Cognac drinks at home recipes. Recipe for cognac from moonshine with prunes. Let's start production

Another simple recipe that imitates the organoleptic properties of the original. To make cognac from vodka at home, you need oak bark, hawthorn and rose hips, as well as several other readily available ingredients. The result is a soft drink of dark yellow color with a red tint, a floral cognac aroma and notes of oak.

Attention! Real cognacs and brandies are produced by infusing double-distilled grape distillate in oak barrels for at least three years. The recipe proposed in the article is just an attempt to recreate the color, taste and smell of cognac in a simpler, faster and more accessible method.

To prepare cognac tincture, use only pure vodka without additives (egg peel, birch buds, cranberries, lemon, etc.), since third-party impurities can give an unpredictable aftertaste. You can also replace vodka with ethyl or medical alcohol diluted to 40% or double distilled moonshine.

Ingredients:

vodka – 1 liter;
oak bark – 2 teaspoons;
rose hips (dry) – 8 grams (10 pieces);
hawthorn berries (dry) – 10 grams (40 pieces);
sugar (honey) – 1 tablespoon;
cloves - 4 pieces (no caps, only stems);
black tea – 1 teaspoon;
nutmeg – 1 pinch.
vanillin - on the tip of a knife (optional).

Bark and berries can be bought at the pharmacy. Adding honey softens the tincture, but the drink has a slight honey tint. The main thing is not to overdo it with vanilla, so that there are only weak notes.

Vodka cognac recipe

1. Brew oak bark in boiling water (the layer of water is 2-3 cm higher) and leave for 10 minutes. Drain the broth, rinse the bark in cold running water, then dry in the sun. Treatment with boiling water removes excess tannins, so there will be no baseboard taste characteristic of many “oak” liqueurs.

2. Place berries, cloves, nutmeg, tea and oak bark in a jar for infusion.

3. Pour in vodka. Add sugar (honey) and vanillin. Stir and cover tightly.

4. Infuse for 25-30 days in a dark place at room temperature. Shake once every 5 days.

5. Filter the finished vodka cognac through several layers of gauze and cotton wool.

6. Pour into bottles for storage and seal tightly.

7. Before tasting, leave the drink for 1-2 days in a cool, dark place.

Shelf life – up to 5 years. Strength 37-38%.

Cognac is an elite alcohol. It is made from grape wine by double distillation and infused for a long time in oak barrels. Thanks to this, it acquires a unique color, taste and bouquet, in which a variety of notes are intricately intertwined: chocolate, dried fruits, spices and other products that are not actually included in the composition. Such a noble drink cannot be cheap, but not everyone can afford to spend huge sums on alcohol, even very good ones. Cognac made from alcohol at home cannot compete with real French or Armenian cognacs, but it is quite capable of surpassing the taste and aroma of budget versions of cognac drinks from the nearest supermarket. If you are partial to cognac, but cannot afford elite alcohol, you should study the technology of making alcohol-based cognac at home.

Cooking features

The classical technology of making cognac is complex and time-consuming. Not every gourmet will have the patience to infuse the drink in an oak barrel for at least two years. And not every home has such containers. Making cognac from alcohol in the home kitchen is a simplified process. In order to make a drink reminiscent of noble cognac from ordinary alcohol in a short time, you need to know a few subtleties.

Instead of infusing the drink for a long time in oak barrels, you can infuse it on oak bark, crushed into chips. They give off their aroma to alcohol faster and slightly change its color.
Sugar is most often used to give the drink its characteristic cognac color. It is poured into a spoon and held over the fire until the sugar in it melts to a liquid state. Caramel sugar gives the drink not only a pleasant shade, but also a special taste characteristic of natural cognac.
Tea, coffee, spices, nut membranes and some other ingredients can tint the drink and make its bouquet richer.
The alcohol used to make homemade cognac is not pure, but diluted with filtered water to 40 degrees.
The longer you infuse the alcohol base with aromatic raw materials, the richer the bouquet of the finished drink will be and the more it will resemble cognac.
Before serving, homemade cognac must be filtered through several layers of gauze or a cotton pad. It is unacceptable for it to look cloudy.

You should drink homemade cognac in almost the same way as real cognac, but you should not warm it too much in your hands, as this may cause the smell of alcohol to become too obvious, which will distort the bouquet.

A simple recipe for cognac made from alcohol

diluted alcohol (40%) – 1 l;
sugar – 5 g;
black tea (infusion) – 5 g;
black peppercorns – 2 pcs.;
bay leaf – 1 pc.;
vanillin - a pinch;
orange or lemon zest - from 1/4 of the fruit.

