Pumpkin is used in baby and diet food, but moonshiners are primarily interested in this vegetable as a source of sugar-containing raw materials from which distillate of acceptable quality can be obtained. Moonshine according to the proposed recipe is remembered for a light pumpkin aroma and an aftertaste of seeds.
Depending on the variety and region of growth, the sugar content of pumpkin is different – 3-15%. In rare cases, if the fruits are very sweet, you can do without sugar, but this is an exception to the rule. Often sugar has to be added, otherwise the moonshine output will disappoint.
There is no wild yeast on the pumpkin, so I advise you to add dry, pressed or alcoholic yeast. I consider it inexpedient to make pumpkin moonshine on raisin or berry sourdough without yeast, since this will not improve the quality, and the fermentation period will increase several times.
Ingredients:
- pumpkin – 20 kg;
- sugar – 1-4 kg (optional);
- yeast – 300 grams pressed or 60 grams dry;
- water – 20 liters and another 3 liters for each kilogram of sugar.
Pumpkin mash recipe
1. Cut the fruit in half. Remove seeds and peel. Cut the pulp into pieces.
2. Place the pieces in a saucepan, pour in 15 liters of water.
3. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the pumpkin is soft.
4. Crush the pulp until smooth. Place the puree in a fermentation container, add sugar.
An alternative option (without boiling) is to squeeze juice from raw pumpkin, then mix with water (it takes 2 times less than according to the recipe), sugar and yeast.
5. Pour in the remaining water. Stir and cool to room temperature. If the wort is thick, add more water to make the mash thin.
6. Add yeast (you can pre-diluted according to the instructions on the label). Mix.
7. Install a water seal or a medical glove with a hole in the finger on the neck of the container. Transfer the pumpkin mash to a dark room with a temperature of 18-25°C. Fermentation lasts 5-12 days. Then the water seal stops emitting gas, the mash becomes bitter in taste, the sweetness disappears, a layer of sediment appears at the bottom. You can start racing.
Getting moonshine from a pumpkin
8. Strain Braga through cheesecloth into a distillation cube so that the remnants of the pulp do not burn during heating.
9. Distill the pumpkin mash, take the distillate until the strength of the output in the jet falls below 30%. The collected product may be cloudy, this is normal. Measure the strength, determine the content of pure alcohol (multiply the volume by the percentage of strength and divide by 100).
10. Dilute moonshine with water up to 18-20% (for safety reasons) and overtake again. The first 12-15% of the yield from the amount of pure alcohol is poured into a separate container. This harmful fraction containing methyl alcohol and other harmful impurities can only be used for technical needs.
11. Finish collecting pumpkin moonshine when the strength in the jet falls below 45 degrees.
12. Dilute the distillate with water up to 40-45%. Before use, it is advisable to withstand 2-3 days to improve the taste.
