Content
Chacha made from grape cake is a strong alcoholic drink obtained at home. For her, grape cake is taken, on the basis of which wine was previously obtained. Therefore, it is advisable to combine two processes: making wine and chacha, which will make it possible to prepare two drinks at once.
Features of the drink
Chacha is a traditional Georgian drink also called grape brandy. It requires grapes and alcohol to prepare it. In Georgia, cherry plum, figs or tangerines are added to chacha.
Chacha has an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, relieves swelling and improves blood circulation. When consumed in reasonable doses, this drink normalizes the functioning of the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
This drink is able to normalize the metabolism. It is taken at the first sign of colds by adding it to tea with honey and lemon.
Chacha can be taken neat, but remember that it is a very strong alcoholic drink. Therefore, it is more often used for making cocktails. Chacha can be mixed with ice and fresh fruit.
Chacha should be discarded in case of individual intolerance, a tendency to allergic reactions, the presence of ulcers and oncological diseases. This drink is also contraindicated for children and pregnant women.
Preparatory stage
The first step in deciding how to make chacha is the preparation of containers, moonshine and raw materials. The grape variety directly affects the taste of the resulting drink.
Tanks and equipment
For making chacha from grape pomace, you will need a large bowl in which the cake is obtained, as well as containers for fermentation of the wort and a distillation apparatus. Be sure to choose a glass or enamel container. It is not recommended to use containers made of metal, as the wort is oxidized.
A water seal is installed on a glass container required for fermentation. It can be purchased ready-made or you can use a regular rubber glove. Then a puncture is made in the glove with a needle.
Selection of raw materials
Chacha is made from grape varieties that are highly acidic. It is best to choose varieties that grow in the Caucasus, Crimea or Krasnodar Territory.
The taste of the drink directly depends on the choice of the variety:
- white varieties give a fresh aroma and slight sourness, such a drink is quite light;
- dark varieties, like dried grapes, make chacha softer with a bright aroma;
- when mixing several varieties of grapes at home, the taste of the drink becomes deep and rich.
Chacha can be prepared on the basis of mash, on which the final taste and quality of the drink depends. At home, it is obtained from cake or pomace of fresh grapes left over after making wine.
Be sure to use fresh grapes that are not washed before use. This allows natural yeast bacteria to be preserved on its surface. They provide active wort fermentation.
If purchased grapes are taken, then it is better to wash them. Then the addition of yeast and sugar will be required for fermentation.The cake is prepared by manually crushing the grapes.
To get a drink from pomace, you will need a fairly large amount, since some of the substances from such material have already been used to make wine.
Chacha recipes
The preparation of chacha from grape cake takes place without the use of yeast. This method takes a lot of time. Due to yeast, you can significantly speed up the process of obtaining a drink without compromising aroma and taste.
Yeast-Free Recipe
Fermentation of traditional Georgian chacha takes place using wild yeast. If you wish, you can add sugar to the chacha, but the drink will partially lose its aroma.
To obtain chacha from grape pomace, the following ingredients are taken:
- cake - 12.5 kg;
- water - 25 l;
- granulated sugar - 5 kg.
If the sugar content of the berries is about 20%, then about 2 liters of homemade chacha are obtained from 12.5 kg of cake. The strength of the drink will be 40 degrees. If you add 5 kg of sugar, then you can increase the yield of the drink to 8 liters.
A small amount of drink is obtained from the cake, therefore it is recommended to add sugar to increase it. If a Isabella grapes grown in the northern regions, adding sugar is a must. These grapes are characterized by high acidity and low glucose content.
How to make chacha without yeast, you can learn from the following recipe:
- I put the grape cake in a fermentation vessel.
- Water and sugar are added to the container. The mass is mixed by hand or with a wooden stick. There should be at least 10% free space in the container. The rest of the volume falls on carbon dioxide, which is formed during the fermentation process.
- A water seal is placed on the container, after which it should be placed in the dark at a temperature of 22 to 28 degrees.
- Fermentation takes 1 to 2 months. Sometimes this process takes 3 months.
- Periodically, the grape cake floats, so every 3 days the container is opened and mixed.
- The completion of the fermentation process is indicated by the absence of bubbles in the water seal or deflation of the glove. The drink tastes bitter.
- Then the mash is drained from the residue and filtered through cheesecloth. To preserve the unique flavor, the remaining cake is suspended over the alembic.
- Braga is distilled without dividing into fractions. When the fortress is less than 30%, the selection is completed.
- The resulting moonshine is diluted with water to 20%, after which a second distillation is done.
- Ten percent of the moonshine formed at the beginning must be poured out. It contains substances hazardous to health.
- The product is taken away until the strength reaches 45%.
- Homemade drink is diluted to 40%.
- After cooking, place it in a cool, dark place in a sealed container. After 3 days, the taste of the chacha has stabilized.
Yeast recipe
The yeast method allows you to speed up the fermentation process of the wort up to 10 days. The recipe with the addition of yeast preserves the taste and aroma of the drink.
For a recipe for chacha from pomace, the following components are required:
- grape pomace - 5 l;
- granulated sugar - 2.5 kg;
- yeast (50 g dry or 250 g pressed);
- water - 15 liters.
The grape pomace chacha recipe includes the following steps:
- The required amount of dry or compressed yeast must be diluted according to the instructions.
- The pomace is placed in a container, where sugar and prepared yeast are added.
- The contents of the container are poured with warm water at a temperature of 20-25 degrees. Hot water is not used as this will kill the yeast.
- The ingredients are mixed well, after which you should put a water seal or a glove on the container. The container is removed to a dark place with a constant temperature of no more than 30 degrees.
- Every two days, the container must be opened and its contents mixed.
- When fermentation is complete (the odor trap stops working or the glove settles), the drink will taste bitter and lighter.
- Braga is poured off the sediment and filtered with gauze.
- The alembic is filled with liquid and the moonshine is taken until the fortress drops to 30%.
- Before re-distillation, the mash is diluted to 20% with water.
- About 10% of the drink received at the beginning must be disposed of. It contains harmful substances.
- When making chacha, you need to select moonshine until its strength is 40%.
- The resulting drink must be diluted to 40 degrees. The final taste of chacha is formed after it has been aged for 3 days in the refrigerator.
Conclusion
Chacha is a strong Georgian drink containing alcohol. It is prepared on the basis of grape pomace, which remains as a result of winemaking. The final flavor is directly influenced by the grape variety. Its darker varieties make the drink richer.
Traditionally, chacha is made without added sugar or yeast. However, these components will help reduce acidity, speed up the preparation process and the final amount of the drink. For the procedure, you will need fermentation tanks and a distillation apparatus.
During the second distillation of chacha, the alcohol became cloudy, why?