Nowadays there are a lot of distillers, since this activity is useful, inexpensive and creative. When moonshine is made independently, you can be sure of the highest quality, because only proven raw materials are added, and alcohol loves to be brewed with love, which is absolutely absent in the industry, the technological component also plays a role, it is necessary to observe the proportions and sequence of stages of moonshine brewing. The key step is to refine the drink and remove the “aroma” of fusel oils, because you need to eat a pure product.

How to quickly remove the smell from moonshine

Before figuring out how to remove the smell from moonshine, it’s worth establishing the root causes of why it appears?

There are many ways to eliminate the foul smell of moonshine.

Causes of the foul aroma of moonshine.

• Incorrect temperature conditions during distillation, very high temperature.
• Insufficiently clean moonshine still.
• Poor cleaning of the mash.
• The presence of fusel impurities, brownish-yellow in color, with a nasty odor, in addition, can cause serious damage to health and lead to death.
• During distillation, a mash is used, consisting of yeast sugar, water, but then other elements appear: ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol. It is for the first reason that the process is started, but its methyl counterpart contains formic acid and aldehyde - substances that are poisonous and dangerous to humans.

One of the above reasons is enough for moonshine to turn from a tasty drink, which you can enjoy for a long time, and even improve some health characteristics, into an impossible swill with a terrible smell.

How to remove the smell from moonshine? The answer is simple, you need to apply the purification methods used in moonshine. Let’s list the most well-known methods for purifying moonshine from fusel oils, and then we’ll look at each one separately.

Basic methods for purifying moonshine

• Sugar cleansing.
• Cleaning moonshine with soda.
• Milk cleansing.
• Clean the drink with egg white.
• Purification of moonshine with charcoal.
• Black bread as a cleanser.
• We use sunflower oil.
• Cleansing with ash and salt.
• Adding flavor to alcohol, clean with lemon food, at home.
• We freeze alcohol (freezing).
• Remove odor with oak bark.
• Clean with potassium permanganate.
• Other methods of odor control.

How to clean moonshine with milk, done after 2, 3 distillations

1. For 20 liters of alcohol (50°) 200 ml of milk, with a fat content of no more than 1.5 percent, then the process will go as it should.
2. Pour milk into moonshine.
3. Shake well.
4. Close the lid tightly.
5. Place in the dark for a week at a temperature of 20 degrees.
6. Shake every day (5 days).
7. After 2 days the dregs will settle.
8. Pass through cotton filters.

You can also clean it with powdered milk, it’s easier to get a low-fat product, the main thing is to do it according to the instructions on the package, if there is no sediment, then sprinkle a couple of drops lemon juice, or citric acid, it will appear instantly.

Cleaning method with milk, without distillation

1. For 10 liters of drink (45 degrees), pour 100 grams of skim milk or powdered milk, then you need to dilute it with water early, and wait until it cools down and tune in.
2. Mix everything until a homogeneous solution
3. Place in the dark at room temperature for 7 days
4. Be sure to stir the first five days so that the milk reacts and precipitates.
5. Drain the alcohol and filter with a cotton filter; you can add a few tablets of activated carbon.
6. Use.

Cleansing with baking soda

This is the best way to clean moonshine from fusel oils.

1. Dissolve 10 grams of soda in 100 ml of filtered water (proportions per liter of alcohol).
2. Combine with moonshine, shake well, and close with a lid.
3. Let the mixture sit for half an hour to 45 minutes.
4. Shake thoroughly
5. Place in the dark for 14 hours.
6. Remove turbidity.
7. Filter and distill.
8. Taste.

We use sunflower oil

This method is good for everyone, but the dregs float to the surface, and you need to drain it through a funnel, otherwise you won’t be able to get rid of fusel inclusions; use refined oil that does not smell.

1. Take 20 ml. oil/liter of alcohol.
2. Mix everything in a jar and shake well.
3. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
4. Shake again.
5. Place in a cool place for 24 hours.
6. Filter and drain the alcohol.
7. Sample.

Clean the drink with chicken eggs

• For half a liter of alcohol, 1 egg white, add 50 ml of water, beat with a mixer until foamy
• Pour the resulting mixture into a container of alcohol
• Send for a week in a dark and cool corner, shaking once every 12 hours, until the final day, then there is no need to shake, let the sediment accumulate
• Drain and filter the drink.

Cleaning using black bread

After the procedure, alcohol does not disappear nice smell and transparency appears.

1. Buy black rye fresh bread, you need 100 g/liter of moonshine
2. Trim the crust, leaving only the crumb.
3. Grind into crumbs.
4. Combine with alcohol, pour crumbs into a bottle.
5. Send a tightly corked bottle to “rest” for 2-3 days.
6. Remove bread products.

We freeze alcohol

We clean it using the freezing method, cold and clean. To do this you need:

• Pour the alcohol into a large saucepan.
• Place in the freezer for 4-5 hours.
• Carefully pour off the alcohol; all the bad stuff will turn into ice.

Purification of alcohol with charcoal and activated carbon

The method is widely used in moonshine brewing and perfectly eliminates fusel odor.

1. Take 50 grams of coal per liter of moonshine.
2. Throw it into the jar.
3. Let sit for 2 to 14 days, remember to shake once a day.
4. Pass through cheesecloth.
5. All is ready.

