Moonshine for Calvados and other uses

Moved to Moonshine Country, and got the moonshine still bug. Being a chemist, and former chemistry teacher this was not a difficult transition. I noted that in general commercial and backwoods moonshine is very harsh, hence the sweet mixed drink revolution caused by prohibition. Careful slow temperature control and starting with a good hard cider yields excellent spirit, to be exact and very smooth but strong apple brandy, remixing that brandy with more good hard cider makes excellent Apple Port. Both of which are far more palatable and refined than your typical backwoods corn squeezings.

If my apple port were made in Normandy and aged in oak is called Calvados. Mine aged in the same oak barrel you've read about before results are indescribable.

Getting serious about taking hard cider to the next step including Apple Brandy and Calvados, lead me to researching stills etc. I've ended up with this old world type onion topped copper pot still. I'll blog more on the details of distilling Hard Cider in the future.

Making your own liquor for consumption is illegal, and the 'revnuers' will get you. However Moon shine has a lot of other uses besides the obvious Moonshine can be put to good use, it’s not a completely pointless liquid otherwise. In fact, the alcoholic beverage spreads itself quite thin on the usefulness scale. Moonshine’s anti-bacterial properties are what give it such potency in combatting a lot of common ailments and household issues – from earaches to carpet stains. Grab yourself a bottle, or two, and redefine what it means to 'shine.

Poison Ivy Reliever

Apply Moonshine to an area affected by poison ivy and it will dry up surrounding skin, getting rid of any oils that are causing the poison ivy to inflame and itch.

Laundry Freshener

Fill a small spray bottle with Moonshine and lightly spray clothes. The Moonshine smell goes away when the clothes dry completely. The Moonshine helps to remove any unwanted odors.

Flower Preserver

Plants produce the ripening gas ethylene, which promotes maturation. Moonshine stunts ethylene production and allows for flowers to stay fresher, longer. Spray flower stems with a 2:1 ratio mix of Moonshine and sugar. Repeat every few days.

Insect Repellent

Keep the insects at bay by squirting some Moonshine on your skin before going outdoors. Add essential lavender oil. Insects hate the smell of lavender, and you will prefer it to the smell of Moonshine lingering on your skin. You could also mix Moonshine into your scented moisturizer.

Jelly Fish Bite Soother

Much like Moonshine helps to treat poison ivy on the skin, the liquid also helps to alleviate the pain and itch that come post nasty jelly fish bite. Bring along a 1:1 mixture of Moonshine and water in a spray bottle to the beach just in case of an attack.

Hair Shiner

Add 1-2 ounces of Moonshine to your shampoo and watch as your hair emerges from a shower feeling cleaner, silky, and shiny.

Band-Aid Remover

Moonshine will help to dissolve the sticky edges of a band-aid and allow for a painless removal. Not that you would, but a few swigs before peeling the adhesive off won’t hurt either.

Computer Screen Cleaner

Using water to clean a computer screen often leaves behind distracting smears. Apply Moonshine to the screen and wipe away for a seamless and clear complexion.

Eye Glasses Cleaner

It may not be the best idea to carry around a bottle of Moonshine, but a small spray bottle may be less conspicuous and prove to be very useful. Dilute to 100proof or less as high proof Moonshine can damage plastic lenses.Your glasses will get star treatment on the go.

Air Freshener

Mix equal parts water and Moonshine in a spray bottle and spray around the house. The Moonshine dissolves odors and the solution is completely odorless.

Razor Blade Cleanser

Soak razor blades in Moonshine and dissolve away build-up and buff the razor all in one. This trick will keep your razor blades clean and disinfected whilst extending the lifespan of your razor collection.

Jewelry Cleaner

Let your jewelry sparkle and shine. Soak and lightly scrub them in some Moonshine to remove any impurities.

Pore Reduction

Lightly soak one side of a cotton ball in Moonshine and dab your face. The Moonshines acts as an astringent, tightening the pores and removing excess oils.

Homemade Mouthwash

Because of Moonshine’s capacity to fight bacteria and prevent infection, you can gargle it in the A.M. (without swallowing) to clean your mouth. Moonshine may not be the first thing you want to taste on a sensitive morning stomach, so dilute it with equal parts water add a few drops of mint oil.

Cold Sore Treatment

Moonshine can help to reduce cold sore inflammation and redness by drying the affected area. Dip one end of a Q-tip into Moonshine and use it to dab sores.

