How to overtake moonshine the second time: step-by-step instructions and useful tips

First-class moonshine cannot be achieved only by using high-quality raw materials and the correct execution of all stages of the primary distillation. Extraneous flavors and unpleasant odor will remain in the resulting drink due to the insignificant amount of yeast and harmful impurities in it.

Why is a second distillation of moonshine needed?

Double distillation of moonshine at home with proper implementation will achieve excellent taste of the drink and reduce hangover as a result of its use. With the help of purification, the fractional method and the steam tank, you remove the aldehydes and fusel oils remaining after the first distillation , which cause significant harm to the body.

Thus, the advantages of this method of making moonshine include:

• Significant improvement in taste.
• No unpleasant odor.
• Reducing health hazards.
• The possibility of making noble drinks based on the obtained moonshine.
• In some cases, an increase in degree.

There are situations in which repeated distillation is required. These include:

• Using mash based on berries and fruits.
• Cleaning with sodium hydroxide, soda and other chemical compounds.
• In order not to pour out, if for the first time it turned out badly.

Spending time on another cycle, you will get a great distillate, which will be nice to drink yourself and treat your neighbors.

The second distillation of moonshine: the right technology

Having decided on the need to improve quality, many distilleries are wondering: how to overtake moonshine a second time?

The technology for brewing the drink of both the first and second cycles is based on different parameters of the boiling point of the chemicals included in the composition, and their separation into fractions for separation from each other.

An important factor in the question of how to distill moonshine for the second time at home is the use of only the central fraction from the primary distillation. The so-called body contains an order of magnitude less hard-to-remove impurities. Sometimes the third fraction is used - “tails”, but to obtain a quality product, it is necessary to use the “body”.

First step. Dilution

The first step towards secondary distillation is to dilute the moonshine with water.

Moonshine for secondary processing should be a fortress of 35 to 45 degrees. Use an alcohol meter to accurately determine the strength of the drink. The alcohol concentration required after dilution depends on the fraction used and on the desired strength as a result of:

• About 20 ° - if you took the "body".
• About 10 ° - if you use "tails".

It is imperative not to exceed the indicated alcohol concentration for two equally important reasons:

1. Ignition of alcohol vapors can result in detonation of equipment.
2. Harmful impurities at high concentrations form a stable chemical bond and are difficult to remove.

The water used must be clean, preferably thawed or spring. Distilled or boiled is not recommended for use. Tap water must be passed through a charcoal filter and allowed to settle.

The temperature of the water can be room temperature, but it would be nice to cool it to 10 degrees by putting it in the refrigerator for a while.

Second phase. Cleaning

An equally important step in how to properly distill moonshine a second time is cleaning. The most environmentally friendly way is cleaning with charcoal, made independently. Coal for barbecue, bought in a supermarket, contains its harmful impurities, and in the future it will also be necessary to get rid of them.

For the manufacture of charcoal it is better to use soft wood. They need to be cut into small briquettes or kruglyashi and remove the bark. It is undesirable to use a tree that has just been cut down; it is better to let the wood dry for a couple of weeks. After drying, the briquettes are tightly packed in a metal barrel with a sealed lid and a hole for the fitting. A fire is made, the finished coal is periodically removed, and fresh briquettes are laid.

More often, at the stage of purification, activated carbon is used as a less labor-intensive method.

The option of cleaning with potassium permanganate is also possible. This is done as follows:

1. Dissolve potassium permanganate in hot water in a proportion of 1 gram of manganese per 100 ml of liquid.
2. Pour the solution into the moonshine and mix.
3. Let stand for one hour until a precipitate appears.
4. Add one tablespoon of soda and salt.
5. After two hours, strain through a filter made of gauze or a thin cotton cloth.

It is important to remember that you should not rush. The quality of cleaning using this method depends on the slow transfusion of moonshine through a manufactured filter.

The third stage. Secondary distillation

There is nothing complicated or radically different from the first distillation in how to distill moonshine a second time. The resulting product is also divided into fractions:

• The head fraction, or pervach, is the first 10-12% of the liquid, containing acetone and methyl alcohol.
• The main fraction or body is the next 80-90% liquid, consisting mostly of ethyl alcohol.
• The tail fraction is the last 5-10% of the fluid.

Pervach, in spite of the great love for him in Soviet times, is by no means drinkable. It has an unpleasant odor and is capable of causing great harm to the body, but it is not worth pouring it out. Such moonshine can be used to ignite coal or wipe board contacts. The volume of the fraction, according to general estimates, is 50 ml per liter of pure alcohol.

The double distillation of moonshine at home has as its goal the production of the main fraction. Its collection continues until the strength of the outgoing product drops to 45%. The strength of the total volume of the obtained moonshine is estimated at 60-70%.

The tail fraction, many home alcohol lovers add to the next portion of the mash to increase its strength.

Is a steamer needed for secondary distillation?

The presence of a steamer or reflux condenser is optional, but desirable in the initial distillation. Many distilleries replace them with the distillation of moonshine. After all, it also purifies the product from fusel oils without additional waste of time.

But a full-scale purification in the process of primary distillation cannot be achieved by a sukhoparnik. For people who strive for excellence in everything, using it during the first and repeated distillation will achieve an almost perfect product.

The use of distillation columns

In how to properly distill moonshine a second time, additional cleaning with the help of a rectifier can help. It separates the liquids by the difference in evaporation. In the process of rectification from moonshine, albeit first-class, the purest ethyl alcohol is obtained.

The use of mash leads to clogging of the rectifier. That is why it is desirable to use double distillation moonshine in a distillation column.

The output is an absolute neutral, pure product without impurities for the manufacture of tinctures or use in pure form.

Recommendations

How to overtake moonshine a second time? You will find tips below.

For secondary distillation, a very important factor is the quality of the water for the first stage.

Do not swap dilution and cleaning steps. Water partially destroys the structure of impurities, and purification with potassium permanganate or coal frees moonshine from the remnants of these compounds.

To determine the fractions during distillation, constantly monitor the “revolutions” using an alcohol meter.

The approach of the main fraction can be determined using the sense of smell. If the pungent unpleasant odor is gone, then the “body” has gone.

Do not be greedy. Drain pervat - health is more expensive.

The strength of moonshine can be determined by burning. Paper moistened with moonshine will burn without a match only if the strength is over 40 degrees.

Adding oak bark or wood chips after secondary distillation removes the remnants of harmful substances and makes moonshine similar to cognac.

Using these tips, you can understand how to properly distill moonshine a second time. And remember that the result is worth the effort. The second distillation of moonshine is an important step in obtaining a quality product.

Double distillation moonshine recipes

The absence of excess odors and shades of taste in twice-distilled moonshine leaves room for the distillery's creativity. The easiest way to buy and use flavoring additives in the preparation of tinctures. You can also take advantage of the natural ingredients available at hand.

Most often, home-brewing lovers imitate noble French cognac. There are many recipes for such a “cognac”. Most often, pepper, tea and bay leaf are used in the composition, the infusion process is required either in an oak barrel or on oak wood chips.

A recipe for Christmas moonshine will never be superfluous. Of course, you need to do it in advance:

1. Fill the oak barrel with chopped apples and fill with moonshine.
2. Leave to insist for six months.
3. Strain through a cloth or fine sieve.
4. Add sugar to taste.
5. Warm up to a boil three times, carefully monitoring fire safety.
6. Put in a cool place for a week.
7. Strain again.
8. Dilute with a proportion of 10 liters of liquid a quarter of the water.
9. Distill and filter.
10. Christmas vodka is ready.

There are a lot of recipes based on moonshine, and everyone can choose one that suits their taste.