Moonshine with almonds. Cognac tincture. Varieties of nuts for making homemade alcoholic infusions

Almonds are an aromatic and unique product that is widely used in cooking. It is added to baked goods, salads, and jam. But gourmet distillers have found another worthy use for it - infusing moonshine on its kernels.

Attention: hydrocyanic acid

Since almonds are not a nut, as many people mistakenly believe, but the kernel of an inedible plum seed, it has some limitations in dosage. By origin it can be domesticated (sweet) or wild, having a bitter taste and a pronounced aroma. The wild one contains large quantities of hydrocyanic acid, a high concentration of which can lead to poisoning of the body and spoil the taste of moonshine. That is why it is not recommended to infuse moonshine with wild almond kernels. Use domesticated. It has a sweetish taste and a lower concentration of hydrocyanic acid.

Important! A common antagonist found in every home is sugar. If you want to get an original drink that is unsurpassed in its aromatic properties, but are afraid to use almonds, replace it with an aromatic additive or essence.

Almond recipes

There are many recipes by which you can prepare moonshine with almonds, which is unique in its aroma. Using some tricks with adding a kernel to moonshine, you can not only emphasize the taste of alcohol, but also give it a supporting role, enhancing the taste of the product.

The most common recipe requires the following ingredients:

• alcohol base 50 degrees - one liter;
• almonds - six to eight pieces;
• raisins - 10 grams;
• sugar - one or two tablespoons;
• oak chips - five grams.

Important! Instead of almonds, you should not add kernels of other fruit trees to moonshine. You can hopelessly spoil alcohol by saturating it with toxic substances.

Preparation:

1. Pour boiling water over it (it should cover the chips) and leave to steep for a day.
2. Strain the infused water from the wood chips, add sugar and moonshine, leave for four to five hours.
3. Add almonds and raisins to the resulting mixture, mix everything thoroughly, close the bottle and leave for about three weeks, observing temperature regime about 20 degrees.
4. After the allotted time, strain the moonshine from the nuts and raisins, leave for about four more weeks. Almond moonshine ready to eat.

"Amaretto" at home:

• moonshine - 750 ml;
• almond kernels, plums and apricots - 100 grams each;
• purified water - 0.5 liters;
• sugar - 350 grams.

Preparation:

1. Fry the plum and apricot kernels in a frying pan (without oil) or in the oven.
2. Cool, pass through a meat grinder and add to the moonshine along with the almonds.
3. Make syrup from sugar and water, cool, combine with moonshine.
4. The resulting mixture should be infused for 7–10 days, after which the liqueur should be filtered to remove impurities and left for another 30 days. The liquor is ready.

The simplest recipe for making almond tincture:

• moonshine 50% - 1.5 liters;
• almonds - 0.5 cups.

Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan or in the oven. Pour the prepared kernels with moonshine. Close tightly and leave for 35–40 days. Stir the contents of the bottle every week, and when the time is right, strain the tincture.

Almond kernels can be replaced with almond oil (three drops per liter of alcohol).

Important! Do not confuse almond oil for cooking with that used in perfumery. To avoid misunderstandings, purchase all necessary ingredients in specialized distillery stores.

Experienced moonshiners use almonds to infuse not only moonshine, but also liqueur, cognac and wine. It is better for a beginning distiller to immediately use almond oil or essence, so as not to spoil the product with wild almonds or adding more of them. It is recommended to store the finished drink in a glass container so that it does not acquire an unpleasant aftertaste. Almond tincture Not only does it have a unique aroma, but due to its properties it is ideal as a medicine.

Preparation of moonshine and alcohol for personal use
absolutely legal!

After the collapse of the USSR, the new government stopped the fight against moonshine. Criminal liability and fines were abolished, and the article banning the production of alcohol-containing products at home was removed from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. To this day, there is not a single law that prohibits you and me from engaging in our favorite hobby - preparing alcohol at home. This is evidenced by the Federal Law of July 8, 1999 No. 143-FZ “On Administrative Responsibility legal entities(organizations) and individual entrepreneurs for offenses in the field of production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products" (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 1999, No. 28, Art. 3476).

Extract from the Federal Law of the Russian Federation:

“The effect of this Federal Law does not apply to the activities of citizens (individuals) producing products containing ethyl alcohol for purposes other than sale.”

