Do-it-yourself oak chips for cognac and whiskey from moonshine. How to apply for moonshine? A simple recipe for making moonshine on oak chips (chips)

Cognac deservedly ranks first among strong alcoholic beverages in terms of its taste and aromatic qualities. Its production is a complex and lengthy process, consisting of two stages: distillation of white grapes into cognac spirit and aging in charred oak barrels. This technology gives a delicate amber color, fruity aroma and a pleasant aftertaste.

More than half of the noble drink on the alcohol market is a fake, which is a hellish mixture of base alcohol, dyes and flavors.

With a little effort, it is really possible to cook oak chips, which are not inferior in quality to the original, which are not afraid to treat guests at home holidays.

Homemade moonshine tinctures are not for beginners in moonshine, but for real pros who have learned how to expel a quality product.

By infusion method you can get any drink - from cognac to tequila It all depends on the added ingredients. For this purpose, only moonshine of double distillation, with a strength of 45 degrees or more, is suitable. The second distillation of pre-filtered moonshine is very important, as the output is a safe distillate, purified from toxic fusel oils.

In the process of infusion, the distillate absorbs the essential oils of the additives placed in it, and turns from moonshine into a fragrant and tasty drink.

Very important adhere to the tincture recipe so that the wrong technology does not spoil the whole work, although experiments within reasonable limits are permissible.

One of the best infusion methods is considered to be oak infusion, and here's why:

Advantages of raw materials

Oak changes the properties of moonshine for the better. Oak wood is an excellent adsorbent and absorbs harmful substances. that could not be removed during the distillation process. In addition, it is rich in resins, fats and tannins, which soften moonshine and give it healing properties.

Since the steeping of moonshine in an oak barrel to get cognac takes a long time, at least 30 months, craftsmen invented an accelerated method - insisting on oak chips or bark, which, if properly prepared, is a good alternative to aging in a barrel.

Instructions for choosing a base

It is not difficult to buy oak chips, they can be ordered via the Internet, but it will be a purchase of a pig in a poke, since you cannot be sure of the quality of the product. You can buy chips in different degrees of roasting in distillery stores, or make your own.

Choosing a tree type

Of great importance is the place in which the tree grows, since the properties of the drink directly depend on this. It is advisable to insist on oak chips grown in a dry climate on poor soils, otherwise the wood will be saturated with tannins in excess and spoil the quality of cognac.

Of the species, the well-known pedunculate oak is suitable for all of us, it is he who is most common in the European part of Russia and in Europe. This oak has two varieties:

summer. Blooms from mid to late spring.
Winter(or stone). Blooms in early summer.

Both varieties have medicinal, volatile, coloring and tannic properties.

Related video:

We prepare raw materials

To begin with, it is worth deciding what chips are and what chips are. Oak chips are a semi-finished product, so to speak, blanks. In order for them to become chips, they must first be processed according to all the rules. and then roast in the oven:

During frying, part of the tannins in the wood magically turns into vanillin, and the sugar caramelizes, but if it is charred, all the aromatic substances will simply burn out.

Reference: By insisting the same moonshine on chips of different degrees of roasting, you can get drinks that are completely different in smell and taste:

Chips, aged at a temperature of 160 °, give the distillate sweetness and a pronounced oak aroma of carpentry, among the people such moonshine is called "plinth";
At a temperature of 180 ° they give the aroma of vanilla and roasted almonds;
190 - 210 ° - caramel aroma with subtle notes of licorice and ash.

bark harvesting

An easier way to tincture on oak is to tincture on the bark. Oak bark contains the same tannins and aromatics as wood, only at a higher concentration, and never gives moonshine the taste of wood.

To prepare a drink, a pharmacy is quite suitable, which is only enough to sift and rinse, soaking and frying are not needed.

If you have time and desire, you can prepare oak bark yourself. This is done only in the spring, when the tree woke up, the flow of juice in it resumed, and buds appeared. The greatest amount of useful substances is contained in the young bark, but it is impossible to peel off young oak trees, as this will lead to their death.

