True connoisseurs of cognac know that the history of its preparation goes back centuries. The production technology of this strong alcoholic drink is strictly defined and regulated by legislative acts, and the cost is excessively high.
But what if there is no way to purchase high-quality cognac and do not want to buy cheap brandy at all? In this case, it is best to make an alcoholic drink yourself, at home.
The basis of this cognac is grape spirit, which is aged for a long time in specially made oak barrels. Its aroma and taste directly depend on the amount of alcohol, tannins, aldehydes, esters and acids. Indeed, it is the percentage of these components that gives rise to different variants of this elite drink. Often such alcohol is appreciated for a pleasant aftertaste, as well as a delicate floral-fruity aroma.
Its quality is determined by the following criteria:
For reference: in the production of French cognac only raw materials from certain varieties of white grapes are used - colombard, fol blanche, uni blanc (trebbiano), montil, which are highly acidic.
Most of the modern ordinary cognacs that can be found on store shelves are not infused in oak barrels, but are made by mixing cognac spirits, often purchased from other manufacturers. The advantage of such a drink is a short exposure time. Given this fact, you can try to make a pleasant, rich cognac yourself. The main thing is to follow the basic rules and not be afraid to experiment.
Video instruction for the preparation of cognac from alcohol:
The drink will have a specific taste, light invigorating aroma and zest thanks to lemon and coffee. To prepare it you will need:
Initially, fresh lemon should be passed along with the peel through a meat grinder or chopped using a blender. The resulting mass is mixed with oak bark, sugar and coffee, after which it is placed in a glass dish and filled with alcohol.
It is necessary to mix the mixture thoroughly until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved, and then store the dishes with future brandy in a cool dark place for a week. After the expiration of the finished drink is filtered and poured into glass bottles.
IMPORTANT: to reduce the strength of alcohol, experts recommend diluting it with non-carbonated, purified water. To dilute 1 liter of alcohol to 40%, you need to add 1.4 liters of water, up to 45% - 1.2 liters. In this case, ethyl alcohol is poured into chilled water, and not in reverse order. The resulting fluid should settle for a week.
A tart drink can be obtained from the following set of ingredients:
Also, if desired, you can add a small amount of chopped nutmeg, bay leaf, cloves and allspice.
To make a drink at home, you will need a 5-liter glass container with a narrow neck and a tight-fitting lid (you can additionally wrap it with polyethylene). This will help to prevent the escape of vapor from the volatile material. Alcohol is poured into the bottle almost to the top in order to minimize its contact with air, then dissolve sugar in it and add the remaining components. The drink is infused in a dark room for at least a month.
It is worth noting, oak bark can be replaced with ripe acorns, which are collected in early autumn. They must first be cleaned and filled with water. Surfaced fruits are considered unsuitable for further use and discarded.
Before use, cognac is carefully filtered through a paper or cotton filter.
The delicate aroma and unusual taste will be obtained from the drink thanks to the following ingredients:
The amount of alcohol indicated in the recipe is poured into a glass or enamel container, after which it is mixed with well-dried walnut partitions. Then the remaining components are added and the dishes are tightly closed with a lid. Infuse the drink in a dark place for several days. At the end of the process, the liquid is filtered off.
To make an alcoholic drink with good quality you will need:
All dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed in a separate container and crushed. You should also grind and red pepper. The resulting mass is added to alcohol and infused for 10 days under a tightly closed lid. Before use, the liquid is filtered through gauze, folded in several layers, so that there is no sediment.
Nowadays, it’s quite difficult to talk about the traditions of drinking this elite alcoholic drink, since the tastes and customs of people are rapidly changing. The fact that it is possible to evaluate the aroma and aftertaste of cognac only in a cozy and calm atmosphere remains unchanged.
Until recently, the drink was poured into a special glass - a snifter, which is distinguished by a spherical, narrowed upward large cup with a small leg.
It is convenient to hold such a container in the palm of your hand, rotating the contents along the walls, and inhale the aroma. Now it’s customary to pour the drink into a glass, reminiscent of its form with an ajar tulip on a high leg. Its volume is 140 ml. In such a container, alcohol vapors disappear faster when interacting with oxygen, allowing the aroma to open faster.
