsen the taste of the resulting mash and at the same time can cause its spoilage.

Also, with the help of inversion, the fermentation process is improved, which greatly facilitates the work of the yeast, and also allows for more complete mixing of all components. And although many recipes only suggest stirring sugar in water, inversion is considered the most preferable option for producing high-quality moonshine.

The inversion process consists of several stages:

heating water - its temperature should be about 80°C;
6 kg of sugar is poured into three liters of heated water;
the syrup is then quickly brought to boiling point, and after 10 minutes 25 g of citric acid should be added to it;
After this, the syrup is boiled again for 1 hour.

Water - quality requirements

Since it is water that is the basis of mash, the moonshine recipe will be most successful when high-quality water was used: not hard, without any foreign taste or smell.

This can be achieved if the preparation of moonshine is based on purchased high-quality purified water. If tap water is used, then it should be collected in large containers, first left for several days and then carefully drained, leaving the resulting sediment at the bottom.

The process of mixing the constituent components

After receiving the sugar syrup, it is poured into a container in which fermentation will take place. Water at room temperature is added to the syrup with constant vigorous stirring. The final temperature of the mixture should be about 27°C.

After mixing the syrup and water, the resulting homogeneous mixture should not occupy more than 3/4 of the maximum volume of the container used, since during subsequent fermentation the foam may overflow.

Pitching Yeast

For a more active action, the yeast should first be kneaded with your hands, placed in a small container with warm water, then left for a short amount of time (about 10 minutes) - this is necessary to begin the fermentation process. This applies to compressed yeast.

Dry yeast should also be pre-soaked in warm boiled water, left until maximum dissolution, and then wrapped and placed in a warm time. After about 40 minutes, a stable foam cap appears on the surface - this is an indication that the yeast is active and the fermentation process has begun.

If, when using dry baker's yeast, too active foaming occurs, you should add a small amount of cookies to the container to activate the yeast: this will not negatively affect the quality of the mash. Moonshine at home will now retain its excellent qualities and delight you with its excellent taste.

Fermentation process

Next, moonshine brewing at home continues by transferring the filled containers to a room where a constant temperature is maintained, the most optimal for the active work of yeast is 25-30 ° C. The use of invert sugar allows you to obtain mash with a pleasant taste and caramel smell.

The containers in which fermentation occurs must first be equipped with water seals. Also, to maintain a constant temperature, containers are wrapped in warm clothes (blankets, fur coats, building insulation materials), and an aquarium temperature maintainer can also be used.

The duration of fermentation is about 3-11 days, most often the end of this process is observed already on days 5-8. Shaking containers with mash after 10-12 hours allows you to speed up the process and also remove excess gas from the mixture.

the process of foam formation stops;
a lit match brought to the table does not go out;
there is an alcohol smell;
the resulting liquid tastes bitter, which indicates the end of the transition of sugar into alcohol.

The integrated use of the listed signs can help you avoid making mistakes in determining the readiness of the mash.

Lightening the mash

Using natural white clay, or bentonite, allows you to lighten the resulting mash and eliminate excess carbon dioxide.

To do this, the mash is drained from the yeast sediment and then heated. High temperatures kill any remaining yeast.

Now the mash is poured back into the container, bentonite is added to it and the resulting mash is clarified. Bentonite is first crushed using a coffee grinder, then mixed with water at a low temperature until the consistency of liquid sour cream is formed and the resulting mixture is poured into the mash. Intensive stirring allows for the best possible cleansing and clarity of the mash. Next, the mash is left completely alone for 25-30 hours.

Pour the cleaned mash into a container; the sediment should not be poured into the sewer, as it can harden and turn into a hard-to-break cement plug that is difficult to remove and creates serious problems in the sewer.

The process of obtaining moonshine

Moonshine at home is distilled from the resulting and purified mash, which is ready for use. To do this, you must also follow a certain sequence of actions.

First distillation

This process is to extract as much alcohol as possible.

To do this, the clarified mash is poured into a distillation cube, the fire is turned on low, and individual fractions are separated. The first of them, “head”, is 50 ml and is the most harmful to health. It can be used strictly for technical purposes.

