Experienced moonshiners agree that the most effective and quickest purification of moonshine from fusel oils is the method using activated or charcoal. This is not surprising, because coal particles have large pores that are capable of absorbing not only small elements of impurities, but also large ones.

So, how to clean moonshine at home so that the filtration takes place with the maximum effect. Consider 2 effective ways:

1. Express method. During distillation, a funnel is placed in the container into which the distillate will be collected. One layer of cotton is placed in it, small fractions of coal are poured on top, then larger fractions and at the end are covered with 2 cotton pads. Everything needs to be pressed tightly. As a result, you will not need to spend additional time to clean the moonshine from the fuselage, since the product is filtered directly at the outlet of the moonshine still.
2. Infusion. After distillation, the alcohol is poured into a glass jar, and crushed coal is placed there. Everything is thoroughly mixed and left in a cool place for 5-14 days. At the end of the exposure, the consistency must be filtered through multilayer gauze.

This is one of the best ways to quickly clear the moonshine before the second distillation. Coal is preferable to use from birch. A component from a water filter will be no less effective. It often contains silver, which will only improve the quality of filtration.

Apply charcoal in the following proportions: 50 gr. for every liter of alcohol. This calculation is suitable for both the first and second cleaning method. Therefore, when filtering moonshine through a funnel, cotton wool with a filler will periodically need to be changed to a new one.

Vegetable oil

Not all moonshiners know that fusel impurities and other harmful components are perfectly neutralized in vegetable oils. Therefore, moonshine can be cleaned with olive or sunflower oil. The main thing here is to use an odorless product, that is, refined, otherwise the concentrated aroma will be transferred to the drink.

With this method of purifying moonshine at home, part of the vegetable oil remains in alcohol, even with high-quality filtration. Therefore, the second distillation in this case is a mandatory step.

How to clean moonshine after the first distillation with vegetable oil:

1. Dilute the moonshine with water to a strength of 20 °. For every liter of alcohol you need 20 ml of oil. For example, in 5 liters you need to mix 100 ml of cleaner.
2. Stir the ingredients for 1-2 minutes, then leave for 5 minutes, and shake everything thoroughly again.
3. Place the jar in a dark place with a constant temperature of 6-15 ° C, the lower the indicator, the better.
4. After the end of the infusion, the liquid will become slightly cloudy, and an oily film forms on its surface. You need to drain the pure alcohol through the pipe. Try to do this in such a way that you do not touch the film.

Milk

Filtration of moonshine with milk is very popular among experienced masters - this way the "soul" of the drink is preserved and its taste softens. The principle is based on the binding of harmful impurities with casein and albumin molecules that make up milk protein. As a result, a flocculent sediment appears, due to its gravity falling to the bottom. Filtration takes about a week, after which the distillate is removed from the sediment and re-run. After cleaning, the moonshine acquires a clean structure, and also becomes soft in taste.

Milk is a simple, effective and completely safe way to make quality alcohol

It should be borne in mind that milk contains fats, they make the drink cloudy. Therefore, in home brewing, there are 2 cleaning recipes. In the first, low-fat milk is used, and re-distillation is not provided, in the second, the percentage of fat content of the product is not fundamental, since secondary distillation will help to clean the structure.

Method for cleaning moonshine with milk without distillation

The advantages of this filtration of moonshine are obvious, the method is absolutely safe, does not need secondary distillation and makes it possible to combine the purification of alcohol with other methods. But he also has disadvantages, in rare cases the structure of the liquid may become cloudy.

Cleaning steps:

• prepare a low-fat pasteurized dairy product with the calculation of 150 ml per 10 liters of fortified drink with a strength of 50 °;

Instead of pasteurized milk, in this case, it is allowed to use dry milk. But first, 3 hours before you clean the moonshine from fusel oils, it will need to be diluted in warm water.

• mix the dairy product with a fortified drink, close the jar tightly and leave for 5-6 days in a dark place with a temperature of 20-25 ° C;
• every day during infusion, the container must be shaken well;

From the very first minutes, a precipitate in the form of large white flakes will begin to form in the liquid. This milk protein reacts chemically and precipitates harmful impurities.

• at the end of the exposure, the alcohol is drained from the sediment and filtered several times through multilayer gauze with a cotton pad.

If, after cleaning at home, the moonshine has acquired a cloudy structure, it should be filtered through a charcoal filter.

VIDEO: What is the best way to clean the distillate - coal, butter or milk?

How to properly clean a moonshine followed by distillation

In this case, the fat content of the dairy product does not matter, the main thing is that the milk is fresh. The process of removing harmful impurities is as follows:

• 100 ml of homemade dairy product is mixed in 1 liter of alcohol, but the alcohol is preliminarily diluted to obtain a strength of 45-55 °;
• all components mix well, close tightly with a lid;
• the container is placed for 4-6 days in a dark place, while the first 3 days the contents must be shaken for better cleaning;
• moonshine is drained from the sediment and diluted by 20% with water, after which it is sent for secondary distillation with division into fractions - heads, bodies, tails.