Young branches of an old tree are perfect for this purpose:

make two cuts around the circumference of the branch, with a distance of 20-30 cm;
make a longitudinal incision between them;
remove the bark;
dry in a dry and dark, well-ventilated place;
crush before use.

How to insist?

The best tinctures on oak chips are obtained from grape moonshine. It is tasty and fragrant in itself, and with a long interaction with oak wood, it is additionally enriched with fruit, vanilla and chocolate notes. But if there is no such distillate, one made from fruits, grains or sugar is quite suitable.

The strength of moonshine is also important, the higher the percentage of alcohol, the better the result:

53-63% - tincture with vanilla-nutty smell;
45-52% - sweet vanilla;
40-43% - sweetness without a pronounced aroma.

You can determine the required amount of oak chips to saturate the distillate experimentally - an average of 25 g per liter, let's say indent in one direction or another, but it's better not to report than to shift. Moonshine spoiled by a large amount of oak will not be helped even by repeated distillation - the taste and smell will remain unpleasant.

The infusion time is not limited - within 2 months, oak chips release most of the chemical compounds, after which they can be thrown away or replaced with fresh ones.

Herbal healing cognac

When insisting, all useful components from medicinal herbs pass into liquid. Amino acids, vitamins, microelements, tannins and essential oils retain beneficial properties for humans. With moderate use, this cognac has an immune-strengthening, restoring and calming effect.

Components:

Purified moonshine - 1.7 liters.
Honey - 3 teaspoons.
Bay leaf, black pepper and allspice (peas) - 3 pcs.
Vanilla and cinnamon - a pinch each.
Oak bark, dry rose hips, St. John's wort, oregano - a tablespoon of each item.

Cooking technology:

Pepper is pre-crushed.
All dry ingredients are poured into a glass or ceramic container.
Filled with moonshine.
Cover with a lid, shake.
Leave brandy in the dark for 3 days.
Enter honey, stir it.
They insist for another day.

Filter through a cloth and insist at a temperature of + 5 + 7 ° C for another 2 days.

Cognac "Juniper"

The drink has a pleasant "Christmas tree" aroma and a light resinous note. Its taste is quite rich and even dense. This option is ideal for gatherings in a male company. You can buy dry juniper berries at any pharmacy. They are sold at any time of the year.

Components:

Moonshine purified - 2 liters.
Juniper berries - 14 pcs.
Lemon zest - 4 slices about 2 * 2 cm.
Honey - 2 tablespoons.
Oak chips - 50 gr.

Manufacturing technology:

Chips are added to moonshine and insisted for 2 months.
After this period, they are taken out and honey and zest are added.
The berries are crushed with a rolling pin and poured into moonshine.
After 3 days, the zest is caught so that it does not give the drink too much citrus smell and specific lemon bitterness.

In total, from the moment of adding juniper, cognac is infused for 10 days, and then filtered and brought to readiness in the cold for 24-36 hours.

There is also a faster cooking option. Only it does not use chips, but oak bark, or rather its decoction. A tablespoon of raw materials is poured with boiling water, waiting for it to cool, filter. The liquid is poured into a container with moonshine. The rest of the process remains identical to the first recipe.

For a more feminine version, you can add a cinnamon stick to the tincture, and use the resulting cognac to make cocktails. For 50 gr. alcoholic drink is taken 200 ml of grapefruit schweppes, tonic, "Sprite" - any drink with citrus flavor.

Making cognac on chips - the best recipe

The most common recipe for homemade cognac is quite simple, and consists of only two ingredients - oak chips and strong grape moonshine:

put the required amount of wood chips in a container with distillate at the rate of 25 g per 1 liter;
close tightly and put in a dark, cool place for at least 2 months;
once every 7 days, check how the process is going and take a sample;
after the drink has matured, remove the chips, bottle the cognac and leave for another 5 days to stabilize and reveal the taste.

