My father-in-law came to visit from the village and treated me to village moonshine on anise, which immediately sunk into my soul: I share his recipe

On that day, my father-in-law came to visit us from a remote, remote village. As usual, he brought gifts with him. They say, all their own, natural, without dyes and preservatives.

Having sorted out pickles and jams, I noticed several pot-bellied bottles. To my dumb question, my father-in-law said that it was anise moonshine.

The story was shared by blog subscriber Alexey.

What ingredients and equipment will be needed

On the same day, or rather, the evening, the contents of one of these bottles were drunk. Anise moonshine was so unusual that I begged a relative to teach me how to make it.

It reminded me of the Israeli Arak vodka that my aunt brought back from a pilgrimage to holy places a long time ago.

My father-in-law fulfilled my request the next day, when I myself, frankly, had already forgotten about it. Still, anise is a pretty strong thing for a person who is not used to it.

And the father-in-law was familiar. Therefore, as soon as he woke up, he told me to write down what I needed to buy in the store to make anise moonshine:

1. Anise seeds, 50 g – 100 rubles.
2. Cardamom, 5-6 seeds – 140 rubles.
3. Cumin, 20 g – 90 rubles.
4. Sugar, 20 g – 45 rubles.
5. Moonshine of double distillation, 3 l.

The last point is a little tricky. Still, they don’t sell moonshine in stores, as luck would have it, I didn’t have stocks. Well, yes, as they say, whoever seeks will always find. By evening, all the ingredients were purchased, and we started cooking.

Interesting fact! Anise moonshine, as folk legends say, Emperor Peter the Great liked to drink.

The cooking process

Oddly enough, but the recipe for making anise turned out to be extremely simple. Anise, cardamom and cumin were placed in a mortar and ground to a powder. The whole thing was added to the container with moonshine, after which sugar was poured there.

Note! Many people prefer to add sugar not immediately, but one and a half to two weeks after the start of infusion, or even after the liquid has been filtered.

The container was removed in a cupboard and left to infuse for 4 weeks. Fortunately, the father-in-law came to visit as much as a month and a half.

After 28 days, we filtered the moonshine through a makeshift cotton filter. Oh, and he was strong. I thought that I could drink almost pure alcohol without a snack, but the anise showed that this was far from the case.

I had to dilute it a bit with water. Father-in-law, by smell or by some other signs, said that the strength of the moonshine was about 42 degrees.

What will be the result

In the evening of the same day, it was decided to conduct a control tasting. Those were the words my father-in-law said. Apparently, the often used word “drunkenness” was clearly not to his liking. Yes, and me too.

Father-in-law took the preparation of the feast with all seriousness. I personally went to the store for a snack, poured the anise into my pot-bellied bottles and cooled the moonshine a little. Then he decorated the table in the best Russian traditions.

Note! Anise moonshine is recommended to be consumed slightly chilled.

In order not to disturb my wife, who was very tired at work, we settled down in the kitchen. And now a golden-brown liquid is already splashing in my glass, carefully poured by my father-in-law. A strong scent of anise hung in the air. This spice prevailed in taste.

What can be substituted/added in the recipe

Already after the second glass of moonshine, a conversation began with my father-in-law. The conversation somehow turned on its own about anise.

A relative said that the recipe by which we prepared it was far from the only one. For example, to soften the taste, dill seeds can be added to moonshine. True, in this case, the liquid will have to be infused for about 2 months, but, as the father-in-law says, it’s worth it.

The relative laughed, apparently remembering something of his own, and said that in order to improve the taste of anise in their village, they added everything: eggs, cinnamon, lemon, ginger, nuts, and even fennel.

Where all this came from in a village far from the city, I honestly did not understand, but I did not ask out of harm’s way. Still, I didn’t want to offend my father-in-law.

In general, anise moonshine impressed me. In my opinion, this is one of the best alcoholic drinks that have been invented by man. You agree with me? Or do you have an opinion on this? Share.