Making moonshine and alcohol for personal use
absolutely legal!

After the end of the existence of the USSR, the new government stopped the fight against moonshine. Criminal liability and fines were abolished, and an 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 prohibiting us from engaging in our favorite hobby - making alcohol at home. This is evidenced by the Federal Law of July 8, 1999 No. 143-FZ "On the administrative responsibility of legal entities (organizations) and individual entrepreneurs for offenses in the production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products" (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 1999, No. 28 , art. 3476).

Excerpt from the Federal Law of the Russian Federation:

"This Federal Law does not apply to the activities of citizens (individuals) who are not producing products containing ethyl alcohol, not for the purpose of marketing."

Home brewing in other countries:

In Kazakhstan in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan On Administrative Offenses of January 30, 2001 N 155, the following liability is provided. So, according to article 335 "Manufacture and sale of home-made alcoholic beverages", the illegal manufacture for the sale of moonshine, chacha, mulberry vodka, home brew and other alcoholic beverages, as well as the sale of these alcoholic beverages, entails a fine in the amount of thirty monthly calculation indices with the confiscation of alcoholic beverages , devices, raw materials and equipment for their manufacture, as well as 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 Administrative Offenses of Ukraine provide for the imposition of fines in the amount of three to ten tax-free minimum wages for the manufacture and storage of moonshine without the purpose of sale, for storage without the purpose of selling devices * for its production.

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

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

Belarusian alcoholic brown with a sharp taste, light bitterness and aroma of herbs is remembered by many residents of the post-Soviet space. After the collapse of the USSR, the production of Belovezhskaya Gorkaya liqueur ceased, and there are no worthy analogues yet, but the original recipe is known and available to the general public. True, the preparation method is somewhat different from the usual infusion.

Historical reference. Tincture "Belovezhskaya Gorkaya" appeared in Belarus in the post-war years. The recipe was invented by the foresters of Belovezhskaya Pushcha to disguise the low quality of their moonshine. For insisting on a strong distillate, we used herbs growing on the territory of the reserve, then softened the taste with sugar or honey.

The drink owes its popularity to Nikita Khrushchev in the USSR. Once, after a hunt in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU was presented with a tincture of foresters as a local treat. Khrushchev liked the drink so much that after a while technologists came to Belarus to find out the recipe. Subsequently, production was established and the tincture was highly appreciated not only by the party elite, but also by ordinary citizens.

In the 1962 Pishchepromizdat book "Recipes for liqueurs, liqueurs, punches, dessert drinks, tinctures and instructions for preparing semi-finished products for them", the classic recipe of Belovezhskaya tincture and the complete preparation technology have been preserved. Thanks to this, you can recreate the original drink at home.

Ingredients:

• galangal (aka Dubrovka or once-through Potentilla) - 25 grams;
• dill seeds - 15 grams;
• dried bay leaf - 10 grams;
• sugar (honey) - 20-30 grams;
• color (burnt sugar) - 6 grams (10 ml of water, 10 grams of sugar, 10 ml of vodka, 2 grains of citric acid);
• alcohol (moonshine) - 1.5 liters (60%) and 1 liter (40%).

Direct-flow cinquefoil (Belarusian name - Dubrovka) can be bought at a pharmacy. With liquid honey (preferably herbal or floral), the tincture turns out to be softer, but sometimes it becomes cloudy and requires filtration through cotton wool.

According to the classical technology, extracts (extracts) of individual herbs are first prepared using alcohol or moonshine, which are then added to the alcohol base - a blend is made. To obtain extracts, you need alcohol or a well-purified distillate with a strength of 60 degrees. As a basis, forty percent vodka, alcohol or moonshine is suitable.

The recipe for "Belovezhskaya tincture"

1. In three glass containers, separately pour Dubrovka (Potentilla), dill seeds and bay leaf. Pour with alcohol or moonshine with a strength of 60% (0.5 liters in each container). Close hermetically.

2. Insist 28 days in a dark place with room temperature, shake once a day.

3. Strain through cheesecloth, squeeze lightly. The result is three herbal extracts.

4. Mix 10 ml of water and 10 grams of sugar in a saucepan. Put on the stove, bring to a boil. If foam appears, reduce heat to a minimum. The water will evaporate and the sugar will begin to darken and a caramel shade will appear. You need to constantly monitor the process, otherwise the sugar will burn.

When the mixture acquires the color of a well-brewed, but not strong tea, remove the pot from the stove. The whole process takes approximately 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature (sugar should thicken). Add alcohol (10 ml) and citric acid. Stir until the alcohol dissolves the caramel.

Details for alcoholic beverages are discussed in a separate article. I do not recommend using food coloring and flavoring, this will significantly worsen the taste.

5. In 1 liter of vodka (alcohol, moonshine) with a strength of 40% add 60 ml of Potentilla infusion, 50 ml of dill extract, 10 ml of bay leaf tincture, sugar (honey) and the prepared color scheme.