These methods can be used to check the quality of store vodka. Sometimes the result is shocking with the amount of sediment.

Chicken egg protein

Cleansing moonshine at home using protein from chicken eggs allows you to eliminate not only harmful components in the drink, but also an unpleasant smell. This method works best when filtering a distillate prepared with wheat or sugar mash. But if alcohol was prepared on berries or fruits, it is not recommended to use egg white for cleaning.

The composition of the cleansing product includes casein and albumin, in fact, due to which all impurities are deposited at the bottom. In terms of absorption, this method of purifying moonshine at home is not inferior to coal. In addition, it should be noted the minimum loss of distillate - only up to 5%.

Consider the steps on how to cleanse and filter moonshine from fusel oils and unpleasant odor using egg white:

• dilute the distillate to a strength of 45-55 °, but at the same time leave 20% of free space in the container;
• separate the white from the yolk, add water to it in the amount of 10% of the amount of alcohol and beat with a mixer until a homogeneous mass is obtained, but until foam forms;
• Stir the protein solution with moonshine, cover the container and leave to infuse for 1 week;
• shake the mixture every day, but do not carry out these manipulations 1 day before removing from the sediment.

After the holding time has elapsed, strain the liquid without sediment through a cotton-gauze plug in a funnel. Change the filter and do the same with the sediment. Dilute pure alcohol with drinking water to obtain a strength of 18-20 ° and distill it a second time.

Freezing

This is the easiest way to filter home brew. When the temperature drops below 0 °, fusel oils and other impurities begin to freeze, while the freezing point of pure ethyl alcohol is -114 ° C. The method takes a lot of time compared to other cleaning options, but high quality is guaranteed in this case.

You need to put the jar in the freezer or outside if the weather conditions meet the requirements for freezing. When ice forms in an alcoholic drink, and these are fusel oils, the remaining liquid must be drained, the rest must be disposed of.

In the north, the scrap method is practiced, although it is more convenient to use a metal corner. It is left outside for some time to freeze the metal well, put it in a bowl and slowly drain the distillate through it. When moving, the fuselage freezes, and the raw material flows down. The result is quick and effective.

To eliminate extraneous aromas from the moonshine as much as possible, it is recommended to add 30 g to 1 liter of the drink. raisins and chopped violet root 5 pcs. The consistency should be infused for at least 10 days, after which it will be fully usable.

Rye bread

In ancient times, few people were interested in the best way to clean moonshine from harmful impurities, since they used the bread cleaning recipe, proven for centuries. This method has not lost its popularity in our time.

You need to use only fresh bakery products from rye flour without various impurities. Homemade rye bread is ideal.

This product contains many yeasts and gluten, which help to retain fusel oils. As a result of such cleaning, even the most low-quality alcohol will acquire a pleasant aroma and brighten.

The process will require 100 grams. bread pulp for 1 liter of moonshine. Before cleaning, the alcoholic beverage should be filtered using one of the previous methods. After that, the bread is cut into slices, they are peeled from the crust and crumbled into small particles.

Crumbs are poured into a container, mixed with distillate, closed with a lid and left for 3 days in a dark place. After the end of the infusion, the consistency will acquire a yellow color, which is eliminated by subsequent filtration.

Place a funnel with a cotton pad in a clean jar and strain the alcoholic drink through it. The remaining pulp is disposed of without spinning. Further, the moonshine must be diluted with water and put on distillation with separation of fractions.

Gluing

Bonding of fusel oils and other impurities is carried out using Karluk glue. The component is preliminarily diluted in water before use until a jelly-like consistency is obtained, after which it is mixed into the moonshine. Adhesive elements bind unwanted constituents of the beverage and deposit on the bottom of the container.

This method is of the highest quality, it purifies the distillate as much as possible. Its only drawback is its inaccessibility. The fact is that glue was used, as a rule, in large-scale production activities. Also, the deficit is influenced by a sharp decline in the number of sturgeons, from the swim bladders of which the component is produced.

Salt and soda

Quick cleansing of the drink from toxins and fusel oils is carried out through the use of baking soda with salt. The advantages of the technologist are in the short-term, the process requires no more than 1 day. The downside is inefficiency. The fact is that soda is not able to precipitate all harmful components, therefore it requires repeated distillation.

Cleaning steps:

• dilute the moonshine to obtain a strength of 40-50 °;
• separate 10 gr. baking soda in 100 ml of pure water;
• mix the ingredients with 1 liter of alcoholic drink, close the lid;
• shake thoroughly and leave for half an hour, then stir again;
• put in a cool dark place for 15 hours.

After the formation of a precipitate, the clean liquid is carefully drained and filtered. A cotton pad is placed in the funnel, granules of crushed charcoal are poured on top, after which everything is covered with one cotton layer. A fortified drink is passed through such a "sandwich" into a container.

With the help of salt and soda, you can partially cleanse the product from harmful impurities, the smell and taste remain unchanged.

