Cognac refers to strong spirits, which are obtained by using white wine that has been double distilled and aged in oak barrels. It is oak barrels that are an obligatory and necessary condition for the successful maturation of this drink. Cognac production can be safely called an art.

A bit of history

Today, even the most ardent fans of this alcoholic drink cannot clearly explain what cognac should taste like. So, it can be quite diverse and depends on the locality and country. For example, the well-known French-made Napoleon brand does not always smell pleasant.

This is due to the presence of certain features in cognac spirits, which are due to differences in the feedstock.

Also, aroma and flavor may change during the distillation process and during the first years of aging. During this period, a peculiar extraction of tannins extracted from wood takes place to a greater extent.

We must not forget about the allocation of lipids, amino acids, oils and volatile acids. At this time, cognac acquires a golden color, and is filled with a woody-vanilla aroma.

The longer the exposure lasts, the cognac will become darker in color and softer. Many different shades will appear in its taste and aroma, among which there are notes of fruits, flowers and spices.

Stage 1: grape harvest

Only a few grape varieties are used for the production of cognac: Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc, Colombard and Saint-Emilion.

The grape vine is planted at mandatory intervals of at least three meters. This is necessary to maximize access to sunlight. Harvested only once a year in early October. In modern conditions of management, the owners use special machines when harvesting grapes. However, some of them still prefer the old-fashioned (manual) method.

The cognac production technology involves pressing the harvested grapes in horizontal flat presses, which only slightly crush the berries and do not squeeze them dry. The juice obtained in this way is immediately sent for fermentation.

Stage 2: fermentation

The direct production of cognac begins with fermentation, which takes place at small enterprises in special barrels, and at large enterprises - in tanks. Do not add sugar at this stage. The fermentation process is controlled quite strictly, since the quality of the future alcohol depends on it. Juice is fermented for a month.

The result is a dry young wine with 8% alcohol. It is stored on yeast sludge, due to which the acidity is significantly reduced, and the wine acquires a soft and refined taste. However, cognac production technology involves sending it for distillation, since the resulting wine is quite dry and contains a lot of acid and little alcohol.

Stage 3: distillation

The quality of the finished product largely depends on distillation (distillation), which is carried out only the next year after the new crop is harvested until early April. The distillation takes place in two stages using a special distillation apparatus known as the "Charentes" still. This equipment is made of copper, due to its resistance to tartaric acid.

So, as mentioned above, the production of brandy involves the implementation of the distillation process, which takes place in two stages. Upon completion of the first, raw alcohol is obtained, the strength of which is in the range of 27-32%. From nine liters of wine, only a liter of brandy is obtained, which is a cloudy and nondescript drink in color.

The second stage of distillation consists in sending the raw alcohol for another distillation in order to obtain a base high-quality cognac spirit. This process requires special attention and skill, alcohol is distilled gently for 12 hours. As a result of this process, a solution with a strength of up to 72% is obtained, which is sent for aging, which completes the production of cognac.

Stage 4: exposure

This is the most important stage that involves the production of cognac. It is exposure that is a decisive factor in achieving a high quality drink. This process lasts more than 30 months, its duration can even be up to 50 years.

These containers must not have any metal parts that may come into contact with alcohols. Under the influence of oak barrels, this alcoholic drink acquires a characteristic specific taste.

During this period, the product is saturated with oxygen penetrating through the pores of the wood, which improves the taste of cognac. Exposure and the price of cognac are in direct proportion. So, the longer the exposure, the more expensive this drink.

Making cognac at home

Cognac is a drink that conveys the spirit of France. The subtle technology of its manufacture cannot simply be repeated at home. However, you can create a similar drink. At the same time, it was not the factories for the production of alcoholic beverages that were engaged in the manufacture of such a drink, but craftsmen. The production of cognac at home involves the use of moonshine as the base basis. At the same time, the result exceeds all expectations in terms of taste characteristics.

The production of cognac at home from moonshine is carried out in various ways, which have both simple and complex technology.

He, of course, should not undergo such endurance as at the plant in oak barrels. It is also not based on grape alcohol. However, the result is an alcoholic drink that is very close to real cognac.

