How to overtake moonshine a second time? Re-distillation of moonshine. How to overtake moonshine a second time

In home distilling, all stages of making homemade alcohol are extremely important. But it is the distillation of moonshine that requires the maximum attention of the manufacturer, practically, uninterrupted observation. At home, getting a quality product is not easy, and for this it is worth arming yourself with theoretical knowledge and at least simple control devices - a thermometer with a scale of up to 100 ° C and an alcohol meter. It's also a good idea to have a hydrometer in your arsenal - a sugar meter.

Preparatory stage before distillation

Before you send the mash to the distillation apparatus, you need to determine whether it has really completely fermented. To do this, a hydrometer is immersed in it: the sugar readings should not be higher than 1.002, optimally - 0.99. If sugar is more than 1%, you need to send the mass for fermentation, pouring yeast into it. Otherwise, the output will not be maximum. If everything is in order, we clarify the product (we are waiting for the sediment to settle), drain and filter.

Now it's time to pour the mash into the distillation cube. We fill no more than 2/3 of the available volume so that there is no excess pressure and ejection of the wash mass into the tube through which alcohol vapors will be discharged.

It is advisable to equip the moonshine still to be used with a contact thermometer. In this case, the distillation of moonshine will be fully controlled. In addition, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of regulating the temperature of the refrigerator. Then the first stage will give the maximum yield and the least amount of harmful impurities.

A bit of theory

It's time to learn how to properly distill mash. During the heating of the mash, the evaporation of various substances that it contains, including alcohol, occurs. All of them have different boiling t and, accordingly, they are not “connected” to the evaporation process at the same time. It is on this principle that distillation is based, and that is why the distillation temperature of moonshine must be controlled.

Water evaporates at t +100°C, alcohol at normal pressure at t +78.4°C. Many harmful substances that are present in mash have a boiling point slightly above + 100 ° C. So, by overheating the cube, we can “enrich” moonshine with fusel oil and other impurities, and if water begins to evaporate, then the strength of the product at the output will drop sharply. Because P distillation of moonshine should be carried out under certain temperature conditions: from + 78.4 ° С to + 98.5 ° С.

We control the temperature

Let's figure out how to overtake moonshine so that the yield is maximum and the amount of impurities is minimal. So, let's break the process into temperature phases:

1. Now you can significantly reduce the heat, so that the temperature rises by 1 degree per minute. We bring the beer masses to t + 90 ° - + 93 ° C - it is at this moment that the distillation of moonshine should begin. That is, alcohol will begin to evaporate in the cube, the gaseous substance will pass through the tube to the refrigerator, where it condenses and begins to drip into the tank.

1. Our moonshine will drip into the tank at a certain speed. It is necessary to adjust the heating temperature so that the output is approximately 120-150 drops per 1 minute.

1. We carefully control our first stage, monitor the temperature of the mash and moonshine at the exit. If the latter has an outlet temperature of more than +30°C, it is necessary to increase the cooling of the refrigerator.

1. Now we align all the indicators (t boiling mash, t moonshine at the exit) so that the droplet fall rate is maximum. We make sure that t in the cube gradually (very slowly) rises to +98.5 ° С.

1. If all the requirements for how to properly distill moonshine have been met, then at the moment when the temperature in the cube reaches + 98.7 ° C, the process can be stopped - no more than 1% alcohol remains in the mash. The approximate residue in the distillation boiler should be about 2/3 of the original.

This is not a complete instruction for the first distillation, you still need to figure out which fractions can and cannot be used.

moonshine fractions

At different heating temperatures, a different “bouquet” of substances evaporates from the mash. The very first, even before the alcohol begins to pass into a gaseous state, vapors of compounds such as acetaldehyde, formic ethyl and acetic methyl ethers, a number of aldehydes and even deadly methyl alcohol will enter the outlet tube.

Similar processes will occur at the end of the distillation of moonshine: substances with high boiling points will warm up and begin to flow into the tank along with alcohol. To reduce the concentration of poisons, it is customary to divide production into three phases:

1. Faction "body". As soon as you "cut off the heads", it is advisable to change the tube, the refrigerator, and at a minimum - the tank and the steamer. During this phase of distillation, the strength of the resulting alcohol must be constantly monitored. As soon as it falls just below 40 °, you can change the tank - we have already received everything of value.

