How to Make Rakia
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8 STEPS OF MAKING BULGARIAN RAKIA Ракия (Rakia). Bulgarian moonshine. Firewater. White lightning. Whatever you call it, it’s the lifeblood of Bulgaria. It brings people together and connects them. 1. SELECT A FRUIT Rakia is typically made from fruit, so the first thing you need to do is choose one. Grape and plum rakias are the two most traditional varieties, 2. PICK AND GATHER THE FRUIT Grape vines and fruit trees grow plenty in Bulgaria, and most Bulgarians hand-pick the fruit they use to make rakia. With grapes, this means waiting until the right time in fall and bringing together friends and family for a grape-picking weekend. With other fruits, Bulgarians typically wait until the fruit is slightly overripe and wait until falls and its collected from the floor 3. MAKE JUICE Once you’ve collected the fruit, you mash it up, make juice, and dump it into a large barrel. The mashing process can be done by machine or the old-fashioned way – by hand or foot. 4. MESSURE THE SUGAR CONTENT After the fruit has been mashed into juice, you measure the concentration of sugar in the juice with a saccharometer (захаромер). An ideal reading for making rakia is 23°. Some people add sugar to reach the concentration level, but others are complete against using sugar. 6. STIR THE JUICE UNTIL IT FERMENTS The fruit juice will settle to the bottom, and the fruit skins will harden and float to the top of the mash. To make sure the juice ferments. it is necessary to push the fruit skins down and stir the juice once daily. The amount of time for proper fermentation depends in large part on the weather, but fermentation generally takes around three weeks. 7. DISTILL THE FERMENTED JUICE Distillation day is one of the most enjoyable days of the entire process; it is the day when rakia begins to flow. The mash is dumped into a still, which is sealed with a flour mixture to insure the still is air tight, and then a fire is lit under the still and distillation commences. Then you sit and wait. It typically takes about an hour before the first alcohol fumes begin to separate from the mash. This steam then makes its way through the sealed pipes before working its way through a cooling condenser and emerging as rakia. As the alcohol collects, measurements are taken. 7. AGE THE RAKIA Once distillation is complete, your rakia is ready to drink. Some Bulgarians do nothing more, but most prefer to age and dilute their rakia to make it more pleasurable to drink. It may be aged as long and in whatever manner you see fit, but most Bulgarians only age their rakia long enough to give it some color and a little taste. Normally for a month and added distilled water to make it more drinkable at 90 proof (45% alcohol). 8. ENJOY Of course, the final step of the rakia making process is drinking it and sharing it with friends. Хайде наздраве! MUCH MORE ABOUT LIKE IN BULGARIA: WWW.FOREIGNER.BG.