Home / Pies / Moonshine from apple or grape pomace (pomace). Recipe for making moonshine from apple pomace at home Homemade apple wine

Moonshine from apple or grape pomace (pomace). Recipe for making moonshine from apple pomace at home Homemade apple wine

15.07.2021 Pies

There are no wine appellations in Normandy. The climate in the region is too cool and humid for growing grapes. But it is ideal for apples and pears, from which cider has been distilled here since the time of the French Revolution into a fragrant distillate, Calvados. And in this material, we tried to accumulate all the experience that helps Norman distillers prepare the best apple brandy in the world, as well as translate the knowledge gained into a simple and understandable recipe.

Calvados (French calvados) is a French brandy made from apples (although it may also contain pears) made by distilling cider. This is a strictly regional product, and its name is a shorthand designation, meaning that this drink can only be produced in certain areas of northwestern France, in Lower Normandy. It also means homemade apple brandy won't be called Calvados. But who cares about that, right?

In any case, if you cook distillates from apples at home, then you need to do it the way it is prepared from generation to generation in Normandy. And for this you need to conduct a small investigation, which we will do first. The time-tested apple cider brandy recipe is included.

The production of Norman apple brandy has been regulated by the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) since 1942. Like Cognac or Armagnac, the region producing authentic Calvados is divided into three smaller sub-regions (there were ten before 1984), each with its own AOC. These are appellations:

  1. AOC Calvados(about 74% of the total calvados production). Includes the departments of Calvados, Manche, Orne and parts of the departments of Ayr, Mayenne, Sarthe and Ayr and Loire.
    • terroir, geographic area, severely limited;
    • apple and pear varieties are determined by the cider style;
    • alcohols must be aged in oak barrels for at least 2 years;
    • basic processes such as pressing, fermentation, distillation and aging are also regulated by the relevant government agency;
  2. AOC Calvados Pays d'Auge(25% of Calvados production). Bounded by the eastern end of the Calvados department and several adjacent areas.
    • all AOC Calvados requirements are met with additional restrictions;
    • only double distillation in copper alambics - columns are prohibited;
    • the distillate must be made within the designated area at Pays d'Auge;
    • The cider must be fermented for at least six weeks, and its production is subject to all the requirements of the Pays d'Auge region (cider has its own AOC Pays d'Auge).
  3. AOC Calvados Domfrontais(about 1% of calvados production). A small production area around the town of Domfront in the Orne department, which was only granted AOC status in 1997.
    • at least 30% of alcohols must be made from perry, pear cider;
    • at least 3 years of aging in oak barrels;
    • in the orchards where the crop for cider comes from, there must be at least 15% of pear trees (25% from the 16th harvest);
    • both double distillation in copper alambics and single distillation in column-type apparatus are allowed.

Apple brandy, which is produced in France, but outside the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée Calvados (or within its territory, but without proper government control), is often called slang calva (fr. Calva). This has been the case since the first half of the 20th century, when there were about 15,000 Calvados producers in Normandy, mostly unlicensed. They were mainly farmers who prepared apple moonshine for personal consumption. It was often simple and rude in a peasant way, and the main way of its consumption was “cafés calva”, hot coffee with Calvados.

Currently, in the Calvados region, with an area of ​​about 5400 km 2, there are just over 300 registered producers, mostly large ones. However, in Normandy, the tradition of producing farmed Calvados has been preserved. If you see the words “Produit Fermier” or “Production Fermière” on a bottle of apple brandy, then all the fruits for its production were grown on the same estate where they were made from cider, and then distilled and aged there.

Shall we play Norman farmers and prepare a commendable calwa?

In the production of Norman brandy, more than 200 different varieties of apples are used, which are traditionally divided into four types: bitter, bittersweet, sour and sweet. Pears are usually equated with sour apples, since only sour varieties are used (for example, Plant de Blanc). Distillates with them are softer and more tender. In AOC Calvados Domfrontais, the Calvados cider must contain at least 30% pears, although many producers use 70% or more.

Calvados is never made from one variety of apples - only their blend can guarantee a stable quality from year to year and a rich, complex taste of the distillate.