Activated carbon technique.

• Buy a package of activated carbon, at the rate of three tablets per 3 liters.
• Pour the crushed tablets into the alcohol through a funnel.
• Place in the dark for 14 days, stir every day, lifting the coal from the bottom.
• Filter through cheesecloth.
• Use without fear.

Removing the pungent odor with potassium permanganate

1. Add half a teaspoon of potassium permanganate to 3 liters of drink.
2. Mix.
3. Leave for 2 hours.
4. Drain carefully to avoid any sediment.

The technique removes pungent odors well and kills toxic components.

Potassium permanganate will help eliminate the pungent odor of moonshine.

Cleaning with oak wood

The method not only helps get rid of the pungent odor, but also significantly improves taste characteristics alcohol.

1. Add 10 grams of crushed oak bark/l to the container with the drink.
2. Mix.
3. Leave for ten days.
4. Filter.
5. Ready to eat.

Now let's look at methods that have a complex effect, get rid of harmful impurities, have a positive effect on the taste of the drink, add aroma and cleanse the acrid odor.

How to purify moonshine with sugar

1. Dilute the distillate to the required strength (40 degrees).
2. Infuse activated carbon for 5 days so that the most dangerous impurities “go away”, do not use when alcohol with berries and fruits, the taste properties are lost.
3. Grind lump sugar in a coffee grinder (1 tablespoon per liter).
4. Separate part of the drink into a glass and gradually add sugar.
5. Take a sample, it is very important what the taste will be, you need to record the number of components.
6. Calculate required quantity powdered sugar, this can be varied depending on the desired result.
7. Add to moonshine if you overdid it, add pure distillate, or re-distill
8. Seal the container tightly and take it to a dark, secluded corner.
9. After a week, remove and filter by straining.

Regular sugar will help remove impurities from moonshine.

Express recipe with granulated sugar.

• Take 3 liters of moonshine and 9 tablespoons of sugar
• Mix everything in an enamel pan.
• Heat to 70 degrees, stirring continuously.
• Cool the solution.
• Be sure to pass through the filter.

Instead of sugar, you can use honey, liquid or powdered glucose (up to 5 grams/l or 25 mg if tablets). Softens and optimizes taste.

Adding flavor to alcohol clean with lemon peels, at home

The method is both cleaning and refining:

• Wash the fruit.
• Peel the zest.
• Grind the crusts and add to a can of drink; you don’t have to grind them.
• Leave for 2 weeks.

On a note! It will have a positive effect on the aroma, it will be fruity and reduce the strength. You can use different fruits: oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, add ginger.

Other odor control methods

Let's consider other methods of combating unpleasant odors.

Most effective method combat odor by adding tea, allspice, bay leaf, ground black coffee, vanilla, cinnamon. It is important to do the cleaning first; the proportions are determined individually

Recipe with violet root, removes odor at home.

• Buy violet root at the pharmacy.
• Add 100g/3l to alcohol.
• Leave for 12 days.
• Strain.
• Ready.

Clear homemade moonshine Violet root will help remove impurities

Another recipe for how to refine and clean a drink.

1. Sugar 1 kg.
2. One hundred grams of pressed yeast or 18 g of dry yeast.
3. Make sugar- water solution.
4. Add the yeast and wait for it to “activate”
5. Close the container with a water seal.
6. Let it ferment for a week.
7. Drain off the alcohol.
8. Distill.

The technique is simple, fast and highly effective.

Salt cleaning of alcohol, with the addition of ash.

• Take 10 liters of mash, 400 grams of ash.
• Add 0.5 parts salt to part ash.
• Leave the solution to stand until the sediment completely settles out.
• Strain through cotton wool.
• Distill again.

Now you know many recipes for how to remove the smell from moonshine, all you have to do is choose yours and act. If desired, you can mix the options, for example, add lemon peels and ginger, or brush with ash and salt, and then sweeten the drink with sugar, you can add berries. A good option to combat the smell of fusel oils are fragrant spices, herbs, as well as herbal-based pharmaceutical preparations, the main thing is not to overdo it, because too much of a good thing is also bad, everything needs to be in moderation. Moonshine brewing can only be learned through practice.

One of the most traditional (after mead) strong alcoholic drinks of our Russian origin – moonshine. The principle of its production is similar to those used to distill all foreign types of distillates: cognac, whiskey, rum, gin.

If we remove from the word the negative meaning given to it during the years of Soviet power, when moonshine was vigorously fought (state monopoly on alcohol), moonshine is a good, high-quality drink. If you kick it out and clean it using technology.

There are several ways to clean moonshine:

Chemical cleaning

For purification (using any method), take the product of the first distillation, cooled to room temperature. The technology, at first glance, is not simple, but once done, it will not be difficult to clean in the future. For each liter of prepared liquid, take a simple solution: 2 g of potassium permanganate per 50 ml of boiled water. After dissolving the manganese crystals, the solution is poured into moonshine and left for 10 hours.

There is sediment left at the bottom of the container. Strain the liquid through cotton wool or flannel. Flannel is regular cotton fabric, which is great for such filtering. The solution is distilled again. After this, it is recommended, this is written below.

