Since 2003, our team at Mile Hi Distilling has collected a range of free moonshine recipes for anybody interested in learning the fun hobby of home moonshine distilling. We love to discover and pass on new and interesting moonshine recipes so that you can create the most unique batches of homemade whiskey using our moonshine stills. We also carry everything you need to start on your distilling venture. From a range of different styles of stills and complete still kits, to supplies and ingredients like distillers yeast and oak barrels, Mile Hi Distilling is your one-stop-shop for anything homemade distilling. With over 14 years experience building and selling distilling supplies we’re sure you’ll find everything needed for home distilling in our shop. One of the best distillers we sell is the duel purpose 8 gallon, it can be used for both pot or reflux distilling. The Grainfather Brewing System is another excellent unit we carry if you’re looking for more convenience. The dual purpose still can be used with any moonshine recipe on the internet or the books we sell have great moonshine recipes.
How to Make Moonshine Recipe
Making moonshine is an art that has roots stretching thousands of years into our past. Getting hands on with this process is a way to experience history first-hand. The overall process is relatively simple on its face. However, as with so many things, once you begin the process of trial and error you will learn the nuances that can make is quite challenging. Starting off the process with the right moonshine ingredients will make all the difference in the spirits that you’ll be able to create. A quick and simple overview of the process of making moonshine is as follows:
Procedure
- Gather Your Materials and Moonshine Ingredients
- Mix Your Chosen Type of Mash
- Ferment Your Mash
- Prepare Your Still
- Transfer Fermented Mash to Your Still
- Run Your Still
- Separate Foreshots, Heads, Hearts, and Tails
- Clean Your Still
For a more complete guide on making moonshine, check out our how to make moonshine article. We also have complete guides on how to make vodka, how to make rum, and how to make gin.
Books With Moonshine Recipes
We sell about 17 different books for home distilling with moonshine and whiskey recipes. Mile Hi Distilling as the largest and the best selection of distilling books on the internet. We have books that cover about every aspect of distilling from recipes to building your own still.
You can also find great recipes and lots of information about stills and distilling by visiting our friends at homedistiller.org. If you have a favorite moonshine recipe you would like us to feature on our site, please email us at milehidistilling@yahoo.com and we will be happy to post it!
Assorted Moonshine Recipes
Below you’ll find some amazing moonshine recipes and moonshine mash recipe guides that we’ve discovered throughout the distilling community. Try them for yourself and let us know how your batch of shine turns out!
In this guide, we explain two different step-by-step recipes for making a delicious batch of Apple Pie Moonshine.
In making “Mountain Dew” or “White Lightning’” the first step is to convert the starch of the grain into sugar. (Commercial distillers use malt.) This is done by “sprouting” the corn. Shelled, whole corn is covered with warm water in a container with a hole in the bottom. Place a hot cloth over it. Add warm water from time to time as it drains. Keep in a warm place for about 3 days or until corn has 2 inch sprouts. Dry it and grind it into meal. Make mush (or mash) with boiling water. Add rye mash that has been made the same way, if you have it. Yeast (1/2 pound per 50 gallons of mash) may be added to speed up the fermentation if you have it. Without it, 10 or more days will be required instead of about 4. In either case, it must be kept warm. When the mash gets through “working” or bubbling up and settles down, it is then ready to run. At this stage, the mash has been converted into carbonic acid and alcohol. It is called “wash” or beer and it is sour.
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- 8 Gallon fermenter with lid and airlock
- sweet feed (Sweet feed has several different grains and molasses making it a great tasting whiskey.)
- One package of Whisky Yeast
- 6 pounds sugar
- Water
6.5 Gallon Recipe Put enough feed to cover bottom of 8 gallon fermenter bucket, a good 5 inches deep.
Add 6 pounds of sugar. Fill 1/2 fermenter full with boiling water. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Mix the rest and finish filling with warm water until you get to 6.5 gallons of mash or 3″ of head space in fermenter.
Add the yeast after it has cooled to the recommended temperature of 75F to 80F. Cover with lid and use airlock.
5-6 days later it’s ready to distill. This recipe is an old one that works well. Run it at 150-160 proof.
Filter the mash before distilling to remove solids and sediment or it will stick to the bottom or to the heating elements and burn giving off flavors. Suggest to run it through a plated or reflux still once or if using a pot run it through the still twice. One stripping run then a spirit run with a pot still. If using a pot still you will want to ferment enough volume to yield enough to run a stripping run. Estimated 4 fermenters with this sweet feed recipe then stripping run to yield around 3-4 gallons of low wines then dilute down with water to 50% before running spirit run. age on some oak for a few months to really bring in the character.
