Homemade Plum Rakia (Slivovitz)
Rakia is a traditional fruit brandy popular in the Balkans. This recipe focuses on making a plum-based rakia, often called Slivovitz, from fermented fruit mash. The process involves fermenting plums and then distilling the resulting mash.
An original recipe by Forkin
- Total time
- 7 hr
- Serves
- 20
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Per serving
- 432 kcal
Mise en place
Ingredients
- 10 kgplum, ripe
- 1 kgsugar
- 10 gdistiller's yeast
- 5 lwater
Equipment
still · airlock · glass bottles · hydrometer · large fermentation vessel
The method
Step by step
- 1
Wash the plums thoroughly and remove any spoiled fruit. Do not remove the pits.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: Using very ripe plums will result in a sweeter, more flavorful rakia.
- 2
Mash the plums in a large fermentation vessel, such as a food-grade barrel or large bucket, using a potato masher or clean hands.
About 20 min
Cook’s note: Ensure the vessel is sanitized to prevent unwanted bacteria growth.
- 3
Dissolve the sugar in warm water.
About 5 min
- 4
Add the sugar solution and distiller's yeast to the mashed plums in the fermentation vessel.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Ensure the water is not too hot when adding yeast, as it can kill the yeast.
- 5
Stir the mixture well to combine all ingredients.
About 5 min
- 6
Seal the fermentation vessel with an airlock to allow gases to escape while preventing oxygen from entering. Store in a cool, dark place.
About 5 min
Cook’s note: Maintain a consistent temperature, ideally between 18-24°C (64-75°F), for optimal fermentation.
- 7
Allow the plums to ferment for 3-6 weeks, or until bubbling stops and the fruit settles at the bottom.
Cook’s note: Fermentation time can vary depending on temperature and yeast activity.
- 8
Once fermentation is complete, carefully transfer the liquid (mash) into a still for distillation. Discard the solids.
About 30 min
Cook’s note: Avoid disturbing the sediment at the bottom of the fermentation vessel when transferring.
- 9
Perform the first distillation (stripping run) to separate the alcohol from the mash. Collect the distillate.
About 3 hr
Cook’s note: This run aims to collect all the alcohol, not to separate 'heads', 'hearts', and 'tails' yet.
- 10
Perform a second distillation (spirit run) on the collected distillate. During this run, make precise cuts to separate the 'heads' (first portion), 'hearts' (middle, desirable portion), and 'tails' (final portion).
About 2 hr
Cook’s note: The 'heads' contain undesirable compounds and should be discarded. The 'hearts' are the pure rakia. The 'tails' can be saved for future stripping runs.
- 11
Dilute the 'hearts' with distilled water to your desired alcohol percentage, typically around 40-50% ABV.
About 10 min
Cook’s note: Use a hydrometer to accurately measure the alcohol content.
- 12
Allow the rakia to rest in glass bottles for at least a few weeks, or preferably months, to mellow and develop its full flavor.
About 1 hr
Cook’s note: Aging in oak barrels can add complexity and color, but is optional.
Per serving
Nutrition
- Calories
- 431.6kcal
- Protein
- 3.7g
- Carbs
- 105.2g
- Fat
- 1.5g
- Fibre
- 7.1g
- Sugar
- 100g
Estimated from the recipe’s ingredient quantities. Values can vary with brands and substitutions.
Keep it good
Store in sealed glass bottles in a cool, dark place.