Moonshine is the most “natural product” that is suitable not only for consumption in its original form, but also for preparing a wide variety of tinctures, including medicinal ones. To make them, various gifts of nature are used: dried fruits, spices, dry herbs, berries, etc. Please note that as a result of simple manipulations you can get a very decent, tasty and aromatic drink that can compete with its counterparts of “aristocratic” origin. In order to get such an impressive result, you need to use a carefully prepared “base”, that is, moonshine that has gone through a repeated purification process.

Refining moonshine is an activity bordering on haute cuisine. You can intelligently combine various ingredients to get individual bouquets. Russian moonshine liqueurs with bitter “warming” flavors are famous. All kinds of seasonings are the best way to enrich drinks with spicy and fiery tones. You can sweeten moonshine using syrups. The easiest way to prepare:

Boil 1 kg of sugar in 1 liter of water. You definitely need to remove the foam.
Then let the syrup brew for 2 weeks, because the composition may contain sediment, which during this period will concentrate at the bottom of the container and, naturally, must be removed. Honey is also used as a sweetener for moonshine.

When adding syrup or honey to a drink, the alcohol must be heated so that gases begin to be released. When gas separation ends, the drink can be considered ready for further action - filtration. It can be done using coal. Purified moonshine is bottled and infused for 3 days at a temperature of 3-4°C. A delicious sweet drink is ready!

Based on the type of effect, additives for moonshine can be divided into the following groups:

taste;
aromatic;
chemicals for cleaning;
natural adsorbents;
dyes.

The division is somewhat arbitrary, since many plants and chemicals affect taste, color and smell simultaneously.

Flavoring and coloring substances are added in different ways:

poured in dry form (chopped herbs, wood chips, ready-made additives in the form of powders);
in the form of infusions or decoctions;
in the form of essences and aromatic oils;
during distillation (dry additives must be placed in a steamer, liquid additives can be poured into the mash).

Changing the color of moonshine with natural dyes

The appearance of a drink subjectively affects the perception of its taste. Psychologists have proven that with the right color scheme, alcohol can seem tastier than it actually is. Ladies are especially sensitive to the color of alcohol. The problem of transparent moonshine can be solved with natural dyes, the best recipes for which we will consider further.

Black tea

The simplest method, which has virtually no effect on the taste. For 3 liters of moonshine, just add 1 tablespoon of high-quality black tea (not from a bag), stir, tightly close the jar with a lid and leave for 3-5 days in a dark place.

Every day the shade will change, starting from cognac light brown and ending with a rich black color. Lovers of beautiful smells can infuse moonshine with dry tea with the aroma of barberry, bergamot, or add a clove bud along with the brew.

Orange (lemon) peels

The specific smell of poorly purified moonshine is removed, and a pleasant sourness appears in the taste. The addition of lemons makes the moonshine light green, and the addition of oranges makes it slightly yellow with a golden tint. Only pre-dried peels are suitable for refining, preferably without white pulp, which gives bitterness. Recipe: put the peel of one medium orange or two lemons on 3 liters of moonshine, leave for 10-14 days in a hermetically sealed jar at room temperature.

Prunes

A great way to flavor moonshine with cognac, adding interesting flavor notes to the drink that are found in Armenian cognacs. For a three-liter jar of moonshine you will need 100 grams of prunes; after 7-10 days of infusion, the moonshine will change color, a pleasant aroma will appear and the taste will soften. The exposure duration can be changed at your discretion.

Nuts and partitions

The simplest solution: add 15 walnuts to 1 liter of moonshine for 7 days, then strain through cheesecloth. The taste and color of the drink will change beyond recognition. The recipe for moonshine with pine nuts is somewhat more complicated; it requires preliminary evaporation of the nuts, removing excess resin, then aging for 30 days. But the result is worth it, if there is a sufficient amount of fruit (150 grams of nuts per liter of moonshine).

Caramel (burnt sugar)

A well-known method for making fake cognacs and whiskey. To paint moonshine a pleasant yellow color, you need to heat a tablespoon of sugar over the fire until brown, then add the finished caramel to 1 liter of moonshine and stir until completely dissolved.

