This alcoholic drink is considered the hallmark of the Transcaucasus. In stores, silk moonshine rarely appears, and the price is not inferior to good whiskey and cognac. Owners of mulberry berries (the second name is mulberry) can cook homemade mulberries. The recipe and technology is not much more complicated than sugar mash, the main thing is to follow the instructions clearly.
Tutovka – a distillate with a strength of 40-80%, produced in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh from fermented mulberries. After aging in barrels (always made of mulberry), the drink has a greenish-yellow hue and a persistent pleasant aroma with hints of herbs. Mulberry is drunk as dessert alcohol according to cognac etiquette or served during a feast in its pure form (sometimes with ice). In the second case, any meat, fish, smoked and marinated dishes can be an appetizer.
With a sufficient amount of raw materials, mulberries are easy to make at home. Any red and white varieties of mulberry are suitable. Berries should be as sweet as possible. To harvest, a blanket (film) is spread under the tree and they wait until the fruits themselves fall.
The disadvantage of mulberries is that they spoil very quickly. Fruits can not be stored for more than three days, it is desirable to process on the first day.
Mulberry mash recipe
Ingredients:
- mulberries – 10 kg;
- water – 12 liters and another 4 liters for each kilogram of sugar;
- sugar – up to 3 kg (optional).
A real mulberry is made without sugar. During the harvesting period, the natural sugar content of the berries reaches 16-18%. This means that with 10 kg of mulberry you will get about 2 liters of forty-degree moonshine. The addition of 1 kg of sugar increases the yield by 1,1-1,2 liters with a strength of 40%, but some of the flavor is lost. Everyone can find a compromise between quantity and quality. Baker’s pressed and dry yeast ferments quickly (in 3-7 days, instead of 15-45 for wild ones), but spoils the aroma greatly, so they are not recommended for use.
Technology of preparation
1. Knead unwashed berries with your hands or in any other way. There are wild yeasts on the surface of the mulberry, which cannot be washed off, otherwise the must will not ferment and you will have to make a starter.
2. Place the resulting liquid in a fermentation tank, add sugar (optional), pour warm, but not hot water (25-30°C), mix well.
3. Install a water seal of any design on the neck (you can use a glove with a hole in your finger), then transfer the container to a dark place with a temperature of 18-24°C. Stir the wort once a day, knocking off the “cap” of the pulp from the surface. Depending on the temperature and activity of the yeast, after 15-45 days the mash will brighten, become bitter in taste without sweetness, sediment will appear at the bottom, foam and hiss will disappear. It’s time to start the race.
Getting mulberry moonshine
4. Drain the mash from the sediment through a colander or sieve into a distillation cube. It is very important that the pulp does not get into the moonshine still, because when heated, the particles burn, which spoils the taste. Owners of steam generators do not have to worry about burning.
5. Overtake the mash for the first time without separation into fractions. Finish collecting the product when the strength in the stream falls below 30%. Measure the strength of the resulting distillate, determine the content of pure alcohol. Dilute moonshine with water up to 20% and overtake again. The first 10-12% of the yield from the amount of pure alcohol is drained separately, these are the “heads” – the upper harmful fraction with a nasty odor, which you can’t drink.
Collect the main product until the strength in the jet drops below 45%. Dilute the distillate to 40-55%. Before use, stand for 2-3 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator or cellar to improve the taste.
6. In order for moonshine from mulberry to become a real mulberry, the drink must be aged for 6-12 months in burnt mulberry barrels, or insist on this wood. If there is such an opportunity, I advise you to try it.