Fractional purification (distillation)

Alcohol above 45 degrees is difficult to get rid of unnecessary impurities, so it is better to dilute it to 40 degrees. The resulting mixture is poured into the apparatus and heated to 60 degrees Celsius. Then reducing the heating intensity, slowly bringing it to 85 degrees Celsius. In this case, about half of the harmful impurities leave the solution.

But formic and acetic acid, amyl alcohol, valerian ethyl ester are still present!

The first fraction obtained is unsuitable and even dangerous for internal consumption; it can be used for kindling and other similar purposes. Its volume ranges from 5 to 8% of the total.

When the liquid boils, the heating intensity is reduced, bringing the temperature to no higher than 97 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the second fraction is expelled, which is used to prepare the drink.

About 10% of the distillation is the tail fraction, unsuitable for consumption! It is better to control this using an alcohol meter (hydrometer); read the article “” on how to use it. When the distillate goes below 40 degrees, this is the final fraction, it can be distilled again. The result of distillation below 40 degrees should be reserved for technical purposes, the rest is a suitable product.

Second chemical cleaning

The most affordable and practical way– cleaning with coal. To do this, you can use activated charcoal (sold at the pharmacy) or charcoal. It is believed that better cleaning is done with charcoal. You can buy it in the store, but it won’t be difficult to prepare it yourself.

The wood most suitable for this is birch, pine, linden, and spruce. To obtain coal, wood is heated, limiting the access of air, until it completely burns out, then the resulting coals are cooled. Grind to a powdery state.

Coal, 50 g per liter, is mixed with liquid, left for 2-3 weeks, shaking several times a day. After this, they leave it alone for a week, waiting for the coal to fall to the bottom.

The settled nectar is filtered through cotton wool or flannel. Basically, the moonshine is ready to drink. But to improve the taste, you can infuse the resulting liquid per liter: 50 g of raisins, a pinch of St. John's wort - 3-4 days. If consumed in moderation, it’s fun and without a hangover!

Biological treatment

The scientific name for biological purification of a drink is coagulation. After the first distillation, pour in fresh milk, beaten egg white or kefir. The mixture coagulates and the sediment gradually falls to the bottom of the container. Carefully filtered moonshine is distilled, resulting in a crystal clear drink. The article “” reveals in detail all the nuances of this method.

After re-distillation, the liquid is diluted to a strength of 40 degrees, and purified with fresh rye bread. To do this, break it into small pieces and put it in moonshine (100 g per liter). Bread gluten cleans moonshine from the last remnants of fusel oils.

Freeze

The method is simple: when the temperature drops, the components in the liquid below 40 degrees (and these are fusel oils) freeze. All that remains is to pour quality product, filter it again. This is a method that requires more time, but with guaranteed quality of the final product.

To be sure to get rid of foreign odors, you can carry out the following procedure: for 1 liter of liquid, take 30 g of raisins and 4-5 finely chopped orris roots, all this is infused for 10 days.

Gluing

This method is exotic and expensive. To clean moonshine, “karluk” glue is used (made from sturgeon swim bladders). It is pre-diluted in water to a gel consistency and added to the settled moonshine. The glue gradually settles to the bottom of the container, binding fusel oils.

The cleaning method is high-quality, guaranteeing a clean drink. The problem is that Karluk is difficult to find, since the number of sturgeons is over last years has decreased greatly.

Unconventional methods for purifying moonshine

Tannin or oak chips are an excellent way to cleanse the drink. Tannin is a substance found in the heartwood of oak wood. These components improve taste and remove unnecessary inclusions from the liquid.

It is enough to remember that cognac spirits are necessarily aged in oak barrels several years before bottling. Tannin gives the drink astringency and all the famous aftertastes of cognac: apricot, cherry and other tones for which everyone appreciates the drink.

Moonshine is produced using the same technology as cognac. To clean the liquid, add 5-10% of tannin powder or oak shavings, by volume, and leave for 10 days.

There is also the option of infusing oak cubes. Cut into 2-3 cm cubes, pour spring water several times, changing it after 2 hours. Then pour a solution of baking soda (1 tablespoon per 5 liters of water) for three hours. Wash, pour boiling water. When the cubes have cooled, they are dried.

Then roast in the oven for 3 hours at 160°C. Place it in a container with moonshine (5-8 cubes per 3 liters), leave for a week (more is possible, this is exactly the case when longer is better).

Cleaning moonshine with soda

Take 5-10 g of soda per 1 liter of liquid, add water with 2-3 manganese crystals diluted in it, pour into the solution, leave for 20 minutes. The same amount of soda is added again and left for 12 hours. The resulting moonshine is filtered through cotton wool or coal.

Pine nut tincture

If, after all the cleaning, you infuse moonshine with pine nuts, you will get a drink of the greatest purity, with pleasant aroma and color. Pour nuts into the container in a volume of 3% of the total and leave for two weeks.

During infusion, the remaining harmful impurities will be absorbed by the nut bark. The drink will be rich Brown color and a light aftertaste with a hint of cedar aroma. Drinking the drink in small doses has a healing effect similar to tincture of cedar bark.

Giving the drink a pleasant taste and color

After you have obtained the purest drink, it will not be superfluous to give it a color that is pleasing to the eye.

Colors that can be given to moonshine:

• brown (cognac) color: 1 tablespoon of tea per liter of liquid;
• brown (rich) color: pine nuts;
• blue: yarrow flowers;
• green: mint leaves, parsley;
• orange: orange peel, septa walnut(except for color, good for health, in small quantities);
• yellow: lemon peel.