I thought you might like this moonshine recipe to enable you to Make Whiskey at home.The ingredients are malt, sugar, yeast and rain water. You can buy the malt from most big supermarkets, if they don’t have it they will probably order it for you. The brand names for the malt and yeast can be Blue Ribbon, and Red Top. The malt is a liquid and comes in a can, the yeast comes in cakes. To every can of malt you will add 5 gallons of warm water, disolve 5 pounds of sugar and add 1 cake of yeast. Mix all this together in a barrel made of plastic, stainless steel, or copper, under no circumstances use aluminum. Keep it covered with cheese cloth to keep the bugs out. Keep it in a warm place till it ferments. Then you can cook it off in your still and you have the smoothest whiskey you have ever tasted. After you run off the whiskey, it is clear like water. You can color it by taking a piece of dry fruit wood (or maple), burn the fruit wood over a flame till it is blackened, then drop the burned fruitwood in your clear whiskey. In a few days the whiskey will be the color of store bought whiskey.
Rum Recipe
This is a simple rum recipe that will win the blind taste test up against the top rated bottles of rum that you find on the liquor store shelf. Nothing on the shelf can beat a handcrafted small batch rum recipe.
6.5 Gallon Rum Recipe
Ingredients Needed for a Rum Recipe;
7 lbs of cane sugar
5 lbs of unsulfured molasses
1 cup of honey
1 packet of Mile Hi Distilling Rum Yeast 133 gram packet
Materials Needed for Rum Recipe;
8 Gallon Fermentation Bucket with Lid and Air Lock
Large Stainless Spoon
8 gallon or larger stock pot or brewing pot
Pot Still
Process for making a rum recipe ;
Heat up 2 gallons of water to boiling then slowly mix in sugar until dissolved then add one cup of honey. After sugar is dissolved then add molasses then top off to 6.5 gallons. Move contents into an 8 gallon fermenter. When temperature is under 80F and over 70F add in one packet of Mile Hi Rum yeast. Stir in the yeast and save a little to sprinkle over the top. Put the lid and air lock on and let sit for 24 hours then mix for several minutes then put the lid and airlock back on and let it sit for 8 days. Keep at between 70F-75F for optimal fermentation. After fermentation is complete sit the 8 gallon fermenter on a counter top and siphon the wash out from the top of the fermenter through a strainer with cheesecloth into another clean bucket. Leave the heavy sediment on the bottom so don’t siphon this out. Then siphon filtering through cheesecloth one more time then the wash will be ready to distill.
We suggest to use a pot still to distill your rum. Pot stills will carry over flavor. Run the still real slow at about 140-160 proof to get a clean rum spirit. Depending on the still design some distilleries will run the rum recipe through a stripping run then through a final spirit run at 160 proof.
Ideas for after distillation;
Leave it as is for white rum.
Add oak chips or oak spirals to glass jars and let age for a couple months.
Put rum in a used whisky barrel and age for several months. This has become popular with distilleries and makes a unique rum.
Now that you’ve created a great spirit, check out these great rum cocktail recipes and enjoy!
Rye Whiskey recipe by law is made from a mash that has at least 51% rye. The other ingredients that are usually found in a rye whiskey recipe are malted barley, wheat and corn. Although the law requires a rye whiskey recipe to have at least 51% rye most traditional rye whiskey recipes have more like 80% rye to give rye whiskey that spicy or fruity flavor to the whiskey.
Rye Whiskey Recipe for 6.5 gallon batch
INGREDIENTS
- 7 Lbs. Flaked Rye
- 2 Lbs. Malted Barley (Distiller’s Malt)
- 1 Lbs. Rye Malt
- 6 gallons of water
- 1 packet of Tubo Whiskey Yeast
DIRECTIONS
Heat water to 70 degrees and then mix in malt barley, malted rye and flaked rye. While stirring the mixture slowly heat to 160 degrees (raise temperature 5-10 degrees every 2-4 minutes).
Keep mixture at 160 degrees stirring constantly for 1.5-2 hours to convert starch into fermentable sugar and dextrin.
Filter off liquid and place into fermentation device and allow to cool to 70- 80 degrees. Immediately pitch one packet of whiskey yeast.
Stir liquid for 1 minute then cover and seal with a airlock.
Mash will take 5-7 days to ferment.
