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A wonderful holiday was approaching – March 8, and we were going to triple a small banquet with the whole family, inviting friends. Since I basically do not buy alcohol in stores, but make it myself, I was faced with the task of preparing a supply of alcohol for the event.
For men, I always have the most delicious whiskey, bourbon or classic fruit tincture, but what to treat women with is a big question. My wife said that she would not refuse something light, so I decided to try making homemade liquor.
The preparation of high-quality liquor is a more complicated process than the usual distillation of home-made moonshine, any moonshiner-distiller knows this. If distillation forgives certain mistakes, then it is very easy to spoil the liquor.
Many believe that it is enough just to pour vodka over the berries, add a little water and the liquor is ready – but it will not be liquor, but just vodka infused with berries, its taste will be the same as vodka, if not worse.
Proper preparation of liquor consists of several stages. I am ready to tell you how I make liquor, perhaps this information will be useful to many.
This story was sent by my subscriber Vladislav.
Task number 1 – preparing the base
The most important role in the preparation of liquor is assigned to the basis of the drink. I do not recommend using store-bought vodka. The berry juice that will be present in the drink is, first of all, an impurity.
In store products, especially budget vodka, there is already an admixture – technical alcohol. If you mix all this, the use of such a “liquor” will have serious consequences in the morning, even if you drink 100 g of liquor, and this should not be.
So I use one of three options:
- Personally distilled distillate. At the same time, I try to make the base initially less strong in order to avoid topping up and diluting with plain water.
- Personally distilled rectified 96°. In this case, I do it differently, I just insist “pure alcohol” on the berries, and then I dilute it with distillate.
- An extreme case is Finliandia (Finland) vodka, I also have questions about its quality, but not like the budget “Kalitkam”, “Five Lakes”, etc.
Not only the taste of the drink, but also its lightness, aroma and aftertaste depend on the quality of the base. I take into account that liquor is a feminine drink, and it should be very light and pleasant.
Don’t insist
I never insist. I think tincture is tincture and liquor is liquor. I do it differently – I cook berry syrup. Most often I make strawberry liqueur, so I will tell you exactly what I do with the berry.
Strawberries don’t have to be pretty
I fill it with alcohol of personal preparation (after 3-4 distillations with steam), its strength is about 30 °. For these purposes, you can not bother and drive from ordinary sugar mash. Here are grain mashes – not the best choice for the base of liquor, only fruits, sugar or syrups.
I pour 2-2,5 kg of strawberries in a saucepan so that the distillate fills it to the brim. I put the whole thing on the stove and boil, gradually add sugar – 600-700 g. The alcohol evaporates, the output is syrup.
I use chemistry
Berries are good, but sometimes they are not enough. So I use store-bought concentrates for moonshine equipment. I use 10 ml of concentrate for 2 liters of drink.
I add the concentrate to the boiled berry-sugar syrup, stir it and again fill it with distillate with a strength of 30 °. The concentrate gives enhanced flavor and has a beneficial effect on the taste of the future liquor. But there is one caveat.
Fragrance from the store
If I’m making strawberry liqueur – I never use strawberry concentrate, I add cherry or almond extract concentrate so that the drink is not oversaturated.
Result – lives up to expectations
At the exit, I get a little more than a liter of a delicious drink, with a frank strawberry aroma and taste. It is drunk very gently, leaving behind a light almond aftertaste. And now I propose to calculate the cost of the product (prices in my region):
- Strawberries, 2 kg – 700 rubles.
- Sugar, 1 kg – 50 rubles.
- Concentrate – 200 rubles.
- Basis – 0 rubles, but if with vodka – 1100 rubles.
As you can see, liquor is not the cheapest drink. Therefore, I have a question, by what method can store-bought liquor be prepared if it sells for 300 rubles per bottle? Can it be drunk at all?