Cognac is a well-known alcoholic drink made from special grape varieties. It has high strength and is prepared according to a special technology. There are many cooking recipes brandy at home from completely different ingredients – coffee, spices, alcohol, vodka and berries. And since it is quite difficult to follow the original method of preparation at home, we will prepare cognac in our own way.
Ingredients for making cognac at home:
- Vodka – 1 liter
- Water – 1.5 l
- Oak bark – 4 tsp. spoons
- Cloves – 10 buds
- Black leaf tea, without flavorings) – 3 tsp. spoons
- Sugar sand – 1.5 table. spoons
- Vanillin – 0.3 tsp. spoons
- Ground nutmeg – 0.3 tsp. spoons
Inventory:
- Can or volumetric bottle
- Measuring glass
- Tea spoon
- Table spoon
- Gauze
- Aluminum pot (bowl, frying pan).
- Culinary spatula
- Plate
- Carafe and glasses
Making cognac at home.
Step 1: Prepare burnt sugar.
In order to add a unique caramel aroma to our cognac, it is better to fry the sugar. You can skip this step if you don’t want to spend time on it, but then homemade cognac will lose a little of its taste.
To prepare burnt sugar, we need a stove and aluminum dishes, preferably with thick walls. We pour the specified amount of sugar into it and turn on the burner, setting a slow fire. To make the sugar melt faster, you can add a couple of drops of water, but it is better to be patient and wait for it to caramelize on its own. Be sure to stir it constantly to prevent burning.
Step 2: Prepare brandy at home.
The process of making cognac at home is simple – combine the ingredients, mix and leave to infuse. However, according to the original classic recipe, cognac is one of the most difficult and time-consuming alcoholic beverages to prepare.
Let’s take a jar or a large bottle in which all our ingredients will fit. The order of mixing is not important, so we lay out all the ingredients as you prefer – vodka, clean cold water, oak bark, tea, cloves, nutmeg, burnt sugar and vanilla. Stir the resulting mixture properly, close the jar tightly cover and put it on in a cool, dark placeso that the cognac is infused within 3-4 weeks.
Step 3: We serve homemade cognac.
When the cognac is infused, you need to open the can and strain the drink through a double layer of cheesecloth. We pour the finished cognac into a carafe and serve it to the guests at the festive dinner. When served, it should be at room temperature, it should not be heated. Cognac should be poured into special “bellied” glasses.
As for cognac snacks, opinions differ here. Someone believes that citrus fruits and chocolate are perfect, someone is of the opposite opinion and believes that nothing but good cigars and coffee can fully reveal the entire aromatic bouquet. Therefore, choose the dishes you want.
It has a pleasant caramel aroma and a beautiful amber color, homemade cognac will appeal to you and your guests no less than purchased cognac.
Advice:
– You can buy oak bark in a pharmacy, but it is better to collect the bark of young oak branches yourself in June, and then dry it properly. Cognac will be more aromatic from such a crust.
– Buy only the vodka you are sure of. Bad vodka will not make good cognac, and health should be protected.
– Do not abuse alcoholic beverages, even those that you have prepared yourself.
