Have you ever tasted a woman who has lost her youth? I did this just the other day at a friend’s house. He gave me a taste of bitter Starkey, his own recipe. I want to share it with you too.
And what about the woman, you ask? From the Old Slavonic “Stark” is that “woman who has lost her youth.” Original title, can’t you find it?
Story from my subscriber Gregory.
What is this drink anyway?
Starka is a legendary alcohol with a strength of at least 40%, which is an artificially aged vodka.
It originates in the Commonwealth, a state that, in addition to Poland and Lithuania, included the territories of modern Belarus, Ukraine and Western Russia. So we can, without a doubt, say that the bitter tincture has Slavic roots.
This is how Stark is kept
It was in the Commonwealth in the XNUMXth century that the production of “rusty vodka” began. Starka was prepared as follows: the fermented rye must was distilled twice (this cleansed it of harmful impurities and made the final product stronger), after which moonshine was poured into old oak barrels and pear and apple leaves were added to it.
Barrels with the future “Starka” were traditionally removed to the basement, where the temperature did not rise above 12℃. And it happened that they were buried in the ground, before that they had previously smeared it with wax.
An interesting fact: Starka did not become highly valued immediately, but only 400 years later, when cheap potato vodka appeared, against which the popularity of “aged alcohol” greatly increased.
What does Stark taste like?
The taste of “Starka” is rich and scalding with a pronounced cognac tinge. The smell is pleasant, not alcohol, with light apple-pear notes. A high-quality tincture is drunk very gently, besides, it pleasantly warms and quietly relaxes.
I liked the homemade Starka more than the homemade cognac from the same friend. It seems to be weak vodka (although the degrees are the same), but not fortified wine either. The next morning, the tincture did not have a headache at all, and we felt great. Although they “crushed” the whole bottle.
The color of the home “Starkey”
An interesting fact: In the USSR, “Starka” was called “police cognac” by the common people. “Cognac” – because cognac and port were added to it during production. But why the “police” is not known for certain. Maybe one of you knows about it?
What ingredients do you need
If you have a cellar, an old port wine barrel, and you are ready to wait at least 10 years, then you are quite capable of making a classic Starka, which will turn out no worse than in the XNUMXth century.
If all of the above is not there, then you can try to get by with small sacrifices and prepare a simplified version of the tincture, which can already be tasted after only 15-20 days. Write down the ingredients:
- rye moonshine 40% – 1 l;
- lemon – 1 pcs .;
- coffee beans – 1 tsp;
- ground nutmeg – 0,5 tsp;
- oak bark – 2 tbsp. l.
If it is possible to get apple and pear leaves, then you must definitely use it. After all, a few grams of dry leaves will give the tincture a more delicate taste and aroma.
Recipe
Cut the lemon into cubes along with the zest. Crush the coffee beans and add to the lemon. Mix the resulting mixture with nutmeg, oak bark and, if you can find, leaves and put everything in a jar. Pour in moonshine and stir well. Put away in a dark cool place.
Our “Starka” should be infused for at least 2 weeks, and ideally, of course, a year or two. That “Stark”, which my friend treated me to, stood with him for 2 years.
After infusion, the drink must be filtered with gauze.
That’s all! Starka is ready! I hope you enjoy the result as much as I do!
And a last word of warning: Starka is very treacherous. Although it is drunk easily and softly, it hops very quickly. Therefore, it must be served with a good snack. So it will be possible to taste its incomparable taste, and stretch the pleasure for a longer time.
Have you ever tried homemade Starka?