Herbal balm

Another recipe for adding flavor and beneficial properties drink, tested personally. The drink is guaranteed to have a pleasant taste, close to cognac. Take purified and filtered distillate in a volume of 3 liters.

Ingredients that are added to the liquid:

• 2 bay leaves;
• 6 black peppercorns;
• 1 tablespoon sugar.

The rest in pinches:

• parsley
• spurge
• lovage
• St. John's wort
• calendula
• oregano
• rose hip
• bird cherry
• basil
• Melissa

The solution is infused for 1 week and filtered. And here on yours festive table, there is a drink with a taste similar to five-year-old cognac!

And finally, look interesting video about moonshine, taken from the YouTube channel of user GrazhdaninPoet. It has nothing to do with cleaning moonshine, but watching it, unlike drinking alcoholic beverages, won’t hurt!

Experienced moonshiners agree that the most effective and fastest purification of moonshine from fusel oils is the method using activated or charcoal. This is not surprising, because coal particles have large pores that can absorb not only small impurity elements, but also large ones.

So, how to purify moonshine at home so that the filtration takes place with maximum effect. Let's consider 2 effective ways:

1. Express method. During distillation, a funnel is placed in the container into which the distillate will be collected. One layer of cotton wool is placed in it, small fractions of coal are poured on top, then larger fractions and finally covered with 2 cotton pads. Everything needs to be pressed tightly. As a result, you will not need to spend additional time cleaning moonshine from fusel, since the product is filtered right at the exit from the moonshine still.
2. Infusion. After distillation, the alcohol is poured into glass jar, crushed coal is also placed there. Everything is thoroughly mixed and left in a cool place for 5-14 days. At the end of aging, the consistency must be filtered through multi-layer gauze.

This is one of best options, how to quickly clean moonshine before the second distillation. It is preferable to use coal from birch. A water filter component will be no less effective. It often contains silver, which will only improve the quality of filtration.

Use coal in the following proportions: 50 g. for every liter of alcohol. This calculation is suitable for both the first and second cleaning methods. Therefore, when filtering moonshine through a funnel, the cotton wool with filler will need to be periodically replaced with a new one.

Vegetable oil

Not all moonshiners know that fusel impurities and other harmful components are perfectly neutralized in vegetable oils. Therefore, moonshine can be cleaned with olive or sunflower oil. The main thing here is to use an odorless product, that is, refined, otherwise the concentrated aroma will be transferred to the drink.

At this method purifying moonshine at home, part of the alcohol remains vegetable oil even with high-quality filtration. Therefore, the second distillation in this case is a mandatory step.

How to clean moonshine after the first distillation with vegetable oil:

1. Dilute the moonshine with water to a strength of 20o. For every liter of alcohol you will need 20 ml of oil. For example, in 5 liters you need to add 100 ml of cleaner.
2. Mix the ingredients for 1-2 minutes, then leave for 5 minutes and shake everything thoroughly again.
3. Place the jar in a dark place with constant temperature conditions 6-15°C, the lower the value, the better.
4. After infusion is completed, the liquid will become slightly cloudy, and an oily film will form on its surface. You need to drain the pure alcohol through the tube. Try to do this in such a way as not to touch the film.

Milk

Filtration of moonshine with milk is very popular among experienced craftsmen– this is how the “soul” of the drink is preserved and its taste softens. The principle is based on the binding of harmful impurities by casein and albumin molecules, which are part of milk protein. As a result, a flocculent sediment appears, falling to the bottom due to gravity. Filtration takes about a week, after which the distillate is removed from the sediment and distilled again. After cleaning, the moonshine acquires a pure structure and also becomes soft in taste.

Milk is simple, effective and completely safe way make alcohol quality

Please note that milk contains fats, which make the drink cloudy. Therefore, in moonshine there are 2 cleaning recipes. In the first, low-fat milk is used, and re-distillation is not provided; in the second, the percentage of fat content of the product is not important, since secondary distillation will help clean the structure.

A method for purifying moonshine with milk without distillation

The advantages of this filtration of moonshine are obvious; the method is absolutely safe, does not require secondary distillation and makes it possible to combine alcohol purification with other methods. But it also has disadvantages; in rare cases, the structure of the liquid may become cloudy.

Cleaning steps:

• prepare a low-fat pasteurized dairy product at the rate of 150 ml per 10 liters of fortified drink with a strength of 50°;

Instead of pasteurized milk, in this case it is allowed to use dry milk. But 3 hours before purifying moonshine from fusel oils, it will need to be diluted in warm water.

• mix the dairy product with the fortified drink, seal the jar hermetically and leave for 5-6 days in a dark place with a temperature of 20-25°C;
• every day during infusion, the container should be shaken well;

From the very first minutes, a precipitate in the form of large white flakes will begin to form in the liquid. This milk protein enters chemical reaction and precipitates harmful impurities.

• At the end of aging, the alcohol is drained from the sediment and filtered several times through multilayer gauze with a cotton pad.

If, after cleaning at home, the moonshine has acquired a cloudy structure, it should be filtered through a charcoal filter.

VIDEO: What is better to clean the distillate - coal, oil or milk?

