Grape vodka - making kizlyarka at home

Dagestan grape vodka kizlyarka is a rather interesting phenomenon in the alcohol world. To begin with, this drink has more than an indirect relationship to vodka. The fact is that real vodka products are made exclusively on the basis of grain, potato or, in extreme cases, beet alcohol.

Thus, such concepts as grape tincture on vodka, grape liqueur on vodka, or even grape seed tincture on vodka will be quite appropriate and correct... By itself, the term grape vodka seems as absurd as, say, malt cognac or cane tequila.

They also make it from grapes: liqueur and liqueur, tincture, chacha

What is kizlyarka?

Kizlyarka, which is made from winemaking waste (crests, cake, seeds and under-crushed berries), belongs to the category of pomace brandy. The closest relatives of this drink are such honored representatives of the alcoholic population as Georgian chacha, Bulgarian rakia and Italian grappa...

At the same time, the classic Dagestani drink has its own distinctive features. It is made from local red Tartar grapes. The finished alcohol is aged in light oak barrels for seven months to a year and a half. The strength of the resulting drink ranges from 40-45 degrees.

Today, the official producer of Kizlyar brandy is the local Cognac Factory. However, according to fans of the drink, its quality has deteriorated significantly in recent years. There is a replacement of the more expensive double distillation with a single one, there is a pronounced presence of the highly toxic main fraction, well, and naive attempts to mask all these disgracefulnesses by adding caramel only aggravate the situation.

Accordingly, connoisseurs of quality brandy a la Kizlyar have two options: to get acquainted with artisanal distillers in the Kizlyar region or to learn how to make their favorite grape drink at home, and thus not to depend on the vagaries of fate and the manufacturer's tricks... We are unlikely to be able to help with distillers' acquaintances, but we are always happy to help with the coveted recipe.

Recipe for grape vodka at home

Of course, not vodka, but brandy, but somehow it just came out..

List of ingredients

1. Grapes (white cognac varieties) - 30 kg;

2. Sugar - 5.5 kg.

Method of preparation

1. Send slightly unripe grapes under the press or crush them manually.

2. Add sugar at the rate of 40 grams per 1 liter of wort.

3. Close the fermentation container with a lid and send it to a dark, warm place for 5 days (while the substance must be stirred daily).

4. Then, add more sugar to the wort in the proportion of 250 grams per 1 liter and leave for 3 weeks under a water seal.

5. Distill the result twice.

6. During re-distillation, it is necessary to cut off the head and tail fractions (the first - because of harmfulness, the second - because of weakness).

7. Dilute the finished grape alcohol to the desired strength and send it to an oak barrel for a year and a half, or keep it on oak chips for the same amount of time.

Update: 22.12.2016

Category: Vodka an Moonshine