Moonshine was invented by the French in order to save money. When taxes on wine began to be introduced (William raised taxes on wine, someone smart overtook the wine (it is believed that this is Chevalne de Croix), poured it into oak barrels and took it to Holland, and since the path was not close and the heavy moonshine brewed became cognac, then this idea (to withstand wine spirit, i.e., moonshine in barrels) was picked up by the Scots and whiskey appeared.In Russia, strong liquor was banned until the 17th century under Vasily II, it was brought by the Dutch as a medicine for washing wounds.Under Ivan Vasilyevich IV (the Terrible) for the appearance of a drunk on the street, they were flogged publicly with a whip, if this was repeated, they were given a "drunk medal" upon presentation of which they poured it into all taverns for free, but it was forbidden to take it off (it was chained to the neck and weighed 16 kg). taken out of the capital, and a complete ban on the sale of wine to women of all ages and classes and adolescents
Moonshine is a strong drink that was common in Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. It was under him that the first tavern was created, which was located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. Only guardsmen, who were popularly called “royal dogs”, could feast in a tavern. They were proud of this right: drunk and smart - two lands in it. At that time, orders were not given, and the heroes were awarded the royal ladle. The owner of this ladle drank everywhere for free - exactly as much as he could scoop up at one time. There were many hunters who wanted to run into the "king's tavern" in order to sip on alcohol, the "drink of the guardsmen", because the forbidden fruit is always sweeter. Russian moonshine of the first half of the 19th century often surpassed English whiskey and French cognac in quality. They drove it slowly, not bringing the "mash race" to half of its original volume. For the sake of quality, up to 95% of the original raw materials were lost. From 1,200 liters of mash, which contained about 350 kilograms of grain and rye malt, about 20 kilograms of yeast, at the first distillation, only about 40 liters of “bread wine” came out. After cleaning with milk and egg white and re-distillation, approximately 20 liters of good alcohol came out. After cleaning and dilution, again, no more than 20–30 liters of moonshine vodka was obtained. Such a drink was literally more expensive than gold. Each large noble estate had its own secrets of moonshine distillation, distillation of the 18th-19th centuries was nominal and was not of a commercial nature. The history of the apparatus itself is lost in the darkness of time. The beginning was laid in those days when they learned to separate liquid substances from each other by means of evaporation, then condensation. Thus separating the more volatile from the heavy ones. This was a trivial procedure in the practice of alchemists. Do you remember those glass flasks with gurgling liquid and coils leaving them. Throughout its history, moonshine has been obtained in various ways using an incredible number of devices, ranging from huge, almost industrial sizes, to compact, miniature devices. Depending on the size and volume of the product produced, they were divided into "public" and personal.
Moonshine is a strong drink that was common in Russia during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. It was under him that the first tavern was created, which was located on the territory of the Moscow Kremlin. Only guardsmen, who were popularly called “royal dogs”, could feast in a tavern. They were proud of this right: drunk and smart - two lands in it. At that time, orders were not given, and the heroes were awarded the royal ladle. The owner of this bucket drank everywhere for free - exactly as much as he could scoop up at one time. There were many hunters who wanted to run into the "king's tavern" in order to sip on alcohol, the "drink of the guardsmen", because the forbidden fruit is always sweeter.
Russian moonshine of the first half of the 19th century often surpassed English whiskey and French cognac in quality. They drove it slowly, not bringing the "mash race" to half of its original volume. For the sake of quality, up to 95% of the original raw materials were lost. From 1,200 liters of mash, which contained about 350 kilograms of grain and rye malt, about 20 kilograms of yeast, at the first distillation, only about 40 liters of “bread wine” came out.
After cleaning with milk and egg white and re-distillation, approximately 20 liters of good alcohol came out. After cleaning and dilution, again, no more than 20-30 liters of moonshine vodka was obtained. Such a drink was literally more expensive than gold. Each large noble estate had its own secrets of moonshine brewing, distillation of the 18th-19th centuries was nominal and was not of a commercial nature.