Shower Cleaner

Attack those moldy, dark crevices with a toothbrush and some Moonshine. Spray Moonshine onto moldy areas, let sit for 15 minutes, and then scrub away. The Moonshine kills the mold.

Antiseptic

Moonshine is a great disinfectant and antiseptic. Apply to minor cuts and burns to kill bacteria.

Stickiness Remover

Moonshine works wonders on removing all that is gooey! From stickers on car surfaces to gum on the bottom of a shoe, a little Moonshine goes a long way.

Treat Ear Aches

Put a few drops of Moonshine into your ear. Let the alcohol sit in the ears for a few minutes each and then drain. The Moonshine kills bacteria that causes pain.

Stain Remover

Moonshine effectively gets rid of ink, grass and lipstick stains. Dab stain with Moonshine and rub the stain away. Add the stained garment to the laundry afterwards for a more thorough clean.

Tooth-Ache Reliever

Gargle Moonshine without swallowing, unless you want a buzz. The Moonshine will prevent infection and reduce inflammation and soreness in the mouth.

Foot Odor Cure

For those of you who suffer from foot odor, consider Moonshine your new best friend. Soak your feet in a shallow bucket of Moonshine, which will kill bacteria-causing odor. Let your feet dry to get rid of the Moonshine smell or wash your feet with fragrant soap directly after the treatment.

Fever Alleviation

Moonshine works well as a liniment to reduce a fever, because it evaporates very quickly and can provide a cooling relief. Apply Moonshine to a soft cloth and place on your chest.

Re-using Yeast Cake at bottom of Brew

Well we're now on the third batch from original brew. just keep adding Apple juice and surgar. The 4#'s of sugar to 5 Gallons of grocery store juice seems to be producing an astounding batch of cider.

for the past few months just bottling, then adding more juice and surgar to the existing yeast cake at the bottom of the 5 gallon carboy has been producing amazing results.

I Plan on ending this batch after 20 gallons from the same two yeast packages. It's been great but I'm out of bottles/containers to put it in. Today will mark 20 gallons of very very very good hard cider form $2 worth of yeast.

Last batch as described below was awsome. extending it over and over again by just adding store bought juice and surgar ( and green apple extract ) has been astounding.

Why with as simple as it is and as good as the results are more people don't brew their own Hard Cider is beyond me.

Cyser

Cyser is a fermented beverage. It is a type of mead. Mead is considered by some to be mankind's oldest fermented beverage. Mead is simply honey and water that has fermented. Early examples were fermented by wild yeast. Mead is independently multicultural. It is known from many sources of ancient history throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, although archaeological evidence of it is ambiguous. Its origins are lost in prehistory; "it can be regarded as the ancestor of all fermented drinks," Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat has observed, "antedating the cultivation of the soil." Claude Lévi-Strauss makes a case for the invention of mead as a marker of the passage "from nature to culture."

Modern manufactured mead is a controlled product just as wine is. Makers control the variables in the manufacture, yielding a consistent product. When honey is mixed with fruit juice the resulting fermentation is a type of mead known as metheglin. When the fruit juice used in making metheglin is apple juice - the resulting fermentation is known as cyser.

One of the best books I've found to help me in my Cider making adventure happens to be a book on Mead. Making Mead seems a natural extension of making Cider. There is a road side honey stand on Venable in Crystal River that I pass every day, so the temptation was too great. 1/2 gallon (5 lbs.) of natural Citrus County Wild Flower Cider followed me home, and a trip to Winn Dixie for the cheapest WD brand Apple Cider (looks just like apple juice) and I was ready to try a new recipe.

This may be my best home brew, and is slightly sweet and very drinkable, in fact it may be the first batch to disapear before the next batch is complete. Too good to hog to myself, We've been readily sharing the cyser.


Recipe

4 gallons Apple juice (bottle says cider)

5 lb. Citrus County natural honey

1 pkg. white wine yeast

Dilute honey so it would flow with about an equal volume of water and heated it to just below the boiling point. This was added to fermenting bucket, and then 3 gallons of the apple juice was dumped in. The yeast package was pitched (dumped into bucket), and the last gallon of juice was poured in to mix the yeast. Bucket was sealed, and allowed to fermentation started in a day or so and was vigorous for about a week, at 8 days it tasted divine, and we added 1/2 tsp of potassium sorbate to stop the fermentation and bottled the next day. The product was not clear but was oh so delicious and drinkable. This will definitely be a formula to repeat.

I'll post a picture of a glass of this "Nectar of the Gods" soon.