Cooking method:

Pour the tea leaves into the bottom of the bottle.
Add spices and grated zest to it.
Place the sugar in a spoon and hold it over the fire until it melts.
Add vanillin to sugar.
Pour the melted sugar into the container with alcohol, shake.
Pour the alcohol into a container with tea and spices.
Close the bottle tightly and put it in a cool place (not necessarily in the refrigerator).
Shake the contents of the bottle once every day or two.
After 10 days, filter the alcohol, pour it into a beautiful bottle and put it in the bar.

This recipe for making cognac from alcohol is considered a classic. It is so simple that many housewives prefer to prepare cognac using it. But this is not the only popular homemade cognac recipe that can claim to be traditional.

Cognac made from alcohol on oak bark with spices

alcohol diluted with boiled water up to 40 degrees – 1 l;
oak bark – 20 g;
cloves – 1 pc.;
cinnamon – 1 cm;
nutmeg - on the tip of a knife;
vanillin - a pinch;
sugar – 10 g.

Cooking method:

Dilute the alcohol with water to the desired concentration. You can take equal parts pure 96 percent alcohol and boiled water. Then the cognac will turn out to be a little stronger than 40 degrees, but this is acceptable.
Melt the sugar by holding a spoon over the fire.
Add to diluted alcohol and stir.
Place cloves and chopped oak bark at the bottom of a suitable sized container. You can prepare it yourself or purchase it at a pharmacy. You can use a wooden wine barrel or glass jar as a container.
Break off a small piece from the cinnamon stick and add to the other ingredients.
Add vanilla and nutmeg.
Pour the oak bark and spices with the alcohol in which you diluted the sugar.
Close the container with a lid and place in a dark place.
Infuse the alcohol on oak bark and spices for at least 4 weeks.
Filter the drink through several layers of gauze.
Pour into a real cognac bottle and seal.

You will enjoy the noble taste and aroma of the cognac drink prepared according to this recipe.

Cognac made from alcohol with coffee

wine or medical alcohol (ethyl) – 0.5 l;
boiled water – 0.5 l;
lemon – 1/4 pcs.;
oak bark – 10 g;
sugar – 5 g;
black coffee (instant powder) – 5 g.

Cooking method:

Wash the lemon well, cut a piece of the required size, cut it into small pieces, put it in a jar, fill it with 96-degree alcohol. Close the jar. Leave in a cool but dark place for three days. Shake daily.
Strain the alcohol and dilute with water.
Melt the sugar and mix with the prepared liquid.
Pour oak bark and coffee into a jar or barrel and fill with diluted alcohol.
Leave in a cool, dark place for 10 days.
Pass the drink through a cotton pad twice.

Experts say that ladies especially like cognac prepared according to this recipe.

Cognac made from alcohol on nut membranes

alcohol diluted to 40 degrees – 1.5 l;
walnut membranes (from walnuts) – 10–15 g;
cumin – 5 g;
cloves – 2 pcs.;
vanilla sugar – 10 g;
black tea – 5 g;
oak bark – 5 g;
citric acid - on the tip of a knife.

Cooking method:

Pour the sugar into a tablespoon and heat it over the fire until it dissolves to a liquid state.
Mix sugar with alcohol previously diluted to 40 degrees.
Add citric acid, stir again.
Add spices and spices to the bottom of a wooden barrel or jar.
Fill with alcohol.
Seal the jar and place in a cool, dark place for a month or two.
Filter the alcohol, pour into beautiful containers, and seal.

Cognac made from alcohol according to the given recipe is not a shame to offer even to gourmets who are well versed in alcohol.

Cognac made from herbal alcohol

alcohol (95–96%) – 1.5 l;
boiled water – 1.5 l;
tarragon – 5 g;
mint – 5 g;
St. John's wort – 5 g;
dried and crushed orange zest – 20 g;
crushed oak bark – 30 g;
internal partitions of walnuts – 5 g;
sugar (optional) - to taste.

Cooking method:

Mix alcohol with water.
Pour oak bark, zest, nut partitions, and herbs into a jar or other container in which you will infuse cognac. For color and taste, you can add a spoonful of melted sugar.
Fill the aromatic base with diluted alcohol and leave to infuse for a month.
Strain the drink.

Cognac made according to this recipe has an unusual taste and aroma. Healing herbs give it the power of a balm. This drink is good to add to tea.

Homemade cognac cannot compete with elite brands of this type of alcohol, which are aged in oak barrels for more than 10 years, but it turns out tasty and aromatic enough to treat friends with it. Compared to cheap cognac drinks, homemade cognac, made from alcohol with natural flavors, will seem like nectar to you.

