Pumpkin mash for moonshine

Pumpkin is grown everywhere and contains enough sugars that the vegetable can be used to make a distillate at home. Starch in the composition accelerates the fermentation process. Pumpkin moonshine is soft and has a subtle aroma. Subject to the production and distillation technology, a fairly high strength.

How to make moonshine from pumpkin at home

To make moonshine, you need to stock up on pumpkin, sugar and yeast. It is recommended to use table varieties of pumpkin because they contain more sugars than forage varieties. Muscat varieties are suitable; the distillate will have a banana aftertaste. Raw material requirements:

1. Fully ripened vegetables.
2. No mechanical damage or signs of rotting.
3. To prepare the product, take a pumpkin that has been lying around for 30 days after picking; it has a higher concentration of starch than a freshly picked one, and a minimal amount of pectin.

The substance is toxic to the body. Therefore, the longer the pumpkin is aged, the purer the moonshine from it. Preparatory work before cooking:

1. The vegetables are washed under running water.
2. Divided into 2 parts.
3. The seeds are removed along with the seed chambers.
4. Cut into pieces approximately 15 cm wide.
5. Place in a container.
6. Pour in water so that the liquid lightly covers the pieces.
7. Place on fire to boil.

Cook the pumpkin until it is fully cooked; it should be soft and easily separate from the peel. Approximate cooking time is about 1 hour. Once ready, remove the container from the heat and allow the raw material to cool to room temperature. In any recipe for pumpkin moonshine, the distillate is obtained only from mash.

Pumpkin mash recipes

There are several ways to prepare mash, you can use sugar or not, pre-prepare malt or without it. As a rule, sugar is added. If you use only one pumpkin, you will get less moonshine with little strength. During the process of hydrolysis, alcohol is synthesized from the interaction of sugar with yeast; the strength of the drink depends entirely on the amount of glucose.

With sugar

To make pumpkin mash at home you will need:

• pumpkin – 10 kg;
• yeast – 50 g;
• water – 7 l;
• sugar – 3 kg.

Cooking technology:

1. The cooked pumpkin pieces are removed from the container.
2. The water remaining after cooking will go to the mash.
3. The pieces are placed in a colander or sieve.
4. Knead, remove the peel, grind.
5. The result is a homogeneous yellow mass.
6. The raw materials are placed in a fermentation container.
7. Add sugar to the broth and heat it to a temperature of +30⁰ C, dissolve.
8. Add to fermentation container.
9. Dry yeast is first filled with water; when it swells, it is added to the mash.

A water seal is installed on the container and placed in a warm room.

The fermentation process lasts 4-7 days, depending on the amount of raw materials and air temperature. The end of fermentation is determined by the sediment at the bottom and the cessation of carbon dioxide evolution. The strength can be checked with an alcohol meter. If the product is ready, the indicator will be about 11.5⁰.

You can prepare the raw material by squeezing the juice from the pumpkin. It is not boiled, but squeezed out, then mixed with cake and the mash is added using the same technology as the boiled one.

Sugarless

To get an alcoholic drink from pumpkin without adding sugar, you will need:

• dessert beets with a high concentration of starch – 10 kg;
• water – 10 l;
• barley malt – 150 g;
• yeast – 50 g.

Malt can be replaced with glucavamorin or amylosubtilin in the same dosage.

Cooking method:

1. Remove the peel and seeds from the pumpkin.
2. Grind in a meat grinder.
3. The pumpkin mass is combined with water.
4. Cook for 1 hour.
5. Remove from heat, let cool to 55⁰ C.
6. Add malt.
7. Wrap the container with raw materials and leave for 2.5 hours.
8. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature, add yeast.

Pour the pumpkin mash into a fermentation container and install a water seal. The process will be less intense than with sugar, and longer – within 2 weeks. After the process is completed, the pumpkin preparation for moonshine is filtered and distilled 2 times. The output will be within 3 l 30⁰ distillate.

