For many novice distillers, experiments are interesting. But no less interesting for them is the development of proven, classic recipes for strong alcohol. Those lucky ones who recently became the owner of a brand new, shiny distiller are no doubt interested in how to make moonshine at home. After all, for this equipment and purchased. Finding a moonshine recipe on the Internet is easy. However, it may not inspire 100% confidence, and the result may not be entirely expected. Since different recipes are designed for certain distillers. Therefore, it is worth starting a distillery experience with the simplest recommendations and a simple list of ingredients tested by hundreds of home masters. This can be called a recipe for moonshine from mash made from sugar syrup.
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Making moonshine from sugar is a classic of moonshine. Despite the availability of a variety of raw materials - fruits, grains and vegetables, it is this home-made alcohol that is the most common. This is also explained by the fact that the method of making moonshine, or rather mash, is very simple. It does not require complex preliminary manipulations, such as sorting and preparation of the fruit and berry component. The moonshine recipe itself requires a minimum list of ingredients.
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So, how to make moonshine at home from water and syrup? We deal with the equipment and components. You will need:
If the volume of the product that you plan to receive is different, you need to recalculate all the components in the right proportion.
| Moonshine recipe | Practical amendments |
| From one kg of granulated sugar, a little more than a liter of 40-degree moonshine is obtained. | Experienced distillers recommend taking into account an amendment of 10%, since the actual yield will be less than prescription figures. |
| 4 liters are taken per kg of granulated sugar. water. | Add half a liter of water over the recipe for every kg of sugar, as this is required by the inversion process. |
| 100 grams of pressed yeast is required per kg of sugar. | They can be replaced with 20 grams of dry yeast. |
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At the first stage, this is all that is needed. Since the described method of making moonshine involves the infusion of mash.
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When all the ingredients are collected, you can proceed directly to the process. We start with the inversion procedure.
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Important: The preparation of moonshine does not require the mandatory inversion of sugar. However, invert sugar mash ferments better, and the final product has improved taste. Therefore, for those beginners who are interested in the question: “How to make moonshine at home?”, We describe the most complete recipe for moonshine.
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Inverting involves the preparation of sugar syrup from the ingredients with the addition of citric acid. The fermentation process involves the breakdown of sugar crystals into simple saccharides, which are then converted into alcohol. Under the influence of temperatures, these processes are activated. Also, during the preparation of the syrup, a significant part of the pathogenic microflora dies with the help of high temperatures. Getting rid of microbes even at the stage of preparing the mash allows you to end up with moonshine without an unpleasant smell and taste. On the contrary, the preparation of syrup provides the mash with a pleasant caramel aroma and a slight aftertaste. Therefore, experts must include sugar inversion in the cycle of making homemade alcohol:
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At the next stage, the moonshine recipe involves mixing the remaining ingredients. The syrup is poured into the container that will be used to infuse the mash. Next, the remaining volume of water is added (taking into account an additional 0.5 liters per kilogram of sugar, taking into account inversion). Water should be at room temperature no higher than 27 degrees.
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Important: when choosing a container, keep in mind that when it is filled with all the components that involve the preparation of moonshine, there should be at least one quarter of free space in the dishes. Otherwise, during foaming, the liquid will overflow - additional cleaning efforts and unpleasant odors in the room are provided.
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Our method of making moonshine involves the introduction of yeast at this stage. If pressed yeast cultures are used, they are added directly to the sugar-based bowl. It is enough to knead the yeast with your hands and mix them in a container. If you want to activate the processes, do not be lazy to prepare the yeast in advance. Dissolve them in warm sweetened water. After 10 minutes, the substance will give foam. The mass can be added to the can. If dry yeast is used, it must be activated following the instructions on the package, as the process may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer.
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After mixing all the components, the mash is sent to a dark room with a temperature in the range of 26-30 degrees for 6-10 days. The bottle is equipped with a water seal. The container can be wrapped with a blanket to maintain a stable thermal regime. Every 12 hours, the bottle must be shaken without removing the water seal. This allows you to get rid of excess carbon dioxide, which slows down the fermentation process.
After about 7-8 days, you need to test the raw materials. The readiness of the mash is determined by several criteria:
If you observe all these signs in raw materials, then the mash is ready.
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It is impossible to make moonshine at home without this stage. We are talking about quality alcohol. At this stage, the preparation of moonshine involves the separation of sugar mash, which will go further for distillation, from the yeast sediment. To do this, carefully, without stirring, pour the mash into a large saucepan through a straw. The liquid heats up to 50 degrees. This will help "kill" the remaining yeast cultures and remove carbon dioxide. Next - clarification with white clay. It can be bought over the Internet. Be sure to make sure that there are no extraneous additives in the proposed product. They can ruin moonshine.
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To clarify 20 liters of liquid, take 3 tbsp. spoons of natural white clay, crushed into powder. Clay should be mixed in a glass of warm water. When the clay mass thickens to a state of sour cream, it is added to the mash. The container is tightly closed and shaken vigorously for several minutes. Then the liquid remains for a day in a dark place. Braga is again filtered from the sediment, and can be distilled. Why do you need lighting? Clay removes most of the harmful substances, acting as a sorbent.
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The classic method of making moonshine involves 2-fold distillation. Drain the clarified mash into the distiller's container. The first distillation will separate alcohol from the mash. The process takes place over low heat with the obligatory division of the resulting moonshine into “head”, “body”, “tail”.
It's time for the second distillation. Only the body is taken into work - raw alcohol. Before re-distillation, it is subject to additional purification. On the Internet, there are a huge number of recommendations from experienced distillers on cleaning moonshine with affordable means. You can use any of them. Cleaning raw material involves adding warm water to it to a fortress of 20 degrees.
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Second run time. Pour the diluted alcohol into the container of the moonshine still. Distillation is carried out on low heat. Don't forget to "cut off" the beginning and end of the product.
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Now you know how to make moonshine at home. It remains only to dilute the resulting drink to the required strength and bottle it. Leave the product for 3-4 days to infuse, this is necessary to complete all chemical processes. And you can invite your friends for a tasting.
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