Serbian slivovitz recipe at home

Slivovitz is the real pride of the Czech Republic and a number of Balkan countries: Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Macedonia, Serbia. Especially Serbia. It is Serbian moonshiners who say: “In the realm of alcoholic beverages there are two kings – Scotch whiskey and French cognac, and only one queen – Serbian slivovitz.”

It is understandable, Serbia is one of the largest supplier of plums in Europe (about 12% of the total market), 90% of the total harvest goes to the preparation of “Serbian brandy slivovitz”.

Slivovitz, also known as rakia, is nothing more than plum brandy and is similar in preparation technology to chacha and grappa, only the raw material is different – fermented plum juice. The strength of slivovitz after the first distillation is 45% (at home it reaches 52%, depending on the device of the distiller), and with a double distillation – 75%. The Czechs prefer the triple.

In the Balkans, plum brandy is aged for at least 5 years in oak barrels, during which time the drink becomes more refined and rich in taste. In the Czech Republic, plum brandy is aged for up to 10 years in Limousin oak vats 6,5 m high. In any case, the drink requires rest and long aging.

Our lands are also not deprived of plums, so it is possible and even necessary to cook slivovitz at home. Below is a more or less classic recipe, the main difference of which from most other modified recipes is the absence of sugar and yeast in the wort – they impoverish the drink in taste / smell, and the alcohol itself is of poorer quality.

Recipe for slivovitz (plum brandy)

In fact, we only need plums and water, but if the plums ripened in the rainy season and their sugar content is very low, then it is difficult to do without adding sugar. But you need to add it as little as possible, otherwise the so-called. wine from plums will turn into a banal mash for moonshine. In the plum brandy recipe below, we will use:

• 11 kg of plum fruits;
• 8-9 liters of clean water;
• sugar, the amount of which depends on the sweetness of the plums;
• 2 fermentation tanks.

The technology of preparation, in principle, is not complicated and consists of several main stages:

• fruit preparation;
• setting the wort for fermentation;
• fermentation;
• double distillation;
• excerpt.

Preparation of fruits for plum brandy

In general, it is better to use homemade plum (Prunus domestica) for making plum brandy, but any other variety is also suitable: Hungarian, renklod, altana, mirabelle, egg, etc. Fruits should be harvested as late as possible, up to the first frost, when plums are the most sugary (the optimum sugar content is 18%). Plums should be as ripe as possible, but not shriveled around the cuttings. Rotten and moldy fruits should be removed.

Plums should not be washed, as there are natural yeast cultures on their surface (it is enough to wipe the surface with a clean cloth). The fruits must be pitted, dividing them into two halves, and then crushed directly in the fermentation tank to a homogeneous gruel. At home, this can be done with a meat grinder or a drill with a special nozzle. It is also recommended to add 15-20% crushed seeds to the main wort – they give the drink a bitter almond flavor.

Setting the wort for fermentation

There is nothing new here. In the fermentation tank, and according to tradition, these are wooden vats / barrels / tubs, you need to place chopped plums. As such a container, you can use food-grade plastic barrels, which are sold everywhere. If the wort seemed not sweet enough, and here you can be guided by your taste sensations or hydrometer indicators, you can sweeten it. Just add 100-200 g of sugar until the optimum sugar content of 18% is reached.

The fermentation container must be covered with gauze and sent for a day in a warm place to start the fermentation process. If everything went as it should, foam will begin to form on the surface. If fermentation has not started after 24 hours, you can try adding a little more sugar and wait 12 hours.

After the start of fermentation, the wort must be poured into another fermentation container (and here you can use a glass one with a more or less wide neck) and add water to reduce the acidity of the wort. In this case, the container should be filled no more than 4/5 of the total volume, since the wort will actively foam. Mix thoroughly, install a water seal on the neck (the principle of its manufacture is described in the article on homemade cider). Now let’s move on to the next step.

Plum must fermentation

The fermentation container with our “brzechka” (Czech “braga”) should be placed in a dark place and protected from sunlight and temperature changes. The ideal fermentation temperature is +15°C, but at home you can bring it up to the optimum +20..22°C. On average, “bzechka” ferments for 2-4 weeks at +20..22°C, at +15°C – 6-8 weeks.