With added malt

To maximize the use of sugars in pumpkin, maximum breakdown of starch is recommended; for this purpose, malt is used, taken from any cereal intended for brewing.

Recipe Ingredients:

• pumpkin – 10 kg;
• yeast – 50 g;
• malt – 100 g;
• water – 10 l.

To prepare mash you need boiled pumpkin and water after cooking.

Action algorithm:

1. The pumpkin is separated from the peel and brought to a homogeneous mass using a blender.
2. Cool to 55⁰ C, add malt.
3. Wrap the container and leave for 2 hours.
4. Add water and mix well.
5. Pour the pumpkin raw material into a fermentation vessel, add yeast, and set the seal.

You can add or skip sugar in this recipe. If the decision is made in favor of sugar, you will need 3 kg. It is pre-dissolved in water. Instead of natural malt, you can use enzymes; the dosage is calculated according to the instructions.

Distilling pumpkin moonshine

Making moonshine with pumpkin according to any recipe requires 2 distillations. For better quality of the resulting product, it is advisable to strain the mash. There are methods when distillation uses sediment and pulp, placing them in the apparatus so that they do not touch the day. But this is not necessary, the method will not add strength and quantity of moonshine, in the end.

The strained mash is poured into the tank of the apparatus, distilled until there are 30⁰. Then the remaining raw materials are thrown away and the distillate is distilled a second time. You can add water to the raw cheese to make the liquid 25⁰, or distill it undiluted.

Pumpkin moonshine is distilled at low temperature, using the drip method, the first 10% of the total volume of alcohol is removed. It is not suitable for consumption; it contains a high content of methanol - this is industrial alcohol. Take liquid no lower than 40⁰. As a result, 3 kg of pumpkin should yield 1 liter of finished product. Moonshine strength – within 80⁰. The second distillation is diluted with water to 40-45⁰ and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.As a result, pumpkin moonshine is transparent in color, soft, with the taste and smell of honey and melon. It can be consumed in its pure form or made into various tinctures.

Secrets of making pumpkin liqueur

There are enough recipes for pumpkin tinctures to choose the right one. The basis is moonshine, vodka, rum with the addition of all kinds of spices. Pumpkin contains a large amount of vitamins and microelements beneficial to the body. They are completely preserved as part of the tincture, because the pumpkin is taken fresh, dessert or table varieties. The color of the tincture or liqueur will depend on the color of the pulp. A prerequisite when choosing a pumpkin is that it must be ripe, without signs of mold or rot.

Tincture of pumpkin seeds with vodka

A tincture of pumpkin seeds is made with moonshine or vodka and is used as a remedy for helminths, to cleanse blood vessels, and to get rid of alcohol addiction. Cooking sequence:

1. Ripe pumpkin seeds are pre-prepared.
2. Dry until the moisture completely evaporates.
3. They are sorted after drying to avoid low-quality raw materials.
4. Grind to a powdery state along with the hard shell.

For the tincture you will need:

• pumpkin seeds – 100 g;
• vodka or moonshine – 0.5 l;
• infusion of bay leaf – 50 ml.

An infusion of bay leaves is made at the rate of 4 leaves per 50 ml of boiling water. Brew in a thermos and leave for a day.

The pumpkin seed product is poured into an opaque container and placed in a cool place for a week. Drink 30 g on an empty stomach.

Pumpkin tincture with vodka and honey

Recipe ingredients:

• pumpkin – 0.5 kg;
• honey – 100 g;
• moonshine or vodka – 0.5 l;

Preparation:

1. The pumpkin pulp (without seeds and peel) is crushed until smooth.
2. Add the alcohol base, pour into an opaque bottle, and seal.
3. Place in a dark place for 14 days, shake periodically.
4. Filter the liquid and discard the remainder.
5. Heat the honey to a liquid state and add it to the tincture.

Leave for 10 days, do not shake. Then carefully decant with a straw, discard the sediment, put it in the refrigerator for 3 days to stabilize the taste.

