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I remember a few years ago I went hunting with my friend. The whole day we walked through the forest in search of prey, but in the evening, which is not surprising, we got a little tired. We decided to spend the night on the banks of a small river.
They lit a fire and cooked dinner. The comrade took out a bottle of Ukrainian vodka. We drank. And so I began to ask a friend for her recipe. He knew, after all, that he was preparing it on his own, and did not buy it.
The story was sent by my reader Gregory.
What ingredients and equipment will be needed
To begin with, I wanted to find out, but what, in fact, is vodka made of? At that time, I had already firmly decided to cook as soon as we return home. Fortunately, with a moonshine still, I’m on you, but here, I think, nothing complicated or special is expected.
Either the vodka had such an effect on us, or the fresh forest air, but my friend tried to give me as detailed answers as possible to all questions.
So, for the preparation of traditional Ukrainian moonshine, you will need to purchase:
- Sugar, 1,25 kg – 50 rubles.
- Pressed baker’s yeast, 125 gr. — 90 rub.
- Hot pepper, 2 pods – 30 rubles.
- Water – 5 l.
Note! For vodka, it is better to use not tap, but spring water.
A friend paid special attention to pepper. It turned out that it should not be anyhow, but the most chili. Well, or at worst Astrakhan. Of course, I didn’t understand where such outlandish ingredients came from in the traditional Ukrainian moonshine, but I didn’t argue.
The cooking process
My friend and I discussed the prices of groceries in stores for a bit. The comrade argued that, compared with other types of moonshine, vodka has a rather low cost. I basically agreed with him.
So, slowly, we got to the very process of cooking. It turned out to be not as difficult as I expected:
- Water is divided into two equal parts and poured into different containers. In one you need to dissolve sugar, in the other yeast.
- Then the contents of both containers are combined. It is better to do this in a metal can or, at worst, in a canister.
- The can is wrapped in a blanket and left in a warm place for 2-3 weeks.
- After this time, the mash is poured into the distillation cube of the moonshine, after which distillation is carried out according to standard technology.
- Gorilka is bottled. A pod of hot pepper is placed in each of them.
- Bottles are infused for another 5 days.
Note! Yeast, before putting them in water, it is better to grind with your hands. This way they will dissolve faster.
The recipe, I must say, was simple. Despite the drunk vodka, I was able to remember it the first time.
What will be the result
I still carried out my idea. As soon as we returned home from hunting, I began to cook Ukrainian vodka. Oddly enough, but my “first pancake” did not come out “lumpy”, you could even drink it.
I invited my friend to the first tasting, nevertheless, thanks to him, I generally learned about vodka. I got moonshine in a nice light brown color. The taste and smell were dominated by notes of pepper.
The gorilka turned out to be quite scalding. But that was the whole point. It seems to me that after drinking a glass of Ukrainian moonshine, I have secured my mortal body from any “ailments and ailments” for several years to come.
Or maybe not, who knows? But having lowered the glass on the table, I could not breathe calmly for a few more seconds, covered with perspiration. Pepper burned everything from my tongue to my very immortal soul. This is probably out of habit.
What can be added / replaced in the recipe
Again, my friend and I talked. I wonder if this is how vodka acts on us or are we just talkers?
A friend told me that gorilka is not limited to the classic recipe. People constantly improvise with it in order, as they say, to fit it “for themselves.”
Note! To bring down the burning taste, you can add honey. Some use beets to give moonshine a reddish tint.
Add cloves and other spices there.
You need to eat right
Well, how can traditional Ukrainian moonshine be imagined without bacon. He, it turns out, also needs to be able to choose.
Good fat should smell like fresh milk and, as they say, melt in your mouth. It should not have purple blotches. It is better to take lard in large pieces of 1-2 kg and cut it yourself.
How to drink properly
After the first bottle, a friend said that in Ukraine drinking vodka is almost a whole ritual. They cover a large table, on which they put lard and other meat dishes.
In addition to meat, according to him, there must be dumplings with potatoes and cheese on the table. Moreover, the latter is often smoked a little before being put into the filling.
Vodka itself is drunk in one gulp from shot glasses or small glasses. Before that, you must definitely clink glasses with a friend, as we do in Russia. Where my friend had such knowledge, I honestly did not understand. It remained to believe in the word.
In general, I really liked Ukrainian classical vodka. Good, high-quality moonshine, which is not difficult to prepare at home. But as for the traditional feast, to be honest, I still have questions. Do they really drink vodka that way? Or my friend got it wrong? Maybe who knows?
Dear readers, remember that alcohol abuse harms your body. Take care of yourself!