Potassium permanganate with soda

There is also the usual method for cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate, but it is less effective than the combined one, so we will consider the second option. Baking soda helps neutralize acetic acid when potassium permanganate partially removes fusel oils.

The main advantage of this kind of cleaning is the minimum time required. Minus - the likelihood of the remainder of manganese crystals, which adversely affects human health. To exclude this factor, it is imperative to overtake the composition a second time.

Prepare the components based on the following proportions - 1.5 g is needed for 1 liter of alcohol. manganese and 10 gr. baking soda. Pre-mix potassium permanganate with water in a volume of 200 ml, pour the alkaline solution into the moonshine and shake thoroughly. Add the manganese, cover the jar and stir well.

Place the container in a dark, cold place for 14 hours. During this time, a thick sediment forms at the bottom of the jar, the clear liquid is drained from it and put for re-distillation.

Fruits

A less effective cleaning method that partially removes harmful components from the alcoholic beverage, but at the same time gives it a pleasant aroma and aftertaste. Secondary distillation is a must here.

For 3 liters of alcoholic product with a concentration of 20o, you need to prepare 1 carrot and 1 apple. The fruits are peeled, coarsely chopped and added to a container with moonshine. After that, the jar is left to infuse for 2-3 days until the fibers begin to separate from the carrot with apple.

Making alcohol cloudy

Some tasters love moonshine of a dull milky color, as it is made in real Russian settlements. To achieve this effect, you can use several recipes that give the product the desired shade, while not impairing its taste and aroma.

Some people like the authentic color of moonshine - it can be deliberately made cloudy

1. Milk whey. For 1 liter of moonshine, you will need from 10 to 25 ml of serum, depending on the required color saturation.
2. Powdered milk. Use the ingredient in proportions of 5-15 grams. for every liter of fortified drink.
3. Vegetable oil. To obtain a white consistency, 3-5 drops of refined sunflower or olive oil are enough. After adding the component, the liquid must be thoroughly mixed.

VIDEO: Little tricks of the moonshiner

Moonshine can be cleaned using various methods. But in no case should you neglect it, because it is this procedure that relieves the alcoholic drink from harmful impurities, methanol and fusel oils. It is not enough to cook good home brew and distill moonshine correctly. If you want an alcoholic drink made at home to be really tasty and safe for human health, it must be cleaned without fail. That is why a moonshiner needs to know some ways to clean moonshine at home.

Currently, there are many different methods of purifying moonshine at home. To some extent, each of the methods is considered to be very effective. But it is worth considering the most effective ones.

Charcoal purification

How to filter home brew with charcoal? Answering this question, it is worth noting that this particular method is considered one of the best. After such cleansing, the drink becomes of higher quality. In order to carry out this procedure at home, it is best to use charcoal. But if you do not have the opportunity to get this coal, then you can use the activated one.

There are two main methods for carrying out such a purification of moonshine:

After this time, the moonshine must be drained from the sediment and additionally filtered through a cotton-gauze filter.

The amount of charcoal plays a huge role here. It must be remembered that for each liter of moonshine, you need to take about 50 g of a coal cleaner.

Fruit cleaning

To get rid of all impurities and give the product a fruity note, you can use the moonshine cleaning before the second distillation with various fruits. The result is a drink with a distinct fruity flavor.

For 3 liters of moonshine with a strength of about 25 degrees, for example, 1 carrot and one apple are taken. The fruit and vegetable are cut into large pieces, and the core must be removed from the apple. Carrots and apples are placed in a container with moonshine. The drink must be infused for 3 days, until the fibers peel off from the fruit. When this begins to happen, they can be pulled out of the drink, and the solution must be distilled or consumed in this form.

Purification with potassium permanganate

This method of cleaning moonshine is often called chemical. This will require potassium permanganate, which is popularly called simply potassium permanganate.

With this cleaning, sediment should settle on the bottom of the can. Do not be afraid of this, this phenomenon is considered normal.

Filtration can then be carried out. First, you can use cotton wool for filtration, and then any water filter. Usually, after a similar procedure even the most muddy moonshine is transformed.

Bread cleaning

To purify moonshine using this method, you will need fresh rye bread. Ideally, it should be warm. The bread must be cut into small pieces, while removing all the crusts. It is important to pay attention to the fact that only crumbs are required, which additionally need to be crumbled.

Next, the bread crumb must be sent to a container with an alcoholic drink, after which it is sealed with a hermetically sealed plastic lid. Let the moonshine brew for 2 days in a dark room. After this time, you can proceed to filtering the drink with gauze and cotton wool. It is worth noting that the spent crumb should not be wrung out.

Cleaning moonshine with milk

The benefits and harms of moonshine are probably known to everyone. But at the same time, he must go through a mandatory cleaning procedure. Speaking about cleaning with milk, it is worth noting that there are two main conditions for the effective action of the technique:

• It is best to use skim milk. If there is none, then you need to take a drink with a fat content of up to 1%.
• The strength of the moonshine before cleaning should be between 45 and 59 degrees.