The history of the apparatus itself is lost in the darkness of time. The beginning was laid in those days when they learned to separate liquid substances from each other by means of evaporation, then condensation. Thus separating the more volatile from the heavy ones. This was a trivial procedure in the practice of alchemists. Do you remember those glass flasks with gurgling liquid and coils leaving them.
Throughout its history, moonshine has been obtained in various ways using an incredible number of devices, ranging from huge, almost industrial sizes, to compact, miniature devices. Depending on the size and volume of the product produced, they were divided into "public" and personal. If the unit was large and capable of producing moonshine in large quantities in a short period of time, then most often it was used by all the inhabitants of the small point where it was located, in turn.
Obtaining moonshine is based on evaporation, and then condensation and withdrawal into a separate dish of the lightest fraction in the fermented mash - alcohol.
And the basic design looks like this:
* vessel with mash;
* coil;
* device for cooling the coil.
From the old "recipes": "From 1 pound of flour and 1/2 yeast (you can also take hops) you get about 1 bucket of moonshine sivuha with a strength of approximately 25 degrees.
The first portions of the alcoholic liquid distilled from the fermented bread wort give the strongest alcohol - "pervach" or "flammable" (burns), the second portion - "vtoryak" - is weaker and the third - "tretyak" - even weaker, so that the total mixture is an alcoholic drink a strength of 25 degrees.
In the city, it was simply unthinkable to use overall units in apartment conditions, which led to the modernization of this device and a decrease in its size. Immediately they received a division according to the method of heating, into electric and open fire.
But the coil can also be excluded, which makes it possible to simplify the design of the moonshine still to the point of impossibility, but at the same time, the manufacturing technology will become slightly more complicated, requiring a little more attention to its process.
Despite the huge number of varieties of moonshine stills, the most widespread are units created on the basis of a simple milk can. This happened due to the fact that this vessel is already equipped with all the necessary hermetic properties.
The vodka of the Sheremetevs, Yusupovs, Kurakins, Razumovskys was far superior in quality to Scotch whiskey and French cognac. It was this moonshine that Catherine II sent as a gift to Gustav III, Frederick the Great, Voltaire and Carl Linnaeus.
Why did the quality of vodka deteriorate sharply by the end of the 19th century? This was not due to "diversity", "poverty" and "ignorance", as one of the heroes of Venya Erofeev claims, but, on the contrary, with the abolition of serfdom and the improvement of the well-being of some of it. It was until 1861 that vodka was driven slowly, spending a huge amount of raw materials. After all, the grain was free, the labor of the peasant distillers was unpaid, firewood was free.
Moonshine vodka had an extremely high status. It was this vodka that became a thing of the past with the abolition of serfdom. Under the new conditions, its value would exceed 100 times the cost of the most expensive Scotch whiskey.
Moonshine was made from untreated river, lake or spring water of a certain taste and degree of hardness, and from frost-resistant Central Russian rye. For centuries, special collectible yeasts have been grown for sourdough. In the 18th century, birch, linden, beech or oak charcoal began to be used for cleaning. Filtration through freshly baked rye bread, purification with protein, milk was used. Sometimes - freezing in barrels. The ice that settled on the walls of the barrel took away harmful impurities. Such vodka was called Russian frostbite.
Moonshine is an exclusively Russian strong drink. This brand is still not promoted by anyone, despite the fact that moonshine has been widely known in Russia since the 15th century. Initially, moonshine vodka was not an intoxicating drink, but a medicinal infusion, in this sense it is found in the Novgorod Chronicle of 1533. Traditionally, moonshine vodka of four varieties was produced in Russia: “simple wine”, “good wine”, “boyar wine” (highest grade) and “double wine” (special strength).