Latgalian cognac

Latgalian cognac is a simple and tasty drink that even a beginner can make. This will require:

3 liters of moonshine, with a strength of at least 50%;
2 tbsp. l. oak bark;
3-4 cloves;
half a gram of nutmeg;
coriander (at the tip of a knife);
3 art. l. Sahara.

Dissolve sugar in 100 g of moonshine, pour the syrup into a bottle and add the rest of the ingredients. Insist at least a week, but no more than a month.

There are many recipes for homemade oak tinctures - a variety of herbs rich in essential oils allows you to create drinks that are unique in taste and aroma, and cooking is a pleasure, enhanced by anticipation of the result.

Video about cognac infusion on oak bark:

Konyakh-three days

This recipe differs from all the others in a short time for preparing the desired drink.

Components:

Purified moonshine - ½ liter.
Black leaf tea without additives and flavorings - 1 teaspoon.
Vanilla sugar and cinnamon - 1/6 teaspoon.
Oak bark - 1 tablespoon.
Black and allspice peas - 3 pcs.
Dry St. John's wort - 1/3 of a tablespoon.

Cooking technology:

St. John's wort, bark, tea are poured into a clean jar.
Pepper is crushed into a not too small fraction, it is enough to press it down with a tablespoon.
Pepper, cinnamon and vanilla sugar are introduced to the dry mixture.
Pour such an amount into a jar of moonshine that all components float freely and shake the container.
Add the remaining amount of alcohol base.
They cover the jar and send it to infuse for three days.

After the allotted time, it is taken out, during this period the cognac should acquire a rich brown-amber color. The liquid is filtered through a sieve. For control, you can add a layer of cotton wool or gauze to its grill. Cognac is kept for another day - two in the refrigerator and you can enjoy the result.

Cognac "Siberian"

Nutmeg tincture has been made in Siberia since ancient times. Cognac version is softer in taste. It helps to normalize blood pressure, increase overall tone, potency in men, and improve digestive processes. All this, of course, at moderate doses of use.

Components:

Moonshine - 0.5 liters.
Pine nuts in shell - 50 gr.
Infusion of oak bark - 100 ml.
Honey or sugar - 1 tablespoon.
Blackcurrant leaf - 2-3 pcs.

Cooking technology:

Oak bark (1 tablespoon) is brewed with 100 ml. boiling water, infused, passed through gauze.
The infusion is mixed with honey and poured into moonshine.
Nuts and pre-crumpled currant sheets are added to the jar.

Let it brew for at least 14 days, filter. Bring to the condition for another two days, keeping the drink in the cold. You can cook such cognac from moonshine on an oak chip. It will take, of course, more, but the taste of the drink will be more subtle and noble.

It is very important to choose and use quality pine nuts. They must be tasted before adding to the drink. Rotten, with a taste of bitterness or chemical, rubbery notes of taste and smell, nuts will not only spoil the future cedar cognac from moonshine on oak chips, but can also be hazardous to health.

Tannins are a group of plant-derived phenolic compounds containing a large number of -OH groups. They have tanning properties and a characteristic astringent taste.

In order to obtain a drink that has the properties of an aged one, it is necessary to prepare the chips accordingly, while simulating the process of soaking and roasting a barrel. In this case, the chips are selected according to personal preferences from the above types of trees.

During the contact of alcohol with wood, a chemical reaction will occur, as a result of which tannins will turn into other compounds, and this will ultimately give the drink the appropriate flavor. It should be remembered that we are talking only about aroma, not taste, this process does not affect the taste in any way.

Chip preparation

To get rid of excess tannins, it must be steamed in boiling water. The sequence of operations will be as follows:

5 liters of water are taken, 3-5 teaspoons of soda are added to them.
Water is brought to a boil, and wood chips are immersed in a sieve. The duration of the process is 20 minutes. After removing the chips, the water will turn brown.
The wood chips are washed and again immersed in boiling water for the same time, but without the use of soda. The process is repeated 3 to 5 times until the water from the wood chips becomes slightly yellow.
After that, the chips are laid out on a baking sheet so that all the water is glassed from it.
Then it is placed in an electric oven for upper and lower heating at a temperature of 150 degrees for 20 minutes. In this case, it needs to be turned over a couple of times.
Next, we increase the temperature to 180-210 degrees and calcine for another 10-15 minutes.
After that, the grill is turned on in the oven and, by visual observation, the moment is caught when a light smoke begins to rise above the wood chips. The duration of the process is a few minutes, it depends on how fried the chips you want to get.

