According to the international classification, this brandy (cognac, fr.) Is a strong alcoholic beverage that is produced by special technology from the wine materials of certain grape varieties in the strictly defined geographical boundaries of the region of the Poitou-Charentes region, the Charentes department in France, where the city of Cognac is located where the name came from).
All other similar drinks, including those prepared on the basis of distillates from grape wine, are called brandies.
In the USSR, and subsequently in Russia and other countries of the post-Soviet space, there is an understanding of the issue and even acts GOST R 51618-2009 for a strong drink called "Russian Cognac". According to the technical specifications of GOST, this wine product with a volume fraction of ethyl alcohol is not less than 40.0%. And cognac spirits are obtained by the method of fractionated distillation from wine materials (grape wine) and aged in oak barrels for at least 3 years.
We need to understand, we want to get a drink that is as close as possible to the "Russian Cognac" GOST, described in the technical conditions.
How to make a home-made tasty homemade cognac from cognac?
For distillation, we need wine material, that is, homemade table wine , which has been shed without sugar for 40 days. Better white wine or pink, although possible interesting options and with dark wines.
Preparation of wine
Grape juice is poured into wooden barrels and sealed with a stopper or poured into glass bottles (leaving a little space), close and remove a flexible tube, the end of which is immersed in a container of water (this is called a water lock). In the version with glass containers put the tube on the 2-3rd day, when the juice will ferment. After 40 days we have wine, carefully remove it with yeast with the help of a tube, and can be distilled.
Preparation of distillate
Getting distillate from wine is best through the apparatus with copper parts. The primary distillate obtained is distilled for a second time - now we have the initial product for the domestic "cognac". It would be nice, of course, to subject the distillate to additional purification (precipitation + filtration).
Preparation of the home "cognac"
We measure with alcoholometer the strength of the obtained wine distillate of double purification. If the content of ethyl alcohol is higher than 43% - dilute with pure non-chlorinated water to a concentration of 40 to 43%. Now fill the distillate in a prepared oak barrel. Preliminary it is necessary to prepare a barrel: pour water into it and hold it for several days, to rivet, and then drain the water.
We store the filled kegs in a cellar with medium humidity, periodically turning over, for a minimum of 3 years. If you wait another 2-3 years, the result will be even more interesting, in general, the longer, the better. If you do not have kegs or a cellar or do not want to mess with barrels, you can pour distillate into glass bottles and lay in them dried oak sticks or chips - they will give color and taste. Bottles need, of course, tightly sealed.
To make a quick cognac made of moonshine, instead of oak sticks, put some oak chips in the bottle and fill with prepared distillate (see above). On chips, the process of insisting will go faster - you will see by color. Want even faster - use oak sawdust, only then it is necessary to strain, using effective filters.
In most areas of the post-Soviet space, where grapes are not mass cultivated, people are interested in simpler recipes for making home-made "cognac" from moonshine (usually grain, sometimes fruit or vegetable).
In these cases, we act in the same way as with grape moonshine (see above). The result, of course, will be completely different, but still thanks to manipulations with oak chips or chips, moonshine is, in a certain way, ennobled and acquires additional taste tones. Good results can be obtained with moonshine from fruit raw materials. By the way, the use of sawdust also has a plus, they collect fusel oils.
Well, and the main rule of cooking home-made strong drinks: take your time and do everything carefully, then the results will please you, the domestic and, perhaps, pleasantly surprise your guests.