Cognac is a premier hard liquor made from grapes which is renowned for its refined flavor. Despite the fact that classic recipes are kept in secret, making its homemade counterpart Brandy is actually very easy as it requires most common raw materials. Raisin is just a dried grape which contains a lot of healthy substances. In fact, raisins are as good as fresh grapes and are even several times healthier. That’s why liquor made from dried grapes is not only flavorful but also much more healthy than ones made from fresh berries.
Ingredients
- Raisins – 100 grams
- Vodka – 3 liters
- Oak chips – 1 tsp
- Tea leaves – 1 tsp
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Soda – 0.5 tsp
- 2-3 peppercorns
- 1-2 laurel leaf
- 2-3 prunes
Raisin brandy has a pleasantly mild flavor which is on par with premier types of this beverage. Its making process is very simple, and if you have at least some winemaking experience you won’t have any problems preparing this beverage in your kitchen.Raisin Brandy Recipe
To make raisin brandy you should put all of the required ingredients into an enamel cooking pot and pour them over with vodka. You can also use clarified moonshine instead of vodka.
Start heating the cooking pot on low heat to bring it to 70-80°C.
When the drink is almost boiling remove it from the heat and cool it down. You can add some vanillin—it will add a special cognac aroma, but you can also do without it.
Leave the cooking pot in a place with room temperature in order to make sure that your brandy is cooling down slowly. In a few hours when the temperature is no more than 20°C, you can decant it. In order to do this, use a strainer or several layers of cheesecloth.
Bottle the strained drink, add a few oak chips and raisins, and seal the bottles. Leave the brandy for aging in a cool dark place—the temperature should not exceed 20°C. In a week you can strain the drink again and bottle it once again using clean bottles. You can give your brandy a taste but it’s best to leave it for another 2-3 weeks.
This mild fragrant beverage can be consumed pure or used as a base for cocktails. You can add some cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg to add aroma to your taste.