Wine, liqueur, dandelion tincture: 3 recipes at home

The famous American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury probably didn't even know that dandelions can be used to make not only the wine he sang about, but also liqueurs and tinctures.

Dandelion wine: an Anglo-Saxon classic

Warning! All of the following spicy plants are added to the drink selectively; it is done only on request.

Ingredients

1. Dandelion flowers - a liter jar

2. Granulated sugar - 1.5 kg

3. Water - 4 liters

4. Raisins - 100 g

5. Lemons - 2 large or 3 medium lemons

6. Oranges (optional) - 2 pcs

7. Fresh herbs (mint, thyme, oregano, snakehead, lemon balm or monarda) - 2-3 pcs.

The method of preparation

1. Gather a liter jar of yellow dandelion inflorescences (tear off fully opened flowers that are easily separated from the green receptacle; this should be done away from dusty roads, in the morning and no earlier than a day after rain).

2. Put the dandelions in a clean saucepan, cover with 4 liters of boiling water, stir and leave for a day under the lid.

3. Then strain the liquid into a wide-mouthed container and squeeze the inflorescences into it, after which the latter can be thrown away.

4. Carefully remove the yellow zest from the lemons and squeeze the juice into the future wort. If you want to enhance the citrus effect, add lemon zest to the liquid. If you want to diversify it, squeeze the juice from peeled oranges.

5. Next, add unwashed raisins, 500 g of sugar and your favorite herbs, tie the neck of the vessel with gauze and leave the vessel in a dark, warm place until fermentation begins.

6. When signs of fermentation appear (foam, hissing, sour odor), the wort should be filtered through cheesecloth, poured into a clean container, add another 500 g of sugar, tightly close the lid with a water seal and return to a dark, dry place.

7. On the fifth and tenth day of fermentation, add another 250 g of granulated sugar to the substance. It is best to first dissolve it in a small amount of the future wine (1:1 ratio), drained for this purpose through a straw. As a result, the container should be no more than three quarters full.

8. After about 30-60 days, the fermentation process should be completed; therefore, the future drink should be filtered or drained from the sediment, and then bottled (if fermentation does not stop by the specified maximum period, the substance should be removed from the sediment and poured into a clean tank to complete the process). At this stage, you can make the last changes to the wine composition. For example, add sugar to taste. In the latter case, in order to avoid unpleasant surprises associated with fermentation, the drink should be kept under a water seal for another week.

9. The final maturation of bottled wine is carried out in a dark, cool room with a temperature of 6-16°C for six months.

Dandelion liqueur: a European fantasy

The alcoholic base for this drink can be good vodka or diluted food alcohol. It is not recommended to use moonshine: it will completely destroy the honey flavor and floral aroma of the drink.

Ingredients

1. Dandelion flowers - 250 g

2. Vodka (45-degree water-alcohol solution) - 500 ml

3. Granulated sugar - 250 g

The method of preparation

1. Harvest dandelions following the tips from of the previous recipe.

2. Put them in a glass jar, alternating two-centimeter layers of unwashed flowers with two-centimeter layers of sugar (at the same time, granulated sugar should be both at the bottom of the jar and above the last layer of dandelions).

3. Keep the hermetically sealed container on the windowsill for three to four weeks, shaking it every five days. If the contents of the jar begin to ferment, add another 40 g of sugar to it.

4. Strain the resulting syrup through cheesecloth, squeezing the petals into it.

5. Mix dandelion syrup with an alcohol base in a clean glass container. Seal the vessel and put it in a dark place for 3 months. Then remove the liquor from the sediment, bottle and keep it in a dark room at room temperature for about the same amount of time.

Dandelion tincture: the Slavic version

A rich, aromatic and strong drink that fully meets the incomprehensible demands of the mysterious Slavic soul.

Ingredients

1. Dandelion flowers - 200 g

2. Vodka - 500 ml

3. Fresh mint - 2 leaves

4. Fresh lemon balm - 2 leaves

5. Grated young ginger root - 3 g

The method of preparation

1. Harvest dandelion flowers guided by the first recipe.

2. Add mint and lemon balm to them. Rinse all plants thoroughly, place in a glass jar, pour vodka and close with a tight lid.

3. Keep the container in a warm, dark place for three weeks.

4. Then, add ginger to the tincture, wait another day, after which strain the liquid thoroughly several times and finally bottle it.

Update: 27.04.2017

Category: Liqueurs and Tinctures