OnTap Magazine

SAFETY FIRST Always stick to the recipes and never add any hazardous substances to boost the alcohol content of your beer, cider, wine or cooler. We have seen a sad spate of deaths across the country from people ingesting homemade alcohol laced with things like rubbing alcohol, embalming fluid or methylated spirits. Stay safe and consume responsibly. For information on safe home-distilling, see page 30 UMQOMBOTHI Recipe courtesy of Nolu Roxwana- Matiwane, co-founder of Ukhamba Beerworx Makes 5 litres; +/- 2.5% ABV INGREDIENTS 2kg King Korn malted sorghum 1kg Impala maize meal   HOW TO MAKE IT Day 1: Boil four litres of water. In a 20-litre bucket, mix 1kg of maize meal and 1kg of King Korn with the boiling water. Stir very well, ensuring there are no clumps. Close the bucket for 10 minutes, then add two litres of cold water. The mixture should be lukewarm. Cover with a lid and leave to sour overnight. Day 2: The mixture should have bubbles and a sour smell. In a large pot on the stove, boil two litres of water. Once the water is boiling, add the soured sorghum-and- maize mixture, stirring constantly to ensure there are no lumps. If the mixture is runny, add an extra cup of maize meal. The consistency should be similar to that of a double cream yoghurt. Let it cook for an hour. Since the grain is still in suspension, it’s normal for the bottom of the pan to catch. Once the mixture has boiled for an hour, remove from heat and leave it to cool down overnight, leaving the lid on. Day 3: Pour the cooled mixture into a 20-litre bucket and add the remaining 1kg of King Korn, mixing well. You might need to thin out the mixture – it should be somewhat runny. Add around two litres of cold water to get the desired consistency. Mix well and let it sit overnight. Day 4: The fermentation process will have started and as the day progresses, there will be a lot of bubbling. If the bubbles are highly visible ad there is obvious fermentation, it’s time to strain. You can use a sieve, strainer or cheesecloth/ muslin cloth to strain the beer. If you’re not seeing much fermentation, move the beer to a warmer spot in your house and leave overnight again before straining. Temperature is important: the warmer the place the better. If your house is cold, wrap an old blanket around the bucket and put a mat underneath. Day 5: It’s drinking day! Invite your friends over to enjoy your homemade umqombothi. HARD LEMONADE Recipe courtesy of Tsikwe Molobye, author of Lockdown Dranks Makes 20 litres; 7% ABV INGREDIENTS 5 x 500ml bottles of 100% lemon juice  2.5kg white sugar (or brown sugar)  2 packets brewer’s yeast 150g raisins 3 limes 1 large lemon TO BACKSWEETEN 1 x 500ml bottle of 100% lemon juice 1kg white sugar HOW TO MAKE IT Rinse the three limes and lemon thoroughly. Cut into small pieces, leaving zest on. Add all ingredients into a large pot. Mix with seven litres of water and boil for 30 minutes. Leave to cool. Sift concentrate into a clean and sanitised 30-litre bucket. Top up bucket with cold water until you have 20 litres. Add yeast – fermentation may be slow as the fruit concentrate is acidic. Leave to ferment at room temperature for seven days. Fermentation can take longer, but this drink is still enjoyable when young. After fermentation is done, rack the liquid into another clean bucket and leave for two to three days. This process is to remove the yeast at the bottom. BACKSWEETENING After three days, rack into another clean bucket Add the remaining 500ml bottle of 100% lemon juice and 1kg sugar and stir. Decant into 10 x 2-litre plastic bottles. IMPORTANT: Do not screw the tops on too tight as there is still live yeast in them and they may explode due to ongoing fermentation. Store the bottles in the fridge. Enjoy! BUY THE BOOK Lockdown Dranks features 12 recipes that you can easily follow at home, allowing you to safely produce alcohol with things you can find in your kitchen. Buy the eBook now for just R30 from lockdowndranks.com. ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2020 | 15