Instant coffee

Quickly changes the color of moonshine and eliminates the unpleasant odor. New notes appear in the taste. It is enough to add half a teaspoon of coffee per liter of moonshine. After coffee, you can no longer dilute the drink with water, otherwise it will become cloudy, and filtration will not help, only distillation.

St. John's wort

Colors moonshine light brown. Tincture recipe: add 1 tablespoon of dried St. John's wort per 1 liter of moonshine, stir, close the jar tightly and place in a dark place for 7 days. Shake once a day, then strain through cheesecloth.

Remember that St. John's wort is a medicinal plant with a strong sedative (calming) effect. You should not drink more than 300 grams of this tincture at a time.

Food colors

Not a bad option for those who urgently need to tint their moonshine. With the right dye, you can get any color without affecting the taste and smell. The main thing is to create a natural shade and follow the instructions on the label exactly. Not all food colorings are compatible with alcohol; you need to check with sellers before purchasing.

Delicious moonshine recipes

How to make good, tasty homemade moonshine at home? Here are some recipes to help you complete your collection.

Making moonshine “Green tea”

Pour two hundred grams of tea (green) with water. Tea, by the way, must be fresh and of the highest quality. This tea is needed to dilute seven and a half liters of moonshine (double).
Squeeze the tea leaves there (through the cloth) and let it sit for eight days. When these days fly by, add another hundred grams of the same tea and two and a half liters of water.
There are three steps left to do: distill, sweeten, filter.

Homemade moonshine “Clean Rice”

You need to take two hundred grams of rice (crushed), four hundred grams of raisins (large and boiled in water), one bottle of malaga and sugar syrup (as much as you want).
Add two hundred grams of brewer's yeast (white) and four hundred grams of water.
Leave this “mixture” to ferment for four days. After that, add six liters of spring water (soft) and twelve liters of double moonshine.
Distill so that you get only nine liters of moonshine.
Take another vessel (any), “throw” vanilla into it (four teaspoons) and a little seventy-degree moonshine (triple).
Leave for four days and filter. To the moonshine that you have already distilled, add vanilla tincture and a few drops of oil (rose).
Take oak bark (six hundred grams) and galangal root (five grams).
Put them (root and oak bark) in a bag (canvas). Place the bag in a container with moonshine and seal the container tightly.

Moonshine "Sage Fairy"

Just pour some ready-made moonshine over fresh apples. All apples must be thoroughly soaked in alcoholic liquid.
Afterwards, “subject” them to insistence for a period of six months. If you have the patience to wait for the result for a whole six months, you need, after exactly this period of time, strain the liquid, pouring it into a saucepan.
Add sugar to taste and place the pan with the liquid on the fire. Let it boil three times. Watch as carefully as possible to ensure that the moonshine does not suddenly decide to burst into flames.
Leave the liquid to infuse in some cool place.
It should be kept cool until all the grounds settle to the very bottom.
Then, strain what you get, adding water (calculation: two and a half liters of water per ten liters of moonshine).
After that comes distillation and filtration.

Making moonshine “Khlebushki”

Make a choice: millet, barley, corn, peas, rye or wheat.
Pour the selected “component” with warm water and let it germinate, making sure that the grain does not sour.
When the grain germinates, it needs to be dried and ground into flour, adding little by little to boiling water.
Don't forget to stir.
When the liquid is very reminiscent of jelly, cover it and let it brew for twelve hours.
After that, add one kilogram of peas (dry).
Leave to ferment for ten days.
Then distill it.

Homemade moonshine “Rozochka”

Take rose petals, mash them and put them in some container. Sprinkle them with salt.
Next, you need to spread the cloth (wet), cover it with a circle with pressure and leave for eight days in a cool place.
When the rose petals begin to rot, stop the infusion period.
Place everything into a cube and fill with water (1:1). Then stir and distill.
All that remains is to add a little sugar and filter.

Making homemade moonshine “Svekolochka”

Take beets. Rub it. Pour water over the beets and boil (several hours).
Then drain the liquid into a container. And again - fill the beets with water, boil for the same time and drain.
In general, this “stage” needs to be done three times.
Add yeast to the liquid (calculation: one hundred grams per ten liters).
Leave for fifteen days until foam forms.
The final “stage” is the distillation.

