Ivan tea (fireweed) is a perennial herb that is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In Russia, it is most common in Siberia and the European part of the country. In cooking, Ivan-chai is used for brewing hot drinks, other names: koporsy tea, koporka, Russian tea. The taste of alcoholic drinking tincture on Ivan-tea is similar to ordinary strong tea with fruity tones, and the color resembles tea leaves.
For preparation, fermented and dried leaves of Ivan-chai are required. Raw materials do not have to be harvested on their own, they are on sale all year round. Pharmacy Ivan tea is not suitable, as its leaves are dried without fermentation, and this worsens the taste of the drink.
How to prepare Ivan tea
It is necessary to collect leaves at the beginning of flowering and spread out in one layer to dry, but not under direct sun. Dry overnight, turning every 6-8 hours.
The leaves should become limp, but not break. Twist 6-7 leaves with your palms into “sausages”, put them in a plastic bag, close or tie, leave in a warm room for 2-3 days for fermentation, a fruity aroma should appear.
Cut Ivan-chai sausages into pieces and dry until cooked (the state of ordinary black tea) in the oven at 100 ° C with the door ajar.
Attention! Upon contact with metal, Ivan-tea oxidizes, which leads to a deterioration in its taste and aromatic properties, so the leaves cannot be dried on metal pallets and cut with an ordinary knife – it is better to take a ceramic one.
Ivan tea tincture recipe
Ingredients:
- Ivan tea (fermented and dried leaves) – 1,5 tablespoons with a slide;
- vodka (moonshine, alcohol 40-45%) – 1 l;
- liquid honey (sugar, fructose) – 1 tablespoon + to taste;
- dried apples – 10 g (optional).
Store-bought vodka, sugar or grain moonshine, as well as ethyl alcohol diluted with water up to 40-45% are suitable as an alcohol base.
Flower honey is best combined with Ivan tea. If honey is not available, it can be replaced with fructose or sugar to soften the taste. Dried apples enrich the aroma of the drink, but the main thing here is not to overdo it so that the apple tones do not come to the fore.
Preparation
1. Put all the ingredients in a glass container for infusion – a bottle or a jar.
2. Pour in the alcohol base (moonshine, vodka or alcohol). Stir until honey (sugar) dissolves.
3. Seal tightly. Insist 4 days in a dark room. Shake once a day.
4. Strain the finished tincture through 2-3 layers of gauze or a kitchen strainer. Squeeze the tea dry.
5. Taste the drink, optionally sweeten with sugar (honey).
6. Pour into bottles for storage, close tightly. Leave for 3-5 days. The taste of the tincture is fully revealed only after 30-45 days of aging.
When stored away from direct sunlight, the shelf life of alcohol tincture on Ivan-tea is up to 3 years. Fortress – 33-36% vol.