Bitter and bittersweet apples are of the greatest value, such as Antoinette, Frequin Rouge, Bisquet, Moulin à Vent or Mettais. They bring tannins to the cider, which are necessary for the long aging of the cider, as well as the bulk of the flavoring and aromatic substances; Calvados acquires the necessary complexity and rich structure. Sweet varieties such as Rouge Duret or Noël des Champs are mainly needed to increase alcohol yield, while sour varieties (Rambaud, Petit Jaune or René Martin) provide optimal acidity for cider fermentation.

Each manufacturer has its own proportions, as well as the varietal composition of the mash. Usually, the emphasis is placed on bitter and bittersweet varieties, of which, for example, there should be at least 70% in cider from AOC Pays d'Auge. A typical cider recipe for Calvados might include 30% sweet, 40% sour and 30% bitter apples, sometimes 40% / 20% / 40%. Here we will have to look for a compromise, since we do not have specially bred varieties of apples and pears for brandy.

One thing I can say for sure: sweet apples such as Fuji, Gala, Jonagold, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious will fail. For a decent yield, it is better to bring the sweetness with sugar - you can safely press it to 15 o P according to the hydrometer or 15 o Bx according to the refractometer at the start of fermentation, the distillate will not go into the sugar fusel. And if you use pure dextrose (glucose) or fructose, then manipulations with the product yield will generally go unnoticed. But this is already a matter of philosophy - if the number of apples allows, it is better to leave sugar for coffee.

But here you can’t do without aromatic apples. At least half of the juice should be taken from the available sour and most aromatic varieties (these are usually late autumn and winter apples), for example, from apples Idared, Antonovka, Granny Smith, Semerenko, etc. It will be even better if the cider contains 20-30% of the usual wild game. At the same time, you can safely take a wild pear as a bitter base - in Normandy this is the norm.

Making cider

The fruits are harvested (manually or mechanically) from mid-October to December, allowed to soak in a cool place until fully ripe, crushed and pressed. Often, before pressing, the juice is allowed to brew on the pulp so that it extracts the maximum of extract substances from the peel. After pressing, the juice is fermented:

  • using only wild yeast(it is forbidden to introduce a pure culture of yeast);
  • using only sugar from fruits(it is forbidden to add sugar additionally);
  • at ambient temperatures(It is forbidden to artificially control the temperature, which is justified, because the process takes place at the end of autumn and the necessary slow fermentation is correlated with low temperatures outside).

Fermentation lasts from 1 to 3 months, with obtaining dry cider with a strength of at least 4.5%, usually from 5 to 7%. The slowest fermentation is very important here - this is how much more fruit esters and other "flavoring" are accumulated. For this, during fermentation, low temperatures are maintained, up to a maximum of 18 ° C, preferably 12-16 ° C.

Traditionally, cider is aged for up to a year in old barrels before being distilled, just in time for the new harvest. At the same time, it is not removed from the sediment. Look here according to your capabilities, it is better, of course, to withstand the cider for at least 4-6 months, during which it should clarify enough and gain complexity in taste.

But I advise you not to indulge in wild yeast (hereinafter DD), only if you are not going to cook cider near an apple orchard in an environmentally friendly environment. Norman farmers were lucky - the microflora of the air was formed in the production for centuries, there was a natural selection of yeast strains, DD roam there cheerfully and accumulate compounds that are extremely necessary for the taste and aroma of Calvados. On their side is the varietal composition of apples-pears, which provide ideal conditions for fermentation (the right acidity, the right level of tannins, etc.). In our latitudes, DD usually lead to either souring of the juice in the final stages of fermentation, or to an indistinct taste in the end, since the yeast has to work to its limit.

There are tons of strains on the market (pure yeast culture, CKD) for cider (go to any store for brewers, winemakers or moonshiners) - ideal. At worst, you can take any wine yeast for white wines or champagne. The main thing is not bakery, which are suitable only for sugar mash, and even better for buns.

"Charentes" alembic still: 1 - a container for heating cider, 2 - a tube for supplying cider to the boiler, 3 - a heating boiler, 4 - a firebox, 5 - a "helmet" that collects distillate vapors, 6 - "swan neck", 7 - pipe for draining "heads" and "tails", 8 - coil, 9 - pipe for draining the finished product and alcohol meter.