Important: control portions of moonshine must be taken separately from the common tank. Otherwise, not the exact temperature of a small batch will be obtained, but the average for the entire distillation

1. Now the "tails" are selected. Here the fortress will be less, and the content of fusel oil and other impurities will be higher. The distillation of moonshine should be stopped as soon as the temperature reaches +98.7 ° C.

Fractions "body" and "tails" are subject to purification and re-distillation. They are not mixed as the "body" is a minimally contaminated product.

That's not all!

Now that you know how to do the first distillation correctly, you can get an exceptionally pure drink at home, and not in the laboratory. True, the product that you currently have will have to go through several more stages of processing, and ideally also re-distillation.

Home-brewing came out of the underground a long time ago and has ceased to be a sign of bad taste. Previously, distillation was carried out secretly in order to have a source of additional finance (moonshine for sale) or to obtain an alcoholic drink with a large number of degrees and guaranteed intoxication. Now such a process has become a hobby, it requires the output of not so much a strong drink as a quality one, and only the second distillation of moonshine can help with this.

A huge database of recipes helps to determine the proportions, how much alcohol is required to be taken in order to mix it with water and other components and achieve the desired quality. A technology proven by many users began to be used, in which the resulting product is no longer a cloudy liquid with an unpleasant odor, while the distillation of moonshine came to the fore. As a result of moonshine after such a process, it turns out to be more acceptable for consumption.

The need to make a second run

For the average person, a small portion of alcohol gives positive emotions. However, this applies to a good drink diluted to an acceptable proportion. It is recommended to re-distill moonshine at home, so that each guest does not mind dropping in on your light. The resulting product is called double. It turns out much cleaner than the original liquid.

The selection of impurities occurs due to the different boiling point of each element and the degree of its volatility relative to ethyl alcohol.

Double distillation moonshine is devoid of most of the classic shortcomings of raw:

• there are no third-party unpleasant odors;
• in a solution of ethyl alcohol, the amount of fusel oils is reduced;
• the liquid becomes as transparent as possible without turbidity.

You can make a double distillation of moonshine with any type of primary product, no matter what water it is diluted with. However, for this it is worth knowing how to properly distill moonshine a second time and at what temperature. Some users are not embarrassed even by the third distillation of moonshine, although it is recommended to be carried out only if the distillate is cleaned with sunflower oil or milk.

step by step algorithm

The secondary distillation can begin with the dilution of moonshine, since you can start the process with a product whose strength is in the range of 19-21 degrees. You cannot skip this step, it is necessary to breed the workpiece, otherwise we will get 2 negative factors:

• If the water for the second stage is in insufficient percentage volume in the solution, then everything can ignite from flammable vapors.

Double distillation at home with high strength may fail because in this liquid, ethyl alcohol binds more strongly to fusel oils and separates weakly from them. Raw must be diluted with water according to the scheme up to 18-20 °.

It is important to carry out the operation with high-quality water, because the result of the secondary distillation of moonshine depends on what it will be initially. For this operation, it is preferable to take water from clean sources:

• springs;
• wells;
• bottled liquids.

If this is not possible, then we recommend to defend the tap for 2 days. You need to control the degree with a household alcohol meter. For the second distillation, it matters whether alcohol is poured into the container, and then water, or vice versa. In the first case, the liquid will become cloudy, and in the second case, it will remain transparent. It is recommended to pre-cool the components in the refrigerator.

The next step is the effective purification of the resulting solution. Purification of moonshine before the second distillation is carried out using charcoal. Whether she is needed, such a question should not even be faced by aesthetes. For this, it is preferable to take blanks from soft woods. In special stores they offer just such a product. If not possible, barbecue coals are used, but then additional filtration is required.

Before distilling moonshine a second time, you can clean it in other improvised ways:

• potassium permanganate crystals are used;
• settling is carried out for an hour before the appearance of sediment;
• add an incomplete tablespoon of salt and soda per liter;
• we drive the liquid through a cotton-gauze filter.

It is important to ensure a good workpiece that has undergone a quality cleaning.

VIDEO: Details about the selection of heads and selection of tails or how to make high-quality moonshine

Re-distillation

This technique for the main procedures is practically no different from the initial operation of distillation from mash. There will only be a much higher yield of the final product. The volume will also have to be divided into several conditional fractions:

• the first - heads with methanol and vinegar, which are no good;
• the second is the body, the main product in the form of ethyl alcohol;
• the third - tails, where the percentage of alcohol falls below 40 degrees, and at the same time fusel oils increase significantly.

