44 PROOF POP in 8 days

I 'm sure you've seen these before.

This is a "Piloncillo" a Pylon made of raw sugar cane juice which has been poured into a wooden mold to crystallize. I'm sure you have seen these in the grocery store and wondered what they were. They are typically used a sweetener or even as candy. Today However, I am going to show you how to make a high octane 40+ proof soda pop that will knock your socks off. The end result is a highly carbonated, raw, pure cane wine which if distilled, ( Home distillation is illegal almost everywhere except Australia) would yield Rum. Since we are not distilling, we are merely fermenting a fortified wine which is completely legal in the U.S.
You will need:
2 Piloncillo
1 Quart Water
2 measures of wine yeast
1 Empty 2 liter soda bottle
1 specialized bottle cap (more to follow)
1-1/2 additional Quarts of water at room temperature

In a 2 Quart saucepan bring the first 1 Quart of water to a rolling boil.
Remove from heat and dissolve the Piloncillos in saucepan one at a time stirring until dissolved.
cover saucepan and let sit until liquid has returned to near room temperature. It is important that the temperature is not above 85 degrees Fahrenheit nor below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 18-29 Celsius as too high will kill the yeast and too low will not activate a dormant culture.



Pour two measures of wine yeast into 65- 85 degree mixture in saucepan.
A measure is equal to a single layer of yeast just covering the inner surface of the yeast containers cap.

For those who would like to try this recipe, you will need a good quality yeast and a specialized pressure release cap. These can be purchased as an inexpensive kit from oztops
As of this date the kit is selling for $13.95 and will make 10-1/2 gallons of hard cider and/or wine
from any fruit juice.

Anyway, back to the recipe.
Wash and rinse a 2 liter soda bottle. Make sure the bottle that you use once held a carbonated drink. A 2 liter water or juice bottle will not work. The plastic is not rated for the high pressures created during fermentation.
Pour the diluted cane / yeast mixture into the 2 liter bottle using a clean funnel. Add the remaining 1-1/2 Quarts of room temperature water make sure to leave 10% of the bottle empty. (see photo at end of post).
Rinse, but do not dry a blue oztop pressure cap and cap bottle securely.

Give the bottle a short quick shake and place in a warm dark cabinet or closet at room temperature for 8 days

The oztops caps are an ingenious innovation that allow a regulated amount of gas to escape during fermentation yet not allow harmful bacteria to enter.
Ok, after eight days have passed the sugars in the mixture will have been consumed by the yeast culture and converted to alcohol and CO2 (carbonation). place the bottle in the refrigerator until well chilled. This is very important for the following reasons:
1. The refrigeration will stop the fermentation before the wine gets sour.
2. This will allow the yeast to settle making the beverage clearer.
3. This will help stabilize the carbonation ensuring your beverage stays in the bottle and does not spew violently from the bottle making a horrible sticky mess!

Your 40+ proof soda is now ready to enjoy. Experiment with sugar free Kool-aid flavorings (after final refrigeration) try vanilla or other extracts. Have fun! Drink responsibly. And here's a bonus if you reuse the sediment from the bottom of the bottle, you wont have to use yeast in your next batches meaning an endless supply of virtually free libations...Forever.

Oh, yea,... Preservative free apple juice makes a decent hard cider in 3 -4 days.
Dark grape juice (preservative free) makes a nice Lambrusco in 5-6 days.