Distillation of alcohol
The process of creating ethanol, or drinking alcohol, is incredibly simple. Alcohol is the left over waste product from yeast breaking down complex sugars for their use as fuel. This process is so easy to do, that it only takes a short space to explain it.
- Heat water and dissolve as much sugar, either table sugar, sucrose, or molasses, etc, as you can.
- Wait for the water to cool back to room temperature, and then add a teaspoon of bread yeast, or a special kind of brewing yeast to the water. Waiting for the water to cool is crucial, because if it is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
- Within a short period of time, the mixture should begin to bubble. It does so because CO2 is a major byproduct of alcohol production. Be careful not to seal the container it is in, as this may result in an explosion. The best thing to do is to have a cover which just sits on top of the containing vessel, so that things do not fall into the mixture, and at the same time, so gases can escape.
- Wait a few days until the mixture stops bubbling, this is the sign that the fermentation process is complete.
- Filter your liquid through a coffee filter to remove the yeast and other impurities.
- The result should be approximately the equivalent of a 40 proof liquor. Do not worry, this process creates no toxic chemicals such as methanol, so no further refinement is needed to create a consumable product.
- Add flavoring if desired, and enjoy!