By Paul MacKenzie.

THIS IS a basic recipe that can be improved. The recipe is for a 23 L fermenter 10% ABV.

Ingredients

  • Sugar (your choice, brown is good) – 2.5 kg
  • Molasses – 3 litres
  • Kale Juice (See Kale wash)
  • Citric acid – 1 tsp
  • 40 grams SAF INSTANT YEAST or baker’s yeast

Materials

  • 20 L pot
  • Large stir stick (stainless steel)
  • 23 L fermenter (food grade)
  • Digital thermometer
  • Pot or Reflux Still

Instructions

  1. Add sugar, molasses, and citric acid into a large pot add 10 liters of hot water and stir until sugar and molasses dissolves fully.
  2. Heat wash on the stove until you achieve a rolling boil then take off stove and let cool to between 25 – 30°C. This will invert sugars making it easier for yeast to convert it into alcohol.
  3. Pour sugar wash into fermenter and top off with water between 25 and 30°C.
  4. Use a digital thermometer to measure temperature of wash. When it’s 25-30°C add packet of yeast. (Warning don’t add yeast when hotter than 30°C or you will kill it) and Kale juice
  5. Leave for 1 hour then stir in yeast
  6. Leave for 24 hrs then stir again to aerated sugar wash.
  7. Let stand until fermentation is complete will usually take between 4 – 8 days depending on temperature.
  8. Try to keep sugar wash between 20 – 25°C while fermentation is underway. This is ideal for the yeast.
  9. Fermentation is complete when you can no longer taste sugar in the wash or when bubbles stop passing through air lock.
  10. After fermentation, Don’t worry if the wash remains hazy Distil the clear wash after siphoning off the sediment. For rum the perfect still will produce alcohol at between ideal 84 – 88% so or if using a Turbo 500 still run for only 2 ½ to 3 hours to achieve this lower alcoholic strength. (Operating temperature will be about 68°C (154°F)). For a fuller flavored rum try using a pot still.
  11. Pressure age as per whisky, stand for at least one month. Used dominos for a smoother flavor