Natural set for tinctures “French tincture. Traditional French liqueurs, liqueurs, liqueurs (recipes from French grandmothers) French liqueur at home recipe

French cuisine Conventionally, French cuisine can be divided into two main branches - regional folk and refined aristocratic. Dishes that have been prepared over the centuries by residents of various historical regions of the country, for example, Normandy, Burgundy,

French vodka 1st method. Rotten fruits and berries are used, which are poured with water so that it slightly covers them, resulting in a water-fruit mixture. Then grape wine and yeast are added. When everything sours, distill through a cube 3

Pastis(Pastis, emphasis on the second syllable) is a French tincture with alcohol of 38-45% strength, which necessarily includes anise and licorice. The drink may contain other herbs and spices (more than 50 items), but without wormwood. Each manufacturer has its own recipe, which is kept secret. Pastis is very popular in France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Similar alcoholic drinks are the Italian sambuca liqueur, the Greek vodka ouzo and the Middle Eastern arrack.

Any French housewife must keep aniseed vodka in the kitchen, since pastis is suitable not only for drinking in its pure form and for making alcoholic cocktails, it is added to baked goods, meat dishes, and soups. You need to store anise tincture in a cool, dark place, but not in the refrigerator, otherwise the essential oils of anise will crystallize and precipitate.

History of pastis

Despite the fact that this French anise-licorice drink came into fashion after absinthe was banned in most European countries (late 19th - early 20th centuries), pastis appeared much earlier. In the south of Europe in general, and in Provence in particular, cool herbal infusions are highly respected, and pastis can contain up to 50 ingredients, including chamomile, parsley, coriander, speedwell, spinach and anything else - except wormwood. Therefore, “anise” is very similar in taste to absinthe, but much milder in effect and does not pose the threat of insanity due to the narcotic thujone contained in wormwood.

Even the French themselves do not know where the name “pastis” came from. Or rather, they still cannot come to a common opinion. Today there are several main versions:

They say that in Old French the word “pastis” meant “cloudy”, “dirty”, “opaque” - when diluted with water, the liqueur takes on a milky white hue. To be honest, we were not able to check this version: there is no such word in online Old French dictionaries, but perhaps this refers to an earlier version of the language that has not yet been digitized and made publicly available.

According to another version, “pastiche” in the Provençal dialect means “mixture”, “potion” (licorice, anise and other spices are often the basic components of various medicines, so pastis actually tastes like a cough suppressant to some). We were also unable to test this hypothesis.

Finally, from modern French “pastiche” is translated as “fake”, “imitation” - how can one not recall the role of “absinthe substitute” that pastis played at the beginning of the 20th century? Everything is in order here, there really is such a translation, but how it influenced the name of the drink and whether pastiche really transformed into pastis is unknown.

The official date of the appearance of pastis is considered to be 1915 - before that, the drink existed in homemade variations. Despite the common name, we can talk not about one liqueur, but about a disparate series of family recipes, united only by a couple of common ingredients.

Initially, pastis had a strength of 30%, then gradually this parameter was increased to 45%, and during the Second World War it was again reduced to 16%. In 1951, the government lifted the ban on strong alcohol, and therefore a new variety of anise immediately appeared - Pastis 51.

How to drink pastis

Pastis is used, firstly, as an aperitif (a drink served before meals) to whet the appetite before a large meal. Anise, which is part of the composition, improves digestion and relieves stomach pain, so similar tinctures were used for the same purposes back in Ancient Greece.

In addition, pastis is also good as a digestif - that is, an “after-dinner” alcoholic drink. It is drunk after a luxurious feast, before bedtime, or even between meals. Pastis can be eaten with any dish; it is believed that it goes perfectly with fish, for example, tuna in olive oil.

The strength of anise can reach up to 45%. A Russian person, accustomed to stronger drinks, can drink pastis undiluted (the so-called “Marseilles method”), but traditionally it is customary to mix it with ice water in a ratio of 1 to 5. This is the standard ratio, from which you can deviate in any direction, varying degree of anise vodka to your taste.

In general, in the south of Europe, pastis has occupied a niche as beer - it is sipped just like that, while having a leisurely conversation, reading a newspaper or sitting in a rocking chair on the veranda.