During fermentation, carbon dioxide is actively released, which “bubbles” the wort and thereby mixes it (it is strictly forbidden to mix the “bzhechka” on your own). Also, gases raise crushed fruits to the surface, forming a foamy “cap”. This “cap” must be removed from the wort before it sinks to the bottom – this will be clearly visible if the container is glass. Plum pulp contains many harmful impurities, in particular light acids. After carbon dioxide has ceased to be released from the water seal, distillation should immediately begin.

Slivovitz distillation

We will drive at least twice. To do this, we pour the fermented wort into a distillation cube and drive it “dry”, that is, until alcohol is no longer felt in the distillate. Braga will be thick, so slow heating or a steam generator will save it from burning. During the first distillation, “tails” and “heads” should not be cut off, since it is in them, and especially in the “tails”, that many aromatic substances are contained, the boiling point of which is the same as that of fusel oils. However, heads can be cut off, but fractional distillation is not used at all in the Czech Republic.

The second pasture should be carried out with cutting off the “heads” and “tails”, while the raw alcohol obtained after the first distillation should be diluted to 25-35%. Read more about the fractional distillation process here. The second time to drive is also “dry”, “heads” in the Balkans are used for medicinal purposes, “tails” can be added to the next distillation. If you follow this recipe, then the heads should come out approximately 100-150 ml, the main product – 1-1,5 liters, tails – about 200 ml. After double distillation, the strength of slivovitz will be about 55-60%. You can drink it like that, but it is better to dilute it to the optimal 45% (correct dilution of alcohol with water).

Infusion, aging plum brandy

Slivovitz is aged in oak barrels, and if you have such an opportunity, then by all means use it. Of course, the product will need more – at least 10-15 liters. In Serbia, from 100 kg of plums, an average of 10-11 liters of plum brandy is obtained, so a lot of fruits will be needed. Some craftsmen recommend tasting immediately after pasture – we cannot recommend such nonsense. Give the drink at least a month or two to rest, and it will generously thank you with its refined taste.

How to choose and prepare a small oak barrel, and then age grain or fruit distillate in it, is described in this article.

By the way, plum brandy ripens well in glass bottles, like wine, you just need to use the right, “breathable” corks. The same “Rudolf Jelinek”, a popular manufacturer of “palenki” in the Czech Republic (as rakia is called in this country), withstands 53% plum brandy in glass until its strength drops to the required 50%. In Moravia, bottles are buried in the ground and taken away only in case of an important event.

Traditional video recipe from the “correct” Alkofan:

How to drink plum brandy

The drink is strong and is an excellent aperitif. It should be drunk only in its pure form, not mixed with any other drinks in which the “Balkan queen” feels uncomfortable and spoils the “cocktail” with a metallic aftertaste. Only the Japanese liqueur Midori made from melon peels enjoys her favor. But as an appetizer for slivovitz, toasted cornbread goes well. Traditionally, the first glass is not eaten, and it is not necessary.

And finally. Slivovitz is not the only fruit brandy that is made in the Balkans and the Czech Republic. Here is a small list of “palenki” produced by the company “Rudolf Jelinek”:

• Cherny rybyz is blackcurrant brandy.
• Cherry is a brandy made from Kelleris cherries.
• Oskerusha is a brandy made from rotten wild pear fruit.
• Douglaska is a brandy made from young shoots of coniferous trees.
• Moravian Yadernichka is an apple “seed” brandy.
• Ostruzhina – blackberry brandy.
• Yagodovica – strawberry brandy.
• Brandy from hazel (hazelnut).
• Without black – elderberry brandy.
• Boruvkovitsa – blueberry brandy Malinovitsa.
• Cherveny yerab – red ashberry brandy.
• Williams is a pear made from pears of the same name.
• Pivni palenka is a beer brandy, vaguely reminiscent of young whiskey.
• Cherny Yerab is a brandy made from chokeberry.
• Kdouleh – quince brandy.

Drinks are produced in limited quantities in bottles of 0,35 liters and exclusively by pre-order. But the “Serbian Queen” is chased often and regularly. So, now you know how to cook slivovitz at home, use this knowledge wisely and you will succeed.