Moonshine gin recipe, as close as possible to the classic cooking technology. Thanks to competent blending, you can create your own “signature” version of the drink with a unique smell and taste.
Theory
The basis of any gin is an infusion of juniper berries. The problem is that only common juniper berries are suitable, since the rest of the varieties are poisonous. The correct berries for gin are shown in the photo, they can be recognized by the following features:
- fresh blue;
- no smell of turpentine;
- if crushed, there will be three bones inside;
- the leaves of the plant itself look like needles, not scales.
Berries can be harvested on their own or purchased at spice stores. Juniper is also sold in a pharmacy, but this is the worst option, since such raw materials give a faint aroma.
The alcohol base of real gin is grain alcohol. At home, you can take ordinary sugar moonshine, but it is optimal to make gin on a cereal distillate: barley, wheat, or mixtures thereof. One distillation is enough, but preferably fractional – with division into “heads”, “body” and “tails”.
The peculiarity of this cooking technology is that first two infusions are made, which are distilled separately, and then the finished distillates are mixed in the desired proportions. This approach makes it possible to create a unique gin with a unique aroma and taste.
The first infusion consists only of juniper berries. At a concentration of 30 g per 0,5 l 40% vol. you get a gin with a strong “herringbone” note. If this is not required, the number of berries can be reduced by a third.
The composition of the second infusion includes ingredients that complement juniper tones. These are citrus peel, coriander seeds, cinnamon, star anise, hyssop, fennel, licorice, etc. When forming blends, it is optimal to use up to 4-5 components in one infusion so that they do not interrupt each other. The recipe gives a variant of the most basic gin.
moonshine gin recipe
Ingredients:
- moonshine (40-45%) – 1 l (0,5 l for each infusion);
- juniper berries (common) – 30 g;
- fresh lemon and orange zest – 3 g each;
- coriander (seeds) – 2 g;
- cinnamon (in sticks) – 1 g;
- anise (star anise) – 1 g.
Technology of preparation
1. Prepare two glass bottles or jars. Lightly mash juniper berries and pour into one container for infusion, and lemon and orange zest, coriander, cinnamon and anise into another.
First, citrus fruits must be doused with boiling water, then wiped dry to remove the preservative from the surface, which covers the fruit for long-term storage. You need to remove the zest with a grater or a vegetable peeler to separate it from the white bitter pulp.
2. Add the same amount of moonshine to both containers – 0,5 liters each. Close hermetically.
3. Infuse for 7 days in a dark place at room temperature. Shake once a day.
4. Strain both infusions through several layers of gauze. Dilute with water up to 18-20% vol.
5. Distill the infusions separately at low speed using a classic moonshine still (distiller) without fortification, preferably with a steamer (can be in the form of a can).
Collect the first 10-15 ml of output from each batch in a separate container. This fraction will have too many essential oils, making the gin cloudy. If before that heads and tails were not separated in moonshine, then select 20-30 ml each. In both cases, stop collecting the main product when the strength in the stream drops below 50% vol., in order to separate the fusel oils.
6. Mix both distillates in the desired proportions (can be 1:1) and dilute with water to a drinking strength of 42-48% vol. If diluted below 42% v/v, the gin can become cloudy and harsh on the palate with juniper prominently prominent.
I advise those wishing to create their own unique recipe to experiment by first mixing a small amount of distillates in different proportions, then dilute each sample with water and hold as indicated in paragraph 7. And only after the optimal combination has been determined, prepare the main batch. Distillates can stand separately for weeks, nothing will happen to them in sealed containers.
7. Pour the gin from moonshine into a glass container, close tightly, leave in a dark cool place for at least 5 days (preferably 7-10) to stabilize the taste after mixing with water.