Moonshining in other countries:

In Kazakhstan in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offenses dated January 30, 2001 N 155, the following liability is provided. Thus, according to Article 335 “Manufacture and sale alcoholic drinks home-made” illegal production of moonshine, chacha, mulberry vodka, mash and other alcoholic beverages for the purpose of sale, as well as the sale of these alcoholic beverages, entails a fine in the amount of thirty monthly calculation indices with confiscation of alcoholic beverages, apparatus, raw materials and equipment for their production, and also money and other valuables received from their sale. However, the law does not prohibit the preparation of alcohol for personal use.

In Ukraine and Belarus things are different. Articles No. 176 and No. 177 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses provide for the imposition of fines in the amount of three to ten tax-free minimum wages for the production and storage of moonshine without the purpose of sale, for the storage of devices* for its production without the purpose of sale.

Article 12.43 repeats this information almost word for word. “Production or acquisition of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), storage of apparatus for their production” in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses. Clause No. 1 states: “The production by individuals of strong alcoholic drinks (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), as well as the storage of devices* used for their production, will entail a warning or a fine of up to five basic units with confiscation of the specified drinks, semi-finished products and devices."

*Purchase moonshine stills It is still possible for home use, since their second purpose is to distill water and obtain components for natural cosmetics and perfumes.

There are two types of almonds used in cooking: sweet and bitter. Sweet almonds are eaten fresh, salted and roasted. But bitter almonds cannot be used unroasted, as they contain a large amount of hydrocyanic acid. This type of almond is used to prepare oils, medicinal tinctures or liqueurs.

You can find recipes for the most effective tinctures and popular liqueurs and liqueurs made from almonds in our article.

Almond tincture

Ingredients:

• Almonds - 50 g;
• Vodka - 1 l;
• Sugar - 150 g;
• Water - 1/3 cup.

Preparation:

Grind the almonds, add vodka and set aside for 1 month. After preparing the syrup and adding it to the tincture, mix thoroughly and set aside for another 1 week. Strain the finished tincture, bottle it and store it in a cool, dark place.

Almond oil tincture

Ingredients:

• Bitter almond oil - 1.25 g;
• Sugar syrup - 50 ml;
• Vodka - 4-5 l.

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients and bottle. Almond oil taken before drinking alcohol prevents intoxication.

Medicinal almond-apricot tincture

Ingredients:

• Apricot nuts - 30 g;
• Bitter almonds - 50 g;
• Vodka - 1 l;
• Sugar - 200 g.

Preparation:

Mix apricot and almond nuts, crush them together with the skins and pour in vodka, add sugar and mix thoroughly. Infuse in a warm place for 3-4 days, then filter and bottle.

Dosage:

Take 30-40 drops 3 times a day. Acts as a mild laxative.

Blackcurrant liqueur

Ingredients:

• Currants, ground with sugar - 0.5 l;
• Vodka - 1 l;
• Almond essential oil - 6-8 drops;
• Vanilla - 1/5 tsp.

Preparation:

Pour vodka over the currants, previously ground with sugar, add almond essential oil and vanilla. Leave for 3-4 weeks in a dark place.

Liqueur "Cocoa"

Ingredients:

• Cocoa - 100 g;
• Coffee - 1 tsp;
• Bitter almonds - 3-4 pcs.;
• Vodka - 1 l;
• Sugar - to taste;
• Citric acid - 0.5 tsp;
• Vanilla sugar - ½ tsp.

Preparation:

Place cocoa, coffee, vanilla and almonds at the bottom of a glass container, fill everything with vodka and leave for 10-14 days in a dark place. Then add syrup and citric acid. If desired, you can add a little burnt sugar for color.

Coffee liqueur

Ingredients:

• Coffee - 100 g;
• Vanilla pod - 1/3 pcs.;
• Bitter almonds - 2 pcs.;
• Vodka - 1 l;
• Sugar syrup - to taste.

Almond

Among home distillers, recipes for various alcohols with almond seeds are often discussed. In fact, it is not a nut, as is commonly believed, but simply a seed from a green, inedible fruit from the plum family. Like other seeds, it contains not only valuable substances, but also a number of harmful and dangerous ones. Therefore, you need to infuse moonshine with almonds at home with knowledge of the theory and without using an excessive amount of these “nuts”.

A little theory

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Note that in nature there are wild (bitter) and cultivated almonds. Wild has a more pronounced aroma, but contains amygdalin - a substance that is easily broken down into a number of components, where hydrocyanic acid is present, among others. Surely many of you from school chemistry courses remember that cyanides smell like almonds. So the presence of this pleasant smell and slight bitterness does not always indicate the value of the drink. Perhaps this moonshine is poisonous.

Important: a commonly available antidote for hydrocyanic acid is sugar. So drinks that are made at home using wild (bitter) almonds must be very sweet.