Before use, cognac is not heated or cooled, since it must be at room temperature. That is why they hold the glass in their hands, warming its contents with the warmth of their palm. Real gourmets fill ¼ of the container and evaluate the whole bouquet in several stages:
They slowly take small sips, slowly moving the liquid through the tongue, and then enjoy the aftertaste.
For reference: cognac cannot be drunk in one gulp, otherwise you won’t be able to feel its long aftertaste, called by the experts “peacock tail”.
Often, cognac is drunk after eating and is combined with products that have a neutral smell and taste. For example, the French prefer to use it with chocolate, coffee, as well as cigars.
The Americans who drink cognac in quality (before eating), diluting it with tonic, also brought their own characteristics. Basically, they add such an additive only to young drinks. Scandinavian residents love to use soft sorts of cognac in combination with exquisite desserts.
In Russia and some countries of the former Soviet Union, since the time of Tsar Nicholas I, there is a tradition of snacking on cognac with a slice of lemon (sometimes candied), despite the fact that citrus has a sharp taste that makes it difficult to taste the whole gamut of the drink.
If there are several types of cognac on the table, it is recommended to start the tasting with young varieties. This type of noble drink is quite strong, so it is not used in large doses, and a healthy person can drink no more than 30 ml of alcohol daily.
In any case, you should not use inexpensive store cognac, characterized by dubious quality. It is better to prepare a wonderful drink with an unforgettable aroma and taste, reminiscent of noble alcohol.
It is not strange, but such a recipe tastes like a famous one.
You can certainly find good brandy in stores, but the price of such a drink will not please you. There are only two ways out: buy a cheaper one or make cognac yourself at home.
Why is a cheap drink dangerous? At least - a spoiled feast, in the worst case - poisoning. Unpleasant smell and taste can sometimes not be drowned even by Coca-Cola. But drinking cognac is best in pure form, and not diluted with other drinks.
It turns out that in order to maintain budget and health it is best to make cognac on their own.
We will consider several recipes for making homemade cognac. For the convenience of studying the material, we put it in a separate entry, here there will be ways to make cognac from alcohol (or vodka).
You can prepare this strong alcoholic drink in different ways, so we will share some of the most popular recipes.
The following ingredients will be needed:
Preparing cognac according to this recipe is as simple as possible: pour alcohol into a glass bottle, and preferably into a wooden vessel (oak barrel), add all the other ingredients there and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Close the container tightly and leave it in a cool, dark place for at least a month, then strain through a gauze filter. Homemade brandy is ready!
The drink will turn out to be pleasant in taste and beautiful in color. Outwardly, it will be impossible to distinguish from purchased brandy. And the taste will be much better than most samples from the store.
This time we will use the following ingredients:
Pour all of the above into a jar and fill with alcohol, leave in a dark, cool place for at least a month. Yet again, the longer the drink is infused, the tastier it will turn out. Before use, do not forget to filter the finished homemade cognac through cheesecloth.
By the way, in this recipe you can also use a couple of leaves of parsley, a few peas of black pepper, a teaspoon of lemon balm.
Cognac for this recipe is very original in taste. Ginger cognac is found in Brazil, and apples are also used to make it. For our drink you will need:
Grate the ginger root (preferably on the largest), chop walnuts as much as possible. Put both in a jar and add sugar and vanilla, pour alcohol. Close the vessel tightly and shake well to mix all contents. Leave to insist in a dark place for two to three weeks, but shake daily. Before use, ginger cognac should be filtered.
For this drink, take:
Put all the ingredients in a jar and pour a liter of alcohol. Mix thoroughly, add the remaining alcohol. Close the jar tightly and leave for a month in a dark, cool place. Then strain the drink through cheesecloth, bottle and leave to settle further. It is already ready for use, but we know that cognac is valued for ageso take your time drinking it right away.
In fact, there are much more ways to make cognac on our own than we told, but most of them are not much different from each other. As a rule, the components and their quantity vary, the infusion time. In addition to all of the above, you can add various fragrant herbs, lemon juice and zest, dried berries and even hot pepper.
Having prepared cognac at home once and having tried it, you will already imagine which taste notes are not enough for you in the drink, and which are in excess. And over time, you will learn how to make the perfect drink for your taste.
Before we talk about how to independently make cognac from vodka or alcohol at home, let's highlight the main reasons that force us to produce alcohol at home:
Not to mention that it is always interesting. Often, winemaking is a hobby even for low-drinkers.