From the remaining extracts, up to 8 liters of bitter Belovezhskaya tincture is obtained (until the cinquefoil runs out). Store extracts in a cool, dark place. The proportions of the blend can be made at your discretion, but for the first time it is better to stick to the classic proportions.

6. Close the container. Insist for 30 days in a dark room at room temperature. Shake once a day.

7. When sediment or turbidity appears (it happens when adding honey or using a low-quality alcoholic base) at the end of preparation, filter the drink through cotton wool.

Store in a place protected from direct sunlight. Shelf life of bitter "Belovezhskaya" tincture is 3 years. Fortress - 43%.

The Belovezhskaya Gorkaya tincture was popular in the USSR. She comes from Belarus, specifically from Belovezhskaya Pushcha. They say that the original recipe was invented by the foresters in an attempt to ennoble the low-grade moonshine with the herbs of the reserve. It appeared on sale in the post-war years, and disappeared from it after the collapse of the USSR. However, the classic recipe for making Belovezhskaya tincture on vodka (alcohol, moonshine) has survived in the literature, so it will not be difficult to recreate a drink with a slight bitterness and a characteristic pungent taste.

Tincture "Belovezhskaya" at home: ingredients and preparation technology

First, a concentrate is prepared based on herbal extracts (extracts based on strong alcohol), and then the concentrate is brought with vodka (alcohol, moonshine) to the finished drink.

If you happen to, then make sure that the double distillation drink is as pure as possible and does not contain a large amount of fusel oil impurities.

For tincture you will need:

• medical alcohol or moonshine with a strength of 60 degrees - 1.5 liters
• vodka, alcohol or moonshine with a strength of 40 degrees - 1 l
• galangal root (another name is straight-flow cinquefoil, Dubrovka. It can be purchased in a pharmacy in dried form) - 25 grams;
• bay leaf (dried) - 10 grams;
• dill (seeds) - 15 grams;
• honey (or granulated sugar) - 25 grams;
• burnt sugar (color):
  - granulated sugar - 10 grams;
  - clean water - 10 ml;
  - vodka (alcohol, moonshine) with a strength of 40 degrees - 10 ml;
  - citric acid - two grains.

Tincture preparation:

1. The first step is to prepare herbal extracts. To prepare them, you will need strong 60-degree alcohol and three glass jars with a volume of 0.5-0.7 liters each.
2. Separately put dill, galangal and bay leaves in jars. Pour 500 ml of 60-degree moonshine (alcohol) into each container.
3. Cork the jars tightly and put them in a dark place for 4 weeks.
4. Shake the containers every two or three days.
5. After four weeks, strain the resulting extracts through cheesecloth, do not mix!
6. Prepare caramel color:
   - Pour 10 grams of sugar in 10 ml of water and bring to a boil on the stove.
   - When foam appears, reduce heat to minimum. Wait until the sugar begins to caramelize and darken.
   - Don't let the sugar burn. The readiness of the color scheme is evidenced by the shade of loosely brewed tea.
   - Cool the color to room temperature, pour in 10 ml of forty-degree vodka (alcohol, moonshine) and add two grains of citric acid. Stir everything until smooth.
7. For a liter of forty-degree alcoholic base for tincture you will need:
   - galangal root extract - 60 ml;
   - dill seed extract - 50 ml;
   - bay leaf extract - 10 ml;
   - honey (granulated sugar) - as indicated above for the recipe - 25 grams;
   - all prepared color scheme.
8. Mix the alcohol base with the extracts, add honey (sugar) and color, cork tightly and put in a dark place for a month. Honey sometimes gives a clouding of the drink, in this case the finished tincture must be filtered through cotton wool. The strength of the finished drink is about 43 degrees.

If you adhere to the classic proportions, then the prepared extracts will be enough for eight liters of tincture. However, the proportions can be changed to taste. Tincture "Belovezhskaya" is stored for three years.

Belovezhskaya tincture is a national product of Belarus. Her story is extremely interesting. In the post-war years, the moonshine produced by the foresters of Belovezhskaya Pushcha was of a rather low quality due to the fact that good cleaning methods were not available. To get rid of the unpleasant odor, the moonshiners decided to infuse the drink with aromatic herbs. Once Nikita Khrushchev, who had come to Belovezhskaya Pushcha to hunt, was treated to such a tincture. That drink impressed him so much that after a while food specialists came to the hostess, who treated the secretary general with moonshine, to write down the recipe and the technology for making Belovezhskaya Gorka, which soon appeared on the free market and is now quite famous.

Now the reserve has a license for the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. It is made here on one machine and is sold only in local restaurants and cafes. Many Belarusian alcohol producers have a similar product in their arsenal. It is quite possible to repeat the Belovezhskaya tincture at home.

The characteristic qualities of the original "Belovezhskaya" are that it has a pungent taste, slightly bitter and has a complex harmonious aroma with clear notes of dill seeds. The color of the tincture is noble brown.