Cognac is one of the most noble alcoholic drinks. So learn it choose and drink correctly .

Remember: cognac is a truly French drink, the production technology and name of which are strictly defined and regulated by numerous legislative acts. Therefore, if you are lucky enough to try a real product, consider yourself lucky.

Story

The history of cognac began in the 3rd century AD, when the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Probus gave the Gauls permission to keep their own vineyards and produce wine. Different preparation and distillation systems gave rise to drinks that became the forefathers of the first cognacs. The drink is also named after the port city of Cognac, from which French salt was exported. It’s clear that sailors needed to refuel with something while sailing. But their wine often spoiled. This is another scheme thanks to which a noble drink appeared.

Varieties

The rich history has meant that today there are more than enough varieties of alcohol. Interesting fact: the actual aging period begins at one in the morning on April 1st. Depending on the age, the drink has its own “score”:

Account 00: is the distillation account (until March 31st);
Count 0: starts on April 1, after the end of distillation;
Account 1: the first year of aging cognac in an oak barrel;
Account 2: V.S. (Very Special), Selection, de Luxe, Trois Etoiles - at least 2 years;
Account 3: Superior - at least 3 years;
Count 4: V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale), V.O. (Very Old), Vieux, Reserve - at least 4 years;
Count 5: V.V.S.O.P. (Very Very Superior Old Pale), Grande Reserve - at least 5 years;
Count 6: X.O. (Extra Old), Extra, Napoleon, Royal, Tres Vieux, Vieille Reserve - at least 6 years.

Source: kakprigotovit.info

Consumer culture

In addition to taste, gourmets enjoy the aroma of cognac. Therefore, alcohol is served in special glasses, thanks to which the smell of alcohol cannot be avoided. Another nuance is temperature. The drink tastes best when warmed to room temperature. Although some experts argue that it should be heated to body temperature. It’s not for nothing that glasses have a special shape, thanks to which the alcohol in your hand quickly heats up.

One thing is for sure: you need to swallow alcohol a little at a time. You shouldn’t have a snack either, because you will kill the aftertaste of the drink. But if you want to dull the bitterness, snack on it with chocolate, coffee, a slice of lemon or just a cigar.

Homemade cognac

Not everyone is in a hurry to give up the cognacs of the highest ranks. After all, there is often not enough finances for this happiness, but you want to try it. Why, in fact, pay through the nose if you make cognac at home? Today MPORT will tell you how to do this.

Homemade cognac recipes

No matter how you look at it, you can’t figure it out without vodka. How many liters you need - decide for yourself. But usually they take no more than three. You can use food alcohol diluted to forty degrees. But this one will cost more. And it's more difficult to get. Also needed:

Oak bark - a few chips to fill a 3-liter container (buy at any food market);
Two teaspoons of burnt sugar;
Spices to taste (nutmeg, vanillin, bay leaf, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, dry tea leaves, etc.).

Source: depositphotos.com

Preparation

Some experts recommend grinding oak bark and burning it over a fire until it turns dark brown. Please note: cauterizing does not mean setting fire. The process releases sucrose in the bark, which takes part in the formation of the tincture's aroma. Although, if you have an oak barrel at hand that has already been filled with other alcoholic drinks many times, forget about the bark and pour the alcohol directly into it.

In this article:

Making cognac at home is not a complicated process; it is accessible to almost everyone. The manufacturing process itself is not particularly difficult, and a large number of ingredients are not required.

Today, there are various recipes for making cognac at home, let's start with the classic method.

Making cognac at home

First of all, you need to grow and harvest the vines. The best time to cut it off- end of September or beginning of October. If the weather outside is quite cool, then it is necessary to ferment the pulp during the period when the heating in the apartment will be started. Otherwise, there is a high probability of mold and musty smell.

The harvested grapes do not need to be washed; they are crushed together with the brush and turn into pulp.

Next, the resulting mass is filled into containers, which are covered with a gauze bandage. The proportions of the original ingredients are as follows: for a 30-liter pan, use 1 bucket of grape berries (or 1.5 buckets of vines on a brush) and 4 kilograms of sugar.

In this case, water is filled at a distance of 5 centimeters from the edge of the container. Fermentation of grapes will be accompanied by a characteristic wine smell. Often, 10-15 days are enough for natural yeast to form on the surface in warm weather.

