Khrenovukha (khrenovka) – 4 best horseradish tincture recipes

In newfangled gastropapas (a kind of mixture of a pub and a restaurant), where it is supposed to regale the visiting public with gourmet restaurant-level snacks, homemade tinctures have come into fashion, among which horseradish takes far from the last place. This is because this drink is very easy to prepare, the result is predictable, and its action is the best fit for the concept of establishments of this type – vodka on horseradish seriously roams the appetite. It is gratifying that at home, horseradish turns out much better.

Horseradish is harvested in August-September, as well as in spring (it grows in summer, so its taste is poor). The root can almost always be bought on the market from grandmothers, it is not expensive. Horseradish tincture (horseradish, horseradish, horseradish, horseradish vodka) has been known in Russia since ancient times – even Peter I himself issued a decree according to which every house should have 5 quarters of horseradish. Now this drink is very popular among moonshiners, as well as in themed restaurants (especially Kneipps, gastropubs and “folk establishments”).

At the same time, most establishments prepare horseradish tincture on their own. Actually, why are we worse? We offer you four proven horseradish recipes that you can easily cook at home.

A simple recipe for horseradish on vodka

By and large, the composition of horseradish should not contain anything superfluous, except for horseradish root and, perhaps, honey. However, adding lemon juice to the recipe significantly improves the quality of the drink, and spices make the taste richer. Below is the simplest and most affordable recipe that requires you only to go to the store or to the market and a week of patience. We have made this drink several times. It is beautiful not only for its taste, but also for its ease of execution.

It is very important to use fresh horseradish, as canned horseradish loses its aromatic and taste qualities. As for the alcohol base, it is better to use high-quality double-distilled moonshine, sugar, for example, since it can be diluted up to 45% (horseradish will steal a couple of degrees and the drink will not be as strong as we would like). But vodka always makes an excellent soft drink. Alcohol is also in use, but horseradish prepared with alcohol will have to be kept longer. Lemon juice can be replaced with zest, for example, from half a lemon, but this is already an amateur.

How to cook:

1. Horseradish needs to be cleaned and cut into small circles or sticks. You can also use a coarse grater, but the resulting drink may turn out to be too “shitty” (which, however, is not bad if you need to quickly overcome a cold).
2. Put horseradish in a jar, add honey and lemon juice.
3. Pour everything with a small amount of vodka / alcohol / moonshine and mix well, add the rest.
4. Close the jar and leave in a dark, cool place to infuse for 3-4 days, stirring occasionally.
5. Strain the resulting tincture through a sieve or several layers of gauze, filter through cotton wool or coffee filters and pour into a bottle.
6. Let the drink rest for 3-4 days and use it with a hearty snack. Horseradish should turn out very soft, with a pleasant aroma, crystal, like a tear, with a slightly yellowish tinge.

You can add a lot of things to horseradish on vodka: mustard seeds (1 tsp), carrots, ginger (half of the volume of horseradish, even less, a very popular component), dill, garlic, cinnamon (a piece with a marigold), cloves (2- 3 buds), nutmeg (at the tip of a knife), hot pepper (with the calculation of 0,25 g of the pod per 0,5 vodka), etc. The main thing is to know the measure and remember that the main ingredient here is horseradish!

Quick horseradish with hot peppers

An excellent recipe for a quick horseradish that will be ready for a feast after steeping overnight, or even faster. Keep this recipe always in reserve and even the most unexpected feast will not take you by surprise (and you can also cook horseradish in 15 minutes).

How to cook:

Mix all the ingredients in a jar of a suitable volume, mix well. Close the jar tightly and leave in a dark, cool place overnight. You can wait longer if the horseradish was not as powerful as we would like. In any case, after a night soaking horseradish in vodka, you need to try the drink and make a decision according to the situation. When the taste is satisfied, the tincture should be poured through a sieve into a clean jar, if necessary and desired, filtered through cotton wool or coffee filters, and then poured into a clean bottle. Of course, a couple of teaspoons of fragrant honey can be included in the recipe, which will need to be added along with the rest of the ingredients.

Khrenovukha recipe on spicy vodka

This recipe is designed to yield 3 liters of drink, so be sure to recalculate if you use less alcohol.

How to cook:

1. First you need to clean the horseradish and cut it into circles. Cut the zest from the lemon, being careful not to touch the white skin.
2. Put all the ingredients in a 3-liter jar and pour 2 liters of vodka/alcohol/sam.
3. Put the container for 5 days in a dark cool place and periodically, 1-3 times a day, stir.
4. After 5 days, filter the infusion, top up the remaining water-alcohol mixture and send the drink to rest.
5. After 3-4 days, drink with pleasure, but it is better to wait until all the turbidity precipitates and you get an excellent drink.

Of course, you can adjust the amount of spices for yourself, because polishing the recipe to your taste preferences is the most important stage of learning and “horsecraft” 😉

Recipe for crap on alcohol

This recipe is taken from one very authoritative forum of moonshiners. You need to use alcohol in it – purchased or home rectified, it doesn’t matter. The ingredients are used in the same quantities as in recipe #2, but the cooking process is slightly different.

How to cook:

1. On the first day, pour all the ingredients except honey with 420 ml of 96% alcohol and 100 ml of water.
2. On the second day, drain the first infusion and replace it with another 450 ml of alcohol and 300 ml of water.
3. On the third day, we drain the second infusion to the first one and pour our mixture with 500 ml of alcohol and 600 ml of water. You can immediately prepare honey: pour it with 200 ml of water and let it settle.
4. On the fourth day, you need to drain the last infusion and mix it with the previous two. Add 500 ml of water to a container with spices, mix well and squeeze with gauze into a common container.
5. Immediately add decanted honey dissolved in water and leave the drink to rest until it settles.

The recipe is highly recommended, tested and approved. If there is no such amount of alcohol, recalculate to the available volumes. This recipe has also become popular on the net, like the Becherovka recipe known to us from previous articles, which I have been preparing for the eighth or ninth time.

That’s all, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a successful “crap-making”. Oh yes, it’s better to drink horseradish with a good snack, after cooling it in the freezer. It is drunk by an order of magnitude lighter than vodka, so the first 20-30 grams can not be eaten – this will only improve your appetite at times. If you’re into mixology, try making a Bloody Mary with horseradish or any other similar type of cocktail. Now you know how horseradish is made and winter feasts will be held in a much more interesting atmosphere. See you soon!