Cranberry tincture on moonshine

Despite the abundance and variety of alcoholic beverages on official sale, home-made production guarantees quality, and an attractive taste and color can be obtained through fruit and berry additives. So, cranberry moonshine at home is not only a truly tasty, but also a healthy drink.

How to insist moonshine on cranberries

Cranberry itself is one of the most healing berries. And in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, an important role is also played by the fact that it neutralizes unpleasant odors and softens the taste of moonshine. And the color of the finished tincture is very attractive.

There are several ways to insist moonshine on cranberries.

1. The berries are ground with sugar and then poured with alcohol.
2. Another way: the whole moonshine is poured over the berries, without crushing, but only pricking them to extract the juice.
3. Often used is the method of multiple pouring with alcohol, followed by mixing all the infusions.

If cranberries from the forest are used, then before pouring moonshine they are often additionally infused with sugar, causing natural fermentation. This softens the taste of the finished tincture and further enhances its aroma.

Therefore, it is useless to pre-start the process of fermenting them with sugar – the berries can only go bad.

Berry preparation

In order for the cranberry to give the drink all its best properties, it must be fully ripe. That is, the color of the berries should be red, the surface should be shiny, translucent. Often in the autumn, cranberries are harvested still unripe, pinkish and even whitish – this greatly facilitates the assembly process and especially transportation. So the berries are much less crushed and better retain their shape. But there is nothing to worry about, because cranberries are among those berries that ripen perfectly in room conditions. It is only necessary to spread it in one layer on paper in a well-ventilated darkened room and after 5-6 days the berries will fully ripen, color and acquire the desired juicy texture.

Frozen berries are also quite suitable for making tinctures. What’s more, cranberries that have survived frost become juicy and suitable for infusion. Therefore, some winemakers even specifically advise placing cranberries in the freezer for several hours before infusing alcoholic beverages on it.

If the origin of the berries is unknown or they were bought already frozen in a supermarket, the cranberries must be washed in running water before use. If the berries were obtained in the forest with one’s own hand or through acquaintances, then it is enough to sort them out, separating spoiled specimens and plant debris. It is not recommended to wash them, so as not to wash off the so-called “wild” yeast from the surface of the berries.

Moonshine is also desirable to use good quality, double distillation. The recommended strength of moonshine for the manufacture of tinctures is 40-45 ° C.

How many cranberries are needed per liter of moonshine

According to different recipes, the amount of cranberries used per liter of moonshine can vary quite a lot. The classic recipe provides for the addition of 500 g of whole berries per 1 liter of moonshine. In this case, a very tasty and fragrant tincture is obtained, which is drunk almost as easily as cranberry juice, even if its strength is about 40 ° C.

According to many other recipes, it is believed that about 160 g of cranberries per liter of alcohol is enough to get a high-quality and very tasty drink. There is also a recipe for an almost healing tincture, in which about 3 kg of cranberries are used per liter of moonshine. True, moonshine is also taken with a strength of about 60 ° C, in order to then dilute it with sugar syrup.

Cranberry tincture on moonshine at home

For the standard method of making cranberry tincture on moonshine, you will need the following components:

• 500 g of cranberries;
• 1 liters of refined moonshine;
• Xnumx g of granulated sugar;
• 100 ml filtered water.

Preparation of tincture consists of several stages:

1. Pour the prepared cranberries into a clean and dry glass jar.
2. Grind with a wooden spoon or rolling pin until a homogeneous puree is obtained.
3. Add moonshine, shake well.
4. Close the lid and put in a warm place without light for 14-15 days.

   

5. Periodically, once every 2 days, the tincture must be shaken, stirring the contents.
6. Then it is filtered through 3 or 4 layers of gauze. You can also use a cotton filter. The cake is carefully squeezed.
7. At the same time, a syrup is prepared by completely dissolving the sugar in boiling water and removing the resulting foam.
   Important! In this recipe, sugar syrup can be replaced with liquid honey in the same amount (about 150 ml).
8. Cool the syrup and add it to the strained tincture, stir well.
9. At the last stage, the tincture is placed in a cold place (refrigerator or cellar) for at least a day. But if you keep it in the cold for about 30-40 days, then the taste of the drink will improve.