Well, back to the essence of the material - homemade brandy recipes.
It is worth noting that real cognac is still produced by repeatedly distilling cognac alcohol obtained from grapes, and at home we can only make cognac drink (tincture).
To make cognac according to this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Oak bark is sold in any pharmacy, caramel can be obtained by heating granulated sugar, the remaining ingredients are even easier to get.
If you do not use vodka, but alcohol, make sure that it is the right degree, and if necessary, dilute it ().
How to make cognac from all of the above? Put all the ingredients in a glass bottle or jar, fill with vodka or alcohol, mix thoroughly, close tightly and place in a cool dark place for 30 days.
After a month, it remains only to strain the finished cognac, for example, through cheesecloth. The color of the resulting drink will exactly coincide with the purchased brandy, and taste may exceed it.
If instead of oak bark, fry oak chips are used in a pan, the drink will turn out to be even more pleasant in taste and smell.
To prepare this type of homemade cognac, take:
Again, nothing complicated to prepare: put the ingredients in a jar, pour alcohol or vodka, mix thoroughly and put in a dark, cool place for a month. After this period, strain homemade cognac through cheesecloth, bottle and let stand for a few more days.
To make cognac according to this recipe you will need:
Ginger should be rubbed on the largest grater, walnuts, peeled and chopped. Then put all the ingredients in a jar, pour vodka or alcohol and mix or shake thoroughly. Such cognac should be infused in a cool dark place for about three weeks, but every day you need to shake the jar. After this, the drink needs to be filtered and you can try.
Ginger cognac is very peculiar in taste - it is sweet and at the same time gives the spiciness of ginger.
To prepare homemade cognac on prunes and spices, take:
Pepper and cloves must be crushed and placed in a container where brandy will be infused. Pour sugar, vanilla and washed prunes there and pour alcohol. Stir, close tightly and place in a dark place for a month. Shake or mix the contents of the jar daily for the first week. After 30 days, strain the finished prune cognac through cheesecloth and pour into glass bottles, let the drink stand for a couple more days before tasting.
To make brandy for this recipe, take:
Looking at the ingredients, it seems that the question “why is cognac called fragrant” should not arise 🙂
All of the above, transfer to a jar and pour alcohol or vodka, mix and leave in a cool dark place for 30 days. After this period, strain the finished brandy through cheesecloth.
In general, the longer the home-made cognac is infused (this applies to any recipe), the tastier it will turn out. So, if you are not in a hurry with a tasting, let the drink continue to be saturated with taste and aroma.
Since the strength of classic cognac is about 40 degrees, food alcohol will need to be diluted with water. In order for the drink to acquire a traditional oak flavor, it is kept in special barrels, so if you have such a container on the farm, the drink can be prepared without adding bark. If you do not have a barrel, then homemade alcohol cognac can be prepared in a regular glass jar.
Pour the alcohol into the jar and add the burnt sugar. Cooking it is quite simple - sprinkle in a spoon and hold over the fire. When the sugar turns brown, add it to the jar and mix well with alcohol.
Before making cognac from alcohol, prepare the necessary flavors to your taste - it can be cloves or cinnamon, a little nutmeg and vanilla. When sugar dissolves in alcohol, add oak bark. It can be purchased at your nearest pharmacy or prepared on your own. If you like to experiment with alcoholic beverages, then you can use oak chips.
The alcohol brandy recipe is very simple - mix all the ingredients and put in a cold place. The main secret of this drink is that it will need to be aged for at least a month.
The jar with the contents needs to be tightly closed with a plastic or screw cap - this will help the drink maintain the aroma of the added spices.
The preparation of cognac from alcohol at this stage can be considered completed. It remains just to wait for the moment when the drink becomes saturated amber color and strain it. After filtering, the drink will become transparent and usable. Store it in closed bottles in a cool place.
Ancient winemakers made cognac from grape spirit. The manufacturers of this elite drink now adhere to the same technology. Despite the complexity of the process, this method is considered the most acceptable. This is due to the fact that only from grape spirit you can get a drink that can really be called cognac.
The recipe for homemade alcohol brandy made from grapes will require patience and endurance. Wort will need to be prepared from grapes - it is good to mash the berries together with the seeds so that they let the juice and put in heat for a day. After this, the resulting mixture will need to be passed through a juicer and left to ferment for three weeks.