The correct proportions must also be observed. For 5 liters of alcohol-containing drink, from 50 to 75 ml of milk is taken. It is important to comply with this condition.

When the required amount of milk is added to the moonshine, the contents must be thoroughly stirred in the container, corked with a lid and allowed to brew in the pantry for a week. In this case, the drink must be shaken every day. After this time the drink is drained from the sediment and passed through a cotton filter.

Egg white

You need to take a three-liter glass jar, pour 2.5 liters of moonshine into it. After that, you need to take 5 chicken eggs, separate the whites from the yolks. Note that one protein cleans 500 ml of moonshine. Compliance with this condition is essential. If the whites are separated from the yolks poorly, then the alcoholic drink will emit a not very pleasant egg smell.

Add 250 ml of clean water at room temperature to a container with egg whites. Using a mixer, the proteins must be turned into a homogeneous mixture. Beat the whites until a copious foam appears on the surface.

The resulting protein mass must be poured into a jar with a drink and mixed well. It is good to seal the container with moonshine with a lid and put it in a dark place for 5 days. Shake the contents of the jar thoroughly every day. ... However, on the last day you do not need to touch the drink so that the sediment completely settles to the bottom. Then you can proceed to filtering. First, filtration is done through cotton wool, and then through cheesecloth.

Freezing or freezing

The main advantage of this method of purifying moonshine is its extreme simplicity and availability. Before starting the procedure moonshine must be poured into an aluminum pan. The pot is covered with a lid and placed in the freezer. Freeze moonshine in the freezer for 12 to 15 hours. Thus, during the freezing process, water, fusel oils, and other harmful impurities freeze to the walls of the container. Since ethyl alcohol has a lower freezing point, it remains liquid.

With this cleaning method, remember that the beverage volume will decrease after freezing. And for this reason, its strength will increase.

Cleaning oil

To use this method of purifying moonshine, only good, refined, odorless oil can be used. If you use unrefined oil, then the whole smell will be transferred to the alcoholic beverage.

Refined vegetable oil must be added to the container with alcohol. In this case, the necessary proportions must be observed: 20 ml of oil is taken per 1 liter of alcohol. After that, the container is tightly covered with a plastic lid, and then the contents of the container are actively shaken for 2 minutes. This procedure must be repeated several times, and then leave the moonshine to infuse for 12 hours.

After this time has elapsed, use lowered to the bottom of the tube the drink must be poured into a clean container.

We clean with soda

It doesn't matter what recipes moonshine or chacha was prepared according to, it will perfectly lend itself to cleaning with soda. But before using this method, you must first dilute alcohol with water to a strength of 41 degrees.

Baking soda for cleaning is taken at the rate of 1 g of powder per 100 ml of moonshine. But before that, the soda must be dissolved in water. The amount of water in this case is equal to the amount of soda, for example, 50 g of soda is diluted in 50 ml of water, and then the resulting solution is added to 5 liters of alcohol.

When the soda solution is added to the container with the drink, it must be well corked and shaken well. Let the moonshine brew for an hour, and then shake again. After that, the alcohol is placed in a dark room for 12 hours. After this time, alcohol must be filtered with several cotton pads.

There are other cleaning methods as well. homemade vodka. These include cleaning: kefir, gelatin, bran, salt, pine nut shells, lime. But they are not particularly distinguished by their effectiveness. That is why it is recommended to use the above methods.

Why does an unpleasant smell appear?

A strong unpleasant smell in moonshine can be caused for the following reasons:

• Poor purification of moonshine.
• The mash distillation temperature is too high.
• Before starting the distillation of moonshine, the moonshine still was poorly washed.

One of the above reasons will be enough for the noble drink to turn into what the people call the whole thing. To prevent this from happening, moonshine at the cooking stage must be cleaned without fail.

Infusing the drink to eliminate odor

To make it pleasant to use moonshine, it is quite often additionally flavored with various natural methods. To improve the smell of homemade moonshine, you can use the following methods:

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the process of cleaning or clarifying moonshine will become more effective if you combine several of the above methods at the same time. Any moonshine needs to remove impurities. If, at the same time, one or more methods of cleaning the drink and secondary distillation are used, then you can end up with a drink that will be much better in its purity than any factory alcoholic product. And in this case, your friends and you will only hear about the hangover in jokes.

Attention, only TODAY!

Before you clean the moonshine from oils, it must be filtered and allowed to settle. Then you need to choose the appropriate method of processing the drink. The choice depends on the available means of the home drink maker. We recommend that you carefully read this material and study all the proposed tools and methods. With such an arsenal, there will be no difficulty in how to clean home moonshine from fusel oils, and as a result of the procedures, you will receive excellent quality drinks at the exit. There are time-tested simple remedies: charcoal, potassium permanganate, activated carbon, milk, gelatin, egg white and much more. You can also use special preparations and household devices in the form of filters.