You can especially get an excellent result if you put your soul into it when making it. Often, during a feast, guests cannot distinguish either by smell or by taste home-made cognac from an alcoholic drink made at the factory.

Classic homemade cognac recipe

As mentioned above, this drink is based on good quality moonshine. It depends on him the taste and smell of the future alcoholic beverage. The following ingredients need to be added:

• potassium permanganate crystals;

• partitions of walnuts (one handful);

• natural black leaf tea (teaspoon);

• cloves (six buds);

• cumin (st. spoon);

• vanilla sugar (tablespoon);

• lemon acid.

The production of cognac at home begins with the dilution of potassium permanganate in a clean and transparent moonshine in a glass container. Thanks to this simple procedure, a precipitate of fusel oils is formed.

Keep this glass container with the future alcoholic drink in a dark place for at least five days without significant temperature changes and drafts.

After the specified period, the resulting drink is poured through the filter into bottles. Everything - homemade cognac is ready.

Sometimes the technological scheme for the production of cognac is somewhat different. Oak bark and bay leaf are poured into the finished moonshine. It is also infused for at least five days.

Quick cognac preparation

However, there is a faster way to make cognac. So, in an enameled pan you need to pour a liter of moonshine, which has a strength of 50%. Put the pan on the fire and add the following ingredients: allspice black peppercorns, a small bay leaf, half a teaspoon of black tea, soda on the tip of a knife, two tablespoons of sugar and a little vanillin.

Bring the contents in a closed saucepan to 77 degrees, then remove it from the heat and leave for a while (five minutes). Pour the drink into a jar, close it and wait until it cools completely. The resulting home-made cognac is filtered, its strength is increased to 40 degrees, the drink is bottled.

After five days, the resulting drink can be consumed. To improve the taste of cognac, you can add a third of a teaspoon of good coffee and a couple of potassium permanganate crystals with other components to get rid of fusel oils.

A good cognac is obtained if it is prepared with grape juice and insisted on oak bark for at least a month. However, there are other recipes using the last component, which will be discussed later.

Cognac on oak bark

Cognac production in Russia uses oak bark quite successfully. To do this, you need to take three tablespoons of sugar, two tablespoons of oak bark and two tablespoons of leaf black tea for three liters of moonshine. You can also add St. John's wort and chopped rose hips.

You must not forget to add black pepper (5-6 peas), a third of a teaspoon of cinnamon and vanilla. The jar is closed and placed in a dark place. Thus, homemade cognac is infused for three days. Further, the resulting drink is well filtered and bottled.

Cognac made with milk

For this, moonshine (3 liters) is also taken, poured into a glass dish of a slightly larger size, a glass of milk is added, which, when combined with an alcohol composition, coagulates. In parallel, coffee is prepared (50 g is dissolved in lukewarm water).

The coffee drink is poured into the total mixture. The following mixtures are added: ground nutmeg, cloves (4-6 pieces), peppercorns, vanillin on the tip of a knife and half a glass of sugar. Mix the resulting mixture thoroughly and infuse for at least 20 days. In this case, it is necessary to periodically shake the future home-made cognac during the first five days. At the end of three weeks, the resulting alcoholic drink is filtered and bottled.

Cognac is a special drink with millions of fans around the world. It happens with notes of wood, tobacco, vanilla, classic and prepared according to innovative recipes. There are many different cognacs, but the very understanding of this type of brandy is unshakable.

There are many fans, and for good reason. Cognac is a drink of the gods and true connoisseurs, but not in the case when the purchase of this wonderful alcohol was unsuccessful. Now there are a lot of fakes and the so-called "burnt" alcohol. Everyone understands that good cognac cannot be cheap, but even among very expensive options there is a chance to run into a fake.

Such a mistake in choosing can cost not only a spoiled evening, but also a good part of your own health. How to prevent such a mistake?

What is cognac, how is it different from brandy? Is it possible to make cognac yourself and, if so, how? So many questions and all the answers are below.

