It is said that every good, seasonednot one year drink has its own soul! It so happened that their original strong alcoholic beverages exist in many countries around the world. Whiskey, gin, tequila, sake, rum, vodka, brandy - and this is not the whole list of original alcohol, enjoyed with pleasure for the holidays and just for a good mood.
Chacha from grapes
These drinks can be safely attributed tothis. Chacha Georgian has all the possible advantages. It has a unique taste and rightfully occupies a worthy place in the list. One of the symbols of national Georgian cuisine and hospitality is also, of course, chacha. How many degrees in it and how it can be prepared at home with your own hands, we will tell in this article.
A bit of history
This grape strong alcoholic drinkcan be attributed to the brandy family (analog is Italian grappa, and the southern Slavs make a similar drink - raki). Its history goes back to deep antiquity, and the subtleties of production are transmitted by local residents from generation to generation. According to some reports, grapes were cultivated in Georgia seven thousand years ago! Where there are vineyards, winemaking developed. And as a consequence - the production of stronger drinks by distilling process waste (otzhimok and nevzurev brushes). Georgians jokingly say that distillation cubes themselves were invented much later than chacha. How many degrees are "standard" in a drink? Usually, traditionally, he is stronger than his fellow souls, the fortress can reach 60!
Some more historical facts
- They say Stalin at the conference in Yalta suggestedRoosevelt and Churchill made this national drink and noted that this is the best vodka of all kinds! True, the leader of the people himself preferred dry wines.
- In 2011, khachapuri, suluguni and chacha become Georgian national brands, officially patented.
What is chacha? How many degrees are there?
Some mistakenly consider the drink a kindmoonshine, but it is not. It is produced without the addition of sugar and yeast, therefore, in essence, it is not moonshine. For the production they take most often those clusters of grapes that are not suitable by condition for winemaking, along with the ridges. Cakes and cake, the remainder of the production of wine. It is believed that it is unripe grapes that reduce acidity by raising the PH. Due to this, the increased strength of the drink is not so felt, a soft taste appears. The grapes used are “Rkatsiteli” (Western Georgia), “Isabella” and “Kachich” (Abkhazia and Ajaria). Sometimes chacha is made not from grapes, but using cherry plums or figs, for example. Such alcoholic beverages usually involve strict control of the composition of the pulp. In some species add a mixture of grape varieties to get a unique bouquet. Sometimes even non-pressed grapes.
With your own hands
Chacha is distilled, as a rule, twotimes. But there is a product and a triple distillation. Traditionally, it is not diluted, no matter how strong it is. And to give a noble cognac color, oak bark and tincture of walnut husks can be used. When factory distillation, the resulting alcohol (70-80 degrees) is diluted to the desired consistency, sometimes kept in oak containers to obtain a noble taste and bouquet.
Quality checking
An interesting way to check the quality of the drink "popular". In a glass of chacha they dip a finger, pull it out and set it on fire. If chacha burned and the finger was not burned, then the quality is considered high.
Recipe
In general, according to the rules, you need to take the cake and wastegrapes of certain varieties (see above). And chacha should ferment on its natural yeast, but it is not necessary to add alcohol. The classic recipe does not use sugar either.
Ingredients: waste (oilcake) of grapes and immature substandard clusters with crests - 25 kilograms, pure spring water - 50 liters.
Do not wash the grapes! Do not remove the stones! But to move carefully so that they do not crush.
All the cake and crushed berries are placed incapacity suitable for volume (up to 100 liters). Add spring water, mixing with a shovel made of wood. In the pot should be another 20 percent of the space for the emitted carbon dioxide. Capacity set in a dark warm place (working temperature - from 22 to 30 degrees). Install the water seal. Unleavened fermentation lasts longer than normal. Fermentation occurs sometimes in two to three months. Braga is mixed every three days (if this is not done, the surface may become moldy). When carbon dioxide (bubbles) stops coming out - the mash is ready for further processing. At this moment, it tastes slightly bitter, but don't be intimidated. Subsequently, the bitterness will merge with the general taste and leave. After some prefer to drain the liquid through the filter. And some do not do this, considering that the special parts of the mash will give a special taste to the future drink. As a filter, if desired, you can use the most ordinary gauze.
Перегоняют чачу в кубе, как и самогон.The first grams are separated because they are considered harmful to health. This is followed by the main fraction, which is constantly checked on the fortress with an alcohol meter or folk methods (you can drop a few drops in a saucer and set fire to it). When the fortress falls below forty (respectively, the chacha stops burning when it is ignited), the drink is stopped. The last fraction is collected separately.
После первой перегонки жидкость разбавляют и make another distillation on the same principle. It turns out a clean drink. You can apply additional purification with coal or potassium permanganate. So you can make such a homemade delicious grape drink like chacha. How many degrees will be when bottled, you decide. Some say that it is better not to dilute chickpea. Others prefer to dissolve up to 45 degrees using spring water (we measure the fortress with an alcohol meter). In any case, chacha is a soft drink and is used quite easily compared to, for example, moonshine.