Pastis is served in small, thick-bottomed glasses and drunk in small portions. Instead of water, you can mix the drink with juice or syrup, or you can sweeten it with regular sugar through an absinthe spoon: a piece of refined sugar is placed on a special teaspoon with holes and water is poured on top, the resulting solution immediately flows into the anise liqueur.

One of the key properties of this drink, for which the French love and appreciate it, is the feeling of coolness even in the most stifling heat, so pastis is a democratic liqueur that is liked by the working class, respectable bourgeois townspeople, and the aristocracy. This is a strong alcohol, but with a light character, embodying the spirit of France itself. Pastis is still served at formal receptions and family celebrations.

Famous brands. Anisette vodka “Pernod” is well known in France and abroad. It is believed that this is an improved equivalent of absinthe, in no way inferior to the original “green fairy”.

Another popular manufacturer is Ricard. The founder of the company, a 22-year-old young man, Paul Ricard, worked for a year to create the ideal recipe - the pastis options that already existed on the market seemed too cloying to him. In 1932, Ricard created a new formula. Apparently, the young man was a perfectionist - he even drew labels for the first bottles of his anise, and, of course, the success was stunning.

The Ricard recipe is kept in the strictest confidence, and therefore no one has been able to replicate this fresh and perfectly balanced taste. At the moment it is the most popular pastis producer in the world.

Pastis recipe

You can make pastis at home. The result will be a drink that resembles its French counterparts, but do not forget that this is just an imitation.

Ingredients:

• vodka (alcohol 40-45%) – 0.5 liters;
• anise seeds – 1 teaspoon;
• star anise - 2 stars;
• licorice (licorice) – half a teaspoon;
• cumin – 1 teaspoon;
• sugar - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Place all herbs and seeds in a jar.

2. Pour in vodka, stir, and close the lid tightly.

3. Infuse for 14-16 days in a dark place at room temperature. Shake the jar every 4-5 days.

4. Filter the infusion through cheesecloth, squeeze out the herbs well.

5. Add sugar (to taste). Before use, leave for 1-2 days in a cool, dark room to stabilize.

6. Drink homemade pastis neat or dilute with water (it may become cloudy).

Tinctures are made by infusing vodka with various fruits, seeds, spices, aromatic and medicinal herbs. Fresh or dried fruits and plants are infused in alcohol until the essential oils and biologically active substances are transferred to alcohol. The duration of infusion ranges from 2 to 6 weeks; if necessary, the infusion time can be reduced to 7-10 days by increasing the temperature to 50-60 ° C. Tinctures contain up to 30% sugar with a strength of up to 45% vol. Alcohol, they are less sweet, but stronger than liqueurs, have a pleasant taste and can serve as both an alcoholic drink and a healing elixir.

The tincture should be stored in tightly closed dark bottles.

Blackberry tincture

Alcoholized blackberry juice (blackberries - 2.5 kg) - 2 l, sugar syrup - 1.4 l, vanillin - 0.05 g, citric acid - 3 g, water.

Alcoholized blackberry juice with a total content of extractive substances of no more than 200 g is sweetened with 66% sugar syrup and flavored with vanillin. Add citric acid to bring the acidity to 0.4 g/100 ml. The resulting tincture is dark red in color, sweet and sour, with a blackberry aroma, and a strength of more than 20%.

Ginseng tincture

Vodka – 0.5 l, a piece of ginseng, honey – 1 teaspoon.

Infuse vodka on a piece of ginseng root for 2-3 days. If desired, you can add honey. You can add vodka to the tincture 2-3 times.

Tincture of oleaster flowers

Vodka – 1 l, oleaster flowers – 100 g, honey – 1 tbsp. spoon.

Infuse vodka on the flowers of oleaster (pshata) for at least 3 weeks. Mix with bee honey before use.

Tincture with mint, anise and nuts

Vodka – 2 l, mint – 40 g, anise – 40 g, nuts – 40 g.

Add mint, anise, and nuts to vodka and leave in a warm place for 12 days. After this, after straining, you can use it. Then you can again pour half the proportion of vodka into the grounds and leave it in a warm place for 1 month.