After fermentation is complete pour into the still, filtering it through a pillow case or strainer and cheesecloth to remove all solids.
Distill rye whiskey at no more then 160 proof. Distilleries will usually do a stripping run then spirit run to produce a quality rye whiskey. After distillation rye whiskey distilleries will proof down to 125 proof and put in a new whiskey barrels for two years. Alternative to whiskey barrels can be oak chips and or oak spirals for the hobbyist.
INGREDIENTS
- 10 lbs. Whole kernel corn, untreated
- 5 Gallons Water
- 1 whiskey pure
DIRECTIONS
Put corn in a burlap bag and wet with warm water. Place bag in a warm dark
place and keep moist for about ten days. When the sprouts are about a 1/4″ long the corn is ready for the next step.
Wash the corn in a tub of water, rubbing the sprouts and roots off. Throw the sprouts and roots away and transfer the corn into your primary fermenter With a pole or another hard object mash the corn, make sure all kernels are cracked.
Add 5 gallons of boiling water and when the mash cools add yeast. Seal fermenter and vent with a water sealed vent.
Fermentation will take 7-10 days. When fermentation is done, pour into the still filtering through a pillow case to remove all solids.
Peach moonshine recipes that are simple and user friendly. A good peach moonshine recipe starts with quality peaches. Use peaches from your local farmers market or fruit stand. Support your local farmers and the fruits of their labor. We have listed a couple ways to make simple peach moonshine recipes.
peach moonshine recipe using peaches, sugar and water
Ingredients ;
20lbs of peaches ( remove pits )
6 lbs of granulated sugar or even better use cane sugar or raw sugar
6 gallons of water
2 packets of champagne yeast 10 grams or 1 packet of Pot Still Turbo with Pectic Enzyme
Remove pits and mash up the peaches in a 10 gallon stock pot then add 6 gallons of water. Put over heat until temperature comes up to 150F then add sugar. Keep stirring so solids don’t stick and burn to the bottom. After sugar is completely dissolved turn the heat off and let the mixture cool to 80F then put in fermenter and add yeast. Use an air lock on fermenter and ferment 5 days. Estimated ABV should be 12%-15%. Strain and distill through a pot still. Keep a quart of your sugar peach mixture in the fridge to flavor back after distillation. Throw in a cinnamon stick for the peach cobbler taste. Have fun and mix it up to make your own signature peach moonshine recipe.
Making a peach moonshine with sugar shine. Peach Cobbler Moonshine
sugar wash recipe;
Ingredients;
5.5 gallons of water
18 lbs of granulated sugar
1 packet of Mile Hi Distilling 48 Hour Turbo Yeast
This fermentation will have an estimated alcohol by volume of 18%-20%
put 5.5 gallons of 110F water into your fermenter and add 18 lbs of sugar. Stir until dissolved. Let temperature of sugar water come down to 80F then add one packet of 48 Hour Turbo Yeast. Let ferment for 5 days then distill through a reflux still to make high percentage neutral spirit. Blend peach juice, peaches, spices, sugar and vodka or neutral spirit to flavor.
Clear Peach moonshine recipes that are simple and user friendly. A good clear peach moonshine recipe starts with quality peaches.
Clear peach moonshine recipe using peaches, sugar and water
Ingredients ;
20lbs of peaches ( remove pits )
6 lbs of granulated sugar or even better use cane sugar or raw sugar
6 gallons of water
2 packets of champagne yeast 10 grams or 1 packet of Pot Still Turbo with Pectic Enzyme
Remove pits and mash up the peaches in a 10 gallon stock pot then add 6 gallons of water. Put over heat until temperature comes up to 150F then add sugar. Keep stirring so solids don’t stick and burn to the bottom. After sugar is completely dissolved turn the heat off and let the mixture cool to 80F then put in fermenter and add yeast. Use an air lock on fermenter and ferment 7 days. Estimated ABV should be 12%-15%. Strain through brew bag or strainer then through cheesecloth. Distill through a pot still. Pot still will carry over flavor well and the product will come out clear just like a peach brandy but it will be a clear peach moonshine.
Coconut Rum Recipe
First make a homemade rum by following our rum recipe on our moonshine recipes page. After following the rum recipe and making a rum then follow the directions below on how to make a coconut rum. This is coconut rum recipe to make a quart jar of coconut rum.
Ingredients:
2 mature brown coconuts
Sugar
Water
white rum
Directions:
Drill a hole in the end of the coconut and drain water into a container. The coconut water can be filtered through a coffee filter and chilled to be enjoyed later as is. We won’t be using the coconut water for this recipe.