Moonshine "Lavender"

Take one hundred grams of lavender flowers. You will also need cinnamon (twenty-five grams) and cloves (twenty-five grams).
Chop cinnamon, lavender and cloves and mix.
Pour twelve liters of moonshine with this mixture and let it brew for a week.
Afterwards, put a slice of bread with honey “on the surface” into the tincture.
Perform the distillation over low heat.

Several delicious recipes for moonshine tinctures

It is worth mentioning that literally anything can be infused with moonshine. The only question is what you will get as a result of your experiment. It is likely that the result of the applied imagination and effort will be the appearance of a new exotic drink. Well, while you are looking for a suitable idea, try the following recipes for moonshine tinctures, a detailed description of which you will find below.

"Hrenovukha"

Horseradish is a seasoning that is usually consumed in the winter season, which is facilitated by its warming properties. Fans of homemade preparations know that this plant is suitable not only for food, but also for making horseradish - a potent alcoholic drink made from horseradish and moonshine. The main secret of making such a product is compliance with the proportions and infusion time. So, you need to mix 2 liters of fusel milk, 100 grams of coarsely chopped horseradish root, a little ginger, fresh lime and natural honey. Everything needs to be cut, since pureed ingredients make the drink cloudy and unassuming. Sometimes the recipe for horseradish tincture with diluted alcohol or moonshine is supplemented with currant or cherry leaves, red pepper and other additives. Infuse the mixture for at least five days. Remember, the longer the bottle sits, the stronger the crap becomes. You need to drink it after straining, diluting it with the juice of sauerkraut or fresh cranberries.

We insist on oak

Moonshine tincture made from dried oak bark has a pronounced cognac hue and a distinct spicy taste with woody notes. Let’s say more, this oak bark liqueur is in many ways superior to industrial cognac, it has such a refined and “expensive” taste. There are a lot of recipes for making this version of moonshine tincture, because each amateur adds those ingredients that are more to his taste and habits. We offer one of the most delicious and popular recipes, simple to execute.

So:

In a 3-liter jar of moonshine you need to put 50 grams of oak chips, 15 grams of honey, St. John's wort and oregano;
We also put 20 allspice peas there, and add cloves, coriander and vanilla sticks at our discretion;
The minimum period for infusing oak bark into moonshine is 3 days, but it is better if the mixture is left alone for several weeks.

Cranberry tincture with personally made moonshine attracts with its rich color and unique aroma of wild berries. This drink is equally liked by both women and men, which is facilitated by its lightness and unusual aftertaste. The most basic recipe for cranberry liqueur is as follows:

You need to mix 800 grams of granulated sugar and a similar amount of crushed cranberries, and this must be done thoroughly and until the sugar is completely dissolved.
The mass is filled with 1.5 liters of moonshine, with a strength of at least 40-50 rpm.
It is quite possible that you will want to reduce the sugar content in the drink or completely get rid of the sweetness.
It's okay, the tincture will not suffer from this. The cranberry liqueur is infused for at least 2-4 weeks, after which it is filtered through several layers of gauze. If you notice the formation of a cloudy sediment, there is no need to worry, it is exclusively of natural origin.

Rowan flavored drink

Rowan tincture with personally prepared moonshine is made using berries that have already survived good frosts. Before you start preparing the drink in an oak barrel, you should dry the rowan a little in the oven or oven. The moonshine used is regular sugar, plum, pear or apple, the main thing is that its strength is 70 revolutions. Experts in homemade tinctures recommend infusing rowan tincture for at least a year, but if you can wait a few years, then the rowan tincture will be worthy of participation in an exhibition of elite alcohol.

To do this, several prerequisites must be met:

Add honey or sugar;
cool the original mixture and leave it in a cool place for the first time;
filter through dense matter;
pour into an oak barrel and send to the cellar.

Using prunes

Prunes, which give the drink a mild taste and unusual color, will help you make an original, tasty and healthy drink from ordinary moonshine. Before you make a prune tincture from your own home-made moonshine, stock up on the fruits themselves, which can be purchased in a store or prepared on your own. If you have to buy a store-bought version, do not choose large and light brown fruits, which have already lost the lion's share of their taste and aroma.