Approximately 8-12% of the total volume of the intended product is usually allocated to the "heads". They have a specific unpleasant odor. The use of such a product is allowed exclusively for technical purposes (technical alcohol).

About 80% of the total volume is allocated to the "body". The selection is carried out before the loss of combustion of the liquid. You can start after a product without a specific smell has come out of the tube.

When the fortress of moonshine falls below 40-45 degrees, then these are “tails”. They can later be drained into mash to increase its strength. Drinking them directly is not recommended. It is necessary to do the second distillation in the same way as the first at a temperature of 78-83 ° C, which allows you to separate ethanol from impurities.

The second distillation of moonshine will result in a liquid with a 70% ethanol content. The number of such cycles is not limited. However, it is believed that after the third it is already possible to achieve a drink with a sufficiently high purity.

Instead of the third distillation, the greatest effect will be given by an apparatus equipped with a reflux condenser. It is much better able to separate fractions from each other. To a lesser extent, this is facilitated by the sukhoparnik installed inside.

VIDEO: How to properly select heads, bodies and tails

Third distillation

Objectively, this is an optional but recommended step in obtaining a pure homemade product. If, after the second distillation, moonshine is passed through a coal column, then the third time can be abandoned. But if milk or sunflower oil was used for cleaning, it is worth passing through the apparatus again to remove third-party impurities.

Third distillation

The process itself is no different from the previous one. The body and tails are mixed, diluted with water to a strength of 20-22 ° and distillation is started. Lemon peel or herbs placed in a steamer will help improve the taste and aroma of the drink.

Flavorings are put into the sukhoparnik only after the heads are selected and the main fraction starts to go.

Scheme of the third distillation:

1. Moonshine according to the scheme is diluted with water and poured into a distillation cube.
2. The distillation temperature is fixed in the range of 75-80°C.

1. Heads are taken in the amount of 3% of the total volume - they are easy to identify by smell, for which a few drops are rubbed in the palms and sniffed. As soon as the pungent smell of acetone is gone, you can put the container under the main fraction.
2. The tails are cut off when the strength drops to 35°.

The average strength of the body is 65-75°, which is subsequently diluted with water to a digestible 40-45°. For this, pure bottled water is used, preferably before dilution, both water and distillate are put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

If a reflux condenser is installed on the moonshine, the process of separating raw material into fractions is faster and more accurate. In this case, after the 3rd round, there are practically no fusel and other harmful impurities in the drink. This means that alcohol is easy to drink and the hangover will be negligible.

The quality of distillation is also affected by the presence of a dry steamer. He, of course, is not able to get rid of fuselage 100%, but due to a sharp temperature transition, he is able to separate a significant amount of it. In addition, it is convenient to flavor drinks with it, adding light notes of citrus or herbs.

Subsequent Operations

After the second distillation, just such a strong drink can be used for some needs. However, most often it is diluted to an acceptable consistency. For this, clean drinking cold water is used. You need to pour it into alcohol, controlling the degree with an alcohol meter. Settling is carried out for at least two days.

Distillates based on grain or fruit raw materials do not require additional purification. This can remove pleasant aromatic compounds from them. The second distillation of moonshine from sugar mash can be cleaned with a small amount of milk. It will curdle in alcohol and take on some of the oils.

A pure product is suitable for making all kinds of drinks:

• liqueurs;
• liqueurs;
• tinctures.

If there is a lot of ethyl alcohol available, then you should think about purchasing an oak barrel for making homemade cognac.

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In addition to aromatic changes, you can influence the color scheme of the finished drink. Natural colors are beautiful fruits, berries and ripe citruses. To give the desired tones, it is worth taking the following substances:

• dried blueberries to give red color;
• mint, lemon balm or parsley will give yellowness;
• to get a golden hue, you should use walnut, saffron or orange zest;
• when adding cornflower petals, the liquid will get a bluish tint;
• currant leaves will turn greenish and give a pleasant aroma.

You need to choose everything according to personal preferences.