How to properly clean moonshine followed by distillation

In this case, fat content dairy product it doesn't matter, the main thing is that the milk is fresh. The process of eliminating harmful impurities is as follows:

• 100 ml of homemade dairy product is mixed into 1 liter of alcohol, but the alcohol is first diluted to obtain a strength of 45-55°;
• all components are mixed well, tightly closed with a lid;
• the container is placed in a dark place for 4-6 days, while the contents need to be shaken for better cleaning for the first 3 days;
• The moonshine is drained from the sediment and diluted 20% with water, after which it is sent for secondary distillation, divided into fractions - heads, body, tails.

Using these methods, you can check the quality of store-bought vodka. Sometimes the result is shocking in terms of the volume of sediment.

Chicken egg white

Purifying moonshine at home using protein from chicken eggs allows you to eliminate not only harmful components in the drink, but also an unpleasant odor. This method works best when filtering distillate prepared with wheat or sugar mash. But if the alcohol was prepared with berries or fruits, it is not recommended to use egg whites for cleaning.

The composition of the cleaning product includes casein and albumin, in fact, thanks to which all impurities are deposited at the bottom. In terms of absorption level, this method of purifying moonshine at home is not inferior to coal. In addition, it should be noted that distillate losses are minimal - only up to 5%.

Let's look at the steps of how to clean and filter moonshine from fusel oils and unpleasant odor using egg white:

• dilute the distillate to a strength of 45-55°, but leave 20% free space in the container;
• separate the white from the yolk, add water to it in a volume of 10% of the alcohol and beat with a mixer until smooth, but until foam forms;
• mix the protein solution with moonshine, cover the container and leave to infuse for 1 week;
• Shake the mixture every day, but do not perform these manipulations 1 day before removing the sediment.

After the holding time has expired, strain the liquid without sediment through a cotton-gauze plug in a funnel. Change the filter and do the same with the sediment. Dilute pure alcohol drinking water until you get a strength of 18-20° and distill it a second time.

Freeze

This is the easiest way to filter moonshine at home. When the temperature drops below 0°, fusel oils and other impurities begin to freeze, while the freezing point of pure ethyl alcohol is -114°C. The method is quite time-consuming compared to other cleaning options, but high quality in this case guaranteed.

You need to put the jar in freezer or outside if weather conditions meet frost requirements. When ice forms in an alcoholic drink, and this is fusel oil, the remaining liquid must be drained and the rest must be disposed of.

In the north they practice the “crowbar” method, although it is more convenient to use metal corner. They leave it outside for a while so that the metal freezes well, place it in a bowl and slowly pour the distillate over it. When moving, the fusel freezes and the raw material flows off. The result is fast and quite effective.

To eliminate extraneous aromas from moonshine as much as possible, it is recommended to add 30 grams to 1 liter of drink. raisins and chopped violet root 5 pcs. The consistency should sit for at least 10 days, after which it will be completely usable.

Rye bread

In ancient times, few people were interested in the best way to clean moonshine from harmful impurities, since they used a centuries-old bread cleaning recipe. This method has not lost popularity in our time.

You need to use only fresh bakery products made from rye flour without various impurities. Ideal option will serve Rye bread homemade.

IN this product There are many yeasts and gluten, they help retain fusel oils. As a result of such cleaning, even the lowest quality alcohol will acquire a pleasant aroma and become lighter in color.

The process will require 100 grams. bread pulp per 1 liter of moonshine. Before purification, the alcoholic drink should be filtered using one of the previous methods. After this, the bread is cut into slices, they are cleared of the crust and crumbled into small particles.

The crumbs are poured into a container, mixed with the distillate, covered with a lid and left for 3 days in a dark place. After infusion is complete, the consistency will be yellow, which is eliminated by subsequent filtration.

Place a funnel with a stopper made of cotton pads into a clean jar and strain the alcoholic drink through it. The remaining pulp is disposed of without pressing. Next, the moonshine must be diluted with water and put to distillation, separating the fractions.

Gluing

Bonding of fusel oils and other impurities is carried out using Karluk glue. Before use, the component is first diluted in water until a jelly-like consistency is obtained, and then mixed into the moonshine. Adhesive elements bind unwanted components of the drink and are deposited on the bottom of the container.

This method is of the highest quality; it purifies the distillate as much as possible. Its only disadvantage is its inaccessibility. The fact is that glue was used, as a rule, in large-scale production activities. The shortage is also affected by a sharp decline in the number of sturgeon, from whose swim bladders the component is produced.

Salt and soda

Quick cleansing of the drink from toxins and fusel oils is carried out by using baking soda with salt. The advantages of the technology are that it is short-term, the process requires no more than 1 day. The downside is ineffectiveness. The fact is that soda is not capable of precipitating all harmful components, so it requires repeated distillation.

Cleaning steps:

• dilute the moonshine to obtain a strength of 40-50°;
• separately dilute 10 g. baking soda in 100 ml of clean water;
• mix the ingredients with 1 liter of alcoholic drink, close the lid;
• shake thoroughly and leave for half an hour, then stir again;
• place in a cool, dark place for 15 hours.

After a precipitate has formed, the clear liquid is carefully drained and filtered. A cotton pad is placed in the funnel, granules of crushed charcoal are poured on top, after which everything is covered with one layer of cotton wool. A fortified drink is passed through such a “sandwich” into a container.