Nut tincture

Vodka – 0.5 l, young walnuts – 400 g, honey – 1 tbsp. spoon.

Finely chop young walnuts and infuse them with top quality vodka. Mix with honey before use.

Tavern tincture

For 1 bottle of vodka - 2 tablespoons of honey, 5 blades of bison grass, 5 blades of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon each of oak bark, coriander, thyme.

Pour vodka over honey and stir well. Pour into a bottle and add herbs. Seal the bottle well and keep it in a cool place for 2-3 months. After this, strain through cheesecloth into another bottle, close with a stopper and put in the refrigerator.

Lemon tincture

For 1 bottle of vodka – 2 medium-sized lemons. This is a traditional tincture made from lemon peels.

Wash the lemons and wipe with a dry towel. Using a sharp knife, cut off all the yellow skin, trying to do it as thinly as possible, since the slightest presence of white skin gives the vodka an unpleasant bitter taste. Leave for several days in a warm place, then filter. No need for dark dishes.

Tangerine tincture

0.75 l vodka, 6 tbsp. spoons of dried tangerine peel.

It has a very beautiful, sunny color and excellent taste.

Grind the tangerine peel, pour in high-quality vodka and leave for a week. Refrigerate before use.

Sea tincture

For 0.5 liters of vodka - 20 g of seeds from equal parts by weight of sage, peppermint, galangal and ginger.

Leave for 1 month, then strain and bottle.

Amateur tincture

For 1 bottle of vodka – 6 medium cloves of garlic, 1 pod of red pepper (hot).

Finely chop the garlic, pour into a bottle, add red pepper, pour in vodka, seal tightly and let steep for 3 weeks. Then strain into another bottle, add juice from half a lemon, and close tightly. Keep refrigerated. A component of this tincture can be 1 bay leaf, which gives it a piquant taste.

Tincture “Hunting”

For 1 liter of strong vodka, take 30-40 g of juniper berries, 2 g of ground black pepper, 50 g of dill seeds, 10-12 g of table salt, 40 g of horseradish.

This is a very sharp, strong tincture with a pungent taste and smell.

Infuse for 2 weeks in a warm place, shaking the contents occasionally. Then strain and filter.

Pepper tincture

2 liters of vodka, 70 g pepper, 200-300 g sugar, 3-4 glasses of water.

Pour pepper into vodka, put in a warm place for 2 weeks, strain, dilute with weak syrup, pour into the bottle below the neck, seal, put in a warm place for several weeks. Then carefully drain and bottle.

Rowan tincture

This tincture is prepared with cognac or vodka. Rowan berries should be collected after the first autumn frosts, cleared of stems and poured into bottles at 2/3 of their height. Pour in cognac or vodka, seal and leave for at least 3 weeks in a dark place until the drink acquires a dark brown color and a strong rowan aroma. Strain. Store in well-sealed bottles. No need for dark dishes. To improve the bouquet, you can use this method. Drain the first infusion of cognac or vodka, which has stood for 2-3 weeks, and pour the berries again with the same amount of vodka or cognac. After 3 weeks, drain and mix with the filtered first tincture.

Caraway tincture

Vodka - to taste, 800 g of cumin, sugar - to taste, 3 liters of water.

First prepare caraway water, that is, distill it in a cube, adding caraway seeds.

When consumed, caraway tincture is sweetened and added to vodka.

French liqueur

To prepare this tincture, take a mixture of the following herbs: cardamom, galangal, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and anise, taken 43 g per quarter (holding about 3 liters) bottle of vodka.

Tincture of black currant leaves

One of the most delicious is a tincture made from young, not yet blossomed buds and leaves of black currant (older leaves collected at the beginning of summer also produce a good product). Prepare and store in dark bottles. Buds and leaves should be collected in dry weather; It’s best to put them in a sieve, rinse them lightly to remove dust and, scatter them on a cloth, let them dry slightly. Then fill cleanly washed bottles with them almost to the top, fill them with vodka, cap them tightly and leave them in a warm room for a day. After this, filter through a glass funnel lined with white filter paper or cotton wool. You should not squeeze out the cotton wool, as the dregs may turn into a tincture and the straining will have to be repeated.

