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Klukovka is a nostalgic drink of my childhood. No, do not rush to feel sorry for me, sigh and think how hard it was for me. And to think what a slob I was as a child is also not worth it. I haven’t even tasted it until recently. But he regularly took an active part in its manufacture.
This story was sent by my longtime subscriber Michael.
Why I decided to make alcohol myself
Every summer I was sent on vacation to my grandmother in the village. I had a great rest, and my parents also had a rest from me. Not far from the grandmother’s village was Lake Chernoye. The places there are very rich in cranberries.
Large selected berry and in huge quantities. We swam to the islands of this lake and collected more than one bucket. For me it was a real adventure. The places are swampy and dark. Plus, it’s an ominous name.
But this is not about that.
Grandmother and her relatives used cranberries in a variety of ways: they made jam, ground it with sugar, and froze it. I couldn’t do all this.
But, in order to keep the child busy, they gave me several glasses of cranberries, a fork, and asked me to carefully pierce each berry. This was the preparation for Klyukovka.
And only recently, at a very conscious age, I realized that I had prepared a drink so many times, the taste of which I still don’t know. I had to urgently get in touch with my grandmother. Oh, and she laughed at my childish resentment.
She told me in detail how to cook Klyukovka. And I once again complained that when you are an adult, it is not so easy to drop everything and wave to your grandmother.
What ingredients are required
Here are the ingredients, according to my grandmother’s story, we need: of course, cranberries. It was added by eye, about two glasses. Unfortunately, now it is not the season for fresh cranberries and I bought ice cream in the store. Sachet 400gr. costs us about 150 rubles.
You will also need sugar, also 2 cups. Otherwise, it will come out sour and bitter, the taste of cranberries is very bright. The cost of this ingredient is about 30 rubles.
You also need 2 cups of boiling water, just cool, as soon as the kettle boils. A little cold won’t work.
And 2 cups of 95% alcohol. During my childhood in the countryside, alcohol was a very good thing. Now it’s not so easy to get it. Be careful! Now I bought alcohol from acquaintances “from under the counter” for 150 rubles half a liter. But you can use moonshine the old fashioned way.
The cooking process
Let’s start cooking! Defrost cranberries (if needed). I waited a long time, scattering it on a saucer. Didn’t want to try the microwave. It is important that the berries remain intact.
Highly recommend these jars with a rubber seal
Now, with a not too thick fork, we pierce each berry with one of its cloves. The activity seems to be endless. In fact, we cope with two glasses in 15 minutes. The peel of a cranberry is quite thick, if you do not pierce it, then the berries will not give off the taste.
And if, on the contrary, knead, then the insides will flow out, and the drink will become more viscous, thick and sour. And they pierced it and it was just perfect: there is a taste, but there is no cake.
See how clear the drink turns out
Pour sugar with water and heat to dissolve. It turns out a thick syrup. It must be cooled before pouring alcohol. At least up to room temperature. Now throw the berries into the syrup.
At the last moment, pour in 2 cups of alcohol and mix everything. Be prepared to stopper your container quickly because the alcohol will volatilize.
As a dish, a jar with a tight lid is well suited. In general, something with a wide neck. It is not so easy to shove 2 cups of cranberries into a bottle.
We remove the vessel in a dark place for 2 weeks.
What result did I get
I had a jar under the sofa – it’s dark and not hot there. With great pleasure and anticipation, I get what I got. According to my recollections, in the village this drink was on the table almost every feast. Then the stocks ran out and everyone was waiting for the next summer.
The contents of the jar have a delicate pinkish color and the aroma of berries. It is necessary to strain everything through a fine sieve and pour into bottles. Finally, I will try cranberries!
The tincture turned out to be surprisingly strong, in my opinion very close to vodka. Then I realized that my grandmother is still hoo as not a mistake. I didn’t even put anything for myself to eat, I didn’t expect it. The aftertaste is just great! Spicy, sweet, berry. A real taste of summer.
I will definitely save this recipe and remember it, I will treat my friends to it. Homemade alcohol is unique in that you won’t find it anywhere else and you won’t try it. Now I’ll wait for the summer, I’ll go to my grandmother. Let’s cook with her. How does your grandmother feel about alcohol?