Using salt and soda, you can partially clean the product from harmful impurities, the smell and taste remain unchanged.

Potassium permanganate with soda

There is also the usual way cleaning moonshine with potassium permanganate, but it is less effective than the combined method, so let’s consider the second option. Baking soda helps neutralize acetic acid, when potassium permanganate partially eliminates fusel oils.

The main advantage of such cleaning is minimum costs time. The downside is the likelihood of residual manganese crystals, which has a negative impact on human health. To eliminate this factor, it is necessary to distill the composition a second time.

Prepare the components based on following proportions– for 1 liter of alcohol you need 1.5 grams. manganese and 10 gr. baking soda. Pre-mix potassium permanganate with water in a volume of 200 ml, pour the alkaline solution into moonshine and shake thoroughly. Add manganese, cover the jar and stir well.

Place the container in a dark, cool place for 14 hours. During this time, a thick sediment forms at the bottom of the jar, the clean liquid is drained from it and placed for repeated distillation.

Fruits

A less effective cleaning method that partially cleanses an alcoholic drink of harmful components, but at the same time gives it a pleasant aroma and aftertaste. Secondary distillation is definitely needed here.

For 3 liters of alcoholic product with a concentration of 20o you need to prepare 1 carrot and 1 apple. The fruits are peeled, coarsely chopped and added to a container with moonshine. After this, the jar is left to infuse for 2-3 days until the fibers begin to separate from the carrots and apples.

Making alcohol cloudy

Some tasters like moonshine with a cloudy milky color, just like it is made in real Russian settlements. To achieve this effect, you can use several recipes that give the product the desired shade without compromising its taste and aroma.

Some people like the authentic color of moonshine - it can be specially made cloudy

1. Whey from milk. For 1 liter of moonshine you will need from 10 to 25 ml of whey, depending on the required color saturation.
2. Powdered milk. Use the ingredient in proportions of 5-15 g. for every liter of fortified drink.
3. Vegetable oil. To obtain a white consistency, 3-5 drops of refined sunflower or olive oil are enough. After adding the component, the liquid must be mixed thoroughly.

VIDEO: Little tricks of a moonshiner

Purification of moonshine after the second distillation is a process that differs in a number of nuances. Not everyone purifies moonshine after reprocessing; some moonshiners consider repeated distillation to be the most the best way filtration for distillate.

To save time and improve the quality of the alcohol, purification can be done before re-distillation. It all depends on the desire of the distiller, as well as on the goal that he pursues.

The question of how to clean moonshine arises even before it is sent for recycling. This is necessary in order to improve the quality of the drink, make its taste softer and at the same time rid the alcohol of harmful fusel oils.

Second distillation of mash

The second distillation takes place in several stages, this helps to synchronize the actions and at the same time improve the quality of the distillate.

So, the principle of operation:

• Before the second distillation, the moonshine must be diluted. This is done in order to reduce the strength of the drink, as well as to destroy the molecular bond between fusel oils and alcohol. Dilution will also help to avoid problems with the device: if you distill undiluted alcohol, it can explode during the distillation process. Moonshine is diluted to 20 degrees, and then proceed to the next stage.
• Purification is another step in the processing of alcohol-containing liquids. At home, you can clean moonshine using potassium permanganate crystals, activated carbon in tablets or charcoal for igniting barbecues. But the easiest way is to pass the finished drink through a carbon water filter. It is enough to pour the distillate into the filter jug ​​1-3 times to clean it of impurities.

However, you can even remove impurities from alcohol by using bread. It has a porous structure, for this reason it absorbs everything harmful substances like a sponge.

The drink is purified by various schemes. If you use potassium permanganate crystals to remove impurities, you will have to prepare a solution. 2 grams of crystals are diluted in warm water (no more than 300 milliliters). Potassium permanganate must be dissolved so that there are no lumps left. Then the product is diluted with the prepared solution.

The drink undergoing purification is left in a dark place; the whole process will take at least 10 hours. Then, when potassium permanganate precipitates, you will have to filter the alcohol using a self-made filter.

You can pass purified moonshine through a cotton-gauze filter or use flannel. This will help rid the liquid of any remaining magnesium permanganate.

Once purification is complete, distillation can begin.

Recycling alcohol will help:

1. Improve the quality of the drink.
2. Remove all fusel oils, aldehydes and esters from it.
3. Increase the strength of the moonshine to 60–70 degrees.

The first distillation leaves some fusel oils in the alcohol, for this reason it may have an unpleasant odor and taste. Repeated processing will improve the quality of the drink, it will help eliminate fusel and, despite the fact that the moonshine was diluted before processing, the second distillation will significantly increase the strength of the drink.

During recycling, a number of manipulations will have to be carried out that will help improve the quality of the drink.

Distilling moonshine for the second time

Before distillation, it is worth preparing alcohol for the procedure; after cleaning it, you need to pour the moonshine into alembic and start the process directly.

When processing alcohol, you will have to again separate the “heads” from the “tails”. Separation into fractions is necessary because this will help to significantly improve the quality of the distillate. The “body” will be about 85% of the total volume of the distilled product.

The first 8–10% of the total volume of processed alcohol is the so-called primary alcohol. You shouldn’t drink it, even though the primary substance was already taken away during the first distillation of the mash. This fraction contains a large number of fusel oils. The “heads” have an unpleasant odor; for this reason, distillers with experience begin to select the “body” when the moonshine loses that very pungent aroma.