With this method, the tincture retains the aroma of the fresh leaf. Wormwood, mint and other tinctures are prepared in the same way.

Healing tincture

1 bottle of vodka, 10 g of propolis, 50 g of pitted prunes, a teaspoon of linden blossom, sweet clover, thyme, mint.

Finely chop the dried prunes, mix with linden blossom, sweet clover, thyme, mint and pour in vodka. Seal the bottle tightly and place in a warm place for 2 months. After this, strain the tincture, add propolis to it, seal it and let it brew for a month.

Apple tincture

2.5 kg of apples, 1.5 liters of vodka, 7.5 liters of water, 2 kg of sugar.

Place peeled and chopped apples in a large bottle, add vodka and chilled water. Tie the neck of the bottle with gauze, place it in the sun for 2 weeks and shake daily. When the apples float to the top, strain the liquid through cheesecloth, add sugar, place in the sun for 2 days, and then take it out to a cold place for 10 days, then strain, pour into bottles, cork, tie the corks with ropes and keep in a cold place.

The drink can be consumed after 3 weeks.

Anisette

Common anise – 4 g, star anise – 0.2 g, cumin – 0.5 g, coriander – 0.2 g, dill (seeds) – 0.5 g, vodka – 2.5 l.

The components are infused for 2 weeks, strained, and poured into bottles. Cool before use.

Orange peel tincture

Orange peel – 180 g, vodka – 2 l, sugar syrup – 3 l, citric acid – 2 g, tartrazine – 20-25 g.

Pour strong vodka over orange peels, leave in a warm place for 1-2 weeks, strain, sweeten with 66% sugar syrup. At the same time, add citric acid and tartrazine to obtain a sweet, fresh orange peel-colored tincture with an acidity of 0.02 g/100 mg and an orange aroma.

Tincture of barberry leaves

Vodka – 1 l, barberry leaves – 200 g.

Place crushed dried barberry leaves in a bottle, fill with vodka, seal and keep at room temperature for 7 days. After a week, drain the tincture and filter well until transparent. Consume in small quantities. This tincture is used in folk medicine as a hemostatic agent for uterine bleeding with a dosage of 30 drops 3 times a day for 2-3 weeks.

Wormwood tincture

Vodka – 1 l, wormwood – 50 g, sugar – 50 g.

Fresh or dried wormwood is poured with vodka, left for 2 weeks, strained, and sugar is added. Poured into bottles and sealed.

Relieves nervous tension.

Birch bud tincture

Vodka – 0.5 l, birch sticks – 50 g, honey – 1 teaspoon.

Take birch sticks and infuse vodka on them for 10 days. Before use, add bee honey if desired.

Birch tincture with propolis

Vodka – 1 l, propolis – 200 g, birch sap – optional.

To prepare birch tincture, you need to grind the propolis, pour it into a bottle and pour in the vodka, shaking it for half an hour. Then leave, shaking occasionally, for three days. If desired, the tincture can be diluted with birch sap before use.

Lingonberry-cherry liqueur

Cognac – 150 ml, vodka 2 l, lingonberries – 3.5 kg, cherries – 600 g, sugar syrup – 2.5 l, citric acid.

Pour fresh lingonberries and cherries into a bottle, add selected cognac, vodka and let it brew. Then sweeten with 66% sugar syrup, citric acid, bring the acidity of the tincture to 0.5 g / 100 ml. The resulting forest tincture is sweet and sour, with a pleasant slight bitterness, a complex aroma of lingonberries and cherries, and reddish-brown.

Cherry tincture

Vodka – 0.5 l, cherry juice with sugar – 250 ml, water – 250 ml.

Place washed cherries without stems in a wide-necked bottle, fill with sugar up to the neck, cover with gauze, tie and place in the sun for 30-49 days. Mix the resulting cherry juice (0.7 kg of sugar per 1 kg of cherries) with boiled water and vodka.

Cherry stem tincture

Vodka – 1 l, cherry stalks – 250 g, sugar – 100 g.

