Pear eau de vie

[Manon]

Friends have a large quantity of pears and want to make eau de vie ( when the laws change in October ). Does any one know how you start the process and what quantities / proportions are needed please ?

Thank you.

[Tancrède]

The manufacture of liquors and preserves by Brevans  (www.archive.org)

Manufacture & Distillation of Alcoholic Liquors by P. Duplais  (Google Books)

Both works are available online, and contain a great fund of relevant material, recipes, etc.

[mint]

So, Gengulphus, what are you making for your consumption and what percentage of alcohol is it?

[herbert]

how to do it: http://www.caveetdistilleriedelaruelle.ch/La%20mise%20en%20tonneau.htm

[quote user="lavorgere"]Friends have a large quantity of pears and want to make eau de vie ( when the laws change in October ). Does any one know how you start the process and what quantities / proportions are needed please ?

Thank you.[/quote]

Hello Lavorgere

I do not know, if I am up to date. You mentioned changing laws. First thing is you contact an ambulant distiller. He will give you the advice you need. Private people are only allowed to do their own fruit. You will need some two-hundred kilo, to convince un distillateur to do the job. Your pears, you collect, turn into puree and put in a big plastic bin, better is a plastic barrel 200ltr. Some people add 5kg of sugar to a hundred kilo of fruit, the liquid you stir every day and it will ferment and give a nice smell. Put the lid on the barrel, so flies will be kept away. But to not close tightly, the gas must be able to disappear .. after a few weeks, fermentation will stop, you visit the distillateur, he declares the amount of alcohol he produced, and you will get a letter from the state, how much taxes you have to pay.

http://www.kewego.fr/video/iLyROoafY2WP.html

bonne sante

et à boire avec moderation

Herbert

google surely helps you to find more information

http://www.absinthe-duvallon.com/categorie-10789243.html

[Manon]

Herbert, thank you so much for this. Do you just use concentrated pear puree or is any water added ? Thank you again.

[Patf]

I get the Rustica magazine, (french), and they did an article on making your own eaux de vie a while ago. I've searched for it but can't find it.

As far as I remember you make a purée from the fruit, strain it and add to a litre of commercial eau de vie which is, I think, a kind of colourless, tasteless brandy.

Then put into pretty bottles.

There were recipes for violet, rose strawberry flavour etc.

[herbert]

[quote user="lavorgere"] Do you just use concentrated pear puree or is any water added ? [/quote]

Hello Lavorgere

Normally there is no water added. But I said, some people add about 5kg of sugar to 100kg of fruit. This is done by a thick sirup, which has to cool down before you add it. But most important is to talk to the "distillateur" before you start all this work. but, by the way, do yiou know, you can just cut pears in nice pieces and sterilize them and have them without the effects of alhohol. It is much healthier, but of course less fun

http://www.pickyourown.org/pearscanning.htm http://www.completefrance.com/cs/images/emotions/biggrin.gif

[Patf]

I found the Rustica article.  It was actually for liqueurs made from garden herbs.

But I was right about the eau de vie;

"Eau de vie pour fruits (de 40° à 45°)incolore et de goût neutre est préferable. On peut aussi employer de l'alcool à 90°(non dénaturée, en pharmacie) coupé pour moitié d'eau de source."

Surprised that you can buy pure alcohol at the pharmacy.