In the process of heat treatment of wood chips, some of the tannins present in it are converted into vanillin and other compounds, and the sugar in the wood is caramelized.

Ready chips are added to the vessel with distillate at the rate of half to a full teaspoon per half liter of drink. After a month and a half, a drink with a pleasant aroma is obtained, after two months of infusion, the aroma can rightfully be called noble. At the same time, remember that the period of infusion of distillate on wood chips is not limited.

Preparation of oak chips, cubes, sticks for use (video)

One of the best ways to age moonshine is its infusion in oak barrels. In a similar way, such a noble drink as whiskey is obtained. But what to do if it is hard to find a barrel, but there is no time for such a long exposure? One of the options that allows you to bring the taste closer to a drink obtained in oak barrels is this, the instruction allows you to cook it yourself. But you can also buy it in the store.

The properties of the drink will depend on the place where the tree grows. Despite the fact that vodka, cognac, whiskey and other alcohol are obtained from moonshine, the taste of all these drinks will differ depending on this factor. The most popular is oak, which grows in France, but it is used to make wine. The country has a classification by region of growth.

Oak chips for home brewing

Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to order material abroad. In Russia, good wood can also be divided into three types by region, it is obtained in the following areas:

Khadyzhensky.
Afipsky.
Apsheron.

Valuable varieties of oak also grow in the Caucasus, Crimea, Tatarstan, Voronezh, Belarus and Ukraine.

Infusion can only be carried out on wood that has been obtained from trees grown in depleted soils and arid climates. Oak chips for moonshine, which are made in other conditions, will be too rich in tannins, which will negatively affect the quality of moonshine.

Why does oak change the quality of alcohol?

The effect of oak, which manifests itself when it is insisted, consists of several factors:

Wood chips act as an adsorbent due to the peculiarities of the wood structure. Wood capillaries absorb substances boiling at low temperatures. This includes impurities that cannot be completely removed during distillation. Therefore, a long-term tincture on oak chips or in a barrel gives better results than a product infused in another container.
The wood also contains various chemicals that make moonshine softer. They not only give it a new taste and aroma, but also bind dangerous compounds. It is believed that tincture on oak bark has healing properties.

Many beginners are convinced that oak is oak, no matter what form it is used in, the effect will be the same, but it is not. If you seriously want to make quality ones with your own hands, you need to learn that for this you can use three types of raw materials that give different results:

Moonshine infused with oak bark (also called bitter tincture) will have a slightly softened taste compared to the original product. But the color of the drink will also change to reddish brown. And the tannin that is present there will give the tincture healing properties. However, if overexposed a little, it may taste too bitter.
Wood chips are more suitable for these purposes. It will ennoble the drink and bind harmful substances. It can be prepared both on your own and purchased at a pharmacy. Moonshine on oak chips, boiled and burned, will have an amber color and a slight oak aroma. Light notes of smoked meat, prunes and so on are also possible.
Aging in an oak barrel not only gives taste and aroma, but also allows you to make the drink much cleaner.

How to cook oak chips with your own hands?

As already mentioned, you can find oak chips in the store, but it is quite possible to make them on your own. To do this, we do the following:

We find a log of the right size in the forest and let it dry at room temperature. We remove the bark from the prepared raw materials, which can later be used to prepare healing tinctures.
We make chips, approximately 2x2x10 cm.
Next, the chips are placed in cold water, where they must be infused for 24 hours to separate excess oils. Every eight hours the water must be changed.
Now the wood is leached with a solution of baking soda: two spoons are taken per 10 liters of water. It is necessary to withstand at least six hours, after which the chips are washed with clean water and poured into a saucepan.
Wood chips are filled with water again and put on fire. Bring to a boil and boil for about 40-50 minutes.
Turn off the fire and wash the chips again. Next, you need to dry it at room temperature.
After that, the wood is kept in the oven for about two hours at a temperature of 150 degrees, such raw materials can be stored for a long time.