A bit of history

In 1453, after the end of the Hundred Years' War, Charente, which produces wine in huge quantities for England, loses its customers. Thus, the offer sharply begins to lose its demand.

As a result of the war, England was forced out of the mainland, and it was not possible to import wine across the sea. They simply deteriorated and lost their properties. Then the wines began to be distilled and delivered in this form. This drink became the prototype of modern brandy. However, its taste left much to be desired.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the development of the production of cognac familiar to us began. It was then that more and more advanced moonshine stills were created, and people learned how to correctly apply the experience gained. In the course of development, the French mastered the technology better than the inventors of the “storage method” themselves and began to develop this business.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the French actively studied and mastered a new drink. At the same time, it was noticed that storage in oak barrels has a beneficial effect on the taste of the drink, and now it has become possible to drink it in its pure form. In the course of hard work on the creation of cognac, they learned to separate pure distillate and dilute it in the required proportions.

Already in the middle of the nineteenth century, the drink received its recognition and widespread use. An active allied trade began: the production of cognac and the manufacture of glass. Alcohol began to be bottled and imported.

In 1936, the Controlled Name of Origin Act was approved.

Making cognac

The art of moonshine in Russia has long found its fans and warmly settled in the hearts of Russians. Moonshine is driven in a variety of ways and according to various recipes, constantly improving and modernizing the recipe. However, there is a place for the classics, that is, for classic alcohol.

Many wonderful drinks are made on the basis of ready-made moonshine, including cognac. The billet is aged in barrels, saturated with various additives and flavors, resulting in the very fragrant cognac. How cognac is made, how it is aged and how to achieve the best taste and aroma - this article will tell.

Everything in order

First you need to understand the technology of making cognac. Otherwise, how cognac is made. Only then can we talk about the versatility and diversity of recipes and cooking methods.

The basis of any cognac is cognac spirit, it has almost no smell and color. It is obtained from the distillation of wine. So, the same mash is the initial raw material for noble alcohol.

Fruit or grape juice is fermented at a temperature not exceeding twenty degrees, without oxygen. For this, wine yeast is used. The fact that the fermentation process has stopped and the raw material is ready for distillation can be understood by the cessation of gas evolution and the appearance of a characteristic precipitate.

After that, the resulting wine is sent for distillation. At this stage, the technology for the production of cognac is no different from the manufacture of moonshine. In a nutshell, alcohol is separated from wine (feedstock) during distillation.

Isolation of cognac spirit

During distillation, all the isolated alcohol is divided into three fractions: "head", "body" and "tails". For further work, only the “body” is used from everything received. The fact is that in the first couple and in the "tails" not only alcohol is released, but also other impurities.

This is due to the fact that the boiling and evaporation temperatures of alcohols are different. Wine contains various alcohols, the task of distillation is to isolate pure cognac, without impurities.

The “head”, for example, (or this fraction is also called “pervak”) contains methane. And in the last fraction (in the "tails") - fusel oils. Of course, this is not a complete list of harmful impurities contained in the first and last fractions, but this is quite enough to clearly understand that these impurities do not add quality to the final drink.

They mistakenly believe that the so-called "pervak" is the best fraction of moonshine. However, it is not. The first drops of moonshine intoxicate faster and have a more pronounced smell, but the reason for this is the poisons contained in the "pervak" in large quantities.

In the event that the alcohol turned out to be not pure enough, you can overtake it again and subject it to additional filtration. As filters use coal, manganese, silver filters. Of course, after such purification, one more distillation will be required. The purer the alcohol, the better the product will be at the output.

"Heads" make up about five percent of the total expected volume, about the same - "tails". The strength of the fraction, which is necessary for the manufacture of cognac, should be forty percent. With repeated distillation, the strength will increase and it will be necessary to dilute the product. For greater accuracy, an alcoholmeter is used in the manufacture of cognac alcohol, it is needed to determine the strength of the future drink.

Technology

The technology for producing cognac at home is not too tricky, but it requires patience and thoroughness. After pure brandy alcohol was isolated from dry wine, it turned out just moonshine. In order to turn it into cognac, you will need to carry out a couple more operations.