Wash the stalks, dry them, pour them into a wide-necked bottle, add sugar syrup, shake, tie the neck of the bottle with gauze and leave in the room for 30 days. After this, pour vodka into the bottle, mix, leave for 2 days, strain through cheesecloth.

Mint tincture

Vodka – 1 l, mint leaves – 50 g.

Fresh mint leaves, collected in dry weather, are crushed, poured with vodka, and left for 2 weeks. Strain and bottle. The tincture has a beautiful green-emerald color, increases appetite, improves digestion.

“Erofeich” (one of many recipes)

2 g each of flowers and herbs: oregano, St. John's wort, lovage (dawn), sage, wormwood, lemon balm, yarrow, thyme, young leaves of strawberry, apple and pear, hawthorn flowers, 0.5 g each of cardamom and anise (14 components in total) , 1 liter of good vodka.

Leave for 2-3 months, drain, filter, pour into dark bottles and seal. The tincture improves tone and relieves nervous tension.

Tincture of walnut partitions

Vodka – 1 l, bee honey – 2 tbsp. spoons, walnut partitions, water - 0.5 l.

Place the walnut partitions in vodka and leave for 2-3 days. Then mix with cold boiled water and honey.

Tincture with English pepper “Bitter Tears”

Vodka – 2 l, pepper – 70 g, sugar – 200-300 g, water – 3-4 glasses.

Take vodka, add English or plain pepper, put in a warm place for 2 weeks, strain, dilute with weak sugar syrup, strain, pour the tincture with pepper into the bottle below the neck, cap it, put in a warm place for several weeks to let the mixture infuse, drain carefully and bottle.

Orange colorless bitters

Vodka - 1 l, dried orange peel - 2.4 g, sugar - to taste.

Pour dried orange peels into the bottle and add vodka. Leave for 2 weeks, shaking occasionally. After this, add sugar to taste.

Ancient tincture of sage, ginger, calancha

Vodka – 2 l, sage – 25 g, ginger – 25 g, kalancha – 25 g, water – 1.5 l.

Pour vodka over ginger, kalancha and sage. Then let it brew for 18 days. After this period, add spring water to the tincture and filter.

Healing tincture

Vodka – 0.5 l, various medicinal herbs – 51.5 g, granulated sugar – 50 g.

To prepare the elixir, you need to take 1/2 g of: celery seeds, caraway seeds, anise; 1 g each: elderberry flowers, sweet peas, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, St. John's wort; 2 g each: cinnamon, rose petals, ginger, fragrant tea, coffee, rum essence, cherry essence, mint drops, pear essence, plum essence, barberry essence; 3 g each: partitions of nuts, tarragon (tarragon), thyme (urtsa); 4 g each: cilantro, parsley seeds, dill seeds. Boil all the listed components of the drink over low heat, cool, and strain. Then add sugar and strong vodka to the mixture, pour into bottles, seal and set for aging. The drink relieves general weakness of the body.

Apple-honey tincture

Vodka – 1.5 l, apples – 1.5 kg, sugar – 200 g, natural honey – 50 g, water – 1.5 l.

Infuse vodka on apples for several days, add sugar, honey, water - to taste. The prepared tincture with a strength of no more than 25%, with sugar 3 g/100 mg, acidity 0.23 g/100 ml, yellow in color with a golden hue, sweet and sour taste and aroma of apple with honey.

Herbal honey tincture

1 liter of vodka, 4 tbsp. spoons of honey, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of oak bark, coriander seeds, dried thyme, lemon balm, bison.

Stir honey with vodka and pour herbs over it, seal the bottle, and place in a cool place for 2-3 months. Strain, pour into bottles, seal. Store in a dark, cool place.

Gooseberry tincture

2 kg of gooseberries, 2 liters of vodka, 2-3 slices of rye bread, jam syrup.

Pour the gooseberries into a bottle, add water, spread the bread with thick jam, dry on a wire rack and add to the bottle. The bottle is tightly sealed and placed in a dark, cool place for 4 months.

Pear-currant tincture

100 g dried pears, 100 g raisins, 100 g young currant leaves, 2 liters of vodka.

