slivovitz recipe

[Denis Crnkovic]

Martin Votruba has given the basic recipe for slivovitz, which is close to 
the one my family in Croatia uses (they always remove the stones). The type 
of plum (sliva) is essential, as Martin notes, and the (over)ripeness factor 
is crucial if you want to push the alcohol content to its limit and preserve 
the traditional "plummy" flavor. Some Hungarian friends of mine push the 
ripening process to the very limit, letting the fruit rest in a collish 
place in a clean crockery vessel for many weeks after pickng them. The 
fermenting and distilling processes require quite a bit of care and 
oversight and some savvy on how to work with fermentation tools (like brix 
reading devices and air locks) and absolutely clean vessels. Fermenting can 
also get messy and is odiferous, so if you try this, do it in a warm room 
far enough away from living quarters so the pungent smell of overripe 
fermenting fruit doesn't interfere with household harmony. I do caution, 
though, as does Martin, that distilling  can be dangerous  unless you know 
what you're doing (it is also probably illegal in some communities). If you 
use a standard copper coil still, make sure you have an expert at hand. Or, 
better yet, take the mash to someone who knows how to use a still. Good 
distillers know from experience how many distillations a given mash will 
need (although I can't recall my cousins distilling more than thrice - and 
then to get a very potent product.) They also know when and how to work with 
additives (like distilled water) or, even more important, when and how to 
mix separate brews to get a great product.

As with all "cooking," making slivovitz requires practicing the technique 
and getting a feel for the product. But it's not such a bad hobby and, if 
you get good at it, the result can be as good as what the "baka" used to 
make. Good luck!


Denis Crnkovic





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martin Votruba" <votruba+ at PITT.EDU>
To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2006 1:34 AM
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] slivovitz recipe


>> a recipe for homemade slivovitz.
>
> It may not be a particularly good idea.  It involves distillation, which, 
> if not done with some expertise, can leave noxious and obnoxious things in 
> the liquid.  The initial fermentation needs guidance and practice, too, to 
> guarantee the final product some proximity to drinkable slivovica.
>
> Get really ripe, better overripe (no rot or mold) _prune_ plums.  No other 
> plums will do for slivovica: the root _sliv-_ = "prune plum" in several 
> Slavic languages; the liquor made from them is called _slivovica_ in 
> Slovak, Moravian Czech, Croatian, Serbian, _slivovka_ in Slovene, and is 
> considered a characteristic local drink in most of those regions.
>
> The following is from two descriptions (I have no experience with it).
>
> Remove the stems and put them in a vessel (vat, barrel...).  It is better 
> to mash, or even puree them in order to leave little or no room for air 
> among the prune plums, and between them and the cover. Remove the stones 
> for a smoother taste, as some insist, others leave them in for a "true" 
> taste.  You may add a little ammonium phosphate (about 0.3 ounces per 10 
> US gallons).  Add sugary water if the plums aren't really sweet and 
> really, really (over)ripe, which will also help push out the air.  Cover 
> tightly, but allow gasses to escape. Stir periodically for the first 2 
> weeks.
>
> Stop the fermentation, after about 2+ months, when the mash becomes 
> pronouncedly sweet-and-sour and the amount of sugars drops under 3%. Stir 
> in calcium carbonate (CaCO3) or calcium hydroxide (Ca[OH]2), about 4 
> ounces per 10 US gallons, more if the mash is very sour, in order to 
> remove the sourness.  Keep the mash cool and airtight for 1-2 days, then 
> take it to a distillery.
>
> The distillery needs to know what it is doing -- distill it slowly and in 
> stages at various temperatures in order to remove the flavors and 
> compounds that ruin slivovica and sight, but not too long. Reduce the 
> concentrate with distilled water, which can be preferable to letting it 
> distill too long.  After distillation, half-fill vessels with the 
> distilled slivovica, close them, fan our the air and re-close them 
> periodically for about a week.  Slivovica is (or might be) ready to drink 
> or store.
>
>
> Martin
>
> votruba "at" pitt "dot" edu
>
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