When the selection of the “body” is completed, it is worth starting to cut off the “tails”. This happens when the strength of the drink drops below 40 degrees.

"Heads" can be used exclusively for technical needs. This product is hazardous to health and can be used to clean surfaces. But the “tails” can be poured into the mash - this will help improve its quality, and most importantly, increase the strength of the mash, and therefore the distillate, several times.

The “tails”, as well as the “heads”, contain a large amount of fusel, for this reason you should not drink them. The selection of this fraction continues until the strength of the drink drops to 19–20 degrees.

Repeated distillation of the distillate ends with the selection of “tails”. After this, the moonshine is sent to a dark place, it needs to brew a little.

Why is filtering needed?

Moonshine is not always purified; some experts believe that repeated processing makes the alcohol so pure that it does not need additional filtration procedures. The experts are partly right, but there is one thing.

One way or another, some amount of fusel remains in the moonshine. Although its strength is high, this indicator may not be enough for the production of noble drinks.

An example is a rectifier - this device is used to produce raw alcohol at home, the strength of which can reach 96 degrees. This product is used to make liqueurs and tinctures.

In what cases is it worth purifying moonshine after re-distillation:

• If you plan to make cognac, brandy, Calvados, rum, etc. from the resulting distillate in the future.
• If the product will be used to make liqueurs and tinctures.

Is it necessary to purify moonshine that is simply going to be drunk in finished form? The answer to this question is negative, since the quality of the drink is already very high. Additional filtration will improve the characteristics of the alcohol, but it will be difficult to notice such minor changes.

What another treatment or distillation benefits will give:

1. It will help improve the taste of the drink and eliminate the remains of fusel.
2. It will refine the distillate and allow it to be used for making cognac and whiskey.

In order for alcohol to acquire that pleasant smell, it must be supplemented with aromatic substances. Flavorings will give the moonshine a taste and smell; berries and fruits, spices and herbs can be used as such substances. Additives will prepare alcohol for further processing and help turn ordinary moonshine into an elite product.

The easiest way to purify moonshine is to infuse it with milk. Pour a glass of milk into a 1.5-liter container with moonshine. It is desirable that the product is unpasteurized.

The container is placed in a dark and cool place and the drink is infused for 7 days. Then the alcohol will have to be filtered. But before you clean it of lactose residues, you will have to make a filter.

This device is not complicated in design; to assemble it you will need:

• a 1.5 liter plastic bottle with a tight lid that fits in size;
• activated carbon tablets or charcoal for igniting barbecues;
• cotton wool and gauze, as well as scissors and an awl.

You will have to make a funnel from the bottle, cutting off the bottom evenly so that there are no nicks left. Afterwards, a hole is made in the lid using an awl.

Tablets or coal are crushed, placed in cotton wool and the device is fixed with gauze. Then they start filtering. It is advisable to change coal, gauze and cotton wool regularly; moonshine will have to be passed through a filter 3 to 5 times.

After the alcohol is infused with milk, it can be used to make noble drinks such as rum, brandy, cognac and whiskey.

Little tricks

There are several nuances that are worth knowing before you start distilling moonshine. This will dispel doubts, and at the same time understand whether it is necessary to run the drink through the distiller again.

So, what does a moonshiner need to know:

1. Recycling will take a certain amount of time. It will take 2 to 3 hours to clean alcohol from impurities.
2. Even repeated distillation will not help you obtain raw alcohol at home. This can be done using a rectifier.
3. Braga made from dense wort (berries, fruits, etc.) will not be distilled again. Processing will remove the pleasant smell and affect the aroma of the drink.
4. Even alcohol that was distilled a long time ago and has been stored in the cellar or refrigerator for several months can be distilled twice.
5. Due to the fact that you will have to select the “heads” and “tails” twice, the amount of distillate will change. Volumes will decrease by 20%.

Many fans of making mash drinks at home are experimenting with cleaning, wanting to improve the quality of the product in one way or another. The second distillation is the main way to increase the strength of moonshine, increasing its strength.

But cleaning after repeated processing is carried out at the request of the manufacturer or consumer. It cannot be called a mandatory procedure, but repeated filtration can be resorted to if you plan to turn moonshine into cognac or whiskey, and also if the quality of the drink is in doubt.

Purification of moonshine from fusel oils is an integral step in obtaining high-quality alcohol at home. High-quality moonshine is ethyl alcohol, separated from unnecessary impurities. If you do not clean the moonshine during its distillation, the alcohol will contain methyl alcohol, acetaldehyde and fusel oils. The first two are toxic substances that, if they enter the body, lead to severe intoxication and death. Oils with a strong ethyl odor are less dangerous to the body, but they spoil the quality of the drink. People practicing home production alcohol, they know how to clean moonshine from the smell and fusel oils at home.

To understand the methods that allow you to deal with fusel oils yourself, you need to understand their specifics. Sivukha is a by-product formed during the distillation of mash. Contained in raw alcohol, since its boiling point exceeds that characteristic of ethyl alcohol. Fusel oils are also called “tails” because they are the last to evaporate when distilling moonshine.