VIDEO: Distillation of mash in three different ways

In creating homemade alcohol, all stages are very important. But it is the distillation of moonshine at home that requires the maximum attention of the creator, almost uninterrupted observation. It is not easy to get a really solid product at home, and for this you need to first pay attention to what is required to create moonshine, how to get pervak, and based on it, high-quality distillate.

What is the transfer procedure and how to prepare for it?

Before proceeding to the practical side of the procedure, a little theory should be mastered. So, the distillation of moonshine implies the process of heating the mash, during which the evaporation of various substances contained in it, including alcohol. All these substances have a different boiling point, which is why each of them is “activated” for the evaporation process at different times. It is on this principle that distillation is based, which explains the strict requirement to control the temperature of distillation of moonshine.

Water will begin to evaporate when the temperature reaches 100°C, and alcohol - at +78.4°C. A considerable number of harmful constituent elements of the mash boil when the temperature exceeds 100 ° C. Thus, when the cube is overheated, it is possible to obtain moonshine enriched with fusel oil and other impurities, and if the amount of water is reduced, the strength at the product outlet also drops sharply. Therefore, without fail, the distillation of moonshine must be carried out under certain temperature conditions - within 78.4–98.5 ° С.

Before proceeding directly to the process of distilling the mash, you need to make sure that it has had time to ferment.

At this stage, a hydrometer will help, which should be immersed in mash. The sugar content should not exceed 1.002, and preferably 0.99. If sugar is more than 1%, it is better to leave the mass to ferment, adding more yeast. Otherwise, less moonshine will come out, the distillation of which will not give the maximum result. If the indicators are all normal, then the product should be clarified, waiting for the sediment to settle, drained, then filtered.

Now you need to pour the mash into the distillation cube. What pressure should be observed at this stage? It should be filled up to 2/3 of the available volume so that during distillation there is no excess pressure in the moonshine and the ejection of the brew mixture into the tube through which alcohol vapor will be discharged.

At the same time, it is important to gain access to the temperature control of the refrigerator in order to fully obtain moonshine after the first distillation with the least amount of harmful impurities.

Pervak ​​transfer instructions

To carry out the process of primary distillation of moonshine, you will need a distillation cube, which has a steamer, a coil for the concentration of alcohol vapors, and a thermometer. All these elements must necessarily participate in the process, otherwise ethers and aldehydes will get into the distilled product.

When the mash is infused, it should be poured into a distillation cube so that the sediment from the bottom of the container does not rise to the surface. To do this, you will need to apply the law of communicating vessels and a nylon tube. With their help, it will be possible to drain the mash without raising the sediment due to the remainder of the liquid about 1 cm.

After the distillation of pervak, the still needs to be heated, and the temperature should be kept at 65-70°C. It will also be necessary to wait until about 5% of the total mass of the future product separates. To understand when this happens, the specific smell of the exiting liquid will help. Thus, we get rid of aldehydes, ether and methanol, which, in comparison with ethylene, boil under such temperature conditions. Produced rectification will allow you to get 5% of the product, which can only be used for technical purposes.

Now the temperature can be increased to 85 ° C, which will contribute to the distillation of moonshine directly due to the active evaporation of ethanol. It is worth emphasizing that at this temperature regime, water and fusel oils, which have a higher boiling point, will not actively evaporate.

If the distillation of moonshine will be repeated or there is a dry steamer in the apparatus, it is recommended to increase the temperature to 95 ° C, which will significantly increase the distillation speed. The remaining product is often used in repeated runs by adding them to the mash.

To check what kind of fortress moonshine has after distillation, you should use an ordinary household alcohol meter. Even for these purposes, the folk method is also suitable, which consists in setting fire to the resulting product. The appearance of an even blue flame will indicate a moonshine strength of more than 40 ° C.

If only flashes without combustion appear in the process, the selection process can be ended by starting to separate the remaining product (so-called tails). As a result of the first distillation, the product should turn out with a strength of 50–55 ° С. Is it possible to drink moonshine after the first distillation? It’s not just forbidden to consume it, it’s just that pervak ​​comes out too strong and not very pleasant to the taste, which is why moonshine is recommended to drive the minimum again to reach a strength of 40 ° C.

What does re-distillation of the product give?