It is not advisable to use alcoholic yeast; according to this recipe, natural microelements should be quite sufficient. Instead of a lid, the fermentation container should be covered with a plastic bag, which is pressed tightly with an elastic band. This prevents oxygen from entering as a result of the fermentation process.

The container is wrapped in a blanket and placed under the battery. You must remember to stir the resulting mass once a day.

After approximately 7 days, the mash can already be tasted, or more accurately measured with an alcohol meter (permissible strength is 11-12%).

The taste of young wine should be free of sweetness - bitterness is welcome. As for appearance, almost all grape berries precipitate, and the mash has the pure and rich color of classic grape wine.

The distillate that flows out must be collected to the last drop. The alcohol should drip through a funnel with gauze, into which broken pharmaceutical tablets of activated carbon (about 15 pieces) are placed.

The resulting mass is diluted with water (one third of the total amount) and again distilled through a funnel with coal.

During the second distillation, the first 50 grams (head fractions) must be poured out, since this alcohol is harmful to the body.

It is this toxic substance that provokes the development of hangover syndrome.

The third distillation involves obtaining grape alcohol with a strength of 80%.

Here's an example of the finished product: from 25 liters of grape must after the third distillation, about 8 liters of alcohol are obtained. High quality grape spirit should have a subtle sweet aftertaste.

To soften an alcoholic drink and give it flavor, it is necessary to add add oak pegs and leave it alone for a long time (about 8 months).

On a three-liter jar you should put 30 pieces of chopped sticks, 10 cm long. It should be noted that during the infusion process the oak will stretch another 2 millimeters.

It is desirable that the wooden log be at least 50 years old. To get rid of dirt and other impurities, the pegs are soaked in water for about 7 days, changing the liquid regularly.

To do this, the resulting grape alcohol should be diluted with raw, purified, and always cold water. It should be noted that it is alcohol that needs to be poured into cold water, and not vice versa! The alcoholic drink should be diluted to 45% strength.

After 8 months, the liquid will acquire the taste and color of real cognac.

After this, the produced alcoholic drink is blended at home.

If desired, cloves and cinnamon sticks, which were previously infused with alcohol, are added to the cognac. For a 3 liter jar you need to add 1 teaspoon of clove tincture and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon tincture. If the grapes are not sweet enough, add 2 tablespoons of sugar.

Making cognac from coffee (ground)

In this recipe, you do not need to distill the alcohol yourself; vodka or moonshine is used as a basis. To make coffee-flavored cognac, you need to prepare 170 grams of a strong drink and let it steep for at least 24 hours. After this, you should mix it with vodka. Infuse the resulting vodka-coffee mixture for a month.

During the specified time, the two components dissolve in each other, and sugar syrup is added to a homogeneous liquid (proportions: 500 grams of sugar per 150 ml of liquid).

The finished cognac is bottled and tasted.

Cognac on orange peel

A fairly common recipe for making homemade cognac involves mixing vanillin, bay leaf, orange peel, moonshine (3 liters), 10 black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon of dry tea and one tablespoon of cinnamon. All of the listed ingredients are mixed and placed in a cool place for 5 days. Storage temperature should not be below room temperature.

After the specified period, the cognac is filtered through several layers of gauze.

All recipes mainly differ from each other in the additives that are added to the vodka or moonshine drink. There are a lot of variations, it can be lemon balm, rose hips, capsicum, mint.

An excellent alternative to oak pegs are walnut partitions - they give the alcoholic drink a characteristic color and flavor.

Attention, this article is presented for informational purposes only. Remember, excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health.

Moonshine is not only a unique alcoholic product, completely ready for consumption, but also an excellent basis for preparing more noble drinks. For example, many moonshiners are interested in the best recipe for homemade cognac from moonshine - after all, cognac has long been considered the most elite, masculine drink, and given that counterfeits are often found on store shelves, why not prepare it yourself?

We have selected several recipes for you, using which you can get a delicious drink. It’s hard to say which one is the best, because it all depends on the taste and preferences of a particular person. Therefore, we recommend that you try everything, and then only make the final choice in favor of the one you like best.

Only high quality ingredients!

Please note that you need to use only high-quality ingredients - this will be the key to obtaining a tasty product. So, it is better to take double distillation of moonshine, or even better - triple distillate.

To obtain cognac products, chacha or other grape alcohol would be an ideal option.

The second important component is oak chips. Without them, you won't succeed. Oak is necessary for the following to appear in the drink:

tannins - they will provide appropriate astringency, a slightly bitter but pleasant aroma;
aromatic acids - they are needed for a pronounced vanilla aroma to appear;
Various phenolic compounds and lactones are another necessary element that gives rise to the caramel smell.

