Anisovka – anise tincture on vodka, alcohol and moonshine

Please do not confuse this drink with aniseed vodka, since tincture is a slightly different matter. The world has known Anisovka somewhere since the XNUMXth-XNUMXth centuries, it was at that time that there was a trade route through China and Mongolia to Moscow, which was constantly roamed by caravans with Asian spices. Caravans went through Siberia, so in Europe the star anise was called Siberian anise (anise is a spice that grows in the Mediterranean, roughly speaking, star anise is the fruit of a tree, anise is grass seeds).

In Russia, star anise was not expensive, so it was actively used in cooking: they added sbiten, which was popular at that time, to baking. But most often it went as an aromatic and flavor component of Russian vodkas – grain alcohol was infused on stars and star anise seeds, after which it was distilled. Anisette vodka was very fond of Peter I, Pushkin, Chekhov, Ostrovsky and many other figures of Russia.

Over time, anise began to be prepared with European anise, only it was more of a liquor with a high content of spice essential oils, including anethole, which were emulsified when cold water was added to the drink – Mutnel liquor. So you can be proud of Mother Russia, because it was we who began to prepare the first anise, and only then other nations pulled themselves up: in Turkey they cook crayfish, in Greece – ouzo, in Lebanon and Iraq – arak, in Italy – sambuca, in Spain – anisetta, in France – pastis.

But back to tinctures. Unlike vodka, tinctures are not distilled, so all essential oils are preserved in the drink in their original form. Probably the most popular anise tincture is the French Pernod, a kind of absinthe analogue, as well as the 45-degree Ricard tincture with the addition of licorice. There is also a 25-degree tincture “Anisette Marie Brizard” from grandmother Marie Brizard, but that’s another story.

Recipe for anise tincture concentrated

We need:

• 1 teaspoon anise;
• 1 teaspoon of cumin;
• 2 star anise stars;
• 0,5 l of vodka or alcohol / moonshine 40-45%;
• 1 teaspoon sugar, glucose or fructose (to taste).

Preparation:

Pour all the spices into a jar and pour them with vodka / alcohol / moonshine, send the jar for 2 weeks in a dark place. Alcohol or moonshine can be diluted using the table in this article or using this handy calculator; moonshine is better to clean with coal. Then filter through several layers of gauze and sweeten if desired: dissolve 1 tsp in a small amount of warm water. sugar / glucose / fructose and pour into a drink. Let the anise tincture rest for a few days and enjoy chilled.

By tradition, the video recipe of Comrade Alkofan:

Such a drink is an excellent aperitif – we stimulate the appetite, it has a beneficial effect on digestion and on the general condition of the body. Also, anise tincture is an excellent remedy for colds. It should be drunk in reasonable quantities, since anise and similar drinks contain a lot of essential oils and third-party impurities, which only aggravate alcohol intoxication and the liver becomes very bad (read about the root causes of a hangover).

Recipe for anise tincture forum

I must say right away that anise tincture is an amateur, like all other products that contain anise. Your obedient servant cannot stand anise, so he will never cook anise. However, he knows that many people will like the drink. This recipe was taken from a friendly moonshiners forum.

Ingredients:

• 3 liters of vodka or alcohol / moonshine 40-45%;
• 4 g of common anise seeds;
• 0,5 g of caraway seeds;
• 0,2 g of coriander;
• 0,5 g of dill seeds;
• 1-2 star anise (break);
• 1 st. a spoonful of sugar (to taste).

Preparation:

Pour all the spices with vodka / alcohol / moonshine and leave for two weeks in a dark place, shaking occasionally. Then drain everything and let it rest from a few days to a month. Drink chilled. This version of anise tincture goes well with tonic. Tincture without sugar turns out to be sweetish, so it is not always necessary to add it, thuja is already to taste. To weigh this amount of spices, I recommend getting a small kitchen scale, which you can buy in a Chinese store (#you-know-what-shop) for $7.

PS I myself have not prepared anise tincture and am not going to, because I can not stand the aroma of anise and everything that looks like it (except for a good sambuca). If you breathe evenly to this spice, then you will like the drink. The recipes have been tested and approved by many moonshiners. The only thing you can try is to add more sugar, after dissolving it in water.