If the cranberries came from a reliable natural source, then the recipe can be slightly modified:

1. The berries are mixed with the amount of sugar prescribed by the recipe and left in a warm place for 2-3 days for fermentation.
2. As soon as a whitish foam appears on top of the berries, they are transferred to a glass jar and poured with moonshine.
3. Then they act in the standard way, but the infusion time can be increased to a month.
4. After straining and filtering, if sugar syrup has to be added, then only to taste, when the tincture turned out to be too sour.

Moonshine on cranberries – the best recipe for 3 liters

According to this recipe, cranberry moonshine turns out to be very fragrant, although it requires a little more attention to itself.

To make the finished tincture about 3 liters, you need the following ingredients:

• Xnumx C cranberries;
• 2200 ml of 60% purified moonshine;
• 500 ml of water, preferably spring or, in extreme cases, boiled;
• 200 d Sahara.

The process of making the tincture is as follows.

1. Berries are pierced in several places with a needle. To simplify the process, 3-4 needles can be tied together.
   Comment! If there are not very many berries, then this process will not take much effort and time, but later you will not have to suffer with multiple filtration.
2. Whole chopped berries are poured into a dry and clean three-liter jar and 600 ml of moonshine is poured so that it only slightly covers them with itself.
3. Close the lid and infuse for about 7 days in a dark and warm place, shaking the contents of the jar every day.
4. Then the resulting tincture is poured through gauze into another jar, set aside in a cool place.
5. Another 600 ml of moonshine is added to the first jar of berries and insisted for about 5 days.
6. Then again poured into the second jar.

   

7. Pour 1000 ml of moonshine into the first jar, insist another 5 days.
8. Again poured into the second jar, and the first is already topped up with water.
9. Infuse for 3 days, after which sugar is added and the aqueous solution is slightly heated until the sugar is completely dissolved, but not higher than + 50 ° C.
10. Pour together all the infusions through the filter. As a filter, it is enough to use a dense single gauze.
11. Mix thoroughly and place to infuse for at least another 2-3 days.
12. The tincture is ready, although its taste will only improve over time.

A quick recipe for moonshine tincture

In principle, cranberry moonshine can be prepared very quickly – literally in 3-4 hours. Of course, some of the nutrients will be lost from heat treatment, but the tincture can be prepared when the guests are almost on the doorstep.

You will need:

• 300 g of cranberries;
• 700 ml of moonshine;
• 150 ml of water;
• Xnumx g of granulated sugar.

The cooking process is just right for a beginner.

1. The berries are scalded with boiling water, the water is drained, and the cranberries are poured into a jar, sugar is added and rubbed with a wooden spoon.
2. Pour moonshine into a jar, insist 2 hours.
3. Strain the tincture through a double layer of gauze, squeeze so that not a drop of liquid remains on the gauze.
4. Boil water and cool to a temperature of + 40 ° С – + 45 ° С..
5. Add water to the tincture, mix well.
6. Cool and pour into clean bottles.
7. The resulting tincture can be stored in the refrigerator with a closed cork for up to 12 months.

Cranberry liqueur for moonshine

Pouring is traditionally made by fermenting the berry mass with sugar and then fixing it with strong alcohol. But recently, frozen cranberries are more common, and it is already very difficult to make them ferment. After all, wild yeast is already absent on it, and it is not always convenient to prepare a special sourdough. A great way out is a liqueur recipe that looks more like a tincture. This drink is suitable for women, because it has a strength of about 20-25 ° C.

To make it you will need:

• Xnumx C cranberries;
• 1 liter of 60% purified moonshine;
• 1 liter of water;
• 1 kg of sugar;
• 2-3 dry mint leaves;
• 1 tsp crushed galangal root (cinquefoil).

Production will be long in time, but the result is worth it.

1. Cranberries are ground with a wooden spoon, chopped galangal and mint are added and poured with moonshine.
2. The contents of the jar are mixed, covered with a lid and placed for 2 weeks in a warm room without light.
3. After 2 weeks, sugar syrup is prepared from sugar and water, cooled and mixed with cranberry tincture.
4. Keep it in the same place for about 10 more days.
5. Filter the finished tincture through several layers of gauze and a cotton filter.
6. The liqueur can be stored in a cool place under a tightly closed lid for about 3 years.

Conclusion

Moonshine on cranberries at home is very tasty and fragrant. It practically does not feel a specific aftertaste and it is not at all difficult to cook it, and according to some recipes it is very fast.