Now ordinary moonshine vodka is made from starch, sugar, cereals, cereals, legumes, potatoes, grapes, sugar beets, fruits, berries by adding yeast and water, followed by fermentation and distillation, that is, the operation of extracting ethyl alcohol by heating the mash to the boiling point followed by cooling of the alcohol vapor.
Today's quality of vodka can't even come close to what rich people drank a couple of hundred years ago. All this is a consequence of a change in the "social status" of moonshine vodka. In the 20th century, it began to be perceived not as a noble drink, but as a folk one.
Moonshine vodka is generally outlawed. Factory production inevitably works in the mode of saving raw materials. Therefore, in the second half of the 19th century, vodka was replaced by muddy slurry, which the people then called "sivoldai", "silvuple", "French of the fourteenth grade", "royal Madeira", "how did I upset you", "thinner than water", "corrupt mind ”,“ Orphan’s tears ”,“ iliac ”,“ quack ”,“ miserable ”,“ stick your tongue ”,“ do not ask for purity. These most orphan tears appeared when vodka became the monopoly of the state. Monopoly vodka was sold in taverns, of which there were 87,388 in Russia in 1859, and after 1863 their number exceeded half a million. Now we live in accordance with folk wisdom: "Born in a tavern, baptized in wine."
FROM THE HISTORY
In Russia, the broad masses of the people until the 16th century were still slightly affected by alcohol; the people were sober, and they were allowed only on major holidays to brew intoxicating drinks - mash, honey. Imported grape wine, which princes, boyars and merchants drank, was completely inaccessible to the people, since it was very expensive.
But from the 16th century, cheap grain vodka, which had penetrated into Russia from abroad, began to spread among the people; at that time, Tsar Boris Godunov set up state-owned taverns of the Tsar.
In Russia, they also learned how to extract pure alcohol and prepare vodka. Since then, all Russian governments have promoted drunkenness for profit. Alcoholic beverages have become a major source of state revenue, as the people have begun to consume vodka on a large scale and unbridled.
In the 16th and 17th centuries. the government had its own taverns. The sellers appointed by the government were obliged to receive certain sums assigned to them from the sale of vodka. In support of their obligations, they took an oath by kissing objects of worship - the cross and the gospel, which is why they were called "kissers" (this name was retained by the owners of drinking establishments until very recently). If they did not earn the necessary sums, then they were put on the "right", that is, they were beaten on the legs with batogs on the square.
* The first tavern was opened in Moscow, in the area on Balchug, by Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible for his guardsmen.
* Moscow and the Moscow province drank the most.
Income from the sale of alcoholic beverages was then about 1/3 of all government revenue. In the last years before the First World War, the peoples of Russia spent more than one billion rubles on alcoholic beverages, of which about 900 million rubles were spent on vodka alone. These 900 million rubles, which were received by the state wine monopoly, and which are almost 4 times more than the modern single agricultural tax, were paid almost exclusively by workers and peasants, as if in the form of an additional tax, since they were then the main consumers of cheap vodka.
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In times of persecution of whiskey producers in Scotland and massive tax pressure, the fact of violating the law banning moonshine (that is, whiskey) brewing was the very presence of a moonshine still (in the original pot still). Just like in 1985 in the USSR.
And then one day a peasant was tried, who was found to have a whiskey machine.
The judge stands up and speaks.
- Your guilt regarding the illegal production of whiskey is proved by the presence of the apparatus. Would you like to confess to the court in any other offenses that are not known to us?
The peasant, after a moment's thought, rises and speaks.
- Probably - yes, your honor. I'm ready to confess to rape.
- AS?! Have you raped anyone else?
- Actually, not yet. But anyway, I have the device.
Good day, our dear and beloved readers! You probably wondered what moonshine is, how did it appear in the history of Russia, and how moonshine differs from vodka? And today we will answer all your questions.
Moonshine is a traditional and primordially Russian drink that gained fame throughout the planet and was widely distributed in Russia in the early 15th century. Moonshine is a vapor of cold alcohol, released as a result of heating and long boiling of the alcohol mass. Alcoholic mass (i.e. mash) is obtained as a result of the preparation of moonshine by fermentation of sugar, apples, pears and other various products containing sugar or saccharified starch substances.