Next, the resulting alcohol is kept. Cognac is traditionally aged in oak barrels at a certain temperature. In the process of blending, the drink is enriched with oxygen, aroma, acquires color and characteristic taste.

Cognac alcohol, as already mentioned, is colorless and practically odorless. In the barrel, it acquires its aroma, aged and ennobled. The longer the drink was at this stage of preparation, the better it is considered. This judgment is quite reasonable, since it is then that cognac from ordinary moonshine becomes that very noble drink.

Many manufacturers neglect or treat this stage negligently, producing "elite cognac". Brands often suffer precisely because of poor aging, resulting in a bad drink.

Bath barrel

A cognac manufacturer often saves on this important element, as a result of which the corresponding result is obtained. Certain requirements are presented to the aging barrel, which cannot be derogated from.

Before using the barrel for its intended purpose, water is first poured into it for two to three weeks. From this, the wood swells, and the boards of the barrel fit snugly against each other, leaving no gaps. After that, alcohol is poured into the barrel and aged there for twenty days.

All joints are filled with paraffin, and the tree itself is treated with drying oil. Metal inside the barrel is not allowed, as it will certainly oxidize. For this reason, all metal elements are excluded, including taps and plugs.

Bathing at home

Oak barrels for cognac are a key element of the classic recipe. However, this is classic technology. Now lovers of this business have learned to greatly speed up the blending process and even do without a barrel at all.

Homemade cognac in most cases is aged in enamel or glass containers with the addition of oak chips or shavings. In addition, other elements are added to homemade cognac. The case includes cloves, ginger, honey, chocolate, nutmeg and much, much more.

Add other elements for taste and smell. Of course, it all depends on taste and personal preferences.

How is cognac made at home?

Now there are a great many different recipes and tips, but the classic remains eternal.

Not even cognac alcohol itself is often taken as a basis, but ordinary alcohol diluted to forty degrees or just vodka. Three liters will need three tablespoons of oak bark, shavings or chips. You can buy them at a pharmacy, a specialized store or order online.

In addition, you will need caramel. It is safest to use burnt sugar. A pinch of vanilla, a couple of clove buds and a few grams of nutmeg. All this must be placed in a glass or enameled container, mixed well with a non-metallic spoon and left for at least a month without access to light and oxygen.

After a while, cognac is ready to drink.

A lot goes into the matter to improve the taste: walnuts, ginger, hawthorn and rosehip berries, black tea. How cognac is made is a rather definite question, but with what it is already a secondary topic.

Stars

Of course, the quality of this magnificent drink is also classified, and the highest rating is considered to be five stars. Cognac is subjected to strict evaluation, after which he is given a verdict. And how is it determined how many stars to award to cognac?

Cognac is rated by quality in well-known stars, but few people know what they really mean. I even heard that these stars are the assessment of connoisseurs who tasted the drink before bottling. However, this is not true.

The stars on the bottle are the aging of the drink. That is, they display how many years the cognac was in the barrel. If there are three stars on the bottle, you can be sure that the cognac has been aged for at least three years. Four stars - at least four years, five - five.

By the way, the year is counted from the first of April. This is justified by the fact that fermented wine is distilled immediately after harvest. Thus, we can say that the real age of alcohol in the bottle is even a little more than indicated on the label.

Over the years of aging, the drink is increasingly enriched with taste, aroma, density and fullness. So we can safely say: the more stars, the better.

The cost of quality alcohol

Standing in front of a shop window, you involuntarily find yourself faced with a choice: to sacrifice quality or money. There is an opinion that a really good cognac is priceless, but if without fanaticism, how much does a good cognac cost?

The cost is also usually based on the years the drink has been aged. The shortest delay is three years. Such a drink has a bitter aftertaste, is slightly harsh and may not leave the best aftertaste. Cognac factories in Russia usually go for a little trick, "tinting" the taste of cognac with sugar color. The cost of such a drink usually fluctuates around three hundred rubles for seven hundred milliliters.

