Rowan tincture: cooking instructions
Rowan tincture is a fragrant and healthy drink that anyone can easily prepare at home. As a rule, red rowan is used for this, which is famous for its benefits. There are many different recipes for tinctures, and we have collected the most popular of them in our material.
Features and contraindications
Mountain ash contains a large amount of vitamins and various trace elements, in particular, this berry contains a large amount of vitamin C - it is much more here than in citrus fruits. The benefit of this berry also lies in the fact that it has a very positive effect on the nervous system and strengthens it, helping to cope with such an ailment as insomnia. Rowan is able to strengthen the body as a whole and helps fight colds. It is noted that this berry has a fruitful effect on the cardiovascular system, therefore it is recommended to use it for anemia.
Rowan is a real storehouse of vitamins and useful properties, thanks to which this berry has always been popular. Since the fruits themselves are a little bitter and you can’t just use them, people began to make tinctures from them. Tincture from this berry is not just a folk remedy for many diseases, but also a wonderful drink for a spiritual family feast.
It is worth mentioning that, despite all the benefits, there are some contraindications.It is not recommended to use the tincture of this berry for those who have low blood pressure, varicose veins, gastritis and other gastric diseases.
Also, this drink is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women. If you are allergic to mountain ash, of course, it is also not recommended to use this drink.
Classic Recipes
In order to prepare a healthy tincture at home, you first need to prepare the right berries. It is advisable to choose large, sweet, without any external damage to the fruit. Sweet berry must be selected. Of course, it is best to harvest berries after the first frost - then they will have a special taste, they will not be so bitter and this will positively affect the taste of the drink itself, although it should be clarified that the amount of useful components will also decrease.
Berry for tincture can be prepared for the future - freeze or dry. They dry a clean, washed and dried berry on beads, that is, they string the berries on a thread, thus making a kind of beads.
It is quite possible to make a tincture from dried, fresh or frozen berries, so you can safely use the one that is in the house.
The composition of the tincture can be very different - it all depends on what the infusion is being prepared for. For example, if it is intended exclusively for medical purposes, that is, it will be used in small doses as a prevention of various diseases and strengthening the immune system, then such a rowan tincture is made on alcohol or vodka. If you want to prepare a drink that will pleasantly surprise guests during the holiday, it is better to insist on cognac.
On vodka
For one of the options for preparing tinctures, you will need:
- one liter of vodka;
- one liter of purified water;
- two kilograms of berries;
- one kilogram of sugar.
Pre-washed and dried berries should be crushed - this can be done using a pusher in a spacious container. Then we put the mountain ash in a clean glass dish, for example, a jar. Sugar must be diluted with water, preparing a syrup, which should be poured over the berries. After all you need to pour vodka, mix, close tightly. The infusion is recommended to be put in a dark and cool place for exactly three weeks. After that, the drink must be filtered and poured into convenient bottles in which it will be stored.
To prepare an infusion that will help strengthen the immune system, you only need fresh berries and vodka, and the proportions depend only on personal preferences. Put the washed and clean berries in a large jar and fill with vodka so that it slightly covers the mountain ash. Close the lid tightly and store in a dark place.
After a few days, vodka will need to be added a little, as the berries will absorb the liquid and it will no longer cover the fruits. Next, leave the bowl to infuse for two weeks. After the infusion will need to be mixed and again left for two weeks - so for two months.
Once the infusion is ready, do not forget to filter it.
In order to prepare a drink for drinking on holidays, you can use the classic recipe. You need to take two liters of vodka, two kilograms of berries and six hundred to seven hundred grams of sugar. Pure and washed berries should be rubbed with sugar and the mixture should be left overnight, or better, for twelve hours. After the mixture of berries and sugar should be folded into a glass container and pour vodka. Close the container tightly and put it in a dark, cool place for two to three weeks. If desired, you can add a little mint or cloves.These spicy spices will give the tincture a special aroma and taste.
For the following recipe, you will need two kilograms of berries (exceptionally fresh), one kilogram of sugar, a liter of water and a liter of vodka. Berries need to be passed through a juicer to prepare pure juice. To make the berries give more juice, scald them with boiling water. From water and sugar, you need to boil the syrup, if desired, adding a little cinnamon to it. Next, you need to mix the syrup, juice and vodka, mix everything and insist for a month.
This infusion is recommended to be kept in a dark but warm place.
On cognac
For those who are not indifferent to such a noble drink as cognac, it is recommended to try to make a tincture based on it. This drink is perfect for any family celebration. We have prepared several proven recipes.