So:

To begin, crush 1 piece of allspice and 1 clove with a rolling pin.
Pour the resulting powder into a half-liter jar of moonshine, add 4 pitted prunes, 3 black peppercorns and a couple of grams of vanillin.
Cover all this with a lid and shake well, then leave for 10 days in a cool and dry place.
As soon as the infusion period has expired, the drink will need to be strained and poured into beautiful containers that can be placed on the table. They can be stored in the refrigerator, but not longer than one year. The tincture goes well with cold cuts, savory dishes and different types of cheese.

Quick additives to moonshine

When deciding what to add to moonshine, you need to decide what it is for. If you want to mask an unpleasant odor, you can add dry or dried berries and fruits to alcohol. To obtain healing tinctures, you need to soak herbs, spices and herbs in alcohol for a long time. Liqueurs are sweet alcoholic drinks of medium strength, in which fruits and berries set the main tone. Choose and get down to business.

So, what can you add to moonshine, as they say, without worrying too much:

Honey or syrup. A great way to give moonshine a pleasant flavor. Sugar syrup is boiled in a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. Add according to taste and mix thoroughly. If there is a need to further purify the drink, add 3-4 tablets of activated carbon into a three-liter jar. Settling takes 3–4 days; after straining, the alcohol is ready for consumption.
Tea or coffee. Dry tea leaves and instant coffee effectively interrupt the spirit of moonshine and give the drink a new color. You will need 1 heaped tablespoon of tea per three-liter jar, leave for at least 5 days. Coffee needs 1.5 teaspoons, alcohol will be ready immediately.
Black or chili pepper. A chili pepper can add some spice to the drink - you only need one per liter of moonshine. Be sure to remove the seeds from the pod so that you don’t have to pour out the too spicy infusion. Black pepper cleanses the drink well and makes it beneficial for the digestive system. Enough 10 peas for a half-liter bottle. Both peppers require a week of aging. The color of the moonshine will not change significantly.

In general, you can add almost any spice to pure strong alcohol: whole cinnamon, saffron, cumin, bay leaf, dried and fresh ginger, star anise, whole or ground nutmeg and others.

How to get rid of fusel oils?

The worst thing about moonshine is fusel oils. Everyone can see for themselves that they exist: just light the moonshine in a spoon (if it doesn’t burn, it’s a bad product). After the alcohol burns, an oily liquid remains at the bottom. These are harmful fusel oils. How to get rid of them?

First: adhere to production technology, do not increase the temperature, constantly change the cooling water.
Clean the finished moonshine from fusel oil using potassium permanganate. Throw 2-3 g of potassium permanganate powder into a three-liter jar. Wait for the sediment to settle. Carefully drain the moonshine. For this purpose, household water filters of the “Springhead” type are used. If not, you can simply strain the moonshine through a vessel with charcoal. A good substitute can be obtained at home. Light a birch fire. When the firewood burns out, but the heat is still very strong, fill a clay pot with coal and blow off the ash. Close the pot tightly with a lid. Wait for the coals to go out. Remove them from the pot, cool, and grind (not very finely). Can be used as a filter. You can throw it (at the rate of 50 g per liter) into moonshine. Let it stand for three weeks. Shake the container every day.
Filter. Take the time to do this and make sure that the taste improves and the amount of impurities decreases.

So, you already have a manufactured, purified product. It is already ready to eat.

If you haven’t tried making homemade moonshine yet, but are already looking towards moonshine stills, it’s time to read our article. We do not advocate for alcohol; on the contrary, we insist that even alcohol can taste good and sometimes even be healthy.

Despite the impressive store assortment and quality control of manufacturers, there is still a lot of surrogate on our shelves. And the cost, it must be said, is also not the most compelling argument in favor of such a purchase. It would be much more interesting to take up distilling yourself, especially since we describe moonshine brewing in such detail for beginners.

What you need to get started

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

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

This is the minimum set of what will make the first moonshine for beginners from complete 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 a transparent one so that you can clearly see how fermentation occurs, when the foam settles and sediment falls. Experienced moonshiners focus on the glove and give another day or two of reserve. But for beginners, it’s better to see what’s 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 you can make not only sugar, but also grain and even fruit and berry mash.