A drink of the best quality, with five stars, respectively, at least five years of aging, will be more expensive. It has a more pleasant aroma, mild taste, contains fewer chemical additives. For the same volume, you will have to pay at least 700-800 rubles.

In addition to average price tags, it is worth remembering about excise surcharges, store markups, and so on. So the cost can vary quite a lot. In addition, each producer can set his own price for brandy or cognac. By the way, what's the difference?

Brandy and cognac

Which drink is called brandy, and which one can proudly be called cognac?

In fact, real cognac is made only in its homeland: in France in the province of Cognac. In the same place, by copyright, manufacturers forbade calling a drink made in other places exactly cognac and suggested replacing the name with “brandy”.

That is, any drink not made in France cannot be called cognac. However, the names of cognacs do not differ too much from each other and it is rare to see a bottle under the brandy brand.

Consumer culture

Traditionally cognac is served with meat dishes. A cognac glass is a low container on a short stem, with a wide bottom and narrowing upwards. It is customary to warm the drink in the hand.

One of the main quality criteria is the smell. First, alcohol is heated in the palm of your hand, holding the glass not by the leg, but by the base, enjoy the aroma of the drink and only then drink it.

The second most valuable taste quality is the aftertaste that cognac leaves. Good alcohol leaves behind a slight bitterness, pleasant warmth, gently spreads over the body.

A glass of cognac will be a pleasant addition to dinner or a friendly conversation, will succinctly dilute the evening and bring an atmosphere of warmth and trust into it.

Worth remembering

Cognac is a special drink with its own atmosphere and mood. No matter how the names of cognacs, brands, brands, recipes differ, there is something special in homemade cognac. Making good alcohol is almost an art, if not in its purest form. And this art has a lot of fans.

With years of practice, experience, a real connoisseur already derives recipes and certain proportions for himself, which are to his liking. But at the first experience, you should be more careful in the cooking process.

As a rule, when a person takes up a business for the first time, it is customary to rely on already proven recipes, without reinventing the wheel, and only then, having tried it, make adjustments.

It is also important to remember that alcohol is addictive and the use of alcoholic products in excessive doses is dangerous to health.

Valued in any society. It has a unique taste and pleasant aroma. The drink does not tolerate haste and haste. It takes time to try it out. None of the alcoholic drinks inspires as much admiration and respect as an old, well-aged cognac. What is this miracle made of and how? To answer the questions, you need to plunge into the past.

A bit of history

Cognac originated in France. Its history begins in the 1st century AD. when the Romans brought grapes to the country. The mild sunny climate contributed to rich harvests. From the 12th century, the French began to actively produce wine, and by the 15th century there was an overabundance of the drink. From long storage, it ran out of steam, deteriorated, and it was decided to distill the wine into alcohol.

There are several legends about how cognac appeared. According to one of them, the Chevalier de la Croix decided to overtake the wine twice. This idea arose after a nightmare. He poured the resulting liquid into a barrel. After 15 years, the Chevalier decided to try the drink. Opening the barrel, he was surprised that the content was half as much, and the taste and aroma of the drink became richer and much more pleasant.

Another version says that in the 17th century, winemakers were unable to take out barrels of grape vodka in time. The reason was the English fleet, which did not allow French ships to go to sea. Contrary to the worst expectations of winemakers, vodka has not become worse, but on the contrary, it has improved its taste. Since then, the French have been experimenting with barrel wood, its content and aging time.

at the factory

The technology for making the drink has been developed over many centuries. There are many subtleties in it that cannot be neglected, otherwise it will adversely affect the final result.

Much attention is paid to what grapes cognac is made from. Today, only a few varieties are allowed to be used for production. The harvest takes place in early October. Grapes are immediately sent under the press. The berries are not separated from the branches. The press is used horizontal or automatic. The main thing is that he does not crush the grape seeds. The resulting must is left to ferment for 2 to 4 weeks. Interestingly, sugar is not involved in the process. The result is that it contains an average of 8% alcohol.