After the coconuts are drained then put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 300F. Then remove coconuts from the oven and let sit until the coconuts cool to room temperature. This will cause the coconuts to get brittle and make it easy to break them to ultimately get all the white raw coconut meat. Break the shells off the coconuts using a hammer and use a vegetable peeler or grader to get the brown skin off so what is left is raw white coconut meat. Wash the coconut meat to remove any dirt or particles from breaking the shells.
Put the coconut meat in a food processer or blender or you can use a cheese grader. Chop / blend the coconut up into small pieces finely graded. Put this in a bowl ready for later use.
Put 2 cups of water in a pot on the stove and turn on the heat to bring up to a boil. Add 1.5 cups of sugar stirring continuously so it does not caramelize. After sugar is dissolved then turn heat to a simmer and add 2 cups or more of the raw white coconut meat that has been finely graded. Let this mixture simmer for 3 minutes stirring continuously so nothing sticks and burns to the bottom.
Take this mixture of sugar, water and coconut meat and fill two of the one quart mason jars 1/3rd to 1/2 full. Top off with white rum then put on the lid and this mixture will stay macerating or soaking for 3 weeks. Shake the jar at least once a day for three weeks. Keep in a cool dark place.
After three weeks of this mixture soaking then strain through cheesecloth or fine strainer into a mason jar. Keep in the refrigerator ready to enjoy.
Key Lime Moonshine Recipe
Ingredients:
Sugar
Key lime juice
Vanilla
Coconut extract
Moonshine neutral spirit of vodka neutral spirit
Directions:
Put 1.5 cups of water in a pot on the stove with 1 cup of sugar and bring to a boil stirring continuously so the sugar dissolves in the water. Add 3 TBSP of key lime juice or lime juice. ¼ tsp of vanilla extract and ½ tsp of coconut extract. Let simmer for 3 minutes then cool to room temperature. Pour contents into a one quart mason jar and top off with moonshine neutral spirit or vodka neutral spirit. Refrigerate then enjoy.
Lemon Cream Moonshine Recipe
Ingredients:
Sugar
Lemon juice
lemon
Coffee creamer ( powdered, regular flavor )
Moonshine neutral spirit or vodka neutral spirit
Directions:
Put 1.5 cup of water in a pot on the stove with 1 cup of sugar and bring to a boil stirring continuously so the sugar dissolves in the water. Add 4 TBSP of Lemon juice. 2 TBSP of coffee creamer ( powdered, regular flavor ). Squeeze ½ fresh lemon into the mixture. Let simmer for 3 minutes then cool to room temperature. Pour contents into a one quart mason jar and top off with 140 proof moonshine neutral spirit or vodka neutral spirit. Should end up at about 80 proof. Remove pulp from lemon and twist rind into the jar and leave in the jar. Place in the freezer, shake before drinking. A nice summertime treat.
This recipe can be easily adjusted up or down with creamer and or sugar to get the taste you like. Experiment to create your moonshine recipes.
Grandpas Pride Recipe
Created by Rod in honor of his Grandfather
Some of the smoothest Moonshine you will every drink
10 Gallon Batch
6 quarts water, 2.5 lbs quick oats ( Quaker Oats 1 min oats ) 10 pounds white sugar, 2 pounds brown sugar, 1/2 cup of bread yeast.
Put 6 gallons of hot 120F water in fermenter and stir in both sugars and quick oats stirring the hell out of it until all sugars are dissolved. Let cool to 80-85F then throw yeast. After fermentation is complete usually about 7 days then let settle ( clear ). Siphon off the top into a still then before you run it, throw in one pomelo fruit. Peel and quarter cut a pomelo fruit into quarter sections and add to the still. Then run that baby and out comes pure liquid gold.
First make some neutral spirit using a cane sugar wash or you can use vodka.
Ingredients;
2 cups of water
1.5 cups of moonshine, neutral spirit, or vodka at 80% to 90% alcohol
1.5 cups of white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
2 tablespoons of almond extract
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 oz of glycerin
Directions;
put water and sugars in a pan bring to a boil over medium heat stirring continuously until all sugars have dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes then add 2 tablespoons of almond extract, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 oz of glycerin, and the moonshine or vodka.
pour into a bottle or jar with lid and store in refrigerator.
It is legal to own a moonshine still or alcohol still, but illegal to produce and sell alcohol without a proper license.