After the distillation of the cider, a crude alcohol (hereinafter CC) is obtained, which in France is called "brouillis" or "petites eaux" (low wine). Its strength is usually 28-30%. Often during the first distillation, the "tails" are cut off at once, and in some sources the "heads" are also cut off. It is not recommended to do this at home, otherwise a lot of aroma is lost (remember the varietal variety of raw materials for cider available to Norman winemakers). It is possible to select only a small amount of the head fraction, literally up to a stable SS stream - it will contain a lot of harmful isoamyl alcohol.

The second distillation is necessarily fractional, with careful cutting off of the head and tail fractions. Further work is carried out only with the "heart" of the distillate ("bonne chauffe"), the strength of which, according to the standard, should not be higher than 72%.

AOC Calvados and AOC Calvados Domfrontais rarely practice double distillation. The cider is distilled only once, in column distillers. Traditionally, these are large tray columns, consisting of about 15 trays and sampling units for each of the fractions. The single distillation is believed to give Calvados a fresher and cleaner apple flavor, and the double distillation is believed to give the complexity needed for long-term aging in barrels.

After the distillation of the cider comes the most important stage in the production of Calvados: aging. In addition to the mandatory two-year aging (three years for AOC Calvados Domfrontais), there are no other strict rules, so the methods differ dramatically from manufacturer to manufacturer. The aging takes place in new or old barrels with a volume of 200 to 600 liters or in oak vats with a volume of up to 10,000 liters. Barrels and vats aged alcohols can be mixed.

Often, "bonne chauffe" is poured into new barrels, from which the future Calvados takes over the tannins and balances its aroma. Then these alcohols are poured into old barrels, where they absorb the aromas of vanilla, toffee, nut and chocolate, gain complexity and soften. In this, Calvados is very different from cognac and whiskey - it does not stand in one barrel for years, it is constantly poured and assembled (mixed with other aged spirits). Many leading manufacturers are experimenting by completing the aging of Calvados in barrels of whiskey, cognac, rum, sherry, port, etc.

After aging, alcohols are usually blended, mixed to obtain a homogeneous drink from year to year. Some distilleries, usually small farms, offer vintage single-barrel spills. After mixing, Calvados is diluted to 40-45% alcohol and bottled. Some brandies are bottled without dilution - over the years of aging, the "angels" take up to 25-30% alcohol and no longer need to dilute them.

Well, there is enough information for thought. Let everyone decide how to interpret it. For me personally, for some time now, this all fits into the recipe and technology described below.

Calvados apple brandy recipe

We will prepare the cider according to the "white" scheme, using pure apple juice without fermenting the pulp, which contains a lot of pectin, in our case the precursor of methyl alcohol. The distillate will be cleaner, tastier and more aromatic. If for some reason you want to make apple moonshine according to the "red" scheme, we have one for such cases.