How to quickly clear moonshine from fusel oils

The harmful impurities contained in the moonshine, except for ethyl alcohol and water, must be removed. There are various cleaning methods that are used for certain types of impurities. Most often, charcoal and potassium permanganate are used. How to quickly clear moonshine from fusel oils is described below: several interesting methods have been proposed.

Moonshine from good raw materials achieves "crystal" purity if cleaning is carried out correctly.

We offer several old recipes for cleaning moonshine.

How to remove essential oils from moonshine

Depending on the size of the container, they put from 3 to 6 handfuls of sifted ash of birch firewood and several handfuls of salt (this is the first distillation). The second distillation will be carried out without ash and salt.

Chemical purification, special distillation, filtration and infusion- this is the process of cleaning moonshine. Before you clean the moonshine from essential oils, you need to know that it is better to take the drink that is obtained after the first distillation. It should be at room temperature, since at elevated temperatures many harmful substances are not captured. It is also better not to use high-grade alcohol, because it is very reluctant to part with its impurities.

The required amount of potassium permanganate is preliminarily diluted in a small amount of water. The water must be boiled. For a liter of moonshine, take about 1-2 g of potassium permanganate. This solution is used to process moonshine.

A solution of potassium permanganate is poured into moonshine and stirred thoroughly. Then leave for 10-12 hours for clarification and precipitation. Next, the moonshine is filtered through a cloth and a special distillation is carried out.

You can use activated charcoal purchased from a pharmacy. Although you can use fine river sand, sifted and calcined over a fire.

First, an artisanal, but faithfully working filter is made. A glass funnel of the correct size is taken. A thin layer of cotton wool is put into it, covered with a piece of gauze. A layer of activated carbon is poured over the gauze. To prevent the coal from floating up, the third layer in the filter is gauze again. The amount of coal is determined by the size of the funnel and the volume of the filtered moonshine. It is believed that 1 liter of moonshine needs 50 g of coal.

There is another way to filter: just throw the activated charcoal into a container of moonshine and leave for 2 weeks. The ratio is the same - 50 g per liter. You just need to remember to shake the container or shake it up several times a day.

The settled moonshine is filtered through cotton wool or fabric. In principle, the product is ready for use, but to improve the taste, you can insist on raisins and St. John's wort (you need to take 50 g of raisins and a pinch of St. John's wort per liter) for 3-4 days. Such additional processing will almost completely eliminate the foreign smell.

How to properly clean moonshine from fusel oils (with video)

Components:

• 12 l moonshine
• 800 g raisins
• 400 g pure birch charcoal

There is a simple way of how to properly clean the moonshine from fusel oils, for this we pour clean birch coals into the container. We insist until the coals settle and the moonshine becomes clean. As soon as this happened, you need to carefully get rid of the coals, that is, pour the moonshine. We dilute with water in a ratio of 2: 1, where two parts are moonshine, and one is water. Add raisins here and leave for two days, after which we distill again.

Cleaning with tannins consists in keeping the moonshine in oak barrels. Tannin and oak shavings are an excellent means of purifying moonshine (contained in the core of oak wood). Tannin and other tannins remove unwanted inclusions from the liquid. In addition to cleaning it from harmful impurities, this method leads to the appearance of a taste reminiscent of cognac in the moonshine. If the goal is only to purify the moonshine and a strong change in taste is undesirable, tannin powder or oak shavings (50-100 g / l) are added to the distillate, the mixture is kept for 10 days.

Fusel oils, can be cleaned by freezing. The essence of the method lies in the fact that when the temperature drops, unwanted fusel oils freeze out. Moonshine is poured into bottles. Then the bottles are securely sealed and placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for several days. Water, together with unwanted impurities, turns into ice. It remains to pour a quality product and filter again. This method takes time, but is guaranteed to remove fusel oils that cause unpleasant odors.

Regardless of the cleaning methods used (although each of them deserves attention), at home it is not always possible to obtain a product corresponding to the content of harmful impurities to the factory product (this does not apply to taste). This is primarily due to the fact that the protein substances contained in the mash as a result of distillation are split into many "fragments", the composition of which cannot be accurately predicted. Among these products of protein breakdown, there may be poisonous substances, such as methyl alcohol, which can only be tracked in the factory using modern devices.

In order to completely exclude the ingress of heavy substances from the wash into the distillate, it is necessary to strictly observe the rectification and purification technology - both preliminary and final. Such factory technologies cannot be replaced, for example, by repeated freezing and chemical cleaning at home.

In order to minimize the risk of poisoning with home distilled products, it is strongly recommended to completely get rid of the first distillation phase (2–8% of the total distilled volume) due to the increased content of aldehydes and methanol. Deep purification of moonshine is carried out by repeated distillation or rectification.

Watch how to clear moonshine from fusel oils in a video showing the technology of this procedure at home:

One of the most traditional (after mead) strong alcoholic drinks of our Russian origin is moonshine. The principle of its production is similar to those by which distillates of all foreign types are distilled: cognac, whiskey, rum, gin.

