Content
Slivovitz is a strong alcoholic drink that is easy to make at home. There is both a classic recipe and a slightly modified version. The drink has a pleasant taste and excellent aroma. Suitable for home use and for serving at the holiday table. Important! After distillation, the drink rests for a sufficient time. This is the secret of real slivovitz from Serbia, where it languishes in oak barrels for 5 years, acquiring a piquant, delicate taste and unique aroma.
Serbian slivovitz
The second name for slivovitz is rakia. Made according to the classic Serbian recipe. The country is the largest supplier of plums in Europe. The drink is produced in large quantities; only certain countries or factories have the right to sell and officially produce Serbian rakija.
Serbian slivovitz according to the recipe is plum brandy, which is made using fermented plum juice. The strength depends on the number of distillations. For example, Czechs prefer slivovitz, which is distilled three times. The strength of the drink is 75%.
The first tip for cooking: do not wash the plums thoroughly, as the fermentation process will not start.There are colonies of wild yeast on the skin. They will be able to begin the fermentation process; if the technology is followed, there will be no need to add artificial yeast or additional sugar. Just wipe the fruits with a cloth to remove visible dirt.
Experienced winemakers suggest pre-freezing the fruits so that the drink has a rich taste. Raisins are used for flavor; they will help activate fermentation; raisins contain more natural yeast than plums. There is no need to add artificial yeast, the process will start on its own.
Secrets of making slivovitz at home
Slivovitz is considered a drink of Serbia and other Balkan countries, but every winemaker with little experience can prepare slivovitz at home for consumption at the holiday table. Slivovitz is a refined moonshine that, unlike wine, is distilled and has a high strength. This drink is not inferior in strength to good brandy or cognac, and even surpasses them in taste.
For preparation you need the following ingredients:
- 11 kg plums;
- 9 liters of water;
- sugar to taste varietal sweetness of plums.
For cooking, you need to use not only plums, water, but also sugar, if necessary. It depends on the degree of ripeness of the fruit. Ripe fruits have a sufficient amount of sugar; slivovitz is prepared without the addition of artificial sugars.Sometimes the fermentation process starts without additional sugar syrup; an unripe plum that grew in a rainy year will need additional sweetness.
Homemade plum brandy recipe
To make slivovitz, you need a plum. Any variety is suitable, preferably Egg, Mirabelle, Hungarian. It is advisable to collect the fruits before frost, when the plums are at their most sugary and are not wrinkled around the cuttings. The fruits are suitable: strong, smooth, without signs of disease.
Be sure to sort the fruits and remove moldy or spoiled specimens. The fruits need to be divided into two parts, the seeds removed, this way there will be no bitter aftertaste. Throw away rotten fruits, they will spoil the taste and quality of slivovitz.
It is necessary to prepare the fruits for fermentation; after the fermentation process, a distillation process is necessary. Distillation can be carried out either with a store-bought still or with a home-made moonshine still. It is enough to distill once; experienced winemakers carry out distillation twice. Depends on the quality of distillation. The optimal drink appears only after the drink has been infused for a period of time. The unique drink is infused for 5 years, less at home.
Preparing Ingredients
The most ripe fruits are selected, perhaps even too ripe, but without signs of rot or mold. There is no need to wash the plums, and very dirty specimens just need to be wiped. In this case, wild yeast remains on the peel, which starts the fermentation process.
The fruits, after the seeds are removed, must be crushed into a pulpy state. Fruits for slivovitz at home are most often crushed using a meat grinder or blender. Sometimes - with a wooden mortar.
We put the wort for fermentation
Place crushed pitted plums in the fermentation container. The optimal sugar content should be 18%. Can be measured with a special device. Experienced winemakers determine sugar content by taste. If there is not enough sugar, add it. It is better to do this gradually, 200 g at a time.
After this, the fermentation container should be covered with gauze and placed in a warm place. After a day you can see foam. A sign that the fermentation process has begun. If the process does not start, you need to add another 12 hours.
After the process begins, you need to add water and pour it into another container with a narrower neck. The container should not be filled completely so that there is room for foaming. If you do not provide space, the foam will pour out, excess moisture and an unpleasant odor will form. Therefore, experts recommend removing the “cap” at the time of formation.
Fermentation process
The fermentation process should take place in a dark place, without direct sunlight. The temperature for fermentation should be about 15 °C. At home, the temperature can be raised to + 22 °C. The fermentation time depends on the external temperature. At higher temperatures, 2–4 weeks of fermentation are sufficient, and at 15 degrees the process takes about 8 weeks.
There is no need to stir the wort; the carbon dioxide released does this. But the “cap” that rises upward from the remains of the plum should be regularly removed, since it contains various harmful substances. They affect the digestive system, spoil the taste, and release toxins.
The fermentation process of slivovitz ends when the release of carbon dioxide ceases. This can be seen from the installed water seal. A medical glove with a pierced finger is used as a water seal.Slivovitz is prepared at home according to a simple recipe; it is important to simply wait and control the fermentation process.
Distillation of homemade plum brandy
At home, you need to distill slivovitz twice. The first time it is necessary to distill until the alcohol ceases to be felt in the distillate. In this case, there is no need for fractional distillation, and there is no need to cut off the head and tail elements.
The cutting off of the “tails” and “heads” occurs during the second distillation. It is important that the raw alcohol is diluted to 35%. After the second distillation, according to the rules, the drink reaches 60 degrees. But at the same time, the drink should be diluted to the optimal 45 degrees. Then the drink turns out aromatic, tasty, and pleasant to drink.
100 kg of plums can yield 11 liters of slivovitz. Making slivovitz at home is a simple recipe; it is important to simply follow all the technology and apply the principles of distillation step by step.
Is it necessary to age slivovitz?
In order for slivovitz to truly ripen, it must be aged in oak barrels. If you have such containers and a place where they will stand, the slivovitz will turn out optimal and no different from real Serbian slivovitz. An oak barrel is a universal container that allows you to preserve the drink, imparts a piquant taste and a pleasant aroma. Slivovitz from an oak barrel is a festive, elite drink. This drink is expensive and is sold to tourists in Serbia and the Balkan countries at an inflated price. The minimum ripening period in barrels is 5 years, sometimes the drink matures longer.
At home, glass containers are also used for ripening; the main thing is to follow the storage technology. After distillation, you need to let the slivovitz brew for at least a week.Only then can you start tasting. Tasting at the time of production will not provide an effective understanding of the taste; you will not be able to taste the drink. The drink can be infused for several years.
How to drink slivovitz correctly
Proper drinking of slivovitz, made according to the Serbian recipe, is very important. First of all, you need to understand that this is strong alcohol, which is consumed mainly before meals. Suitable for use with hot meat. Serbs prefer not to take the first glass in order to properly feel all the subtle taste of the drink. Experienced winemakers do not recommend mixing rakia with juices or other drinks, otherwise an unpleasant taste will appear and the delicate aroma will disappear. Potatoes, meat, and bread made from corn flour are used as snacks.
Conclusion
Slivovitz is the national pride of Serbia. Tourists are treated to plum brandy, but you don’t have to visit Serbia to try this wonderful drink. You can make delicious alcohol from plums that grew in your dacha. The recipe is simple, the ingredients are also ordinary, and you can buy a moonshine still for distillation in a store or make it yourself. And the basics of the technology are no different from the production of any fruit alcohol with a strength above 30%. It is important to understand that slivovitz is not a wine, but a stronger drink; production involves a distillation process. This drink is tasty and healthy, but drinking it in large quantities is harmful to health.