Making cider

  1. After picking or purchasing apples, it is advisable to allow time to mature in a cool, well-ventilated area for 2 to 4 weeks. During this time, they will ripen, become sweeter and more aromatic. Here it is important not to miss the moment and put them in time for processing, since softened they give off juice much worse. Late autumn and winter varieties are always in favor - they have more juice and aroma, and the pulp does not become loose after maturation.
  2. After maturing, the apples must be thoroughly rinsed from dirt, even if fermentation is on DD (savages are not completely washed off with water, they are in the air and fermentation will still take place - checked). Then you need to extract juice from the fruits, which is usually done in two ways:
    • Juicer... The juice comes out cloudy, which is bad for the fermentation and clarification of the cider. This is corrected by settling: the juice must be left in a cool place for 2-3 days, then removed from the sediment, the sediment is filtered and yeast can be added. The performance of ordinary household juicers is small, you can forget about serious volumes right away. There are, of course, more efficient centrifugal type machines that allow you to process up to 180 kg of fruits per hour, but their efficiency is only 50% - half of the juice remains in the fine pulp, which is very difficult to press, and the squeezed juice is cloudy and requires clarification.
    • Pressing... This method of obtaining juice is much better suited for our purposes, since it allows the juice to stand on the pulp for some time (cold maceration) to enrich it with aromatic extract substances. As a result, the juice turns out to be more aromatic and pure, and the cider is tasty and clarified in a timely manner. Apples first need to be crushed (finely chopped, use a wine crusher, grate on a coarse grater, mince, etc.), and then slowly squeeze using a wine press (now they can be bought on the Internet without any problems or assembled independently according to drawings from them ). Before pressing, leave the juice for 6-8 hours in a cool place so that it gains taste and aroma from the pulp.
  1. Take a sample of the juice to test it for sugar and acid content. Add (optional) dectrose or fructose up to 15 o P by hydrometer or 15 o Bx by refractometer. If necessary and desired, acidify the juice to pH 4 with malic or citric acid - the cider will turn out to be strong, capable of aging for a long time.
  2. Pour the corrected juice into a clean, sterile fermenter, filling it to a maximum of ¾ of the total volume - there may be a lot of foam, or it may not be at all - it is better to play it safe. Add the yeast, cover the fermenter with a clean cloth and leave for 2-3 days in a dark, warm place, while fermentation gains strength (at the stage of reproduction, the yeast needs oxygen and there is no need to put a water seal now).
  3. After 2-3 days, when fermentation is already in full swing, install a water seal on the fermentation tank and transfer it to a dark cool (12-18 o C) place until fermentation ends. On DD, vigorous fermentation can last at low temperatures for up to several months, CKD will eat the bulk of the sugar in 3-4 weeks (subject to low temperatures). We are still aiming for the slowest possible fermentation!
  4. After a couple of weeks of fermentation, the cider can be removed from the sediment, getting rid of the foam from pectin and calcium, which the carbon dioxide pushed out of the juice to the surface of the container. Fermentation after this should slow down a little, and the distillate after such a procedure turns out to be cleaner. In any case, when the water seal almost stops bubbling, a dense yeast sediment will collect at the bottom of the fermenter, and the juice will lighten a little, you need to remove the wash from the sediment and send it under the water seal in a cool place. At the same time, it is important to fill the fermenter to the very neck in order to keep the contact of the wort with oxygen to a minimum.
  5. Then wait as long as conditions allow. It is not necessary to remove the sediment - the taste will be richer. Ideally, for quiet fermentation and clarification, the cider for Calvados should spend at least until spring, after which it can be distilled without a twinge of conscience.

Distillation of cider into raw alcohol

So, we make our "petites eaux", the raw alcohol for getting ersatz-calvados from it. There is nothing new here that may differ from, I will not suggest. Although there are a couple of important points. Key points:

  • you need to distill cider as quickly as possible, with minimal cooking of yeast, it is better to distill it directly with sediment - this is more aromatic;
  • drive almost dry, at least up to 10% alcohol in the stream, but it is possible to zero, squeezing the aromatic distillate to the maximum;
  • to reduce the content of methyl and isoamyl alcohol in the drink, you can cut off a few heads already at the first chase, according to organoleptic properties or while raw alcohol drips from the refrigerator, and does not run in a thin stream;
  • the presence of copper in the steam zone of your moonshine will be a huge plus - apple brandy will turn out to be much tastier and more aromatic, as well as less harmful to health.

We have raw alcohol, ideally with a strength of 27-30%. If you get more, dilute to this strength before the second distillation.

Second fractional distillation of calva

Copper in the steam zone is still very desirable (alambik helmet, plates or caps on the column, RPN). During the second distillation, a copper distillation cube (again, an alambic or an ordinary cube with copper plates inside) does a lot of work on cleaning the raw alcohol from sulfur compounds, in particular, the most foul-smelling dimethyltrisulfide. Copper before distillation, of course, must be well purified.

We carry out distillation slowly, with careful crushing of the strand into fractions:

  • « heads"And" headboards "should be cut off sparingly, since they contain a lot of fruit and floral aromatics valuable for Calvados - 5% of absolute alcohol in the SS or 1-1.5% of the volume of SS will be a good guideline;
  • « heart»Take up to 60-65% of alcohol in the stream, without being greedy, changing the receptacle in time, when fusel notes begin to appear in the smell;
  • « tails»Squeeze at your own discretion (usually up to 10% alcohol in a stream) - they can be ringed, added to the next distillation of cider or raw apple alcohol, as you like.

And now we have "bonne chauffe", an apple distillate of decent quality, the strength of which, ideally, should not be higher than 72%. Now, in order to get a thoroughbred calva out of it, it needs to be ennobled with oak.

Moonshine from apple cake is gaining popularity, since the raw materials are used almost 100% waste-free. When processing apples for juice, pomace remains, from which you can make mash for good apple moonshine.

Chacha from apples is a natural alcoholic drink, harmful impurities are minimized. Alcohol does not need to be refined if all technologies are followed and distilled two or more times.