The drink is then distilled. To get 1 liter of alcohol, you need to process 9 liters of wine. After repeated distillation, a liquid with a strength of 69-70% is obtained. On April 1, it is poured into oak barrels and aged for at least 3 years. Sometimes the term can be 50 or even 100 years. Barrels with alcohol are stored at a temperature of 15 0 C. After a while, the strength of the drink decreases, and the liquid itself evaporates. Losses are up to 4%. The French joke that this part falls to the share of angels.

What is cognac stored in

What storage containers are made of is very important. The quality of the drink depends on this. According to research, old containers transfer about 2,000 wood components to alcohol. For the manufacture of barrels, wood of hundred-year-old oaks is used. It must be strong and porous. Nails must not be used to fasten barrels.

Trying to save containers, the French resort to sophisticated methods. Even bred inside spiders, because. believe that the web can extend the life of the tree. But mostly they use the old proven method - they remove the spent layer of wood after several decades, and the barrel can continue to serve.

Cognac is often judged by its color. It is believed that older drinks have darker shades. This is not entirely true. Perhaps the cognac was stored in a barrel, which was subjected to weak firing. The liquid in such a container is almost light.

Cognac classification

High demands are placed on the quality of this drink. Depending on the aging and the raw materials used, cognacs are divided into three types:

brandy and armagnac

Cognac is made in many countries. But according to the rules, only those drinks that are produced in the town of Charente, one of the regions of France, are called so. If alcoholic products are produced using the same technology, but in a different locality, it will be called "brandy". In terms of quality and taste, it can be no worse than cognac. What the drink is made of, what technology is used - the main parameters that affect the quality of the product. Since brandy is not subject to high requirements, the process of its manufacture has become simpler, and any grape variety is used as a raw material.

Speaking of cognac, one cannot fail to mention such a drink as Armagnac. Few people know what it is. Meanwhile, Armagnac is the pride of France. This drink appeared much earlier than cognac, it has been known for over 300 years. The manufacturing technology of Armagnac is different in that the raw material is distilled once. The drink is aged from 3 to 20 years. The requirements for it are as high as for cognac. Armagnac is allowed to be made only in three regions of France out of ten certain grape varieties. The drink is not intended for import, so its production is limited and the price is high.

How to make cognac yourself

Real high-quality cognac is an expensive pleasure, and not everyone can afford it. Many people are surprised when they hear: "And we make cognac at home." Is it really possible? For cognac lovers, there are many recipes that allow you to make this drink at home. Home production is very different from how cognac is made at the factory. The basic principle is the insistence of strong alcohol on oak bark, herbs, berries, spices. Of course, the result obtained will be far from the original. It is more correct to call it cognac tincture. The advantage of home production is that there is no doubt about the quality of the resulting product. In addition, it is not difficult to collect the necessary ingredients.

Homemade cognac from moonshine

To make a drink, you need to take an alcoholic base with a high alcohol content. But before making cognac from moonshine, the liquid must be cleaned. This can be done in 3 ways:

1. Put activated charcoal tablets in moonshine, about 4 plates. Insist 7-10 days. Then filter through cotton wool wrapped in gauze.
2. Throw a few crystals of potassium permanganate into a container with moonshine and leave to infuse. After precipitation, strain the liquid through cotton wool.
3. Pour milk into moonshine at the rate of 2:1. Stir. When the milk has curdled, filter the drink through cheesecloth.

After cleaning the liquid, you can begin the cooking process. There are many recipes that tell you how to do it. You will need oak branches to make the taste and aroma of cognac closer to the original. They need to be dried, chopped (make short chips), if desired, you can burn. Instead of branches, oak bark is often used. You need to pour moonshine into a glass bottle, add chips to it, cork. The drink is infused for at least a month in a dark place.

Homemade cognac from alcohol

Instead of moonshine, you can use a different base. In the original, cognac is made from. Since it is very difficult to get it, another ingredient is often used. For example, many lovers are interested in how to make cognac from alcohol? First, dilute alcohol with water to 40 0. Pour 3 liters of diluted alcohol into a jar, add 2 tbsp. spoons of burnt sugar, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 5 tbsp. tablespoons of chopped oak bark, 3 cloves and a little vanilla. Mix the ingredients well and leave the container with the mixture to infuse in a cold place for about a month. When the drink is ready, it must be filtered and bottled. Instead of alcohol, you can take high-quality vodka. This will result in a softer cognac.