If we take away from the word the negative meaning given to it during the years of Soviet power, when moonshine was fought hard against (the state monopoly on alcohol), moonshine is a solid, high-quality drink. If you drive it out and clean it up using technology.

There are several ways to clean moonshine:

Chemical cleaning

For purification (in any way) take the product of the first distillation, cooled to room temperature. The technology, at first glance, is not easy, but having done it once, it will not be difficult to clean it in the future. For each liter of prepared liquid, a simple solution is taken: 2 g of potassium permanganate per 50 ml of boiled water. After dissolving the manganese crystals, the solution is poured into the moonshine and left for 10 hours.

Sediment remains at the bottom of the container. Filter the liquid through cotton wool or flannel. Flannel is a regular cotton fabric that is great for this kind of filtration. Distill the solution once more. After that, it is recommended, it is written about it below.

Fractional purification (distillation)

Alcohol above 45 degrees is difficult to get rid of unnecessary impurities, so it is better to dilute it to 40 degrees. The resulting product is poured into an apparatus and heated to 60 degrees Celsius. Then, reducing the intensity of heating, slowly bringing it to 85 degrees Celsius. In this case, about half of the harmful impurities leave the solution.

But formic and acetic acid, amyl alcohol, valerian ethyl ether are still present!

The first fraction obtained for ingestion is unsuitable and even dangerous; it can be used for kindling and other similar purposes. Its volume is from 5 to 8% of the total.

When the liquid boils, the intensity of heating is reduced, bringing the temperature to no higher than 97 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the second fraction is expelled, which is used to prepare the drink.

About 10% of the haul - the tail fraction, unusable! It is better to control this with the help of an alcoholometer (hydrometer), on how to use it, read the article "". When the distillate went below 40 degrees - this is the final fraction, it can be distilled again. Save the result of distillation below 40 degrees for technical purposes, the rest is a good product.

Second chemical cleaning

The most affordable and practical way is coal cleaning. To do this, you can use activated (sold in the pharmacy) or charcoal. It is believed that better cleaning is done with charcoal. You can buy it in the store, but it will not be difficult to cook it yourself.

Birch, pine, linden, spruce wood is most suitable for this. To obtain coal, the wood is heated, restricting the access of air, until it burns out completely, then the resulting coals are cooled. Crushed to a powdery state.

Coal, 50 g per liter, is mixed with liquid, insisted for 2-3 weeks, shaking several times a day. After that, they leave alone for a week, waiting for the coal to lie to the bottom.

The settled nectar is filtered through cotton wool or flannel. Basically, the moonshine is ready to drink. But to improve the taste, you can insist the resulting liquid per liter: 50 g of raisins, a pinch of St. John's wort - 3-4 days. If consumed in moderation - fun and without a hangover!

Biological treatment

The scientific name for the biological purification of the drink is coagulation. After the first distillation, pour in fresh milk, whipped egg white or kefir. The mixture coagulates, the sediment gradually falls to the bottom of the container. Neatly filtered moonshine is distilled, a crystal clear drink is obtained. The article "" reveals in detail all the nuances of this method.

After repeated distillation, the liquid is diluted to a strength of 40 degrees, and cleaned with fresh rye bread. To do this, break it in small pieces, put it in moonshine (100 g per liter). Bread gluten cleans the moonshine from the last remnants of fusel oils.

Freezing

The method is simple: when the temperature drops, the components in the liquid below 40 degrees (and these are fusel oils) freeze. It remains to pour a quality product, filter it again. This is a more time-consuming method, but with a guaranteed quality of the final product.

To surely get rid of extraneous odors, you can perform the following procedure: for 1 liter of liquid, take 30 g of raisins and 4-5 finely chopped violet roots, all this is insisted for 10 days.

Gluing

This method is exotic and expensive. To clean the moonshine, glue "karluk" (made from the swimming bladders of sturgeon) is used. It is preliminarily diluted in water to the consistency of a gel, and added to the settled moonshine. The glue gradually settles to the bottom of the container, binding the fusel oils.

The cleaning method is high-quality, guaranteeing a clean drink. The problem is that the karluk is difficult to find, as the sturgeon population has declined dramatically in recent years.

Unconventional methods of cleaning moonshine

Tannin or oak chips are a great way to cleanse your drink. Tannin is a substance found in the heart of oak wood. These components improve taste and remove unwanted inclusions from the liquid.

Suffice it to mention that cognac spirits must be aged in oak barrels for several years before being poured into bottles. Tannin gives the drink astringency and all the famous aftertastes of cognac: apricot, cherry and other tones, for which everyone appreciates the drink.

Moonshine is produced using the same technology as cognac. For cleaning, 5-10% of tannin powder or oak shavings are added to the liquid, from the volume, they are kept for 10 days.

There is also a variant of insisting on oak cubes. Saw cubes 2-3 cm, pour spring water several times, changing it after 2 hours. Then it is poured for three hours with a solution of baking soda (1 tablespoon per 5 liters of water). Washed, poured with boiling water. When the cubes have cooled, they are dried.