The recipes also contain various spices - naturally, you need to take only high-quality ones, fresh and not damp.

Proven Recipes

You don’t need too many ingredients, so the cooking process won’t be expensive. We will give you several recipes for creating an excellent drink.

In Latgalian

Perhaps one of the most popular methods of obtaining a drink. It was created many centuries ago in the Latvian region of Latgale. Here are the ancient roots of the preparation of various moonshine tinctures and other products.

To get the perfect Latgalian cognac, you need:

three liters of double distilled moonshine base (strength - 50 degrees);
two tablespoons of regular oak bark;
three carnations;
ground nutmeg - literally a pinch, on the tip of a knife;
one coriander seed - be sure to crush;
three large spoons of sugar.

It is not necessary to collect bark in the forest when going in search of a mighty tree. It is also sold in pharmacies! To get rid of the tannins that are invariably present in the bark, it is recommended to pour boiling water over it and soak in it for ten minutes, after which the water is drained and the wood is dried.

The sequence of preparation steps is as follows:

Pre-melt the sugar to make simple syrup;
transfer all the listed ingredients into a glass jar;
fill them with alcohol;
only then add sugar syrup;
shake thoroughly;
cover with a lid and place in a dark place.

Please note that it is not recommended to infuse next to the battery, and the infusion time is two to three weeks, no more. After this, filter and strain the liquid, pour it into bottles and seal them, place them in a dark, cool place for at least six months. But the longer the aging period, the better. The optimal period is two years!

Express method

If you don’t want to wait a long time, but want to get cognac as quickly as possible, use this method. But keep in mind that it will not give the same taste and quality as the one presented above.

So, you need:

take enamel dishes;
pour a liter of moonshine into it at 50 degrees;
put the vessel on the fire;
throw into it one pea of allspice, a medium-sized bay leaf, half a small spoon of tea, a pinch of soda, two small spoons of sugar and just a little vanilla sugar;
cover the container with a lid;
heat the contents to approximately 75 degrees Celsius;
remove the container from the heat and, without removing the lid, let it brew for five to seven minutes;
pour the liquid into a glass container;
close tightly and let cool;
filter the drink and dilute it so that the strength is 40 degrees;
pour into separate bottles.

Cognac will be completely ready for consumption in five to seven days.

Advice. To increase the taste during the preparation process, you can add a third of a small spoon of ground coffee to the mixture.

With spices

This type of drink will delight you with a pleasant, unique aroma and special taste. To prepare it, in addition to the moonshine itself (the ingredients are given per three liters of alcohol), you will need:

three large spoons of ground coffee;
the same amount of sugar;
a small spoon of ground cinnamon;
a pinch of vanilla;
10-15 clove stars (depending on size).

First, sugar and coffee are thoroughly mixed, and then other spices are added, mixed with moonshine - the resulting composition is infused in a glass container under a lid for 15-20 days. After this it can be consumed.

Such recipes, with the addition of coffee and tea, may seem dubious to you. But on the other hand, you don’t know what exactly is hidden behind the beautiful label of a bottle purchased in a store. And in this case, you see exactly what ingredients you use and what quality of alcohol you use.

How to properly prepare oak chips?

However, without a doubt, the best recipes for making cognac at home are those that involve the use of oak chips. As mentioned above, you can buy them at the pharmacy so as not to waste time and effort, but it is better if you take on the entire preparation process yourself!

Moreover, there is nothing complicated about it. It is enough to take a small log and split it, dividing it into fibers, and then divide them too - the size of each piece should be approximately four square millimeters. This is due to the fact that alcohol seeps into the wood by about two millimeters.

The prepared pieces are poured with cold water and kept for about 12 hours, after which the water is drained and the chips are filled with new salted water (a small spoon of salt for every five liters of water). And again you need to wait 12 hours, after which the water is drained and the wood chips are placed in a water bath to steam thoroughly. You need to steam the wood for about 12 hours, constantly adding water instead of evaporating.

After steaming, the oak is dried in the open air - the drying time is 12 hours. Dry wood chips need to be thoroughly heated - the wood is laid out on a shallow rack and placed in the oven for 4 hours. Temperature - 150 degrees. After which the chips need to “rest” for 12 hours and the heating is repeated again - the same 4 hours. Again, pause for 12 hours and fry in the oven at a temperature of 200 degrees until the wood begins to smoke.

This completes the process of preparing oak chips. It will allow you to make cognac that has the perfect taste. If you have the opportunity and desire to create an excellent drink, be sure to use the first recipe given in the article, preparing oak for it in the described way.