What else is the drink made from? In addition to spices, herbs are used, for example, St. John's wort, lemon balm, bay leaf, tarragon. Vanillin is often present in recipes. You can find zest, walnut shell partitions, black tea, coffee. The composition depends solely on the taste preferences of the manufacturer.

How to choose

Today, stores offer a large selection of this drink. Since not every person will agree to make homemade cognac, the question arises of how to choose it in a store? First you need to turn the bottle upside down. If one drop falls down, then this is a good aged drink. Liquid flowing down the walls means that the cognac is young. Transparency is one of the most important characteristics. If you can see a fingerprint left on the opposite side of the glass through the liquid, then the quality of the cognac is at its best.

Now you should pay attention to the speed with which the drink flows down the walls of the vessel. To do this, the glass must be slowly rotated around its axis. In cognac with 20 years of exposure, traces, the so-called "legs", even, with droplets, remain for 15 seconds. A drink aged 5-8 years drains 3 times faster.

The aroma of cognac deserves a separate discussion. It unfolds gradually. At a distance of 5 cm from the edge of the glass, light smells are caught, among which there is a hint of vanilla. Near the edge, the aroma becomes floral-fruity. At the end, the smell becomes heavy. Now you can try the drink. They drink cognac slowly. Each small sip should bring pleasure in taste and aroma.

Good cognac delights tasters. However, homemade drink also does not leave people indifferent. When guests try it at a family celebration, they admire the pleasant taste and aroma. A modest confession: “We make cognac at home” gives rise to surprise, which develops into admiration. Of course, everyone will want to know the recipe for a wonderful drink. And to share or not - it's up to the owner of the secret of making homemade cognac.

In this article:

Making cognac at home is not a difficult process, it is available to almost everyone. The manufacturing process itself is not particularly difficult, and a large number of ingredients will not be required.

To date, 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 most preferred time for its termination end of September or beginning of October. If the weather is rather cool outside, then it is necessary to put the pulp on fermentation during the period when the heating in the apartment will be started. Otherwise, there is a high probability of mold and musty smell.

Harvested grapes do not need to be washed, they are crushed together with a brush and turn into pulp.

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

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 the formation of natural yeast on the surface in warm weather.

It is not advisable to use alcohol yeast; according to this recipe, natural trace elements should be enough. Instead of a lid, the fermentation container must be covered with a plastic bag, which is pressed tightly with an elastic band. Thus, the access of oxygen as a result of the fermentation process is prevented.

The container is wrapped in a blanket and placed under the battery. It is necessary not to forget to stir the resulting mass once a day.

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

The taste in young wine should be absent sweetness - bitterness is welcome. As for the appearance, almost all grapes precipitate, and the mash has a clean and rich color of a classic grape wine.

The resulting distillate must be collected to the last drop. Alcohol should drip through a funnel with gauze, into which broken pharmaceutical activated charcoal tablets (about 15 pieces) are placed.

The resulting mass is diluted with water (a third of the total) 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 poisonous substance that provokes the development of a hangover syndrome.

The third distillation provides for the production of grape spirit with a strength of 80%.

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

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

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

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

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! An alcoholic drink should be diluted to a strength of 45%.

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

After that, blending of the manufactured alcoholic beverage is carried out at home.

If desired, cloves and cinnamon sticks are added to cognac, which were previously infused with alcohol. 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.

Preparation of cognac from coffee (ground)

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

Ready cognac is bottled and tasted.

Cognac with orange peel

A fairly common recipe for making homemade cognac is to mix vanillin, bay leaf, orange peel, moonshine (3 liters), 10 black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon of dry tea and one tablespoon of cinnamon. All of the above 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 gauze layers.

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

A great 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, drinking too much alcohol is bad for your health.

Cognac is called a strong alcoholic drink, which is made from grapes using a technology specially developed for this purpose. The Dutch were the first to produce cognac.

