Fans of exotic wines often experiment and add unexpected ingredients to their drinks. Peony wine made at home does not require additional flavorings. But, if desired, you can add various flavors to the product (orange or lemon zest, lemon balm, oregano, lemon verbena), raspberries.
Specifics of preparing the drink
To create an original product, peonies growing in summer cottages are most often used. Two types of flowers are popular - officinalis peony/common and evasive peony.
Petals of burgundy or pink shades give the wine an exquisite shade. But you can also use white flowers. Red peony petals are not suitable for creating a drink because they will retain inedible substances. Persons suffering from gastritis and hypertension are advised to use the product with peony with caution.
While creating wines made from flower petals it is necessary to take into account the lack of natural acids necessary for the fermentation process. Therefore, wine recipes always include citric acid or lemon juice, various fruits or berries.
Required Ingredients
To prepare an unusual drink, a minimum set of products is enough:
- 600-700 g peony petals;
- a tablespoon of citric acid;
- 1-1.2 kg of sugar;
- 3 liters of fresh water;
- 10-12 raisins;
- 100 ml vodka.
If desired, you can use recipes that do not contain alcohol to make wine.
Food preparation
To prepare wine, it is recommended to harvest peony petals during the day, in dry weather. Moreover, the raw materials are not washed, but simply lightly shaken off insects and dust. To prepare about 3.5-4 liters of drink, you will need a liter jar of tightly compacted petals.
The flower product is poured with water and boiled for 5-10 minutes, then left to infuse for 22-24 hours. To prepare the drink, use a strained decoction. The role of “wine yeast” will be played by raisins. Moreover, the fruits are not washed first, since it is on the surface that yeast substances are contained.
How to make peony wine at home
The procedure for making wine at home takes little time and includes several steps.
- Pour citric acid into the flower decoction and stir.
- Sugar syrup is prepared separately - a kilogram of sugar is dissolved in 0.5 liters.
- The syrup is poured into the flower broth, raisins are added.
- The container with the drink is covered with a rubber glove with a puncture and placed in a dark room for fermentation.
As soon as gas bubbles stop forming (after about 30-40 days), the drink is filtered, vodka is added and poured into separate bottles. In this case, you need to make sure that the sediment is not agitated.
Storage periods and rules
Racks or shelves located in a dark, cold room are suitable for storing wine products. The containers can be stored in the refrigerator. The bottles are placed in a horizontal position so that the corks do not dry out. If sediment settles at the bottom of the containers, the wine must be carefully poured into new bottles. A year and a half is the optimal storage period for a wine product.
Peony wine is not only an exquisite dessert drink. The plant has many beneficial qualities for the body. The drink can be used as an additional remedy to eliminate insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