The 1962 Pishchepromizdat book "Recipes for liqueurs, liqueurs, punches, dessert drinks, tinctures and instructions for preparing semi-finished products for them" contains the composition of the original Soviet "Belovezhskaya Gorka":

For 10 liters of drink: 16 g of Dubrovka rhizomes (Potentilla); 12 g dill seed; 0.06 g bay leaf; 20 g sugar; 2 g caramelized sugar. Fortress - 43%.

For the manufacture of Belovezhskaya tincture, it is not recommended to insist moonshine on a mixture of seasonings; it is better to create a blend from different extracts.

Belovezhskaya tincture recipe

On the basis of 60-degree moonshine, make separately tinctures of galangal (25 g per 0.5 l), dill seed (10-15 g per 0.5 l), bay leaf (10 g per 0.5 l). Insist them in a dark place for 4 weeks, shaking daily.

Belovezhskaya tincture is a type of alcoholic drink produced on the territory of Belarus in the famous reserve called Belovezhskaya Pushcha (hence the name). Today, it is the reserve that is the only place where the original tincture is made, which has a pungent taste, light bitterness, a stunning aromatic palette and a noble brownish tinge. Now the considered alcoholic drink has many admirers both in Belarus itself and in other countries of the post-Soviet space.

Product history

It's hard to believe, but the modern Belovezhskaya liqueur originated from the usual moonshine, which was made by the foresters of Belovezhskaya Pushcha in the post-war years. At that time, the quality of the produced moonshine was very low, because the foresters did not have special equipment for cleaning. The then product tasted bad and even frightened off guests with an unpleasant smell.

Since the Belarusian alcohol producers did not manage to acquire cleaning devices, they came up with another way to eliminate the flaws. Moonshine began to insist on fragrant herbs growing on the territory of the reserve. The plants used have made the drink aromatic, and its taste has improved several times.

Belovezhskaya tincture owes its popularity to Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev. Once the First Secretary of the CPSU visited Belovezhskaya Pushcha to hunt. During the rest, the woman in charge of treating the distinguished guest brought Khrushchev a tincture made by foresters. The taste of the drink impressed the First Secretary so much that a few days later food specialists came to the woman. They wrote down the recipe for the tincture in detail, and soon the mass production of this product was established.

Today, this drink is served only in restaurants near the reserve. However, connoisseurs of high-quality alcohol do not need to travel to Belarus to enjoy its taste. Such a product can be ordered online or prepared at home.

How to make a tincture at home?

The algorithm for preparing Belovezhskaya tincture cannot be called too complicated, but it will take a lot of time to get the finished product.

To make 10 liters of a drink, you need to take:

• Dubrovka rhizomes - 16 g;
• dill seeds - 12 g;
• bay leaf - about 10 g;
• sugar - 20 g;
• burnt sugar - 2 g.

At the very beginning, you need to make 3 different tinctures. To do this, pour the specified amount of Dubrovka rhizomes, dill seeds and bay leaves into 3 separate half-liter containers. After that, fill the containers with 60% moonshine. Then seal them tightly and transfer to a dark place for 28-30 days. During the infusion period, containers with liquids must be shaken daily.

Further actions:

1. Pour 40% moonshine into a liter container (in the absence of such, you can use stronger alcohol, but it must be diluted with water).
2. In a container with moonshine, add 60 ml of tincture from Dubrovka rhizomes, about 50 ml of dill tincture and 10 ml of bay leaf tincture;
   then pour the specified amount of sugar into the container; prepare burnt sugar and pour in 2 g of this ingredient.
3. Cork the dishes tightly and transfer them to a dark place.
   We insist the liquid for a month (as in the case of 3 independent tinctures, you will need to shake the dishes with the mixture daily).
4. After the time has elapsed, we filter the drink and pour it into a clean storage container (it is recommended to keep the finished product in cellars or other cool places).

If all actions were correct, you will receive an excellent alcoholic drink, which will become a real decoration of the festive table. Even if after the first try the quality of the tincture is far from ideal, you should not despair. After a certain number of tests, you will definitely become the owner of an amazing drink.

When making a tincture, it is important to consider some points. First of all, only moonshine made from natural products should be used as an alcoholic base. The use of store-bought vodka is undesirable, because it may contain preservatives that can adversely affect the taste and aroma of the tincture. Of course, you can spend money on an expensive brand of vodka, but then the preparation of the drink will require significant material costs. With regard to alcohol, then such a base will be too strong. And even if it is diluted, there is no guarantee that the tincture will not turn out to be very bitter.

Moonshine must also meet certain criteria. The main requirement is the absence of any aftertaste. The fact is that when combined with aromatic independent tinctures, a mixing of tastes can occur, and this can harm the taste palette of the finished drink.

Precautionary measures

Since Belovezhskaya tincture is an alcoholic drink, it has certain contraindications. You must refuse it if you have:

• diseases of the cardiovascular system, pancreas, liver;
• alcoholism;
• intolerance to alcoholic beverages.

When using the tincture, you must always comply with the norm, otherwise you may develop alcohol dependence. In addition, excessive consumption of the drink can cause poisoning.