Pumpkin tincture made with moonshine or vodka with the addition of honey turns out to be light amber in color, with the smell of honey, and sweet in taste.

Delicious pumpkin liqueur

To prepare liqueur you will need:

• moonshine or vodka – 0.5 l;
• pumpkin pulp – 0.5 kg;
• sugar – 100 g;
• water – 100 ml;
• nutmeg – 20 g.

Step by step recipe:

1. Pumpkin pulp is ground to a puree
2. Mixed with alcohol.
3. Let it sit for 5 days.
4. Strain.
5. Prepare syrup (water + sugar).
6. Nutmeg is added to the syrup.
7. Mix with pumpkin tincture.

Leave to infuse for 15 days in an unlit place. Then filter again. Pumpkin liqueur will be ready in 45 days.

Original recipe for pumpkin liqueur with rum

To prepare pumpkin liqueur with rum, take:

• homogeneous mass of boiled pumpkin – 400 g;
• rum – 0.5 l;
• cane sugar – 300 g;
• cloves – 6 seeds;
• cinnamon – 6 pcs.;
• vanillin – 1 sachet;
• water – 0.4 l.

Preparation of pumpkin tincture:

1. Pour water into a container, add sugar, and prepare syrup over low heat.
2. Add pumpkin mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 10 minutes.
3. Add all ingredients according to the recipe.
4. Boil for 30 minutes.

Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool. Then filter through cheesecloth and squeeze out the residue. Add rum. Pour into a bottle and leave for 3 weeks.

Fragrant pumpkin infusion with cinnamon and vanilla

A pumpkin product infused with moonshine with the addition of spices is classified as a dessert drink. It has a light tart aroma, mild taste and amber color.

Recipe Ingredients:

• pumpkin pulp – 0.5 kg;
• moonshine – 0.5 l;
• sugar – 100 g;
• water – 100 ml;
• vanilla – 10 g;
• cinnamon – 10 g.

Preparation:

1. The pumpkin is passed through a meat grinder.
2. Place in a container, add moonshine.
3. Close hermetically and leave for 10 days.
4. The drink is filtered and the sediment is discarded.
5. Prepare syrup and add spices.
6. The cooled mass is mixed with pumpkin tincture.

Leave for 15 days, carefully drain so as not to affect the sediment. Place in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Savory pumpkin spice liqueur

This version of the pumpkin drink is one of the most refined and most expensive. Components:

• Hokkaido pumpkin – 0.5 kg;
• cognac (vodka, moonshine) – 0.7 l;
• cardamom seed – 2 pcs.;
• anise - 1 pc.;
• white allspice – 2 peas;
• saffron – 5 g;
• sugar – 0.5 kg;
• zest - 1 lemon;
• ginger (fresh) – 25 g;
• cloves – 3 pcs.;
• cinnamon – 1 stick;
• vanilla – 10 g;
• nutmeg – 20 g.

Preparation of pumpkin tincture:

1. The pumpkin is cut together with the peel into small squares.
2. Place in a non-metallic container, ceramic or glassware is suitable.
3. Add all ingredients except sugar.
4. Pour in cognac and close tightly.
5. Keep for 21 days.
6. Drain the liquid and put it in the refrigerator.
7. The remaining mass is covered with sugar.
8. Leave for 25 days, shake periodically.
9. The resulting liquid is carefully drained and mixed with cognac from the refrigerator.

Leave for 14 days, filter, bottle, and close tightly.

How to store pumpkin tincture

Pumpkin tincture contains alcohol, this component increases the shelf life of the product. The drink can be stored for 6-8 months in the basement or in the refrigerator. A prerequisite is an opaque container and no lighting. After the expiration date, the pumpkin tincture may become cloudy and lose its taste and smell.

Conclusion

Pumpkin moonshine has a mild taste and pleasant aroma. It can be easily made at home. Suitable for consumption in its pure form, it serves as the basis for preparing pumpkin drinks with a varied set of ingredients. Moderate consumption is not harmful to health.

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