Double distillation of the product with proper organization allows you to get moonshine with excellent taste, while you can use it without the risk of getting a hangover in the morning. Thanks to purification, the fractional method and the steamer, it is possible to eliminate the fusel oils and aldehydes remaining after the first distillation. Thus, the question of why moonshine is distilled twice can be answered as follows:

• improves the taste of the product;
• improves smell;
• reduces harm to health;
• secondary distillation product can be used to create a variety of drinks.

In addition, there are situations that require a second distillation of moonshine. These include:

• the use of mash based on fruits and berries;
• cleaning process with sodium hydroxide, soda and other chemical compounds;
• in order not to get rid of pervak, as it may become cloudy, acquire a pungent odor or not have pleasant taste at all.

Thus, if you spend a little time and repeat the moonshine distillation procedure a second time, you can get a high-quality distillate that will be pleasant to use yourself and not ashamed to treat guests.

Since secondary distillation is almost a necessary process, you need to know how to properly carry it out at home. The technology of cooking the product of both the first and second cycles is based on different boiling point parameters for the chemicals that make up the composition, and their separation into fractions to separate from each other. To overtake pervak, it is required to use only its central fraction. The so-called body contains significantly fewer impurities that are difficult to remove. It happens that a third fraction is also used for secondary distillation - “tails”, but in order to get a product that is good in all respects, the “body” is still recommended for these purposes.

Secondary distillation technology

Before proceeding with the re-distillation of moonshine, it must first be prepared. Initially, it is required to dilute the fractions with water to a suitable strength:

• "body" - up to 20°С;
• "tails" - up to 10°C.

Achieving the desired strength will make the process of pre-cleaning and direct distillation more efficient. After all, a high degree makes it difficult to separate harmful impurities. In this case, heating a strong mixture can lead to its ignition.

No matter how many times the product is distilled, it is always necessary to use high-quality water for such procedures:

• the best option is spring or melt water;
• from the tap, but if it has settled;
• temperatures within 10–20°С;

Very often moonshine becomes cloudy if not boiled and not purified water is used for distillation. You can also avoid cloudiness if you pour moonshine into a container of water, no matter how you dilute the drink.

Before re-distillation of moonshine, it is required to thoroughly clean it, using food additives and chemical compounds for this. The best and easiest way to remove impurities is charcoal, and charcoal is suitable not for barbecue, but made with your own hands.

How to expel moonshine again, what rules should be followed, is described below in the form of heating stages. In general, the procedure resembles the primary stage. So, the procedure involves actions in the following sequence:

1. Initially, the cube with raw materials should be heated to 60 ° C.
2. After reaching the desired temperature, the fire must be reduced and the cube brought to 85 ° C.
3. Now you need to merge the "head" - the primary fraction. This is approximately 45-50 ml for every liter of pure alcohol or 5% of a diluted drink.
4. Then it is necessary to reach a temperature of 96°C.
5. We select the middle fraction - the "body". This fraction ends when the strength of moonshine begins to exceed 40 ° C.
6. The process should be completed at a high temperature, reaching almost 100 ° C. At the end, "tails" will come out, which can later be cleaned and re-distilled as many times as necessary to achieve the desired taste.

The distillation speed is the same for the second time, only in this case a smaller amount of raw material is used.

The second distillation of moonshine improves the quality of the product. With careful observance of a certain technology from primary raw materials, that is, mash, you can get a strong alcoholic drink without harmful impurities, popularly called double moonshine. The second distillation guarantees a strong drink of high quality.

Moonshine has been known since time immemorial. People cooked and consumed mash with great pleasure - they made it with their own hands from everything that grew in the garden or was at home, at hand. At that time, almost no one used the technique of purification and distillation.

The use of moonshine in its pure form is harmful to the human body, this statement of many doctors is scientifically substantiated. Indeed, moonshine and brew contain a significant amount of fusel oils, acetone and even aldehydes - the use of these substances causes intoxication of the body and can lead to death. A slightly longer amount of time spent on the secondary distillation allows you to get a soft distillate that does not contain a specific, unpleasant and pungent odor. In addition, the method of secondary distillation can improve the quality of moonshine, expelled much earlier in time.

The technology of secondary distillation is quite simple in execution. It is necessary for more thorough filtration and allows you to almost completely remove all unpleasant specific odors inherent in home-brew. In addition, the result of the second distillation is a significant softening of the taste and improved visual characteristics of the strong drink. The main thing in this process is careful observance of the rules and the sequence of actions, then the distillation of moonshine will not take more than 3-4 hours.

