How to make alcohol at home

You can make alcohol at home using sugar and yeast. This will be a very basic alcohol which can be used to make several types of alcoholic drinks or fruit and alcohol based beverages. The ingredients are easily available and so is the equipment required to make the alcohol. It is important to remember that making alcohol is a commercially licensed activity and it is illegal to make and sell alcohol without the necessary permits. Check your local laws before undertaking this activity. Think of this article as gathering general knowledge rather than an invitation on how to make illicit alcohol. Here's how to make alcohol. Step 1:Materials and equipment required.

To make about 5.5 gallons of homemade alcohol, you will need:
18 pounds of granulated table sugar

One packet of super yeast or distillers yeast

Tap or distilled water - 5.5 gallons

A clean metal pot to prepare the sugar solution

A 7.5 gallon food grade bucket with lid (alternatively use can use a plastic or glass carboy) Rubber gasket and grommet (one each)

A bubbler airlock

Fining agent to clarify the alcohol - isinglass or a mix of kieselsol and chitosan

Carbon filter Liquor/wine bottles or mason jars with lids or cork stoppers for storage

Large spoon or ladle for stirring Sanitizer (available at home-brewing or winemaking shops)

Step 2:Sanitize all the equipment. Use a sanitizer, which is available at any of the specialty shops mentioned in step one, to clean all the equipment - bucket, spoon, airlock, etc - which will be used in the process of making alcohol. If the equipment is new, then you may skip this step.

Step 3:Making the sugar solution. In a clean metal pot, add the water and sugar to create the sugar solution. Make sure that the water being used is warm (about 90F). Once the sugar is completely dissolved, pour the solution into the fermenting bucket or carboy.

Step 4:Add the yeast. Add the entire contents of the yeast packet into the sugar solution and stir to let the yeast completely mix with the solution.

Step 5:Covering the solution. Make a hole on the plastic lid of the bucket in which you can fit the rubber grommet. Use the rubber gasket to line the inner circumference of the lid, so that when it is covered over the bucket the cover is sealed airtight. Fix the bubble airlock on to the rubber grommet firmly and add some clean water or vodka in the airlock to allow carbon dioxide to be released from the solution, but not allow any air in.

Step 6:Fermentation. Place the covered bucket in a place where the temperature is around 70-80F. Allow the fermentation process to go on for about 12-15 days as the yeast converts the sugar into alcohol. The airlock will bubble a lot while the fermentation is active, so the complete stoppage of all bubbling in the airlock will confirm that the process is complete.

Step 7:Clarify and filter the alcohol. Once fermentation has ceased, use a fining agent such as icinglass or a mix of kieselsol and chitosan, to remove all suspended yeast or other particles in the alcohol. Reseal the bucket after adding the fining agent and let the liquid sit for another 2-3 days. At the end of this period, pour out the liquid into another clean, airtight vessel without the bottom layer of sediment. Pass the liquid through a food-grade carbon filter to further remove any particles or impurities and pour the finished and distilled alcohol into clean liquor/wine bottles or mason jars.

Your homemade alcohol is now ready to be used; you can mix it with a variety of fruit juices or add liquor flavorings. Make sure that the alcohol is stored in airtight bottles or containers. Avoid drinking the alcohol straight, it not only tastes awful, but can also give you a massive headache. Now that you know how to make homemade alcohol, you can brag to your friends at your next cocktail party that you actually made their drinks!