If the house has unnecessary old or fermented jam, do not rush to throw it in the trash. This product can be given a second life by making moonshine from jam according to a simple recipe. It will turn out excellent mash, which we will later distill into fragrant moonshine with fruity notes. Technology can be mastered even by beginners.
Any kind of jam is suitable: apple, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, currant, etc. Some moonshiners, when using fermented jam, do not add yeast, but rely on wild strains. But I advise you to still add artificial ones, otherwise the fermentation will last a very long time, and the yield of the finished product may be unpleasantly surprising.
Ingredients:
- water – 30 liters;
- jam – 6 liters;
- pressed yeast – 300 grams (or 50 grams of dry);
- sugar – 3 kg (optional).
Whether to add sugar depends on the initial sweetness of the jam, which can be different. From 1 kg of total sugar (in the berries themselves, added to the jam during the cooking process and added before setting the mash), approximately 1,1 liters of 40% moonshine are obtained. At the same time, it is important that at least 1 parts of water account for 4 part of sugar in the mash, if necessary, adjust the proportions.
Preparing mash from jam
1. Heat water up to 50-60°C.
2. Add jam, stir until the mass becomes homogeneous. Cool to 30°C (required, otherwise the yeast will die from the heat).
3. Dilute the yeast according to the instructions on the label, then add it to the container with the future mash.
4. Add sugar, mix well (optional step).
5. Install a water seal (a medical glove with a hole in the finger) on the fermentation tank and put it in a dark, warm place (5-9°C) for 18-25 days. Braga is ready if it has become lighter (precipitated), has become bitter in taste, and the water seal has stopped bubbling.
Obtaining moonshine from jam
6. Drain the washed-out mash from the sediment and filter through gauze so that the solid particles do not burn during the heating process.
7. During the haul, select moonshine until the strength in the stream falls below 30%. The distillate may become cloudy, this is normal.
8. Measure the total strength. Determine the amount of pure alcohol.
9. Dilute moonshine with water up to 20 degrees and overtake again. Collect the first 8-15% of the amount of pure alcohol in another container. This harmful fraction is called “head”, drinking it is dangerous for health.
10. Finish the selection of the main product when the strength in the jet falls below 42-45%.
11. Dilute the resulting moonshine from jam to the desired strength (40-45%) and leave for 2-3 days in a dark, cool place to complete the mixing reaction. The drink is ready to drink even without additional purification.