Place in a bottle, place in a dark place for 1 month, shake periodically. Filter the finished tincture, pour into bottles, and seal.

Apricot tincture

2 kg apricot, 250 g sugar, cinnamon, cloves, 1 liter of vodka.

The apricot pulp is cut into slices, the kernels are crushed in a mortar, sugar and 5-6 cloves are added. and cinnamon on the tip of a knife, pour vodka and leave for 1 month. Then filter, bottle, seal and place in a dark, cool place.

Healing walnut tincture

0.5 liters of good Cahors, 2.5 cups of walnut kernels, 5 lemons, 750 g of aloe leaves, 1 kg of honey and butter.

Nuts, lemons with peels but without seeds, aloe leaves are passed through a meat grinder, everything is mixed. Store in a dark, cool place. For diseases of the lungs and bronchi, take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals for 10-15 days. According to the doctor's recommendation, repeat the course after 2 weeks.

Beetroot tincture

0.5 liters of beet juice, 0.5 kg of honey, 0.5 liters of vodka.

Mix thoroughly, place in a cool, dark place for 3-4 days, shake periodically. To remove kidney stones, take 1 tablespoon diluted in 0.5 cups of hot water for a month. On the recommendation of a doctor, the course is repeated after two weeks. The tincture is stored in a dark, cool place.

Vitamin tincture

1 cup beet juice, 1 cup carrot juice, 1/2 lemon juice, 1/2 cup cranberry juice, 1 cup honey and 100 ml alcohol.

Mix thoroughly and leave for 3-4 days in a cool, dark place, shaking occasionally. For hypertension and as a general tonic, take 1 tablespoon three times a day before meals for 1.5-2 months.

Garlic tincture

350 g chopped garlic, 200 ml alcohol (96% vol.)

They insist for 10 days. Take with milk (1/4 cup) 3 times a day from 1 to 15 drops, increasing by 1 drop with each dose, and then decreasing to 1 drop. The remaining tincture is taken 25 drops per day. Garlic tincture is an excellent cleansing and restorative agent that helps remove lime and fat deposits from the body, relieves vascular spasms, and actively improves metabolic processes.

Preparation of moonshine and alcohol for personal use
absolutely legal!

After the collapse of the USSR, the new government stopped the fight against moonshine. Criminal liability and fines were abolished, and the article banning the production of alcohol-containing products at home was removed from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. To this day, there is not a single law that prohibits you and me from engaging in our favorite hobby - preparing alcohol at home. This is evidenced by the Federal Law of July 8, 1999 No. 143-FZ “On the administrative liability of legal entities (organizations) and individual entrepreneurs for offenses in the field of production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products” (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 1999, No. 28 , art. 3476).

Extract from the Federal Law of the Russian Federation:

“The effect of this Federal Law does not apply to the activities of citizens (individuals) producing products containing ethyl alcohol for purposes other than sale.”

Moonshining in other countries:

In Kazakhstan in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offenses dated January 30, 2001 N 155, the following liability is provided. Thus, according to Article 335 “Manufacture and sale of home-made alcoholic beverages”, illegal production of moonshine, chacha, mulberry vodka, mash and other alcoholic beverages for the purpose of sale, as well as the sale of these alcoholic beverages, entails a fine in the amount of thirty monthly calculation indices with confiscation of alcoholic beverages , apparatus, raw materials and equipment for their manufacture, as well as money and other valuables received from their sale. However, the law does not prohibit the preparation of alcohol for personal use.

In Ukraine and Belarus things are different. Articles No. 176 and No. 177 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses provide for the imposition of fines in the amount of three to ten tax-free minimum wages for the production and storage of moonshine without the purpose of sale, for the storage of devices* for its production without the purpose of sale.

Article 12.43 repeats this information almost word for word. “Production or acquisition of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), storage of apparatus for their production” in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses. Clause No. 1 states: “The production by individuals of strong alcoholic drinks (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), as well as the storage of devices* used for their production, will entail a warning or a fine of up to five basic units with confiscation of the specified drinks, semi-finished products and devices."

*You can still purchase moonshine stills for home use, since their second purpose is to distill water and obtain components for natural cosmetics and perfumes.