Due to the small amount of fructose in the pomace, it is necessary to add sugar, the moonshine from the remaining apple cake will retain the taste and smell of apples.

Tip: Do not squeeze the apples dry to make mash on apple pomace. A small amount of juice increases the fructose concentration, improving the taste and aroma of the alcohol.

Recipe

At home, making a brew for moonshine is simple, adhering to the minimum requirements. Unused pulp after making juice, cider or calvados is an excellent raw material that doesn't have to be thrown away.

Ingredients:

  • Apple cake - 10 kg
  • Granulated sugar - 5 kg
  • Water - 35 l
  • Yeast - 350 g pressed or 100 g dry

Mash preparation

  1. Place the apple cake in a container prepared in advance, where the mash will ferment. Calculate the capacity of such a volume that there would be free space for the foam released during fermentation, for this recipe you need a container with a volume of 60-65 liters for yourself, count it yourself depending on the amount of ingredients
  2. Fill the cake with water at a temperature of 30 degrees
  3. Add sugar, but it is better already diluted in the form of sugar syrup, so the sugar will dissolve faster and better. Mix well.
  4. Dissolve yeast in water, add to the wort and stir
  5. Close the container tightly and install a water seal or a medical glove, make a hole in your fingers in advance in the glove
  6. Put the braga in a dark, warm place, the temperature should be at least 18, but not more than 28 degrees
  7. Stir the mash for the first five days, upsetting the raised cap of the cake, after the cake stops floating, you do not need to stir it.
  8. The duration of fermentation is 6 to 10 days. It depends on the fermentation conditions. The end of fermentation can be determined by a deflated glove or the cessation of the release of gas bubbles by a water seal, as well as the bitter taste of the mash
  9. When the mash plays out, filter it from the cake through several layers of gauze

Getting moonshine

  1. Distill the mash for the first time almost to dryness to a strength in a stream of 5-7% alcohol
  2. Measure the strength of the obtained raw alcohol and calculate the amount of absolute alcohol
  3. Dilute to 30% with water and distill further
  4. Collect the head fractions first 10% of absolute alcohol and discard
  5. Collect the drinking fraction, the so-called "body" of moonshine, select to a cubed temperature of 92 degrees
  6. Collect the rest of the "tailings" separately for further processing
  7. Apple moonshine will be ready after you dilute it to 40 degrees with clean drinking water and let it stand for at least 7 days in a glass container.

The amount of ingredients in the recipe gives about 5 liters of high-quality tasty and aromatic apple moonshine with a strength of 40 degrees.

Making homemade moonshine is possible from almost any raw material that contains a sufficient amount of carbohydrates that are broken down by yeast. The most delicious drinks are obtained using fruits and berries. But there are also cases when you want to save money and use some of the products for juice, and send some for moonshine. It is for such distillers that there is a recipe for how to make moonshine from apple cake.

Before you start cooking, you need to understand that cake and pulp are different things. Oilcake, also known as squeezing, is a product obtained from apples after processing by a press. There is practically no juice in the cake, but it contains a large amount of pectin. A very small amount of pulp, apple peel, and partitions between the seeds act as a cake. Pulp is already a product that is obtained after fermentation, that is, it is a fermented cake.

Apple cake

The cake contains a large amount of sugar, but if you rely only on the natural sugar content of the malt, then the mash can take a very long time to cook.

The drink will ferment for up to a month, because in addition to the insufficient amount of sugar, apple cake has a high acidity. Therefore, to speed up the process, you need to add yeast and a small amount of sugar to the mash. This rule applies to other fruit brews, except for grape. And the addition of yeast will lead to more alcohol than just fermentation on cake. In this case, the aroma of the product will not deteriorate and will not disappear, the drink will have a pronounced taste of apples.

About the features of the mash from the squeeze

Those who cook mash on apple cake need to know one more nuance. The fact is that pulp is formed from the cake during the fermentation process. This is a substance that is capable of releasing methyl alcohol. Methanol is a hazardous substance that can lead to loss of vision or death. This is the so-called technical alcohol.

It is impossible to stop the production of methanol during fermentation. It is possible to overtake the drink only after the end of fermentation. To get rid of methanol, you need to carry out the following procedures:

  • Mash filtration. The pulp is disposed of in such a way as mechanical, coarse filtration. Colanders, sieves, and gauze are used. You can filter the drink several times before pouring it into the cube.
  • Make sure that the mash does not burn in the device.
  • Separate the "heads" during the first and second distillation.

