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My grandmother in the village always prepared some kind of tinctures, liqueurs, wines. We, juvenile fools, were not allowed to try them, of course. But the feasts of adults (and they walked there with the whole village) forever remained in my memory, at each of which the guests praised grandmother’s drinks.
Unfortunately, I never had time to try her tinctures – my grandmother died when I was only 14 years old. But I still have her cookbook. It is thanks to her that I bake the most delicious pancakes, and now the turn has come to the preparation of alcoholic beverages.
This story was written to me by my subscriber Valentina Romanovna. I will be happy to share it with you as well.
Why I decided to make alcohol myself
And it all started, oddly enough, with the move to a new apartment. One of the features of the new courtyard was thickets of chokeberry. Bushes and bushes of large black berries grow almost everywhere – along the pedestrian zone, on the playground, around the parking lot.
By the end of August, heavy branches began to sag under the weight of heavy bunches. And the more berries died uselessly under the feet of passers-by, the more thoughts about their salvation swarmed in my head.
I collected a lot of it. Enough for jams, compotes, and freezing. By December, only the washed and frozen chokeberry remained, patiently waiting for its culinary hour in the freezer.
For a long time I could not figure out where to use it, but I remembered my grandmother’s cookbook. It was there that I read about the tart-sweet, exquisite taste, rich burgundy color of the original alcoholic tincture.
But I do not like to follow canonical recipes, so I decided to change it a little. I ended up with two drinks, but more on that later.
What ingredients are required
On the yellowed pages of my great-grandmother’s cookbook is a simple recipe for vodka and chokeberry liqueur. The list of ingredients also includes water and sugar.
In the original recipe, great-grandmother mixed the following ingredients in a three-liter jar:
- 4 cups of rowan fruits;
- 4 cup of sugar;
- 4 cup of water;
- 4 glasses of vodka.
Since my culinary experiment took place in December, literally two weeks before the new year, I used frozen berries to make the liqueur, without first defrosting.
Instead of vodka, it was decided to use pure transparent moonshine. Partly I wanted to get a stronger drink, partly to exclude the possibility of using low-quality alcohol and, of course, to reduce the cost of the idea itself, since my husband drives moonshine.
The cooking process
So, all these components were placed in a three-liter jar. The layers are not mixed, and there is no need to shake them additionally. Then I placed the jar in the kitchen cabinet, the place should be warm and dark.
Two weeks later, I saw that the drink had acquired a uniform, almost black, glossy color.
The initial result was unpleasantly struck. The liqueur is very thick, sweet and strong. The drink is so concentrated that even one sip seemed too much.
And here I decided to experiment! I divided the resulting tincture into two equal parts and poured also into three-liter jars. In one jar (Bank A) I added almost to full all the same moonshine, in another (Bank B) – boiled chilled water.
What result did I get
In can “A” I got a truly masculine, brutal drink. Strong, rich, dense, with a tart and moderately sweet taste. I serve this tincture in a shot glass or whiskey glass with a few pieces of ice.
I conditionally called the drink from can “B” “feminine”. Not because men will not like it, but because the drink is gentle, sweetish, slightly intoxicating. I pour this version of the tincture into glasses for liquor or wine. My friends appreciated the taste and aroma of the treat. The aristocratic appearance and pleasant color did not go unnoticed.
The result exceeded all expectations! Instead of one tincture, I received two, and in such quantity that it was enough for more than one feast. Moreover, it was possible to please almost all the guests. And most importantly, the strength of the tincture is literally in your hands.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
Of course, I wanted to continue the experiment with a tincture of moonshine and chokeberry. Add something like this to get something like that. Is it just worth it? And what is more suitable for a bouquet? Advise me.