Let's delve a little into the history of the appearance of the original Russian alcoholic drink!
Initially, the use of moonshine was taken not as a drink from alcohol, but as a medicinal, medical tincture. In its definition, the drink is described in the Novgorod Chronicle dated 1533. In those days, moonshine was produced in Russia from four types of “simple wine” and “good wine” (drinks of medium strength), “2nd wine” (moonshine vodka of a special strength), “borsk wine” (a drink of the highest grade). Russian moonshine start XIX century surpassed such alcoholic beverages as English whiskey and French cognac in terms of manufacturing quality. I would also like to note that in the days of Ancient Russia, moonshine was more expensive than gold itself! Each noble estate had its own secrets and recipes for making this very strong drink. Moonshine production 19th - 19th For centuries it was nominal and it was not sold.
It was under Ivan the Terrible that the first tavern was opened, in which the main drink was, of course, our Russian moonshine, which kept. But there were also some reservations about visiting this drinking establishment. Only guardsmen or otherwise "royal dogs" could visit this tavern. In the times of Ancient Russia, medals and orders were not awarded for various feats, but the royal ladle was presented. Thanks to such “orders”, the owner could, in various places, in any tavern, drink as much moonshine for free as he could scoop into a ladle just once!
moonshine
For the preparation of moonshine vodka raw materials are needed. The composition of alcohol should include only available components in a certain region or region. Depending on the composition, various types of moonshine are subdivided, for example, as: fruit and berry or fruit, grain, beetroot, etc. In addition to the main component from which mash is made, vodka also contains candied starch, water and, of course, sugar. In cooking, yeast sourdough is often used. One hundred grams of moonshine contains more than 67 g of water, 33.4 g of alcohol, 0.1 ash, 1 mg of calcium and 10 mg of sodium.
The difference between vodka and moonshine is that moonshinein its composition it has a lot of various impurities, which give it such a specific taste and smell. While vodka smells a little weaker and is easier to drink. That is, the less impurities in the drink, the closer it is to vodka.
Precautionary measures
Do not forget also that any alcoholic drink brings some harm to the human body. The harm of moonshine is more obvious than its benefits. As a result of the distillation of the alcohol-containing mass, fusel oil is formed (a toxic impurity, which in turn causes various convulsions), amyl alcohol (inhibits brain activity) and many other toxic substances. We especially want to emphasize that moonshine causes considerable harm to the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract, as a result of which the membrane becomes thinner and can lead to gastric bleeding or ulcers.
But there is no bad and no good. Some moonshine lovers claim that there are real benefits to moonshine made according to old family traditions and recipes. Just some 40-50 grams of moonshine vodka will help to avoid various colds. Also in medicine, there are a large number of recipes for compressors from moonshine and rubbing for joint pain, colds, fever.
Throughout its long history, moonshine has been made in many ways. To this day, the so-called "homemade moonshine" has remained. There is also this strong drink, but it is believed that factory-made moonshine cannot be compared in terms of production quality and taste with home-made options!
Dear readers of the blog, we draw your attention to the fact that we do not promote the use of alcoholic beverages!
History is silent about who exactly invented the moonshine still. It is only known that the first successful distillation experiments were made in the Arab countries. They were used to separate a mixture of liquids into individual fractions. In the Middle Ages, the corresponding techniques were widely used by alchemists for experiments to create new substances.
Of course, a modern stainless steel moonshine is different from the technique that was used hundreds of years ago. However, the main components of the equipment perform similar functions. Some of the most successful designs are still being created using ancient technologies and drawings. They may surprise an inexperienced user with their special shapes, but upon closer examination, most of them can be found: a container into which the mash is poured, a coil and its cooling system, a distillation column, or another type of distiller. The main principles in this case are as follows: the formation of steam from a mixture of initial products, its subsequent condensation, the separation of alcohol and its accumulation in a container.