The presence of a small amount of methanol is not scary, as it forms ethanol (regular alcohol), which is an antidote. If the mash has been standing for a long time, then there are more chances that pectins are formed in it, and, accordingly, methanol. Therefore, the tremors must be added for safety reasons. The amount of methanol can reach 3% of the drink and lead to intoxication of the body.

It is better not to reuse the pulp. What has fermented should be fed to pets or poured into a drain pit. First, the amount of alcohol from the pulp will be very small, up to two liters. And secondly, the process is laborious, and more methanol will be produced during this time. Therefore, it is advisable to use fresh apple cake once.

Another feature of apple cake mash is that such drinks are susceptible to mold. Before the apples are selected for the juice squeezing procedure, you need to make sure that there are no moldy fruits. During fermentation, they infect the mash and form a mold film on the surface, which spoils the drink.

Mash recipe

Apple juice is used as a standalone drink or for making cider or calvados. But unused cake can be turned into mash, and subsequently into moonshine. The proportions for the recipe look like this:

  • 10 kilograms of apple cake;
  • 30-35 liters of water (if the moisture content of the pomace is high, you must take the lower limit of the proportion);
  • 5 kilograms of sugar;
  • dry yeast - 100 grams, you need more compressed yeast.

The sugar content of the mash at the start must be brought to 20%. If all the sugar is not processed, you can add water or yeast.

Step-by-step cooking:

  • The water temperature should be 25-30 degrees Celsius. Water must be mixed with cake.
  • When falling asleep sugar, you need to wait until it dissolves, for this the solution can be stirred.
  • Yeast can be pre-activated. To do this, put them in a glass of warm water and wait for the foam to appear on the surface. After the appearance of foam, the yeast is poured into a common container. The volume of liquid in the fermentation container should not exceed 70%. If you pour more liquid, it will "escape" during fermentation due to the active formation of foam.
  • The wort is ready, it is closed with a water seal to ensure tightness. Can be covered with a signal glove. The bottle is removed in a warm and dark place. Once a day, you need to check the wort for fermentation activity, see if a film forms on the surface. Once a day, the mash is stirred so that fermentation takes place evenly.
  • You can taste the drink for about 5-7 days. If it is not sweet, but bitter-sour, and the foam has ceased to form, then the mash is ready for distillation. The readiness of the drink can also be checked with an alcohol meter, the strength should be approximately at the level of 9-12%.

After the mash has ripened, it is removed from the sediment, filtered, filtered from the pulp. Then the drink is left for another half day to remove the yeast from the sediment. Braga from cake should not be clarified with bentonite, since the apple taste of the moonshine will disappear.

Distillation of mash from cake

Distillation should take place in a still using the traditional method. The first distillation can be carried out only with the selection of "heads". But the second distillation is done on a fractional basis, with the measurement of the strength of the jet.

Before the second distillation, the distillate should be diluted with water to 20%. The first 10-15% of the amount of pure alcohol (until the unpleasant smell remains) must be separated into another container. The "heads" that come out at the beginning are used only on the farm for technical needs.

The "body" is taken before the strength in the stream falls below 45%, sometimes below 40%, which is applicable for fruit mash. After that, the distillation is completed and the "tails" are collected separately. The middle fraction is diluted with water to 45%, poured into bottles and sealed. After two days of settling, you can taste the finished product. After distillation according to the recipe, up to 8 liters of moonshine with a strength of 40% is obtained.

Braga from cake allows you to save raw materials and get a delicious product. The drink will taste like apples. The cooking process is more laborious compared to ordinary sugar mash, but the result is worth the expectations and the energy expended.

Calvados (apple cognac) is a drink that came to us from Normandy, which is also called apple brandy. For a long time, Calvados was considered a drink of the poor, because ordinary apples are used to make it. But after the great Remarque mentioned it in his works, this drink became very popular with high society. Of course, making a real Calvados with your own hands is very problematic, since its peculiarity lies in the fact that it must be aged in oak barrels.