To prepare the original tincture, you will need:
- a liter of cognac (it is not necessary to buy an expensive drink);
- half a kilogram of fresh and ripe mountain ash;
- two tablespoons of honey (it is best to take liquid and fragrant honey, for example, linden);
- two tablespoons of dried oak bark.
The berries need to be put in a jar and pour brandy, then add honey and oak bark. Mix everything thoroughly, close with a tight lid and leave in a dark place for storage for three months. After the infusion, you need to strain and insist in its pure form for another month.
The next recipe is slightly different from the previous one. To prepare the infusion, you will need the following ingredients: three hundred to four hundred grams of rowan berries, fifty grams of sugar, five hundred grams of cognac. Berries need to be crushed until they give juice. Sugar, previously fried in a dry frying pan until brown, mix with berries and place in a container.Pour everything with cognac and send to infuse for exactly a month. After the drink is ready, you can add a pinch of vanilla to it, which will give a unique aroma and taste.
For those who do not want to wait months for the preparation of the drink, we suggest trying out a quick recipe. Take half a liter of water, bring to a boil and add a tablespoon of oak bark. The broth should be cooked for thirty minutes, then strain the liquid and add a few pieces of cloves. As soon as the liquid cools down a bit, add a tablespoon of honey and the same amount of sugar, mix everything thoroughly until completely dissolved. Next, two hundred or three hundred grams of grated berries need to be poured with cognac - half a liter of the drink will be enough. Add a decoction there, mix thoroughly and put in a dark place overnight. You can taste the drink the very next day. It is best to store it in the refrigerator.
On moonshine
In recipes where vodka is needed, it is quite possible to use moonshine. The taste of the tincture will not get any worse from this, so you can safely experiment. However, there are also original recipes.
In order to prepare a tincture with mint, you need to take:
- 500 grams of mountain ash;
- 50 grams of sugar;
- a liter of moonshine;
- fresh mint leaves (can be replaced with lemon balm - whoever likes it better).
The berries must first be mashed, then put in a container and pour moonshine. We insist everything for two weeks, then the liquid should be filtered and sugar added to it, which, if desired, can be lightly fried in a dry frying pan, which will give the tincture taste and color. Leaves of mint or lemon balm should be poured with a small amount of boiling water, leave for fifteen minutes and add the broth to the tincture at the same time as sugar.
After the drink, you need to remove the infusion for at least one more week.
For another recipe, you need to take two kilograms of berries, two hundred grams of sugar and moonshine. Fold the berries in a large container, add sugar and pour moonshine to the neck (the proportion is selected depending on the size of the dishes and personal preferences). The infusion must be kept for exactly a month, and after that, all the remaining liquid not absorbed by the berries should be drained and filled with fresh moonshine instead. In no case do not pour out the drained liquid - store it there in a separate container, it will still come in handy. Next, we leave the tincture for another month in a dark place, after which the liquid is drained, and the first one needs to be poured back. After two weeks, the tincture will be ready.
For those who want to get not only tasty, but also tart drink, we recommend trying the following recipe. It will take a kilogram of fresh berries, half a liter of moonshine and five hundred grams of sugar. The rowan should be washed, dried and laid on a baking sheet. Next, we send the berries to the oven preheated to sixty degrees for exactly fifteen minutes. After the berries have cooled, put them in a container and fill with moonshine. Under a tightly closed lid, you need to keep the drink for a month right on the windowsill - this recipe needs light and heat. After that, the liquid must be drained into a separate container and put in the refrigerator, and the berries mixed with sugar and sent to a warm place for two weeks. Then the syrup must be squeezed out of the berries and added to the liquid. To taste, this tincture will resemble a fragrant liquor.
Tips & Tricks
Finally, a few more tips and recommendations for those who plan to start making rowan tincture in the near future:
- if according to the recipe you need to crush the berries, it is best to do this with a wooden crush - thanks to this, the berries will not be much damaged and will not change their taste, but it is better to refuse an iron crush or a blender;
- after the infusion is ready, be sure to filter it, leaving only a clear liquid;
- when putting berries in a jar, remember that they should take up only a third of the container, because if the berries are packed too tightly, then the taste of the tincture will not be as expected;
- when laying the berries, in no case do not ram them, otherwise they will burst, begin to secrete juice and the drink will be spoiled;
- in order for the tincture to acquire a unique taste, you can add a few branches of mountain ash on which berries grew - the taste will pleasantly surprise you;
- clove, cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg are spices that are ideally combined with various recipes for rowan tinctures, they will not only give the tincture a special aroma and taste, but also add their benefits to it.
For information on how to prepare rowan tincture at home, see the following video.