Making your own hard alcohol, also known as moonshine, can be a dangerous undertaking, but if done with care and common sense it can be an interesting small-scale scientific experiment. Making moonshine is illegal in the United States, except for Missouri, and drinking the final product is discouraged.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Setting Up Equipment
Step 1. Gather the ingredients
It's important to use the right materials when you're making moonshine, as using utensils made from the wrong materials can really backfire. For safety reasons and the best possible way to make an actual moonshine, this set of ingredients:
- Press pan. Use one that you plan not to use for any other purpose, or buy a new pressure cooker specifically for making moonshine.
- Copper pipe. You will need about two yards of pipe that is 1/4 inch wide. These can be purchased at hardware stores or home and garden stores.
- Drill with a tip of at least 1/4 inch, to drill holes in the lid of the press pot.
- 15 gallon (56.8 liter) metal pot.
- Big plastic bucket.
- Cheesecloth..
- 10 pounds of cornstarch, 10 pounds of sugar and 1/2 ounce of yeast.
Step 2. Build the distillate
Drill a hole in the lid of the press pot and make a groove to receive the 1/4 inch copper pipe. Insert the end of the 1/4-inch copper pipe into the hole, being careful that the pipe doesn't project more than an inch in. This is your dew pipe.
- The pipe should be long enough to reach the sink from the pot and extend past the sink down near the floor.
- If you don't want to drill a hole in the lid, you can make a groove out of the vent and stick it with duct tape.
Method 2 of 3: Making the Dough
Step 1. Boil 10 gallons (39.7 liters) of water
Place the pot under the sink and fill it to 2/3 full, then place the pot on the stove and turn the heat to high. Let the water boil.
Step 2. Cook the cornstarch
Add 10 pounds of cornstarch to the water and stir with a wooden spoon or other tool. Let it sit for a few minutes until the water mixes with the cornstarch and hardens to thicken into a paste. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool, then pour it into a clean bucket.
Step 3. Add sugar and yeast
Stir in 10 pounds of sugar and 1/2 ounce of yeast. Use a wooden spoon or other large tool to thoroughly mix the sugar and yeast into the dough.
Bread yeast, beer, naturally occurring yeast or even first fermented dough can be used instead of dry yeast to start the fermentation process
Step 4. Ferment the dough
Loosely cover the pail with cheesecloth and place it in a cool, dark place, such as your cellar, to allow fermentation to occur. Fermentation occurs when yeast metabolizes corn sugar and carbohydrates and produces alcohol.
- A light brown or burning foam will appear on the top of the dough bucket, gradually rising higher each day. When the dough stops working, the sugar is "used up," and you'll see the foam, or "head" no longer rising.
- The dough is ready for the next stage when it has stopped bubbling. At this point the dough is referred to as "sour dough."
Method 3 of 3: Distilling Sour Dough
Step 1. Strain your sourdough through cheesecloth
Place the cloth over the bucket, then turn the bucket over onto a clean bucket or pot. You can also use a wire strainer or a clean white T-shirt to sift through the dough.
Step 2. Pour the filtered dough liquid into the press pan
Cover and place the pot on top of the compote. You can discard the dregs filtered through cheesecloth.
Step 3. Position the copper tubing to create the condenser
Place the copper pipe from the end or vent of the pressure cooker to the sink filled with cold water. Curve the center of the copper pipe in cold water, then bring the other end of the pipe through the sink to a clean container on the floor.
Step 4. Turn on the stove under the pressure cooker
Let the contents heat up to exactly 177 degrees F (80 Celsius) and no more. This is the approximate boiling point of the seed alcohol. When the pressure cooker heats up, the alcohol turns into ethanol vapor, passing through the steam pipe to cool. The resulting liquid drips into a container on the floor. That's moonshine.
- The liquid that comes out of the copper tubing before the pan reaches 177 degrees contains methanol, which vaporizes at a lower temperature than ethanol. This low-temperature boiling liquid should be discarded. Methanol attacks the optic nerve when consumed. You'll probably have to get rid of at least 2 fluid ounces before the ethanol, which can be consumed, starts to appear.
- Keep monitoring the temperature and collecting alcohol until the temperature rises above 177 degrees or drops below that. You should be able to collect about 2 gallons (7.6 liters) of liquid.
Step 5. Transfer the alcohol into the bottle
The finished moonshine has a resistance value of 180 and 190 (90 to 95%) - actually pure seed alcohol. To make this product drinkable, the brewer in charge cut it to half strength by mixing it with pure spring water.
Tips
- Using a hydrometer to test the alcohol content and a thermometer to cook the dough will give better results.
- Most people who make "'shine" do it outdoors, over a fireplace, near a cold stream. This eliminates the dangers of indoor alcohol cooking. The dough, when it "works," has a very strong smell, which is another reason to do it outside.
- Allow the dough to work as long as the head, or foam, appears to be rising, but the dough will ferment and become sour, so about 10 to 14 days is a maximum, depending on the temperature. Yeast works more slowly at lower temperatures.
- Don't invite friends over to your house while the dough is still working. I've personally smelled dough from over a mile away when fishing the creek in moonshine country.
- Keep the tamarind dough covered, but not airtight. A wine bottle with an air lock will work well for this.
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the sole yeast species used in bread and brewer's yeast. Brewer's yeast and Whiskey yeast are carefully treated strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which are more resistant to higher concentrations of ethyl alcohol and take longer to die thereby prolonging their life span and their ethyl alcohol production. Bread and brewer's yeast do not make by-products that will cause fever, blindness, or death. The distiller usually removes the first 5% of the distillate which is called the 'initial shot', (contains esters, methylates and aldehydes). They are unwelcome but not fatal and the smell and taste are naturally a deterrent. On a note, the initial distillation shot never blinded, killed, or hurt anyone, just tasted bad.
Warning
- Using yeast other than high-quality brewer's yeast will produce a certain amount of methanol, which can cause fever, blindness, or death.
- In the unlikely event that someone may accidentally drink the alcohol you brew, do not use aluminum pipes or pans in this process.
- Press pans can be dangerous. Be sure to use a quality stainless steel press pot and always test the lid before distilling the alcohol. This can be done by boiling water through the system and checking for leaks. Do not allow the hose to stop the flow by twisting or it may cause the pan to overfill and break the lid or hose clamp releasing ethanol and a risk of fire if exposed to fire, sparks or hot objects. Never use a modified pan unless used by a professional and properly modified to handle the pressure. The pressure cooker has a silicone rubber coating that is just right to expand and fully cover the pan.
- Cooking moonshine is legal in the United States, but you must have a license and pay taxes.
- Do not take this product, use it for experimental purposes only.