But nevertheless, it can be made at home according to the classic recipe. You can also make this drink from apples on your own (or rather, an imitation of it), insisting apples on strong alcohol at home. Both vodka and moonshine are suitable as an alcoholic base. An important role is also played by what kind of apples you plan to make Calvados from. You can combine different varieties - bitter, sour, sweet and sweet and sour - the main thing is that the fruits are small and fragrant. Pears are also suitable if they are sweet and sour.

It is best to choose varieties harvested in September. Calvados is considered one of the most "finicky" alcoholic beverages, regardless of which recipe is used in the manufacture. Fruits are mixed in a wide variety of proportions, but if it is not possible to make calvados from several varieties of apples, then it is recommended to take only sweet and sour ones.

The recipe for a true classic Calvados in a white scheme

Fruit selection ... For this drink, only fruits collected from a tree are used, fruits that have fallen to the ground are no longer suitable for Calvados. Harvested apples do not need to be washed with water in order to preserve wild yeast on the skin of the fruit, on which fermentation will take place.


Preparation:


Excerpt ... In order to ennoble the resulting apple moonshine by turning it into calvados, it must be poured into an oak barrel for infusion. If you do not have a barrel, you can use pre-prepared oak chips. Chips measuring 7 by 7 mm, 8-10 cm long, put in a three-liter jar in the amount of 9-11 pieces and fill with apple moonshine. Close the jars with lids and leave for 4-8 months to ripen, shaking occasionally.

Filtration. Aged homemade calvados (apple brandy) must be filtered through a gauze filter and bottled. Let stand for a week in glass, so that the drink "reaches". You can start tasting homemade Calvados.

In the video, the recipe for Calvados which is cooked according to the red scheme with cake with added sugar and wine yeast. Using this technology, making apple distillate is easier and faster, the distillate is also obtained with the aroma of apples, but due to the addition (sugar and yeast), such a drink cannot be called a classic.

Simplified Calvados recipe

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to cook a real classic Calvados at home, for the reason that few people have an oak barrel on the farm. In addition, it takes a lot of time to prepare a traditional drink, so the winemakers came up with an alternative simplified recipe. To make homemade calvados by infusion, you will need 2 kg of apples, 1 liter of vodka (you can replace it with moonshine), 200 grams of sugar, 1 bag of vanillin and 150 ml of purified water. Particular attention should be paid to the fruit: if at least one apple comes across rotten, then the drink can be considered irretrievably spoiled.

  • Wash the fruit thoroughly and cut into small wedges, do not forget to throw out the core.
  • Transfer to a three-liter glass jar, sprinkle with vanilla on top.
  • Next, pour vodka (or moonshine) into a container and remove to ferment in a dark place.
  • Shake the jar well several times a day for two to three weeks.
  • After that, make a syrup from water and sugar and add to the future calvados.
  • Then strain the drink through cheesecloth, pour into bottles and close tightly, leave for storage.

This recipe allows you to make a drink with your own hands that is as close as possible to the original in its taste. Calvados is stored at a temperature of about +15 degrees (it can be lower, but not higher), it can be served immediately after cooking. If desired, along with the sliced ​​apples, you can add a little berries, nuts or your favorite spices - this will only add a spicy taste to the drink.

Apple Pear Calvados Recipe

Many summer residents are wondering how to cook Calvados on their own, when a lot of apples and pears of various varieties have accumulated in the bins. There is an excellent recipe that will make you a great drink. Its alcoholic base includes moonshine (which can easily be replaced with vodka), the main thing is to do everything correctly and correctly observe the proportions.

Of the ingredients, you will need 700 grams of sweet and bitter apples and 350 grams of sour apples, 300-350 grams of sweet and sour pears, 1 liter of vodka (or replace with moonshine), half a glass of vanilla and regular sugar, a glass of water.

  1. Rinse the fruit well, remove the seeds and cut into small cubes.
  2. First put apples, then pears in a three-liter sterilized jar.
  3. Pour in the vanilla sugar, then pour the moonshine into the jar.
  4. Then you need to do this: cover the container with gauze and remove to wander in a dark place.
  5. Then the apple and pear drink should be kept cool for two to three weeks.
  6. The jar should be shaken every day to mix the components.
  7. After the required period has elapsed, the future Calvados should be filtered through cheesecloth.
  8. The next step is to pour the drink into a saucepan and put on low heat.
  9. Now you need to make sugar syrup: dissolve sugar in a glass of water.
  10. Pour the prepared syrup into a saucepan and simmer the drink over low heat for half an hour.
  11. Next, the almost finished Calvados needs to be cooled and bottled.

