- If you’re self-isolating at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you probably have some extra time on your hands and are slowly running out of closets to clean.
- If you want to test out a new activity with a tasty result, try making your own alcohol at home – from home-brewed beer to sparkling wine and DIY classic cocktails, there are plenty of options.
- But don’t try to make your own hard liquor, as it is a highly flammable process that could lead to explosions.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
If you find yourself with extra time on your hands during self-isolation at home, you may be tempted to make your own alcohol.
Although many liquor stores luckily fall under the “essential services” category and are still open, it’s still a great time to get started on your home-brewing skills and whip up some DIY drinks from the comfort of your own home.
It’s important to note that you should not try making your own hard liquor at home, even if you think you’d master it after your late-night Google searches. Hard liquor and high-proof alcohol are extremely flammable, and the process could lead to a deadly explosion.
“Distilleries have all sorts of equipment that are explosion proof,” said Joseph Magliocco, president of whiskey-maker Michter’s Distillery.
So if you're looking for something with a little stronger kick, look into delivery - or playing around with what you have. A lot of open stores are offering delivery, online ordering, and curbside pick up. Some services, like Drizly, are specifically geared toward bringing drinks to your door, assuming you're of age. Obviously, there are rules and regulations restricting the sale of alcohol online - especially across state lines - but it's not an impossible buy.
But beer lovers are in luck. Erica Shea and Stephen Valand are the owners and cofounders of Brooklyn Brew Shop, a New York-based company that they began to make "to make beer and brewing feel more like baking and cooking." They designed kits scaled down to produce just one gallon of beer, allowing customers to save on space and brew time.
They say that while you may be unable to share them with your friends just yet, if you start your own home-brew kits now, in a month or so you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.
That's right: Home-brewing beer or wine can take about four weeks, sometimes longer, so it does require patience. But if you're impatient, you can also create your own cocktails at home using whatever you have in your liquor cabinet - and share your work of art over a virtual happy hour.
"There are so many great recipes online, you can get very creative with whiskeys and spirits, Zoom to drink together - there's a lot of things you can do to stay connected," Magliocco said.
Home-brewing has grown in popularity in recent years, and there are plenty of options for at-home kits that make things like brewing your own batch of beer relatively simple. Brooklyn Brew Shop also offers sparkling white wine and sparkling rose kits for those more inclined toward a refreshing bubbly beverage.
So whether you're looking for an activity to pass the time or a quick fix, here's what these experts recommended for getting a little boozy.
Brewing beer at home takes following 4 main steps
Valand walked Business Insider through the home-brew process, which consists of a three-hour brew day, two weeks of fermentation, and two weeks in the bottle before your beer is ready to drink.
"'Brew day' has four main steps. First, you make the 'mash' by taking the grain mix and steeping in hot water for about an hour. This basically looks like making oatmeal, and will make your kitchen smell great," Valand said. "Next, you take the mash and strain in through a strainer into a bowl, pouring hot water over the grains (like making pour-over coffee). This is called 'the sparge.' Now, it's time for 'the boil,' where you boil the sparge liquid for about an hour. Here's where you can play around with flavors, adding different hops and spices. Think of it like adding ingredients to a soup stock. Lastly, cool down the liquid to room temperature, or about 70 degrees, by filling a sink with ice water and lowering in the pot. After this, it's time for the fermenter."
Ferment the 'wort' for two weeks
Next, pour the wort (unfermented beer liquid) in the glass fermenter and add the yeast, and leave it to ferment for two weeks.
Here, Valand added, you have the option to add more hops if you want to. "This is called dry hopping, it's only going to add aroma but not ... bitterness - like a New England IPA, which is double dry hopped and very cloudy in appearance," he said.
Then, bottle it for another two weeks
After fermentation, siphon out your beer into bottles and leave the bottles for two weeks. Then, your beer is ready to be enjoyed!
If brewing isn't your thing, try making a new cocktail
If you're not a beer fan, try devising a new cocktail. Use different liquors and fix-ins to take a twist on the classic mixtures. Everyone's palates are different, and you might find something totally new you might like.
Classic cocktails that you could take your own twist on
"Rye, which was really out of fashion 20 years ago, makes excellent cocktails," Magliocco said. "It's spicier than bourbon that can make some beautiful drinks, and if you have time, you can experiment a bit: Make a Manhattan with bourbon and rye to see what you like better."
DIY refreshers
And if you're looking to help out the alcohol industry, there are a variety of ways to support bartenders from home, including donating to organizations like the US Bartenders' Guild, which Michter's and other distillers have supported.
"It's an unprecedented, horrible situation," Magliocco said. "Obviously with bars and restaurants virtually shut down, it's devastating to our industry and for the people who worked in them, as so many have been laid off now."