Before putting moonshine, you need to burn it. Depending on the degree of such burning, moonshine will have different aromas:

if you burn it a little, then the moonshine will smell of vanilla, fruit and slightly smoked meats;
with medium roasting, the drink will receive shades of caramel and almonds;
with strong - there will be noticeable chocolate and smoked flavors.

What type of moonshine is best?

To insist on oak chips, the following types of moonshine are chosen: sugar, grain, fruit. And of the latter, it is best to infuse chacha on oak chips, but this is a matter of taste. These three types are chosen due to the fact that during the infusion, chemical reactions occur between the substances, as a result of which the aroma, taste and other qualities of the drink may change. The use of oak chips with other substances can have unexpected consequences, including the presence of a large amount of harmful substances, a strong smell and a bitter taste.

Not only tannins change the taste when interacting with ethyl alcohol, but also parameters such as the characteristics of the tree itself and the time of infusion also affect its quality. Thanks to various manipulations, it is possible to obtain drinks with aromas of fruits, fresh flowers, chocolate, vanilla and others. If it suddenly turned out that the taste of the finished product does not suit you, you can add special additives. Typically, these flavors are sold in small bottles and are very concentrated liquids. The addition of a few drops may be enough to completely change the taste of the finished product.

How to insist moonshine on oak chips? Depending on the desire, there can be a different amount of wood chips, but it is considered optimal 30–60 g per liter of moonshine with a 45-degree fortress. It is necessary to pour moonshine with wood chips into a glass or stainless steel container so that it is up to the neck. In this case, there will be less air.

The container is closed tightly with a lid and the moonshine is put to infuse for several months, depending on the result that they want to get. There are no rules about how long to insist. It depends on the type of oak, on the type of moonshine and many other factors.

The most common mistakes

What not to do when making wood chips:

Fry too long. It is recommended that you first practice on a small number of pieces of wood so as not to spoil it.
Damp wood cannot be used.
For the manufacture of oak chips and the infusion of moonshine, plastic containers cannot be used.
It is also not recommended to use too many spices and seasonings. It shouldn't be overdone.
If the recipe is not tested, then it is better to make a small amount in order to make sure that the result suits you.

Thus, it is necessary to use high-quality raw materials. If it is possible to order from abroad, great, if not, ordinary wood will do, it is important to follow the technology. Before you make oak chips, you first need to make a small batch and use a small amount of moonshine to infuse. This way you can be sure that you will be happy with the result.

Everyone can buy real French cognac! But many people love good cognac. The point is not only in the complex and lengthy cooking process, but also in the elementary inconveniences that are associated with obtaining a homemade drink. Even if you are the ownermodern moonshine of a new generation , you simply may not have free space in your apartment to place an oak barrel.

The problem is solved quite simply if you have a pure distillate and a great desire to make cognac. It is necessary to insist the drink on oak bark, which you can buy at the pharmacy. But it is not so easy to find this product in modern outlets, and at a cost it is even higher than specialized ones. oak chips or chips for refining moonshine.

Homemade cognac is easy!

How do oak chips work? They imitate the aging of moonshine in a real barrel, namely, they repeat the process of soaking and firing a container made of valuable wood. Chips sold in, have high quality characteristics. They are able to endow the drink with a noble oak note, a unique aroma and astringency, which is so appreciated in real cognac!

Before proceeding with the production of a noble drink, it is necessary to choose a raw material or a base. There are no special restrictions here. Despite the fact that the original cognac is made from grape moonshine, you can also use fruit, grain and the simplest - sugar.

What is the color of the drink? This tree contains unique tannins that change color, aroma and taste. They are converted into an environmentally friendly dye under the influence of alcohol, namely ethyl alcohol. Both bark and oak wood are of equal value. Below we will give different recipes for homemade cognac to make it easier for you to choose the right one.

