The story of the appearance of tinctures, without exaggeration, is connected with magic, because the ancient healers were considered sorcerers and magicians - most likely, they had the idea of preparing medicinal potions that were prepared from herbs, roots, leaves and fruits. At first it was water infusions.
Later, with the advent of alcohol, they began to prepare medicinal tinctures with a longer shelf life.
The peak of the spread of medicinal tinctures occurred in the Middle Ages, and their secret recipes, leaving the walls of the monasteries, gradually changed so much that a new function was added to their therapeutic purpose - to serve as an element of a feast, to provide fun and pleasure.
During this period, the range of tinctures expanded so much that this category of drinks practically does not lend itself to precise classification.
In addition to tinctures, for example, liqueurs and balms are known - alcoholic drinks similar in technology to tinctures.
Appearing as a medicine on the territory of our country in the tenth century, the technology of tinctures eventually began to be used to improve the smell of moonshine.
Continuing to play the role of medicine, the tincture turned into a new, improved alcoholic beverage, and the list of ingredients for its preparation has expanded significantly - in addition to herbal ingredients, fruits and berries, honey began to be added to the composition of the drink.
Homemade tincture of apples - basic technological principles
The essence of the process of preparing tinctures is to extract - dissolve the substances that make up the plant material in alcohol, vodka and other strong alcoholic drinks. The higher the degree of the alcoholic beverage, which plays the role of a solvent, the faster and better the color and aroma of the plant components will pass into the alcohol-containing liquid. This is the essence of the process.
To prepare homemade tinctures from apples, you also need to get acquainted with other methods that can speed up the extraction process and significantly improve its quality.
Raw material preparation
As herbal components are used as dried herbs, roots, spices, and fresh leaves, flowers and fruits. In addition, fruit juices, syrups, fruit and berry extracts can serve as the ingredients of tinctures - they help improve the taste, aromatize the drink, and with the help of liquid components, water or fruit based, the tincture strength is regulated.
Fruit tinctures, as a rule, they are created on the basis of one fruit component, although their combination with spicy additives is often allowed. For example, homemade tincture of apples with cinnamon is a classic compositional combination. There are other examples - apple and mountain ash, apple and mint. An apple is a fruit that has a neutral taste and aroma, so it’s not difficult to pick components for it.
For the preparation of tinctures raw materials must be carefully sorted, washed and dried, if it comes to fresh raw materials. The next step is the grinding of plant ingredients. It is important. The smaller the parts, the better and faster all the substances contained in them are extracted into the alcohol base.
Mix juices and syrups thoroughly with an alcohol base, and after a few hours, the drink, called "alcoholized juice", is ready to drink. Alcoholic juices are also instant tinctures, although by technology this type of tinctures is more like mixing (making a cocktail) rather than extraction.
Methods for accelerating extraction
In addition to the preliminary grinding of plant and fruit raw materials, there are other methods by which you can accelerate the ripening of the alcohol extract.
Optional mechanical method acceptable at home - mixing or, in the professional language, centrifugal extraction. Ideal for this purpose is suitable - stationary blender. But you can use it only at the first stage of preparing homemade tinctures from apples. Along the way, the blender will additionally chop apples. But the blender does not close so tightly to prevent leakage of aromatic substances and vitamins. Therefore, keeping a drink in it during the entire ripening period is not permissible, and the constant pouring of tinctures from the storage container into the blender does not contribute to improving the quality of tinctures. But this method can be used if you place a mixture of alcohol and herbal ingredients in a tightly closed jar and mix it periodically with shaking.
In addition, a jar of extract can be placed in a pot of water, and accelerate the extraction of tinctures by heating. This method is also used in the industrial production of tinctures.
Duration of Infusion - from 7-10 days to 2-6 months. Such terms are due to the density of the extracted raw materials, the method of its processing, and the strength of the solvent (alcohol). High concentration of tincture can be achieved by the gradual addition of components.
The finished alcoholic extract is thoroughly filtered, after which it is diluted with water, juices and brought to the required strength.
The final touch of any tincture is sweetening. For this, sugar and honey are used. Sometimes, for the preparation of homemade tinctures from apples, stevia and fructose are used as sweeteners, so that tincture can be used by people suffering from diabetes. The amount of sweeteners, in fact, depends on the compiler of the specific recipe. But in general, tinctures are bitter, semi-sweet and sweet. That is, sugar can not be added to the tincture at all or its quantity can be adjusted to taste. In any homemade tincture of apples, sugar is present in any case, since it is present in fruits, from 10 to 20%. That is, homemade tincture of apples can not be bitter. The ratio of sugar and alcohol in a homemade tincture of apples can be adjusted, both the volume of apples and alcohol, and the addition of sweeteners. In addition to sugar content, tinctures are classified by strength. Typically, the alcohol content in tinctures is 18-25%, for medicinal tinctures and balms, this figure can reach 50% and higher.