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

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

VIDEO: The first moonshine for beginners from scratch

How to make 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 lost in the range of recipes, let's start with this:

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

A few words about choosing yeast

We highly recommend using alcoholic yeast, not baker’s yeast. They ripen faster - within 6-7 days, and not 12-15, like bread. Less foam will be produced, so there will be no need to use a defoamer. But the most important thing is that the mushrooms do not die at a high concentration of alcohol, as often happens with bakery ones, 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 should not be lower than 26°C.
The water for the wort should be spring, well, or, in extreme cases, bottled. It is forbidden to use boiled water - it does not contain dissolved oxygen necessary for mushroom growth.
Strictly follow the dosage instructions.

Making mash

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

So, the order is as follows:

We heat the water to 26-28°C. We pour some of it and dilute the sugar until completely dissolved.
Add yeast crushed by hand to the mixture and stir until completely dissolved. We wait until abundant foam appears.
Pour the yeast solution into the rest of the water (heated to 26-28°C, cover it with a medical glove and send the container to a warm (not lower than 27°C) and dark place.

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

We make several holes on the glove with an awl or a needle - excess carbon dioxide will escape through them.
We wait 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 has fallen off, which means that the release of CO 2 has stopped;
there is no foam and fallen sediment is visible;
There is no sweetness to the taste, only bitterness and an alcoholic aftertaste.

Carefully, preferably with a hose, so as not to stir the sediment, pour the mash into the distillation cube 2/3 full, so as not to create excessive pressure during boiling.

First stage

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

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

Their quantity is determined in this case by the amount of sugar - 50-60 ml for each kilogram. Since we used 5 kg of sugar to prepare the mash, it means that the head will come out to about 300 ml. This part is poured out, since it contains 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 distillation you take not 50 ml from each kilogram of sugar, but only 30 ml. The remaining 20-30 ml of heads will be used in the second distillation.

Factions

The main task of the distiller is to correctly separate the fractions and obtain 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 was said earlier, is the heads - a concentrate of poisonous alcohols. The strength is 75°, the color is cloudy. People call this part pervach or pervak, and some prefer to drink this drink, considering it very strong. In fact, a person does not get drunk, but is poisoned with methyl.

“Body” is the middle part of the distillate with a strength of 40-60°, and makes up the very drink for which the entire distillation process is started. They drive it exactly until the strength drops below 40°, which is checked with a hydrometer, alcohol meter, or simply set the alcohol on fire on a spoon. While it’s burning, they take it away; when it doesn’t burn, the tails go.

“Tails” are the final part of the distillation, which includes residual fusel oils. Some experts pour the tails into the next batch of mash in order to get a fuller bouquet. In fact, such time expenditure is impractical. You cannot get a clearly defined bouquet with their help.

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

VIDEO: Instructions for beginners - moonshine, the process of distilling mash (heads, body, tails)

Second stage

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

The second distillation follows exactly the same pattern as the first:

we select 150 ml of heads into a separate container;
in the main one we collect the body - 4.5-6 liters;
cut off the tails after the strength drops to 40°.

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

Cleaning

Let us dwell on this process in detail, since we are studying the subject of moonshine 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 method of purification, when the porous structure of coal absorbs (absorbs) up to 80% of harmful impurities. How exactly to clean is not important. You can simply put charcoal or activated carbon in a container with alcohol, leave it 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, and then use gauze again.

Potassium permangantsovka

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

Vegetable oil

A very convenient method, which is also based on collecting all impurities on film. Pour in 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. Next, leave the solution for a day, after which the film on top is carefully removed. Be sure to pass through a carbon filter and then filter several times through cheesecloth.

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

Dilution with water

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

The amount of water is determined by the formula:

(A / B) x C - C = V

A is the strength 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 dilution methods and rules are described in the article “”.

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

Aromatization and taste improvement

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

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

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

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

At this point, the study of the theoretical part of moonshine brewing for beginners can be considered completed and now it’s time to start practical exercises. We wish you good luck!

VIDEO: Moonshine brewing for beginners