Let's get back to history. In Russia, intoxicating drinks were mainly brewed. Medovukha, mash, and other similar products were created by ordinary people, and they were used only on holidays. Sovereigns and nobles had more financial opportunities. They could afford to buy grape wines. Around the middle of the 16th century, deliveries from neighboring countries of vodka made on the basis of grain crops began. The main promoter of new strong drinks was the tsar himself, Boris Godunov. It was he who opened the network of the first drinking establishments operating under the control of the state. At the same time, the corresponding technology began to be used by other, not only state-owned manufacturers.
Beginning of the 17th century. This time can be characterized as a period of rapid growth of home brewing. Of course, then the components were much more expensive than they are today. That was the main limitation. Nevertheless, in the period under review, almost every large settlement had at least one moonshine still, special recipes were created and used, the most successful of which were kept in the strictest confidence.
"Kissers". This name was given to special sellers. They worked only with state-owned vodka and were appointed by authorized state bodies. Such merchants kissed the Orthodox cross and the Gospel when they swore honesty and promised to sell only these products for a fixed rate of return.
At all times, income from the sale of alcoholic beverages in Russia has been a significant share of the budget. The first state-owned royal taverns were created by Ivan the Terrible, but they were rather intended to ensure the loyalty of the guardsmen. Later, such establishments became sources of profit. Before the outbreak of the First World War, more than 30% of the total income of the state was precisely these receipts.
Soviet period. It is distinguished by a more rigid position of the authorities in relation to moonshine. It was all sorts of prohibitions, in particular, that led to the fact that relatively compact models of moonshine stills became more popular, in which the coil was removed, and a rectifier was used. Some simplification of the design was accompanied by a complication of the process. The owner needed more attention to get a good result.
Currently, there are no restrictions on the use of this technique for personal use. A modern online store of moonshine stills is the widest range of various designs, models, modifications. Here, anyone can find the perfect set of equipment for themselves, which will allow them to create excellent products of the highest quality.
Let's start right away by debunking the myth: moonshine is not a “palenka”, not a “badyaga”, not such a low-quality alcoholic drink, as it is commonly referred to. Why do we think so? You can find out from this article.
First, let's turn to the history of moonshine
To do this, we will need to travel back to the time of Ivan the Terrible. It was then that the first tavern in Russia was created, but only guardsmen were allowed to visit it. There was no way for the common people. Moreover, they drank alcohol only on holidays, and then not on all. For Easter, Christmas and Dmitrov Saturday. And they didn't have much choice of alcohol. I had to make moonshine.
For this reason, we believe that moonshine is our Russian drink. But it is not so. Of course, we drank and drink it in fairly large quantities, but, firstly, we did not invent this drink.
Unfortunately, it is not known for certain who, where and when invented the moonshine still and, in fact, the moonshine itself. Primitive distillers were still in ancient Babylon. And besides, moonshine was obtained in a variety of ways at different times. The device itself has been constantly upgraded. Yes, and until now, craftsmen use the same principle of home brewing, but everyone makes the apparatus in their own way.
Secondly, moonshine is not the name of the drink, but rather the way it is prepared. Therefore, you should not consider it of low quality (unless you bought it in a dark, dark alley, in a dark, dark house, in a dark, dark apartment from dark, dark people). And, importantly, other countries have their own moonshine. Only they call it differently and treat them more respectfully. For example, Greek brandy. Why not a decent drink?
Many other drinks are produced according to the moonshine principle. Let's say grappa, calvados, chacha. You will be surprised, but brandy, whiskey, gin and rum have a similar principle.
Moreover, in Russia a lot of moonshine is produced and not from the "under the floor". Many vodka companies have added this drink to their product range.
So we propose to stop treating moonshine disrespectfully. You can, for example, buy moonshine at the WineStreet store.
