Many former residents of the Soviet Union appreciated the benefits of moonshine during Gorbachev's struggle against drunkenness, the so-called "dry law".
Some Russians have been drinking it ever since, rejecting surrogate store-bought vodka and cheap counterfeit wines from retail chains.
There are many designs of apparatus that allow distillation of this alcohol-containing product at home, among which Mashkovsky's moonshine has proven itself very well.
The benefits of moonshine
Moonshine is attractive because only natural products are used for its manufacture. It is also convenient that a fairly large palette of sugar-containing raw materials is suitable for distillation of moonshine - any jam, berries, fruits, vegetables, wheat, even sweets.
Moonshine is versatile: in addition to using it as an independent drink, it is perfect as a basis for making alcohol, similar in quality to "noble" cognacs and whiskeys, liquors andtinctures, as well as quality vodka.
A bit of history
A strong alcoholic drink made at home has been known in Russia since the fifteenth century.
They called it "bread wine", which was used not only as a pleasure potion, but also as a medicine.
The Novgorod Chronicle first mentions this drink in 1533.
This product has been called moonshine since 1917. The term has been assigned to homemade distillate. Prior to this, a drink of this type was called "tavern". After the October Revolution, any illegally produced strong drink began to be called moonshine.
The history of Russian moonshine goes back to the reign of Ivan the Terrible, when the first tavern was opened. Only we althy people could visit it. The guardsmen had such a right, which they were very proud of.
Moonshine in such establishments was produced at a fairly high level. For this, spring water with a certain level of hardness and a specific taste was used, as well as frost-resistant varieties of rye.
The drink was purified with milk and egg white, then distilled a second time, resulting in a rather significant cost.
It is believed that the quality of ancient Russian moonshine exceeded today's cognacs and whiskey.
Alchemists still had prototypes of apparatus for making spirits. Private individuals at that time did not have the opportunity to start such a device, so in the cities there were "public moonshinedevices", producing in a short time a strong alcoholic product in large quantities.
About the quality of old moonshine
The quality of moonshine was then given much attention. Elizabeth II presented this drink as a gift to Voltaire, Karl Linnaeus, Frederick the Great. It was fermented with specially grown yeast, purified with birch, linden or oak charcoal, filtered with bread, egg white, milk.
They even practiced a cleaning method using freezing, when the ice settling on the barrel wall collected all the harmful impurities. Given the high cost of such technology, the cost of the finished drink was very high, exceeding the cost of French cognac.
Today, anyone can afford to buy a moonshine still and try to make high-quality strong alcohol at home. Mashkovsky's "Magarych" moonshine has proven itself very well.
The originality of his design
In this apparatus, the quality of the resulting alcohol is given increased attention due to the use of additional devices in the distillation process. The design of the product is distinguished by two dry steamers.
Alcohol vapors have to undergo double cleaning: coarse and fine.
Fusel oily liquid flows down the walls of dry steamers to the bottom. The design is quite compact, with high performance.
Mashkovsky's moonshine has several modifications, differing only in the volume of distillationCuba.
System Description
Given the absolute fundamental identity of all modifications, we can consider the system using one of the models as an example.
For example, consider the 12-liter "Magarych" moonshine still by Mashkovsky. The material from which it is made is AISI 304 stainless steel. The distillation cube has two wooden handles to make it convenient carry it.
A special metal cartridge is adapted to accommodate the coil.
The cooler is equipped with two connections for connecting hoses through which water flows for cooling.
Both sukhoparnik have a vertical arrangement, located above the distillation cube, having a volume of 12 liters.
The second steamer is equipped with a built-in bimetal thermometer. The indicator on it is arrow type. The scale ranges from zero to one hundred and twenty degrees.
The tightness of the joints is very good. The bottom surface is even, which has a positive effect on distillation when using an induction or electric stove. There is no smell during operation.
About other modifications
Mashkovsky's 13-liter moonshine also has two steamers and a thermometer. The distillation column has been replaced by settling tanks that purify alcohol vapors from unnecessary impurities. The lower sukhoparnik is equipped with a branch pipe through which flowing fusel oils are discharged. It is easy to put a silicone tube on it and bring it into a collection container.
Moonshine still "Magarych" Mashkovsky 20 BKDR has a twenty-liter distillation cube. The rest of the design is similar to the above models: the lower dry steamer is equipped with a drain pipe, running water passes through the pipes on the cooler.
The top steamer, like on other models, has a removable lid, under which you can put some spice to flavor the alcohol.
Slightly different from other models, the 13-liter machine has a lid on the distillation cube, which is fastened with six latches. Silicone used for gasket.
The lid can be easily removed to fill the mash, after which the container is closed and the distillation process takes place.
Which Mashkovsky moonshine to choose?
All modifications of the devices are made of durable food steel, they are reliable and durable in operation. Good rubber is used for gaskets.
The presence of a vertical design of the device saves space in the room where alcohol-containing products are produced.
The distillation devices are patented, easy to operate and look beautiful.
Most popular is Mashkovsky's moonshine with a 12-liter capacity. With it, you can get up to 2 liters of the finished product. Two bimetallic thermometers, which are equipped with the upper dry steamer and distillation tank, are convenient to controldistillation process even for a beginner.
To pour the mash, unscrew the distiller located on the neck. Such equipment is very convenient for a novice distiller, as it immediately turns out quite high-quality moonshine, which can not be cleaned and distilled a second time.
Design with a 20-liter distillation tank is convenient when you need to get a large amount of alcohol-containing liquid. For example, in rural areas, where it is often necessary to celebrate an event with the whole village, and a lot of alcohol is consumed, it is precisely this moonshine still of Mashkovsky that helps out.
User reviews say that with the help of this model in five hours you can easily expel 10 liters of a good liquor. At the same time, a villager will always have raw materials to make mash.
Moonshine still Mashkovsky "Export", reviews
Using the principle of a water jacket, the size of the cooling and condensing steam area of this dephlegmator model is expanded to 374 cubic centimeters, which favorably responds to the performance of the device.
The side has a diameter of 38 millimeters, which dramatically reduces the possibility of clogging the tubes with solid particles of mash (berries, cake).
Mashkovsky's moonshine "Export" receives positive feedback from customers due to its ease of operation, convenience and low cost.
Internet users indicate that, taking into account the shipment, the device can be purchased for an amount not muchexceeding 4100 rubles. And the effect of its use is quite significant.
All consumers note that the resulting high-quality purified product gives only pleasure and does not lead to sad consequences, if you follow the measure when using it.
Recommendations for operating the distiller
Moonshine "Magarych" by Mashkovsky "Export", like other devices, as well as related products, are produced at the Chelyabinsk enterprise.
To remove unwanted impurities, after purchasing new equipment, turn it on with a distillation tank filled with clean water.
Preliminarily, all the hoses included in the kit must be put on the corresponding nozzles, as indicated in the instructions.
Cold running water is taken directly from the water supply.
After each distillation of the mash, the apparatus should be washed. It's good to drive ordinary water vapor through it again.