Cognac from alcohol with their own hands is prepared in several stages. First you prepare grape wine - take the amount of grapes as desired. However, before you make cognac from alcohol, keep in mind that from 9 liters of wine you will get only 1 liter of a strong drink. After about 20-25 days, the homemade wine will be ready and you can proceed to the next step.
To prepare alcohol, the wine will need to be distilled twice, for this you will need a household distiller or a regular moonshine. Then you can use the classic recipe for making cognac from alcohol, described above.
A drink on wine alcohol will have a more saturated taste and aroma than on ordinary food.
Preparation of homemade cognac from alcohol takes from 30 to 60 days, after which it can already be tried. But you must not forget that cognac is one of those few drinks whose taste reveals itself over time. Therefore, if you want to get a really high-quality good cognac, you will need to withstand the drink in a cool place for at least one year. That is why, before making cognac from alcohol, choose a more suitable method for yourself. You can enjoy cognac in a month, or years may pass and you will discover your unique secret of this amazing drink, which is not in vain called the "liquor of the gods."
Real cognac is made from grape spirit, and alcohol is produced by double or triple distillation of grape wine, followed by infusion in oak barrels. But there are people-proven recipes with which you can make an excellent cognac drink at home and at home.
The minimum cost and availability of ingredients on which, you will insist a drink, a little more of your time and desire. Consider that a cognac drink with excellent organoleptic properties and a wonderful aroma is already in your hands.
List of ingredients:
Description of the process of making cognac on moonshine.
It is advisable to take home-made cognac for double distillation moonshine, it will be transparent, it will have less fusel oils, a specific smell, and other harmful impurities.
To begin with, we will remove fusel oils from the moonshine, which was produced by distillation with the separation of the output into fractions. To do this, at the bottom of a three-liter - (3) cans, throw prepared manganese, a pinch, then pour in high-quality moonshine, thoroughly stir the contents until completely dissolved, with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cover, let the liquids settle for 20 minutes, then mix again and wait 30 minutes.
We do this so that a sediment from the remains of unnecessary impurities that manganese neutralizes falls to the bottom of the can. If instead of moonshine, somewhere you took vodka for bottling, do the same, believe me, this will not be superfluous. You can clean alcohol with activated charcoal, and in another way, how and how to do it, read on this site in the cleaning section. You make brandy for yourself, therefore, the quality of all components must be ideal.
Now drain from the sediment. It is advisable to make the lemon last, mix everything with a wooden spoon or spatula. Put a lid on it, put it in a place convenient for you for two weeks, and every three days you can stir the contents.
At the end of the term, strain all the contents first through a fine strainer, and then through cotton-cosmetic discs, finally removing all the residue from the cognac drink. Pour homemade moonshine cognac made in your own hands into bottles, let the drink rest for a couple of days and you can drink it.
The second recipe for brandy from moonshine.
There are some excellent recipes for making homemade cognac on the moonshine, let's look at the second of them. We will leave the technology, sequence and manufacturing principle as described above, and the ingredients will be slightly different. Strengthening the color gamut and taste characteristics of cognac here is achieved by adding 100 grams of oak bark to the recipe. and laurel (1) one leaf of medium size.
The requirements for cleaning and the quality of the moonshine on which your ingredients will be insisted are high: take home-made cognac, double distillation moonshine, alcohol or vodka, remove again from the moonshine that was produced by distillation with separation of the output into fractions, fusel oils, using a cleaning method and filtering.
First, in an empty, clean glass jar with a wide neck under a standard lid of 10 liters, you need to add all the prepared ingredients according to the list below. If any of the recommended ingredients you don’t like, is contraindicated or simply did not find it, you can not use it in the recipe.
So, pour the alcohol into a jar, in which there are already herbs and spices on the list at the bottom. Pour alcohol from 5 to 8 liters, stir with a wooden object and close the lid. The contents should ripen in a container for up to 30 days, once every five days, stir the contents to the bottom so that the alcohol evenly takes on the aroma of all the ingredients.
At the end of the process, drain your infused cognac through a fine sieve, dilute with pure water if necessary up to 45% of the strength, and then pass the cognac through a cotton-gauze filter a couple of times. Pour into a container that is convenient for you so that the drink does not run out of steam, let the cognac drink rest for several days, and you can enjoy its taste and aroma, the drink is ready.