The process of secondary distillation is very clearly divided into three stages: dilution of the primary mash with water, its filtration and the distillation itself.

The first stage - dilution

To bring 20-30% vol. strength of the drink.

1. Prior to this, it is necessary to measure and calculate the strength of the primary drink with a special device -.
2. For example, a value of 40% vol. in 1 liter indicates the content of 400 ml of pure alcohol in it.
3. The secondary distillation of a stronger drink that is not diluted with water can be quite dangerous - spontaneous combustion and explosion of the moonshine still is possible due to the high concentration of alcohol vapors.

It is preferable to use distilled water, which is sold in pharmacies, to reduce the strength of the drink. In second place - well or cleaned purchased. In extreme cases, it is allowed to use tap water, which is defended for 2-3 days beforehand in a container without a lid, this allows chlorine to completely evaporate from it.

In addition, moonshine with a high percentage of strength has a fairly strong chemical molecular bond with fusel oils and secondary distillation in this case will not lead to the expected result and effect. It is for these reasons that the distillation of mash is simply necessary.

A strong drink should also be diluted according to certain rules: it is necessary to pour moonshine into filtered, cool water (it is advisable to cool it first in the refrigerator), and not vice versa - this helps to avoid clouding of the liquid. Moonshine with distilled water should be mixed gradually, in small portions, constantly measuring the strength of the resulting drink until the required percentage is reached.

The second step is filtering.

Before the secondary distillation, moonshine already diluted with water should preferably be cleaned by any means, for example, activated or charcoal, or baking soda.

• This is especially true of cereal and sugar drinks.
• Fruit distillates do not need thorough purification, which will preserve the light aroma and taste of the original liquid.
• Every moonshiner - professional or amateur - knows several different ways to purify primary moonshine diluted with water.
• Only after filtration can you do secondary distillation.

How to clean moonshine with charcoal

The easiest way to clean the moonshine is with a charcoal filter. This method is simple, allows you to remove unwanted impurities in the finished product and does not affect the taste of the drink. If you have a filter jug ​​with a carbon cartridge at home, you can use it. If there is no such cleaner, then a coal funnel is made extremely simply:

1. The bottom of a plastic bottle is cut off; it is not needed.
2. The resulting flask is turned upside down and clean cotton wool is placed in it.
3. The next layer is filled with activated charcoal tablets.
4. Again lay down a layer of cotton and a layer of coal.

The distillate must be run through the filter several times in a row, this will help achieve better cleaning. If necessary, also filtering a large amount of liquid, the layers must be changed.

Manganese cleansing

Many lovers of homemade alcoholic beverages prefer to cleanse with manganese, while it is important to carefully follow the technology of the procedure:

• Potassium permanganate crystals are poured into a jar of moonshine, you can put them on the eye, about ¼ of a teaspoon per three-liter jar.
• Stir the liquid thoroughly until the pharmaceutical powder is completely dissolved. A. Moonshine at the same time should acquire a rich purple color.
• Cover the jar with a nylon lid and stand for exactly one day.
• After this time, it will become clear that the color of the liquid has become similar to weakly brewed tea, and the bottom of the jar is covered with a dark precipitate of flakes.
• Now you need to take a clean jar, insert a funnel into it, into the spout of which a cotton pad is first inserted (it is not so effective to use cotton wool).
• In a watering can little by little, without shaking the sediment from the bottom, pour moonshine, and let it seep into a clean container.
• When it comes to the lower layers, in order not to pour out a large amount of product, it is filtered through a fine mesh sieve, on which a layer of cotton wool about 1 cm thick is laid. All residue will remain on it.
• The resulting liquid is also driven through the funnel.

As a result, the output is moonshine, purified from harmful components and absolutely transparent.

Milk cleaning

For those who consider the manganese method not the most natural, since a chemical component is still used, they will like cleaning with milk. The method is based on the fact that the proteins casein and albumin form a bond with the molecules of fusel oil, other "dirty" elements and precipitate. A similar method is also used in the industrial production of vodka, only they do not use milk there, but the necessary components isolated from it, this is called coagulation.

