Moonshine from hawthorn is remembered for its mild taste and subtle aroma of berries, but it is important to adhere to the correct technology for making mash, otherwise notes of bitterness may appear in the finished drink.
For moonshine, hawthorn berries are suitable, collected in late autumn or early winter after the first frost. At this time, the sugar content of the fruit is maximum. You can also pick the berries earlier, and then hold the raw materials in the freezer for 12-18 hours. There is no fundamental difference.
Theory
Depending on the variety and region of growth, hawthorn berries contain 4-11% sugar. This means that with 1 kg of raw materials of the highest sugar content, you can get up to 130 ml of forty-degree moonshine. If we take the average sugar content (6%) and take into account the normal losses during fermentation and distillation (10%), we get a more realistic, but meager amount – 65 ml per 1 kg of berries. To increase the yield, I advise you to add sugar (1 kg gives 1,1-1,2 liters of moonshine 40 degrees). At the same time, a light hawthorn aroma will remain.
On wine or wild yeast, hawthorn mash ferments for up to 50 days, on alcohol, bakery dry or pressed – 5-10 days, but the second group of yeast has a bad effect on the aroma of the distillate. If there is no hurry, I advise you to use wine or wild (on the surface of the fruit) yeast, you can also make a starter from raisins or fresh unwashed grapes (preferably).
Ingredients:
- hawthorn berries – 5 kg;
- sugar – 1-2 kg (optional);
- water – 2 liters and another 4 liters per 1 kg of sugar;
- yeast – 20 grams dry or 100 grams pressed (optional).
hawthorn mash recipe
1. Sort the berries, remove spoiled, rotten and moldy. In the case of cooking with wild yeast, do not wash the hawthorn so that the yeast remains on the surface.
2. Gently chop the berries in any way possible, trying not to crush the bones.
If there are a lot of crushed bones, the finished moonshine may taste bitter.
3. Place the processed hawthorn in a fermentation tank. Add water (preferably warm, but not higher than 30°C) and sugar. If desired, add yeast or sourdough. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Install a water seal on the neck of the container (you can use a medical glove with a hole pierced by a needle in the finger). Transfer the mash to a dark place with a room temperature of 18-28°C. In a maximum of a day, foam should appear on the surface, and the water seal should begin to blow bubbles (the glove should inflate). This means that fermentation is proceeding normally. For the first 5 days, mix the mash with your hand or a wooden stick once a day, if the container allows, just shake.
5. Depending on the selected yeast and temperature, after 5-50 days the water seal will stop emitting gas (the glove will deflate), the mash will brighten, become not sweet and bitter in taste, and sediment will form at the bottom. This means that you can start distillation.
Obtaining hawthorn moonshine
6. Filter the washed mash through cheesecloth to remove solid particles that can burn when heated, spoiling the aroma. Press the cake well (no longer used).
7. Distill the hawthorn mash for the first time at maximum speed. Finish collecting distillate when the strength in the stream drops below 25% (may turn out to be cloudy, this is normal).
8. Measure the strength of the drink. Calculate the amount of absolute alcohol (multiply the volume by the fortress and divide by 100).
9. Dilute the distillate with water up to 20% and redistillate. Collect the first 14-15% of the amount of absolute alcohol in a separate container. This part is called the “head”, it smells unpleasant, contains dangerous impurities, and therefore can only be used for technical purposes.
10. Select the main product (“body”) until the strength in the jet falls below 45%. Then finish the distillation or collect the rest of the distillate (“tails”) separately.
11. Dilute the obtained moonshine from hawthorn (“body”) with water to the desired strength, usually 40-45 degrees, then pour into glass containers and close tightly. Before use, leave for 2-3 days in a dark, cool place to stabilize the taste after mixing with water.