Components:
Herbs
All of these components should be kept on moonshine for 20-30 days.
If you need to insist 3 liters of alcohol, halve the ingredients !!!
Here are a number of different short recipes for infusion of alcohols and cognac, consider what other ingredients and products can be used for tincture.
Composition:
All this must be determined in one container, a glass jar or an oak barrel, stir, cover with a lid so that the degrees do not run out, give time to infuse for 20 days.
The contents of the container should be mixed once every five days. After the specified time, filter the mixture, let stand a couple more days. The drink is ready to drink.
Cook homemade cognac You can use one more method:
Components:
Insisting cognac with these ingredients, the ripening process of the drink takes up to 20 days.
Sequence of actions: Everything according to the list, it is necessary to put it in one container, a glass jar or an oak barrel, stir it, close it with a lid so that the degrees do not run out, let it take 20 days.
Mix the contents of the container once every five days, after the specified time, this recipe for making homemade cognac is finished. The result will pleasantly surprise you.
Components:
Dilute the drink to 45% strength. All this must be determined in one container, a glass jar or an oak barrel, stir, cover with a lid so that the degrees do not run out, give time to stand for 14 days. The cognac tincture that you receive after 14 days should be filtered and filtered.
Recipe
All of the above except alcohol, add to the container, pour water, boil for 2 minutes, then the mixture must be cooled, filtered and filtered, add alcohol. Dilute the drink to 45% strength.
For the next recipe for cognac on moonshine, you need to prepare such an assortment of spices.
Composition;
All of the above should be added to the jar and filled with alcohol. Mix thoroughly, leave to stand for 7 days in a darkened place at plus temperature. Mixing tincture is not necessary, the strength should be 45 degrees.
At the end, strain and filter, let stand.
Components:
Pour all the ingredients into a jar, add vodka to 2/3 of the volume.
Dissolve sugar in a separate container in a small amount of vodka and add to a common jar.
Fill the jar to the top with vodka, stir the whole composition with a wooden spoon, and put to infuse in a dark place for 7 days.
The contents of the container, mix every two days, after the specified time, filter the cognac drink, after settling for 2 days, drain from the precipitate.
Brew coffee in water, let it brew for a day, mix coffee and its sediment with vodka and syrup, pour everything into one jar, seal tightly and insist in a warm place for 15 days. Then mix the contents of the container once every five days. After the specified time, filter the mixture, let stand a couple more days. The drink is ready to drink.
Another way:
To make cognac, take 3 three liters of high-quality vodka or moonshine, stepping forward, believe the result of the recipe, will exceed your wildest expectations.
So, prepare:
At the bottom of a 5-6 liter can, pour all the spices and ingredients, pour alcohol, mix everything and put it in a dark place for 12 days. After, cognac aromatic drink should be filtered, filtered, poured into a container, closed, put to the nearest occasion to taste.
To make cognac on vodka moonshine or alcohol:
Prepare the ingredients:
Sequencing: All this according to the list, it is necessary to place in a single container, a glass jar or an oak barrel, stir, close the lid so that the degrees do not run out, allow time to be left for 20 days.
Mix the contents of the container once every five days, after the specified time, this recipe for making homemade cognac is finished.
Having gained experience in making homemade cognac, you can try to make it such an alcoholic home-made drink on its basis: Buy ingredients:
Make the following dates, fig, wash the lemon thoroughly, cut the lemon in half, squeeze the juice, and carefully peel the peel from the peel;
dates should also be cut in half and remove seeds from them;
put dates, lemon zest, figs, spices, nuts, sugar in a large bottle, sprinkle with lemon juice and pour cognac;
Then plug the bottle with a stopper and rearrange it preferably in a dark place, you can withstand 21 days. It will turn out your enriched fortified, rich and dear home cognac, it is not a shame and even prestigious to submit to any solemn event.
Remember: As usual, the basis of homemade cognac is good, properly distilled twice, without factory chemistry, homemade moonshine on natural products.
Prepare the components in a list
Dissolve sugar in a separate container in a small amount of vodka and add to the total container.
Sequence of actions: All this must be folded into a single container, a glass jar or an oak barrel, stirred, covered with a lid so that the degrees do not run out, allow time to stand for 20 days.
The contents of the container, mix every five days, after the specified time, this recipe for making homemade cognac with instant coffee is finished.