Moonshine from pomegranates is one of the most labor-intensive in terms of making mash, since the raw materials are specific, but if the technology is followed, a distillate with a characteristic aroma and mild taste is obtained, there is nothing like it on sale. Ripe and overripe pomegranates (grains of dark red color) are suitable without damage, rot and mold. It is better not to use fruits with pink grains, as they are too acidic.
Theory
The sugar content in pomegranates is 10-14%. This means that theoretically 10-1.2 liters of forty-degree moonshine can be obtained from 1.68 liters of juice, in practice the yield will be 10-15% lower. To increase the amount of the drink, you can add beet sugar – 1 kg additionally gives 1.1-1.2 liters (40%), but neutralizes part of the taste and pomegranate aroma, so I don’t recommend adding a lot of sugar, the maximum value is indicated in the proportions of the recipe. With a sufficient amount of raw materials, it is better to make moonshine from pomegranate without sugar.
There are no “wild” yeasts on the surface of pomegranate seeds, so you will have to make a starter from berries (raisins) or add artificial ones. Wild and commercial wine yeasts ferment for a long time (30-60 days), but they do not worsen the organoleptic properties of the drink. You can put pomegranate mash on baker’s or alcohol yeast, it will win back in 3-10 days, but the aroma may change for the worse – alcohol tones will appear. If possible, it is better to put the mash on store-bought wine yeast (optimal) or homemade sourdough.
Ingredients:
- pomegranate fruits – 5 kg;
- sugar – up to 100 grams per 1 liter of juice (optional);
- water – 200 ml per 1 liter of juice and 4 liters per kilogram of added sugar;
- soda – 1 tablespoon without a slide for 5 liters of pure pomegranate juice;
- yeast – wine according to the instructions for 5 liters of must, 10 grams of bakery dry or 50 grams of pressed or fermented wild yeast.
Water and soda are needed to reduce the excessive acidity of the wort, which interferes with fermentation and can worsen the taste of the drink.
Pomegranate brew recipe
1. Peel the pomegranate from the peel and the inner white film, leaving only ripe grains for moonshine.
2. Squeeze the juice from the grains with a screw grinder, press or in any other way without damaging the bones.
The white pulp and seeds contain substances that make moonshine bitter, they must be removed.
3. Add soda to the juice, mix. Leave in a warm room for 8-12 hours. It is advisable to stir every 2-3 hours.
4. Drain the juice from the sediment (do not stir for the last 3 hours), add water and sugar (optional), add sourdough or yeast. Mix.
5. Pour the mash into a fermentation tank (fill up to a maximum of 75% of the volume). Install a water seal, you can use a medical glove with a pierced hole in one of the fingers.
Leave the container in a dark room (or cover) with a temperature of 20-28 ° C until the end of fermentation. Depending on the selected yeast, pomegranate mash fermentation lasts 30-60 days.
Getting pomegranate moonshine
6. After the water seal stops emitting gas (the glove deflates), the mash will become bitter in taste without sweetness, and a layer of sediment will appear at the bottom, filter the spent mash through several layers of gauze so that the solid particles do not burn when heated, then pour into the distillation moonshine cube.
7. Distill pomegranate mash for the first time without crushing into fractions. Finish the selection of the product when the strength in the jet falls below 20 degrees.
8. Measure the strength of the resulting distillate. Determine the amount of pure alcohol (volume in liters multiplied by the strength in percent and divided by 100).
9. Dilute moonshine with water up to 18-20%, make a second distillation. The first 12-15% of the amount of pure alcohol should be taken separately. This “head” is a harmful faction that can only be used for technical purposes.
Withdraw the product (“body”) until the strength in the jet drops below 45%, then finish the distillation or collect the “tails” separately.
10. Dilute the obtained moonshine from pomegranate (“body”) with water to the desired strength, usually 40-45%. Pour into glass containers, seal tightly. Leave for 2-5 days in a dark, cool place to complete chemical reactions and stabilize the taste.