The recipe for this drink is good because the taste and aroma of Calvados gets excellent, regardless of the alcoholic base, be it vodka or moonshine. You can drink it immediately after preparation, but before that it is recommended to cool it to a temperature of no more than 15 degrees. This version of Calvados is also great if you plan on making cocktails and your friends will appreciate the taste of this drink.

When apples and grapes are processed for juice or wine, pomace remains, which are thrown away or given to livestock feed. For lovers of strong homemade alcohol, I propose to do differently - to make moonshine from oil cake according to a simple recipe. The ingredient list depends on your understanding of the correct fruit mash. You will get a drink with a characteristic aroma of raw materials, since we will use one trick in the preparation process.

Ingredients:

  • pomace (apple or grape) - 10 kg;
  • water - 15 liters and another 4 liters for each kilogram of sugar;
  • sugar (optional) - 2-5 kg;
  • yeast (optional) - 100 grams dry or 500 grams pressed.

Real moonshine from cake is prepared without yeast and sugar, but in the northern regions this is not always possible. In the case of sour grapes (apples), fermentation will be sluggish, and the yield of the finished product is very low, since there is often little fructose left in the pomace. Therefore, I advise you to stick to the golden mean - add at least a couple of kilograms of sugar. Then the moonshine will retain the smell of raw materials, and the yield will be sufficient. 1 kg of sugar additionally gives 1.1-1.2 liters of moonshine (40%), but slightly negates the organoleptic properties.

The disadvantage of wild and wine yeast is that it ferments many times longer than alcohol and bakery yeast. If you are ready to wait 30-50 days instead of 7-10, then there is no point in artificial yeast (dry and pressed bakery or alcohol), since these strains slightly worsen the smell of the distillate. Next, we will look at a universal technology that is suitable in both cases.

Attention! For those who decide to make mash without sugar, I advise you not to squeeze the cake dry, leaving a little juice to increase the concentration of fructose.

Pomace mash recipe

1. Place the pomace in a fermentation vessel.

2. Cover with warm (25-30 ° C) water, stir. At least 10-15% of the volume of the container should be left free so that there is room for foam and carbon dioxide.

3. Add yeast and (or) sugar diluted according to the instructions on the label, then mix again (lovers of natural fruit moonshine skip this step).

4. Place a water seal or a rubber medical glove with a small hole in the finger on the fermentation container.

5. Transfer the mash to a dark, warm (18-28 ° C) place. Once every 1-2 days, open the container and mix the contents so that pieces of pomace do not accumulate near the surface. When the cake stops floating, it is not necessary to mix.

Depending on the selected yeast (wild or artificial), sugar content and temperature, fermentation of the mash on the cake lasts from 7 to 50 days. To get a good exit, you must definitely wait until the end of this process (the mash will taste bitter without sweetness, the airlock will stop emitting gas or the glove will deflate).

6. Recovered mash contains solid particles that can burn during distillation, spoiling the taste of moonshine. This problem can be solved in two ways. The first is to drain the wash from the sediment before distillation. The disadvantage of this method is that part of the aroma of the raw material is lost.

The second way is to filter the mash through 3-4 layers of gauze, and hang the squeezed cake (or only part of it) in the alembic. The problem is that this is not possible with all designs of moonshine stills. But if your device allows you to implement such a trick, I advise you to use the second method.

Getting moonshine from cake

7. Distill the filtered mash in the traditional way. Take the distillate until the strength in the stream falls below 25%.

8. Measure the strength of the obtained moonshine. Determine the amount of pure alcohol (multiply the volume by the strength and divide by 100).

9. Dilute the distillate with water to 20%, then distill again. The first 10-15% of the amount of pure alcohol (as long as the unpleasant odor persists) should be taken into a separate container. This is a harmful fraction called "heads" and can only be used for technical purposes.

10. Take the main product ("body") until the strength in the stream falls below 45%, then finish the distillation or collect the "tails" separately.

11. The obtained moonshine from the pomace of double distillation (only the middle fraction) is diluted with water to 40-45 degrees. Pour into a glass container and seal tightly. Leave for 2-3 days to stabilize the taste after mixing with water. You can start tasting!

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