To achieve spectacular notes of vanilla, fruit, chocolate or flowers, you should infuse moonshine on chips for a different amount of time. There are recipes, with strict adherence to which you can get the expected result. Only if there is no time to wait for a long time, it is worth usingflavor additiveson a natural basis. They can be used alone or in combination with oak chips. So, concentrates will give alcohol aroma and taste, and wood - the necessary rich shade.

Moonshine recipe on oak bark
This method of ennoblement is attractive for its simplicity. It will take a minimum of effort and time to radically change the aroma and color of the distillate. As a result, you will get, of course, not cognac, but a drink with a mild taste that will resemble a noble product. For 3 liters of finished drink you will need:

Moonshine - 3 liters. It is advisable to take an already diluted product with a strength of about 45%.
Oak bark - 3 tbsp. l.
Allspice - 10 peas
Natural honey - 1 tbsp. l.
Carnation in buds - 5 pcs.
Oregano (dry grass) - 1 tbsp. l.
St. John's wort (dry) - 1 tbsp. l.
Vanillin - 1 gr. or on the tip of a knife

It is necessary to mix all the herbs and bark in a large container, it is advisable to choose glass that is neutral. At the next stage, everything is poured with moonshine and covered with a lid. Stir should be 1 time at the very beginning. Then the container will need to be shaken once every 4 days without opening. At room temperature, a distillate with such additives should be infused for about 15-16 days. After this period, the drink must be filtered. For this purpose, any home-made filter made of special paper or cotton-gauze pads is suitable. At the next stage, moonshine on oak bark is bottled and corked. In this form, it can be stored for a long time. To improve the taste, it is recommended to drink the drink 10-14 days after filtration.

Herbs are needed for softening. If you do not like some ingredients, you can exclude them, or even remove everything except moonshine, vanillin and oak bark. Even if you have access to oak, you should not harvest the bark yourself. Pharmaceutical products have already passed all the necessary cleaning and disinfection procedures, therefore they are the preferred option.

Recipe for moonshine on oak chips

qualityoak chipsare an inexpensive but effective way to get homemade cognac. Compared to bark, this product most accurately recreates a drink that is as close as possible in taste and aroma to cognac aged in real oak barrels. At the same time, there are some nuances. In this case, it takes longer to insist the distillate, and before cooking, it is also necessary to carefully prepare the chips. But the result is definitely worth it!

Oak chips preparation technology

At the first stage, excess tannins must be eliminated from them. To do this, the chips are soaked and then processed at elevated temperatures. It is necessary to take logs, remove the bark from them and chop them into poles, then into pegs. The optimal dimensions are: 10 cm in length and 2 cm in cross section. Cooked chips are soaked in cold water. It will be enough for 24 hours, during which the water should be changed three times.

After soaking, the chips are poured with a soda solution made from 5 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l. soda. Next, you need to leave the semi-finished products for 6 hours in this form. After that, the chips are thoroughly washed and placed in a large container. Water is added to it. All this must be boiled for about 50 minutes on the slowest fire. After that, well-washed wooden pegs are dried naturally for 1 day. The dry tree is laid out on a baking sheet and placed for 2 hours in the oven, heated to 150-160 ° C. As a result of this process, a characteristic brown color should appear. Toasted chips are stored in a dry, well-ventilated area. High humidity has a detrimental effect on oak chips. Gardeners often harvest cherry, apple or pear wood according to this recipe.

To whom the whole process seems too long and laborious, we offer an easier one - buy ready-made oak chips in the storeat an affordable price.

Infusion of oak chips in moonshine

This process is divided into 3 main steps:

Calculation of oak chips for a 3-liter jar

Everyone in the household has this container. And it is with such a small volume that it is worth starting experiments with oak chips. For a standard jar or bottle of the same capacity, 15cm bars are best suitedx 3 cm x 0.5 cm. As for the quantity, 9 pieces will be enough. It should be borne in mind that when using such a number of chips, the useful volume is reduced by 202.5 ml. Those. 2800 ml remains instead of 3000 ml. To get a decent aroma and color, you can take only 6 pieces, if necessary, increasing their number. So you can simultaneously infuse moonshine in four 3-liter jars and place 6,7,8,9 chips in them, respectively. So you can determine the exact number to get the drink that you like best in terms of flavor and aroma.