Any milk is suitable: store-bought, dry, homemade. Its origin does not have a fundamental role; you need to choose a product with a minimum fat content. In this case, the risk of getting moonshine-mutnyak is reduced. But even if perfect transparency does not work out, it will be possible to get rid of the defect during the second stage. For 10 liters of raw milk, 1 liter of milk is taken.

1. Alcohol and milk are poured into one container, thoroughly mixed.
2. The mixture must be placed under the lid in a dark place, for the first three or four days the container is opened daily for stirring.
3. Then the moonshine is not disturbed for two days to precipitate.

After 5-6 days from the beginning of the cleaning procedure, the liquid is filtered, diluted with water to the desired strength and allowed for re-distillation. This method allows you to get rid of harmful impurities in a natural way, without the use of any kind of chemistry. Milk does not affect the taste of moonshine after distillation. If dry is used, then it must be diluted in advance in warm water, allowed to stand at room temperature and used for cleaning after 1-2 hours.

The third stage - secondary distillation

This action is practically no different from the first distillation and begins with the preparation of the moonshine still. The process of the second distillation somewhat increases the amount of the final product obtained precisely due to the filtration procedure. In this case, the drink yield should be conditionally divided into fractions: the so-called "head", "tail" and "body".

1. First Exit (Faction) distilled liquid (usually 8-12% of the total volume) is called the "head" and has an unpleasant, specific odor, and also contains a large amount of harmful impurities. In no case should this liquid be used, but it can be used for domestic purposes, for example, for the treatment and disinfection of various surfaces, since this liquid contains pure technical alcohol.
2. The next 80% of the liquid is called the "body" and represent the very moonshine that is needed. The moment of collection of pure moonshine is usually determined by smell: if the specific and pungent aroma inherent in the “head” fraction is practically absent, then a clean and drinkable drink is released from the moonshine still - “body”. That is what is being collected. The process lasts until the strength of the drink coming out of the moonshine is at least 40-45%.
3. The last faction is called "tails", they can be used to increase the degree of another mash or simply poured. It must also be remembered that the entire secondary distillation process is based on exposure to heat and must be carried out while maintaining a constant temperature of about + 80 ... + 85 ° C, since lower rates help to stop the release of pure alcohol.

After the secondary distillation, you can get a fairly clean and strong moonshine containing up to 70% alcohol, which does not need additional purification.

For ease of use and softness, it is diluted with water up to 40-45%. The number of stages is not defined, there may be several. But triple distillation is considered optimal for product quality.

Is additional purification of the finished product necessary?

After the process of the second distillation is completed, the resulting product can be cleaned a little more, “ennobled” or simply diluted a little with water to make it softer. To give moonshine a certain taste and aroma, fresh berries, fruits, or special aromatic additives that can be purchased at the store are sometimes added to the drink. In addition, the drink can be given a certain color:

• red, for example, comes out when dried blueberries are added to moonshine;
• yellow - when using lemon balm, parsley or mint;
• orange peel, walnut shell or saffron will give a golden color;
• if you add cornflower flowers, the liquid will turn a pleasant blue color;
• currant leaves will not only color the moonshine green, but also help to give it an unusual taste.

Adding milk, preferably natural and fat-free, to an already finished product, can significantly soften the taste of the drink and slightly neutralize its strength.

Improving the taste

Herbal additives used for a ready-made drink are a way to give the secondary moonshine not only a certain color, but also a taste, as well as the desired softness and originality of the blend.

• Secondary distillation makes the liquid safe for consumption and of sufficient quality.
• Therefore, taking care of their own health, each manufacturer of this homemade drink needs to make a second distillation at least once, and best of all - 3.
• This will preserve the health of the moonshiner himself and his friends and relatives who will consume the prepared strong drink. Moreover, this process does not require significant effort.

Experienced craftsmen and beginners in the business of making homemade moonshine use the moonshiner calculator online. Using this resource, you can calculate what degree of drink you get, the required amount of water and alcohol to obtain the volume of moonshine of the required strength, and even calculate the correct proportions of mash, after fermentation of which you will get moonshine with the desired alcohol content.

Today, the old, simple method of getting rid of harmful and dangerous impurities is still relevant. As a result, you can get a pure and practically harmless product for consumption, almost completely freed from fusel oils, which are highly toxic and very poisonous. The main thing is to do everything in a certain sequence, adhering to technology.