How the best drinks in the world are made

Cognac production technology directly depends on the distillation process. It is done until the end of March after the harvest has been harvested. The distillation apparatus is made of copper: only this metal is able to withstand the action of tartaric acids.

Production consists of the following steps:

• cultivation of special grapes;
• collection and production of juice;
• double distillation of wine;
• primary exposure of the resulting alcohol;
• long term exposure;
• mixing various alcohols and adding water;
• spill into a container.

Exposure is considered the last and most important stage of preparation, because it affects the high degree of quality of the product. It lasts at least 30 months, and can last up to 50 years or more. During this time, the drink receives a lot of oxygen, which affects the taste. The longer the exposure, the more expensive and better the product becomes.

Creating perfection - how cognac is made

Those who equate the production of cognac with art are right, because every sip of this drink gives an unforgettable experience. What does the production of cognac look like?

Special grapes for cognac are harvested only by hand. Then it is pressed, and the juice that has turned out is given to the fermentation process. Sugar is not added. A month later, the wine is given to the distillation process or, in other words, to distillation. Then, after a double boiling is performed in the distillation apparatus, cognac alcohol comes out from 70 to 73 degrees.

Chemical composition of cognac:

• alcohols, organic acids;
• tannin;
• tannins;
• ethyl ethers.

The production process of cognac is considered quite complicated. Alcohol is aged at a temperature of 16 degrees from 2 to 50 years in special barrels. During this time, all substances that impair its taste evaporate, while the concentration of alcohol only increases.

Six months later, the drink becomes golden in color with a light shade, saturated with tannins. And after a few years, cognac gets a mild taste with the aroma of vanilla, fruits and flowers.

After the maturation process has completely passed, the most difficult procedure starts - mixing cognac spirits of different aging periods and different yields in order to give the product aroma and taste. And at the end, the strength of the drink is reduced to 40 degrees with the help of distilled water.

About cognac production

Cognac production is a long and difficult process that requires not only special grapes, but also unique craftsmen and high-quality equipment.

Cognac technology is controlled by law, it is allowed to produce only in one French city called Poitou. All drinks that are created in other regions do not have the proud name of cognac. They are considered to be grape brandies.

So, what is cognac made from?

Cognac production technology has not changed for centuries. A drink made from the best grapes has always been considered an exquisite and expensive alcohol.

Grape varieties used in production:

• folle blanche and uni blanc;
• colombard;
• blanc frame and semillon.

Usually the grape harvest begins in October, and the distillation of wine materials - from mid-November.

To answer the question of how cognac is made, you first need to remember that a real cognac drink can only be made in certain areas that are characterized by special soil and climatic conditions. It is important that the grapes themselves have enough essential oils, be without a spicy aroma and have a high juice content.

The production of cognac includes the following steps:

• preparation of cognac wine materials;
• distilling them into alcohol;
• aging in oak wood;
• blending and processing.

The quality of the material depends on the grape vine and on the agrotechnical and climatic conditions of the area. In addition, if there is enough potassium and phosphorus in the soil, then this definitely affects the color and taste of the wine, while the aroma becomes delicate and subtle, with an unusual aftertaste of fruit.

What are the requirements for cognac wine materials:

• alcohol content - up to 7.5%;
• yeast - up to 2%;
• it is impossible to process wine with an indefinite smell and taste;
• acidity must meet the required standards.

Such materials are stored in huge tanks, while the temperature should be up to 10 degrees.

How to distinguish a star drink from a fake

The technology for making a drink is considered a rather costly process. There will be no quick money back, and the cognac itself is produced for a long and difficult time. In addition, all ingredients used must be only of high quality, and the entire production process must be carried out strictly according to established rules.

How do you know what product was produced, good or bad? Make it simple. There are ways to distinguish a good product from a bad one. In particular, this is determined by the smell, when the aromas begin to manifest themselves one after another. First of all, you can feel the smell of oak, then - the aroma of tobacco and dried fruits. If the cognac is bad, then the smell will not change, but only disappear.

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