The most festive strong drink - aged for more than 10 years in oak barrels cognac from aristocratic France. However, a good drink is not cheap, and falls on the shelves of middle-class stores infrequently, and what the winemaking companies of our country and neighboring countries produce often leaves much to be desired, that such a drink can spoil a holiday. The output is simple - we'll tell you how to make an excellent cognac at home. Ideally, if you have a cellar or at least a storeroom in which you can maintain a certain temperature and humidity for at least half a year. Still need a barrel of oak - this is ideal.
Option for those who are not in a hurry
So, we give the first way how to make cognac yourself.
Ingredients:
- brandy alcohol (grape) - 5 liters with a strength of 70 degrees;
- sugar - 300 g;
- distilled water - 3,3 l;
- vanilla.
Preparation
Be sure to look for good cognac spirit - it can be purchased at many wineries. In the question of how to make a quality and delicious homemade cognac, the most important is the quality of the raw material, because of poor alcohol and cognac will turn out to be of low quality.
So, we are preparing cognac. First slightly warm up the alcohol - so the product is easier to mix. Sugar should be burned, that is, melt in a dry frying pan to get brown caramel - it is this natural dye that gives the color to cognac. We dissolve caramel in distilled water, we also send vanilla there - it's better to find a pod of natural vanilla and take out the seeds, but you can get by with a bag of vanillin. Pour water into alcohol, gently mix and merge the mixture into a 10-liter oak barrel. Densely corked and waiting. The more aging, the more delicious the cognac will be.
A simple way to make home-made cognac
Not everyone is ready to wait for years to try home brandy, and there is not always an opportunity to find brandy alcohol - we will tell you how to make brandy from alcohol. Of course, alcohol should still be taken in better quality, so as not to regret later the efforts spent.
Ingredients:
- high purification alcohol (distillate) - 4 liters with a strength of 96 degrees;
- sugar - 300 g;
- walnuts - 25 pieces;
- vanillin - 2 sachets;
- distilled water - 4,5 l;
- potassium permanganate - 3-4 crystals;
- citric acid or juice ½ lemon;
- cloves - 5-6 buds;
- bark of oak - 2-3 strips;
- black leaf tea (no additives) - 1 tbsp. a spoon.
Preparation
In this recipe, we will tell you how to make cognac on oak bark. First we prepare colors - melt sugar, dissolve in water, add all the other ingredients: vanillin, cloves, oak bark, tea and heat the mixture of degrees to 80. Let it cool down for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, throw alcohol into the potassium permanganate and wait for precipitation. You can strain and not be afraid of poisoning - the fusel oils have precipitated and become harmless. Now we dilute alcohol with our infusion, we pour everything into a 10 l bottle, close it and put it in a dark place for a couple of weeks, or better for a month. Filter and pour into bottles.