How to Make Homemade Drinking Alcohol

Making drinking alcohol at home can be dangerous when using a still. A safe alternative is making a form of homemade wine that tastes a lot like hard liquor. This process has many benefits. It takes less than a month and uses inexpensive equipment. Also, many different flavors can be produced by using different fruit juices in the recipe, so the wine can be customized for individual palates.

Things You'll Need

• 1 gallon of fruit juice (any 100% juice EXCEPT orange, tangerine or grapefruit)
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 packet bread yeast
• 1 gallon jug with lid (a milk jug works fine)
• Funnel
• Cheesecloth
• Rubber band

Instructions

1. Let the fruit juice get to room temperature by setting it out for a few hours.

2. Put sugar and yeast into the empty, cleaned jug using the funnel.

3. Add a cup of juice. Put the lid on the jug and shake until the yeast, sugar and juice are blended. The sugar feeds the yeast, making it grow. The yeast ferments the juice, making it alcoholic.

4. Fill the rest of the jug with juice, leaving a 3-inch gap between the top of the jug and the juice.

5. Cover the mouth of the jug with two small pieces of cheesecloth. Use the rubber band to secure the cheesecloth to the mouth of the jug.

6. Put the jug in a warm, dry, dark area for 3 weeks.

7. Filter the alcohol through several layers of cheesecloth. The wine is now ready to drink.

Tips & Warnings

• Apple, cranberry and white grape juice make a very light tasting liquor. Purple grape, strawberry and cherry make sweeter, heavier drinks.

• Do not put a solid lid on the jug while it is fermenting for 3 weeks. Pressure will build and the jug may explode. The cheesecloth lets fermentation gases vent.

Resources

• How to Make Your Own Alcohol