Then it is fried in the oven for 3 hours at a temperature of 160 ° C. They put it in a container with moonshine (5-8 cubes per 3 liters), insist for a week (more is possible, this is just the case when longer is better).

Cleaning moonshine with soda

Take 5-10 g of soda per 1 liter of liquid, add water with 2-3 manganese crystals diluted in it, pour into the solution, and stand for 20 minutes. The same amount of soda is added again, kept for 12 hours. The resulting moonshine is filtered through cotton wool or coal.

Tincture on pine nuts

If, after all the purifications, insist on moonshine on pine nuts, you get a drink of the highest purity, with a pleasant aroma and color. Nuts are poured into the container in a volume of 3% of the total, insisted for two weeks.

During the infusion, the remaining harmful impurities will be absorbed by the walnut bark. The drink will receive a rich brown color and a light aftertaste with a hint of cedar aroma. Drinking the drink in small doses has a healing effect similar to that of cedar bark tincture.

Giving the drink a pleasant taste and color

After the purest drink is obtained, it will not be superfluous to give it a pleasant color to the eye.

Colors that can be given to moonshine:

• brown (cognac) color: 1 tablespoon of tea per liter of liquid;
• brown (saturated) color: pine nuts;
• blue: yarrow flowers;
• green: mint leaves, parsley;
• orange: orange peel, walnut partitions (except for color, good for health, in small quantities);
• yellow: lemon peel.

Herbal balm

Another recipe for imparting aroma and useful properties to the drink, personally tested. The drink is guaranteed to have a pleasant, close to cognac taste. A purified and filtered distillate in a volume of 3 liters is taken.

Ingredients that are embedded in the liquid:

• 2 bay leaves;
• 6 peas of black pepper;
• 1 tablespoon sugar

The rest is in pinches:

• parsley
• spurge
• lovage
• St. John's wort
• calendula
• oregano
• rose hip
• bird cherry
• basil
• Melissa

The solution is infused for 1 week and filtered. And on your festive table, there is a drink with a taste similar to five-year-old cognac!

And finally, watch an interesting video about moonshine, taken from the YouTube channel of the user GrazhdaninPoet. It has nothing to do with cleaning moonshine, but watching, unlike drinking alcoholic beverages, will not hurt!

Many have heard of the dangers of home-made alcohol versus factory-made alcohol. This is especially true of strong alcohol, in particular, moonshine. But why is moonshine so harmful? It turns out that it contains a number of impurities that are fermentation products and are very harmful to the body. In production, in the manufacture of vodka, a rectification process is used, as a result of which a very pure drink is obtained. At home, you can also apply some simple cleaning methods; what is the purification of moonshine?

First of all, it is worth noting what kind of impurities affect the fact that the benefits of a homemade drink are small. These are fusel oils, aldehydes, methyl alcohol and acetone. The main purification that moonshine must undergo is distillation. It must be carried out at least two times, and at least once the "heads" and "tails" must be cut off.

Purification of moonshine with a barrier filter

What are “heads” and “tails”? During distillation, moonshine is not separated into pure fractions, as in rectification. Despite the fact that the boiling point of water is 100 degrees, some of it will boil at a lower temperature. The same goes for other parts of the mash. However, most of the substance evaporates at a specific time.

When the temperature of the wash reaches a little more than 74 degrees, the process of evaporation of impurities, in particular, acetone and methyl alcohol, begins. The moonshine that will flow into the receiving container at this time contains alcohol, but a significant part of it will be these substances. They are easy to smell by the characteristic smell of acetone. This faction is called "heads" and should be cut off.

After the "heads", another faction is separated, called the "body". It consists mainly of water and alcohol with minor impurities. The last to be cut off are "tails" - a liquid with a low alcohol content and a high content of fusel oils and aldehydes. It is these oils that are the main harmful substance in moonshine. And even though the "tails" are poured out, some part of them remains. The main methods of cleaning moonshine are aimed precisely at cleansing it of such oils.

Physical cleaning methods

Why is stored alcohol most valued? The fact is that with aging, part of the fusel oils precipitate. In order for the moonshine to cleanse, it is necessary that it be stored for at least three years. For such storage, oak barrels and glass are used. But what if there is no this time?

In production, in order to speed up the aging process of alcohol, the so-called heatstroke is used. It has long been noticed that alcohol ages much faster at high temperatures. For example, at a temperature of 70 degrees, this requires only a day, at 60 - four days, at 50 - 16, and so on. A temperature above 70 degrees does not make sense, since in this case the alcohol can boil.

How to properly clean moonshine using this method? It is necessary to find the warmest place in the house and place the moonshine there in a glass container, a three-liter jar is perfect. Where could such a place be? If there is an attic above the house, then the temperature in it in the summer can reach suitable values. If possible, a thermostat can also be used. Further, depending on the temperature, we maintain the required time interval and get a tasty and clean drink.