Hi all! We continue the theme of moonshine. Today we will talk about how to properly drive moonshine at home. As you remember, I wrote about the full one in this article. Now it is time to dwell in more detail on the process of distillation (or simply distillation).

For the distillation of mash, I use fractional double distillation with intermediate purification. The moonshine obtained by this method is very different from the usual one for the better.

First distillation

So, we got raw alcohol (SS). This is the same middle fraction, it is also the “body”. Of course, you can drink it, but the quality of such moonshine is still very low. Now the SS should be cleaned.

Update from 04/10/17: Now I have slightly changed the technology of the first distillation. I drive almost to the water (temperature 98-99 degrees cubed) without selecting heads and tails. Sometimes I still select a few heads if they come with a pungent smell, but this is extremely rare.

Intermediate cleaning

I call it intermediate only because it is carried out between the first and second distillation. And so this is a complete way to clean moonshine. More precisely, even two methods that I use together.

• First, we clean the raw alcohol with oil.

As a result, we get raw alcohol, purified from a large amount of fusel oils, which have dissolved in vegetable oil. Alcohol itself does not dissolve in oil due to its low concentration. To do this, we diluted it.

But still, small drops of unfiltered oil with harmful impurities are still present in the moonshine. To get rid of them, go to the next cleaning method.

• Activated carbon cleaning

For this method, birch (BAU-A) or coconut (KAU) activated carbon is used. It is able to absorb up to 80% fusel oils and 90% esters.

You can add coal to a container with raw alcohol and shake vigorously again. But it is better to make a flow filter.

The simplest design of the filter is a plastic bottle with a cut off bottom and filled with coal. Several holes are made in the cork and a piece of cotton wool is placed. Before use, it is better to rinse the coal, thereby removing coal dust from it, which clogs the cotton filter.

Coal consumption is approximately 5-15 grams per liter of moonshine.

Also, a household filter jug ​​from the store is perfect for filtering.

Now we have a well-purified moonshine, ready for the second distillation, during which we will increase its strength and try to get rid of the remaining impurities as much as possible.

Read more in the article - Purification of moonshine with coal

Second distillation

The principle of the second fractional distillation is the same as the first. Only the heating modes are different.

1. We heat up the brew. As soon as the first drop appears from the refrigerator, we reduce the heating temperature so that the moonshine comes out at a maximum speed of 1-2 drops per second. The slower the better.
2. At this speed, we select “heads” at the rate of 50 ml per kilogram of sugar in Braga.
3. We change the receiving capacity and begin the selection of the “body”. Heating can be set to the maximum possible, which the refrigerator will allow. But I still recommend limiting yourself to medium speed so that the moonshine flows in a thin stream.
4. “Body” is selected up to 45%. Once again, I remind you that we measure alcohol content at 20 degrees Celsius. If there is no alcohol meter, then moonshine must be set on fire in a spoon. The temperature should also be 20 degrees. The selection must be stopped when the liquid ceases to burn.
5. We change the capacity and select the tails at the highest possible heating.

1. To improve the taste of the final product, raw alcohol diluted after the first distillation can be infused on dark raisins. Raisins need 20 g for every liter of SS. The taste will noticeably improve.
2. If the final product is too strong for you, then dilute it with water. Read about it in the article.
3. I keep writing about the fact that it is necessary to measure the concentration of alcohol at 20 degrees, but it rarely happens that moonshine flows from the refrigerator at such a temperature. It is either warmer or colder. In this case, the hydrometer readings can be corrected using this plate.

1. It is better not to carry out intermediate cleaning of moonshine from fruit and berry mash, otherwise we risk losing its flavors.
2. Cleaning moonshine with oil and activated carbon are two separate, independent methods. You can use only one of them, whichever you like best. But in both cases, the SS must be diluted up to 15%, so it will be better cleaned.
3. If you still decide to apply both cleaning methods at once, then the sequence should be as follows - first oil, and then coal.
4. I clean the “tails” collected during the second distillation with oil and the coal used in the intermediate cleaning and pour it into a cube during the distillation of the next mash.

That's all. The process is not very difficult and if you follow it, then your efforts will be rewarded according to merit. You will get excellent moonshine, a cut above what is obtained with ordinary distillation.

Try it and share your results in the comments. Also subscribe to updates. I hope the article was helpful.

Best wishes!

Sincerely, Dorofeev Pavel.