The Best Summertime Moonshine Recipes
Nothing says summer like a warm day and a cold drink. Make it the best season ever with our summer moonshine recipes.
When many think of moonshine, a white whiskey with a strong kick and burn comes to mind. However, while this is a popular way to enjoy moonshine, it is not your only option.
While moonshine used to be only for those who were able to make it themselves or were lucky enough to know someone who did, it is now becoming much more of a mainstream option.
Perhaps this is because of the popularity of shows like Discovery’s Moonshiners or perhaps the amount of time spent indoors during the quarantine, or the growing popularity of learning how to DIY from the Internet.
The most likely answer is a little bit of all of these factors have contributed to a growing number of new shiners looking for new recipes and ways to enjoy their shine.
Moonshine in the Summertime
While moonshine can be enjoyed all year around (check out our holiday recipes!) there is just something about enjoying a strong drink on a warm day that just makes for a great time.
After all, summer seems to be the season for spending time doing not much at all, getting together with friends, and making some (fuzzy) memories.
One of the great things about making moonshine is that the batches tend to be large, meaning there is always enough to share with family and friends.
Making moonshine recipes is a fun and cost effective way to serve great drinks at your next function or get together.
Just be sure to let your guests know their drinks will be strong and to proceed with caution. Those who aren’t used to the strength of your shine can get kicked on their butts pretty quick.
Mash for Moonshine Recipes
The first step to making any moonshine is to create your mash. A mash, also called a wash, is the main ingredients which will make your shine.
You can create a mash out of almost anything, since all you need to create ethanol is fermentable sugar.
There are many mash recipe options, however, the most common are grain-based, fruit-based, or sugar-based.
Grain-Based Mash Recipes
Your choice of mash recipe is an important one, as it will greatly affect yoru final product. Grain-based recipes are ideal for a traditional white whiskey that can be flavored or aged to create bourbon.
Grain-based recipes are also ideal if you are looking to create moonshine’s signature high ABV (alcohol by volume) or proof.
Contrary to popular belief, moonshine isn’t the name for liquor with a high proof. Instead, moonshine is a term coined for making spirits ‘by the light of the moon’ as they were often produced and ‘run’ (distributed) at night to avoid detection, particularly during prohibition.
With this in mind, it should be noted that any commercial product should not be calling itself moonshine, cough, Ole Smokey, cough.
Grain-based recipes do require an extra step when cooking the mash. As grain is a starch, it needs to be cooked to covert into fermentable sugar. This step can take several hours. This conversion must be complete before moving on to the next step.
A simple iodine test can ensure that this conversion has taken place.
Fruit-Based Mash
Fruit based mash is a great option for those who want a hint of fruity flavor in their shine. Fruit based shine does not require cooking to convert, but preparing the fruit can be messy and time consuming.
Making a mash with fruit can also be expensive. However, we recommend making friends with a local farmer and bartering overripe fruit for delicious moonshine.
As fruit is full of sugar, it makes a great base for moonshine. You’re only limited by your imagination when it comes to fruit moonshine recipes. However,it is important to note that fruit mash will give a hint of fruity flavor. If you want a stronger flavor, you can add fruit during the fermentation process, or flavor your moonshine through infusion after fermentation.
Sugar-based Mash
Making a mash out of sugar is certainly the simplest way to go. Instead of preparing fruit or cooking grain, you are simply melting sugar and water together.
Using sugar is also extremely cost effective. Sugar is also readily available, while grain can be more difficult to source and large amounts of fresh fruit can be costly.
While white sugar is often used, you can also use brown sugar (the ideal base for rum) and even honey.
While using sugar to make your shine may seem like the obvious choice, it does not come without its drawbacks.
Sugar shine will not give you the high ABV using associated with moonshine. Instead, you are likely to get a result similar to commercial spirits.
One of the best uses of sugar shine is to flavor it to replace the more costly liqueurs that make up your favorite cocktails.
The Best Moonshine Recipes
So what makes a good moonshine recipe? Well, we like to look for recipes that both yield high-quality shine as well as crowd pleasing flavors.
When it comes to summertime recipes, we love options that offer fruity flavors, summer throwbacks and crowd-pleasers perfect for a party.
How to Make Moonshine
Making moonshine is not an easy process, but it is one that can be mastered with the right instruction and equipment. At How to Moonshine, we pride ourselves on helping our customers every step of the way.