Another effective cleaning method is freezing. The effect here is that the freezing point of different substances is different. As you know, fusel oils begin to solidify at a temperature of 10 degrees. Throughout the volume of the container, under such conditions, they fall out into flakes and are well filtered with a paper napkin.

To quickly separate fusel oils, use a refrigerator or freezer. If you cool the drink to 30 degrees, then you can also significantly increase its strength, since part of the water will also freeze. However, the method also has a disadvantage: only fusel oils can be separated, lighter fractions remain.

Chemical cleaning methods

The best method is activated carbon cleaning. There are several possible ways to do it. So, purification of moonshine with coal:

• Install the filter immediately after the moonshine leaves the coil and in front of the receiving container. The filter consists of a funnel, into which first a cotton pad is placed, and then fine fractions of activated carbon. Large fractions are laid out on them and again - a cotton pad.
• Another way is as follows. After the drink is ready, add the activated charcoal directly to the jar and let it infuse for a while, from two to 14 days, and then strain through cheesecloth.

Cleaning moonshine with milk

This purification is ideal for processing before the second distillation. It is recommended to use charcoal, in particular birch. One way to do this is to simply use a water filter, especially if it contains pieces of silver. There are also specialized filters. If cleaning is carried out by placing coal in a jar, then according to the amount it is necessary to take it at the rate of 50 g per liter.

Another common substance for cleaning moonshine is potassium permanganate, or potassium permanganate. How to clean moonshine with potassium permanganate? It must be used in a diluted form, three grams of the substance are taken for 300 ml of warm water. The prepared solution is used for two liters of ready-made moonshine. To increase efficiency, you can add a spoonful of baking soda and salt. After 12 hours, the settled product is filtered with cotton wool.

Milk is also an excellent product for cleaning home brews. The only thing worth noting is that this method can only be used after the final distillation. The fact is that after cleaning, a certain amount of protein molecules remains in the moonshine, which, when heated and evaporated, can give it an unpleasant smell and taste.

With 200 ml of milk, you can clean 20 liters of moonshine with 50% alcohol content. In this case, milk should be pasteurized and low-fat, no more than 1-1.5%. In order to properly clean the moonshine with milk, the following recommendations should be followed:

• after the final stage of cleaning, milk is poured into moonshine;
• after that, shake the container with force several times;
• close the dish with the product with a lid and set it for seven days in a dark place with a temperature of about 20 degrees;
• shake the mixture daily for five days in a row;
• fusel oils will settle for two days;
• after that we filter through a layer of cotton wool.

If the drink at the end turned out to be unclear, then you can clean the cloudy moonshine using the peel of a lemon or orange. It must be added to the drink and insisted for a day. So that the smell and taste is not felt strongly, take one fruit per three liters. This method is somewhat similar to the one used in production, but instead of milk, casein protein is taken.

By analogy with milk, purification of moonshine at home from fusel oils can also be done with egg white. One protein is taken for 1.5 liters of moonshine, provided that the alcohol content is 50%. Whisk the protein with a glass of warm water and place it in the drink. Further, the technology is exactly the same as for cleaning with milk.

Before the second distillation, you can try to clean the moonshine with fruits. This treatment is characterized in that it imparts a distinct taste and aroma to the final product. Example: we take one carrot and one apple for three liters of 25-degree moonshine, or 1.5 liters of 50-degree moonshine. First, they must be cut into pieces, and the core must be removed from the apples. We defend the product for two to three days, until the fruits begin to exfoliate into fibers. After that, they can be taken out, and the solution can be distilled again.

The most readily available cleaning product is soda. It is inexpensive and always at hand at home. Take 10 grams of powder per liter of moonshine and settle for at least 12 hours. In order to remove sediment, filters or cotton discs are suitable.

It is quite original to clean the moonshine with refined oil. The possibility of such cleaning is the fact that water and alcohol do not mix with oil, but fusel oils just stick to it. For one liter of product, you need to take 20 grams of oil. It should be as cleaned as possible, otherwise the taste will remain in the moonshine.

After adding the vessel, shake thoroughly every five minutes three to four times. Defend for 12 hours. Fusel oils and refined oil will be on top, while moonshine will be on the bottom. In order to get it out of there, we use a tube lowered to the bottom. Alternatively, you can also turn the bottle over so that the moonshine is near the cork and drained.

All methods for cleaning moonshine are good, but not perfect. In order for the moonshine to be completely purified and not inferior in quality to factory drinks, it is necessary to use another method - rectification. Today it is quite affordable for home conditions, the necessary equipment can be bought and made by yourself. It shouldn't take a lot of time and money, but the quality of the product will be excellent.

Moonshine cleaning is an event necessary for those who, when drinking their favorite drink, do not want to poison themselves with hazardous substances and feel crushed in the morning. Of course, not only fusel oils in moonshine are harmful. First of all, you should not forget that it is not so important what quality of the drink you consume, if you do it in limited quantities. A lot of moonshine, even of good quality, will cause irreparable damage to health.