The main advantage of fusel is that it gives alcohol a characteristic smell and taste. There is an opinion that the presence of a component in consumed alcohol more quickly activates liver enzymes responsible for processing alcohol. But there is also the opposite opinion, according to which fusel oils cause a severe hangover after drinking alcohol.

Each moonshiner decides for himself whether to purify homemade alcohol from fusel or use raw alcohol. If moonshine is the basis for the preparation of other alcoholic beverages, then it is better to get rid of fusel oils by using effective proven methods at home.

How to clean?

Moonshine is purified from fusel oils before distillation. To ensure that the finished alcohol contains few unwanted impurities, you need to take care of the quality of the mash. Double distillation will help you get rid of fusel:

• the first distillation of moonshine is carried out without dividing the raw materials into fractions;
• During the second distillation, alcohol is divided into fractions: “heads”, “body” and “tails”.

To properly remove the “heads” and “tails”, you need to know their boiling point and the effect on the strength of the moonshine. One liter of drink will always contain 50 milliliters of “tails”, which should be used as a guide when selecting this fraction. When the mash temperature reaches 89 degrees, ethyl alcohol will begin to evaporate at this stage. Its selection continues until the strength of the moonshine drops to 40 degrees. When the temperature of the mash exceeds 91 degrees, fusel oils will begin to be removed from the raw materials.

Double distillation does not always allow you to get rid of fusel in full. To remove impurities from alcohol at home, you can use effective methods. Methods for purifying distillate are conventionally divided depending on the ingredient that allows you to remove fusel oils.

Coal cleaning

Activated carbon is a sorbent that has a porous structure, due to which it quickly absorbs harmful impurities contained in alcohol. Cleaning moonshine with tablets is quite simple:

1. For every liter of liquid take 50 grams of tablets.
2. The ethyl product is poured into a glass jar and prepared charcoal is placed in it.
3. In order for alcohol to be thoroughly purified, it must be infused for 10–14 days.

Then prepare a clean jar, place a plastic funnel in its neck, inside which several layers of cotton wool are laid out. Through an improvised filter you need to strain all the moonshine that was infused with coal.

Potassium permangantsovka

A mixture of potassium permanganate and soda will allow you to effectively purify alcohol. For manipulation you will need 1.5 grams of potassium permanganate powder, diluted in a glass of chilled boiled water. When all the crystals have dissolved, add 10 grams of baking soda. The composition is poured into the moonshine, the container with it is closed with a lid and shaken thoroughly. After this, the jar with the product is infused for 14 hours, as a result of which the fusel will separate from the alcohol and precipitate.

Moonshine with snack

Powdered milk

To improve the quality of moonshine with milk, it is recommended to use a dry product. The milk is first diluted with water and poured into a container with moonshine. Afterwards, the mixture is infused for five days in a dark place. Milk protein, reacting with fusel, precipitates it, resulting in the formation of a thick white sediment at the bottom of the jar.

After settling, the distillate is filtered through several layers of gauze.

Egg white

Purify moonshine with protein chicken egg recommended only if sugar or sugar was used to prepare alcohol. If berries and fruits were used in the preparation of raw materials, then this cleaning method should not be used, since the egg neutralizes the pleasant aroma of fruit alcohol.

Before using the protein, the distillate must be diluted with water so that its strength drops to 45 degrees. Then the diluted ethyl is poured into a clean empty container, leaving 20% ​​empty volume.

The white is separated from the yolk so that these components of the egg do not mix. Then pour half a teaspoon of water into the protein and beat it with a fork until foam forms. The solution is poured into the distillate and infused for 24 hours. After this, the moonshine is filtered through a homemade cotton-gauze filter. During the cleaning process, the latter needs to be changed two or three times.

Freezing

Freezing the distillate allows you to achieve good results in its purification from harmful impurities. This method is based on the difference in freezing temperatures of ethyl alcohol and the components of fusel oils.

The jar of moonshine is placed in the freezer, and after a few hours the condition of the alcohol product is checked. When ice forms in the liquid, it must be carefully separated from it by pouring the pure moonshine into a separate container.

Fresh fruits

If you need not only to get rid of fusel, but also to saturate homemade alcohol with a pleasant aroma, you can use the fruit cleaning method. This method is used after the second distillation of moonshine. To clean, take one carrot and an apple per three liters of product. Both fruits are cut into large pieces, which are then placed in a container with moonshine.

After this, the jar is infused for two days. The process is stopped when fibers begin to separate from the fruit.

Soda

To purify alcohol with soda, it must first be diluted to 40 degrees. After this, prepare an aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate by taking 10 grams of this component in half a glass of water. A portion of the solution is taken per liter of product. Pour soda and water into alcohol and shake thoroughly. After half an hour, the action is repeated, then the moonshine is infused for 15 hours.

After the procedure, you need to pass it through several gauze filters.

Oil

Vegetable oil, due to its fatty consistency, quickly binds fusel oil molecules, promoting their sedimentation. Before cleaning, alcohol is diluted to 20 degrees with water. Oil is taken at the rate of 20 milliliters per liter of initial alcohol-containing raw material.

The oil is combined with moonshine and the mixture is allowed to brew for several days. To speed up the settling of impurities, the jar must be placed in a cool, dark place. To prevent oil from getting into the pure product during filtration, it is better to prepare a tube through which the purified alcohol should be removed to another container.

Each cleaning method can be easily used at home and gives good results.