1. Homemade tincture of apples with cinnamon, semisweet
Composition:
Vodka (40%) 0.7 L
Apples, sweet 1 kg
Sugar 150 g
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cooking:
Pour vodka into a jar (2.0 L), put sugar and a stick of cinnamon. For homemade tinctures from apples, it is advisable to choose ripe and fragrant fruits. They need to be washed, cored, damaged and cut into small cubes, or thin plates. Immediately, as you cut, put the pieces in a jar of vodka, avoiding their oxidation. Seal the jar tightly and keep it on a shelf in one of the kitchen cabinets, remembering to shake the contents daily. It is advisable to do this more often, 2-3 times a day. After a month, you can taste the drink. If it doesn’t work, add the peel removed from the new portion of apples to the jar and hold the jar for another month. Add sugar if desired. If the cinnamon flavor is bright enough, then remove the cinnamon stick from the can. When the taste is fully satisfied, pass the contents of the jar through a dense filter. You can squeeze the thick. Pour the tincture into the jar again. Let it stand for 2-3 days, so that you can make sure that the filtration was carried out qualitatively. If a precipitate appears, repeat the filtration. After pour the finished tincture into a bottle.
2. Homemade tincture of apples and mountain ash
Composition:
Rowan berries 0.5 kg
Sugar 300 g
Peeled apples (peeled) 1 kg
Alcohol (70%) 0.5 L
Order of preparation:
In washed enameled dishes, put washed and sampled berries, "without ponytails." Add finely chopped apples and sugar. Let the fruit stand for the juice to stand out. Warm the mass to a temperature of 35-40 ° C and, having transferred to a jar, fill with alcohol. Close the jar immediately with a lid. Warm the tincture for a week, but not allowing it to boil. After natural cooling, clean in a dark place. After a week, pass the tincture through the filter, pour it back into the jar, and let it sit for another 2-3 days. If a precipitate appears, remove the tincture carefully using a plastic or rubber hose, lowering it 2 cm above the sediment level and transfer the tincture to another dish.
3. Homemade tincture of apples and grapes, sweet
Composition:
Apple-grape meal 1 kg
Raisins, red 250 g
Vodka 1.0 L
Cooking:
After making juices, there is always a cake in which is full of vitamins. Such a valuable waste can be recycled a second time by preparing a tincture from it, according to a very simple recipe. Transfer the fresh cake from the juicer to a jar, immediately pour vodka and add the washed raisins. Everything - tincture is ready. After 2-3 weeks, strain it. Bring to taste by adding sugar and mixing until completely dissolved. Let stand, just in case, another 3-4 days to make sure its transparency. If sediment appears at the bottom, drain the tincture carefully into a clean dish.
4. Homemade tincture of apples with oranges for the New Year mood
Composition:
Juice, apple 0.5 l
Syrup, sugar 150 g
Cognac 0.5 L
Orange zest (fresh) 100 g
Vanilla 3 g
Operating procedure:
Heat clarified apple juice and dissolve sugar in it. Soak the orange zest in cognac for 15-20 days. Strain cognac and combine with sweet juice. Add vanilla. Shake the jar to mix juice with brandy well. After a day, the tincture is ready.
5. Homemade tincture of apples and anise, sweet
Composition:
Vodka 0.5 L
Apple juice 250 ml
Anise (star anise, star) 3 "stars"
Honey 200 g
Cooking:
Insist vodka for two weeks with star anise. Pour into a jar and add honey with apple juice. Soak the drink for a day. This tincture can be used for colds, cough.
6. Homemade tincture of apples with mint on honey, strong
Composition:
Apples (drying) 200 g
Kalina 5-6 bunches
Mint (fresh) 100 g
Honey 200 g
Vodka 1.0 L
Cooking method:
Wash the dried apples. Sort Kalina, wash, slightly dried, mash with a spoon. Chop the mint. Put all the components in a jar, close the lid, mix and warm in a water bath. Let it brew for 7-10 days, strain. Use ready-made tincture of 50 ml per day - in the cold season and with an influenza epidemic - this is an excellent tool to support immunity.
Homemade Apple Tincture - Tips and Tricks
For the preparation of homemade tinctures from apples, there is no need to use whole apples. All the most valuable vitamins and minerals, as well as aromatic substances, are found in apple peels. Therefore, when preparing a dish of apples, where the technology provides for the removal of the peel, do not throw it away. Put a can of alcohol somewhere at hand, and each time add fresh apple peel to it. When the jar is tightly filled, wring out the alcohol, you can discard the peel, and pour the alcohol back into the jar. When it exudes a rich apple flavor, just add sweet apple juice to it to create a new tincture recipe. This alcohol can be added as a flavoring to dishes from apples, in sweet pies with apples, charlotte, kulebyaki, apple desserts.