Grape brandy or chacha are best suited for making homemade cognac. Using such raw materials, you bring the taste, aroma and color of the drink as close as possible to those possessed by real French cognac. According to these recipes, it is best to age oak chips in moonshine for 6 months. But after 3 weeks, the drink softens significantly and acquires a specific taste, a dark shade. Therefore, if time is running out, or you are on the eve of a festive event, you can serve distillate on oak chips in 3-4 weeks. Do not be afraid to experiment, and you are guaranteed to find your own recipe for homemade fragrant cognac!

Alcohol, infused with oak chips, has a noble color, does not require special preparation costs and is quite pleasant to the taste. The preparation process is quite simple, can be carried out at home and usually does not require much time.

Do-it-yourself oak chips for moonshine

The main material is oak, from which chips are prepared. Among the wide variety of species, Caucasian (Krasnodar oaks) are the most valued. They have specific characteristics (physical and chemical), which are highly valued by world wine experts.

Chips should be split along the wood fibers with a length of about 10 cm and a thickness of up to 2 cm. Then it is dried naturally in the sun and wind. You can also use artificial drying. This method is preferable, as it allows you to take full control of the entire process and significantly reduce the drying time. The dryer, made in the form of a plastic shelf with a fan, does a good job of this. After drying, the oak chips are ready for further processing.

Next comes the soaking process. To do this, the chips are placed in a container with cold water for one day. It is recommended to change the water every 6 hours. In the process of the last soaking, a little soda should be added to the water (1 teaspoon per 5 liters of water).

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When this stage is over, oak chips are washed very thoroughly in rather cold water and put on steaming (up to 2 hours). To do this, you can use a strainer (metal) placed on top of a pot boiling with water. This process can be replaced by pouring boiling water over the chips, which will significantly reduce the time.

At the end of the process, the chips are again washed with very cold water, after which they are dried for 12 hours. At the same time, they are periodically mixed to achieve uniform moisture removal. Dried oak chips are placed in an oven and heated at a temperature of about 150-160 ° C for three to four hours. During warming up, a very pleasant spicy vanilla aroma appears.

Next, it is fried (preferably on the grill) to give it a dark color. This must be done with special care so that the blanks do not catch fire and do not overcook. When the desired shade is reached, the oven turns off and the door is left open. This process is easy and does not take much time.

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You can use prepared oak chips to infuse moonshine several times. The consumption of oak material is usually from 20 to 40 g for every 10 liters of alcohol having a strength of 70 °. A drink infused with oak chips should have a straw color. If the shade turned out to be darker, then the technological process was violated.

Roasting oak chips at home

After the soaking and boiling procedures, oak pegs are well washed and dried. Dry blanks that have got rid of moisture should be laid out in a fairly even layer on a baking sheet and placed in the oven. A microwave oven can also be used for this purpose. The temperature for frying is recommended to be set within 150-160 ° C, and the process itself is carried out for 2 hours.

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You can do it in a slightly different way, which can save a lot of time. Without waiting for complete drying, the chips are placed in an electric oven, the lower and upper heating is turned on at a temperature of 150 ° C. The final drying time is 20 minutes.

During this process, it is necessary to turn the wood chips over a couple of times for better drying. Upon completion of drying, the temperature rises to 200 °C, and calcination is carried out for 15 minutes. A small light smoke signals the end of the process. Carefully monitor the condition of the chips - in no case should the appearance of fire and charring of the edges be allowed.

As a result of roasting, the pegs acquire a characteristic color (brown). Heat treatment turns part of the tannins into vanillin and some other compounds. The sugar present in the wood caramelizes. Chips browned in this way should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated room. The presence of high humidity can have a detrimental effect on wood.