"One of my favorite recipes is simple: you could call it brandy if you use real fruit juice. The distillate will have a fruity careover.
in a 5-gal (20L) bucket throw in 8-10 pounds (5kg) of white sugar, pour 2 1/2gal. (10L) of near boiling water in and stir well. then mix 2 gal. (8L) of your favorite fruit juice. I've found that the more exotic the fruit the better flavor you get. Toss a good sized handful of yeast on top, stir well cover the bucket and leave in a place thats on the cooler side for 2 weeks. Cool as in 68-73F.
I didn't invent this recipe either but its easy enough for a beginner to play with and master the skill of mixing a wash, starting a ferment and distilling with just a little effort so even if you've made likker before give this one a try its not too bad really.
I always add nutrients to my washes and mashes but if you dont have em get some for next time and see if you notice a difference, I think you will. Happy stillin."

Edited by user Wednesday, January 22, 2020 3:53:49 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

JB, I have used grape juice and it came out kinda like a wine but clear like water of course. I used a fruity juice that didn't have a name other than fruit juice, prolly was'nt that healthy but hell it made likker. I used daquiri mix once too - you know the little frozen jugs and it was pretty good too. I dont think one is better that another ya know, so pick your fav. and givera go.

Boys, I hate to ask a stupid question here (or more like 2, actually), but Im assuming you guys are talking about running in pot mode on this, right? Also, if no form of distillate is EVER anything but clear, how do folks color their brandies and such? By the chunks of fruit they throw into the finished product??

This kind of makes me chuckle lol. My first experience with homemade likker (and it wasnt the TV show!!!) was probably 4 or 5 years ago, when I lived down in NC. A buddy of mine brought a jar of peach brandy over to my house when I had a get together. I remember the dark color of it, and the skinned peach in the bottom of the jar. I never really had the funds or the space to get into this myself until about a year ago, but I remember being surprised to learn that the peach was just for decoration, and the color was added afterwards....I remember the first run I did (although it was wrong in other ways ) I thought I had done it all wrong because it came out clear lol!!!

"Well if you are using a pot still or a goose neck tower I should say which is what most folks call a pot still, then if you push it (or run your heat up to the hotter side) and distill your hooch as fast as your condenser can turn the steam back into a liquid (thats like a stripping run) that should pull some flavor over with the distillate, with practice you'll get it.
If you try this and your hooch tastes --well, not like you think it should just re-run it, but remember when you do re-run it, it will prolly loose some of the flavor that came with it the first time through the still. (if its shitty though that might not be a bad thing).

Again, I dont think you will get so much flavor that it tastes like you added extract to the hooch, its always been on the faint side to me. But different washes or mashes have diff. aromas to them once they are cooked.
I used Crangrape and its tasted like wine after distilling. Clear- water like wine...... I also used those little cans of Daquiri mix once and it had a faint fruity taste."