From our FREE How to Make Moonshine E-book, to our quality craft stills and world class customer service, we are committed to the act of making moonshine.
Moonshine Cherry
Our Moonshine Cherry is our easiest still ever! This 1 gallon air still is about the size of a kitchen kettle and just as easy to use.
Its plug and play technology means that you can get delicious moonshine at the press of a button.
Our Moonshine Cherry is the perfect option for those who want to get started making delicious moonshine at home easily and with great results.
Strawberry Lemonaid Moonshine
Does anything say summer better than lemonaid? How about the tart kiss of lemons with the sweet sensation of strawberries!
Strawberry lemonaid moonshine is a great option for everything from a sweet drink on a hot day to a garden party with good friends.
This sweet recipe is a crowd pleaser. You don’t need to be a fan of the taste of strong spirits to enjoy this cocktail. It’s sweet fruity taste will appeal to everyone.
Hunch Punch Moonshine
This perfect summer recipe is a grown up version of your childhood fruit punch with the fun ‘punch’ of moonshine.
This recipe is the perfect option for pool parties, long days at the cottage or garden parties. Its combination of orange juice, pineapple juice and lemon lime soda is easily punched up with flavored moonshine. This means your punch will just get better and better with new recipe variations.
As with any moonshine recipe, it is important to warn your guests that while this drink may taste fruity, it packs a big moonshine kick.
Peach Tea Moonshine
Is there anything that says summer like peaches? What about sweet tea? Combine the two and you have one of our favorite summertime moonshine recipes, peach tea moonshine.
This sweet recipe is summertime in a bottle and is the perfect beverage for some front porch sittin’. Wanna make easy friends with your neighbors? Invite them over for this sweet cocktail!
Dreamsicle Moonshine
Travel back in time in just one sip of our dreamsicle moonshine. The sweet combination of orange and vanilla will immediately take you back to simpler times.
Dreamsicle moonshine is the perfect drink for your next party, event or hostess gift. It is a delicious choice to sip by the pool or make into shooters to take any party to the next level.
The best part of this recipe is the fact that you probably already have all the ingredients in your kitchen!
Watermelon Moonshine
Watermellon is forever linked with summer sunshine. It is the perfect sweet and refreshing snack when the temperatures rise.
Watermelon is not only refreshing, it is also a delicious sweet treat. Combining this signature summer flavor with the kick of moonshine makes this an ideal summertime drink that you will want to enjoy all year.
Moonshine Jello Shots
Jello is a childhood favorite. Its bright colors, fun texture and delicious fruit flavor makes it an easy hit with kids and adults alike.
Adding moonshine to your jello upgrades it from a fun and childish snack to a great addition to any (adult) party.
Jello is easy to prepare, inexpensive and universally adored. Making moonshine jello shots is a great way to inject a whole lot of fun into any party or event.
Pineapple Moonshine
Does the summer sun have you dreaming of a tropical beach? If you can’t get away this year, you can capture the taste of vacation with our pineapple moonshine.
The sweet taste of pineapple mixed with the kick of moonshine makes this one wicked combination. Not only is pineapple moonshine delicious on its own, but it also makes an amazing mixer.
Moonshine Cherries
While moonshine cherries are not a summertime drink, they are an amazing moonshine recipe for summer.
These little cherry ‘bombs’ are a great addition to any cocktail, dessert, or are delicious enjoyed on their own.
Moonshine cherries are simple to make and universally adored. While these are a great summertime treat, you will want to enjoy these all year around.
Lemonaid Moonshine
When it comes to summertime drinks, you can’t get any more classic than lemonaid. Of course, this sweet beverage with just a hint of citrus is a favorite among kids and adults alike.
Adding moonshine to this summertime classic takes it from a childhood favorite to an adult summer staple.
While lemonaid is often a go-to for those who want to quench their thirst on a hot day, our moonshine version packs quite a punch. Proceed with caution!
Pink Panty Dropper Recipe
The name of this cocktail should truly say it all-when sippin’ this cocktail you need to proceed with caution.
This sweet drink has a carbonated base so it can be tricky to judge how much alcohol you are truly consuming. With both moonshine and beer in this recipe, the alcohol is truly coming at you from both sides.
It is important to not only take it slow with your own consumption, but also let anyone else enjoying this recipe with you to please sip with caution.