If you like root beer you are going LOVE this alcoholic adult beverage recipe for Crock-Pot Root Beer Moonshine! Everclear grain alcohol or vodka is sweetened and flavored with root beer extract for this perfect sipping flavored “moonshine” recipe!
By fermenting it in a carboy with an airlock at room temperature, yes you are certainly creating an alcoholic beverage and not a soda pop. It will not be appropriate for children. To make a root beer soda pop, you still add yeast to the mixture.
Slow Cooker Root Beer Moonshine
This is the first installment on an alcoholic beverage recipe each month. While I call these “moonshine”, they really are a Everclear grain alcohol or vodka based mixed cocktail drink. The word moonshine is just to suggest that the drink is a very strong alcoholic drink. The alcohol itself takes on the flavor of the other ingredients masking the true alcohol content.
With all of that said, lets get on to our first drink for the year. Crock-Pot Root Beer Moonshine!!!
A couple years back, I was introduced to root beer beer. That is, root beer flavored beer that has a sweet flavor of my favorite soda. Why not make a root beer moonshine drink that has all the flavors and tastes associated with my favorite soda and beer?
I used Hires Big H Root Beer Extract to make this recipe. I did have to order this product off Amazon but I am sure you should be able to find a similar product in a grocery store or maybe even a health food store.
Add the water, white sugar, brown sugar and pure vanilla extract to the slow cooker. Heat the liquid on HIGH for 2 hours. You want the sugars mixed in with the liquid so they are no longer gritty. Turn off the slow cooker and add in the root beer extract and stir well. Allow the liquid to cool completely and then add in the Everclear grain alcohol (or vodka).
Now, this recipe does call for 1 Liter of Everclear grain alcohol. But, you can decide how much alcohol you want in this drink. Using vodka will lower the alcohol percentage in the drink or using half of the bottle instead of a full bottle of Everclear (or even the vodka). You will not take away from the drink taste by adding less alcohol.
This recipe made almost 4 quarts of Crock-Pot Root Beer Moonshine. Add lids and rings to the jars and store in a cool dry place for a minimum of 7 days before you drink it. However you can store it pretty much for ever. The longer you store it, the more the alcohol will take on the taste of the root beer. You will taste less alcohol.
Before drinking, make sure to give the jar a good shake!
Equipment Needed For Crock-Pot Root Beer Moonshine Recipe:
Because of the high sugar and alcohol content of this moonshine recipe, the shelf life is pretty much forever. As long as you store the finished moonshine in tightly covered jars or bottles so that nothing from the outside environment can get it you should be able to store this at room temperature for a very long time. Not that you will be able to resist sipping on it!
Because we are not distilling the alcohol in our slow cookers, this is not actual moonshine. Instead, this is a flavored alcoholic beverage that uses high-proof grain alcohol in the form of either Everclear or vodka. Actual moonshine is still illegal in many states in the US as well as other countries…but if you can get your hands on the illicit good stuff, then by all means use that instead of Everclear or vodka! According to Wikipedia “Moonshine was originally a slang term for high-proof distilled spirits that were usually produced illicitly, without government authorization.”
A serving size of this root-beer moonshine is 1 shot. A shot does not have a standard size in the US except for in the state of Utah which defines a shot as being 1.5 ounces. This recipe makes about 113 ounces (give or take an ounce or two). So the finished moonshine recipe makes about 20 shots with each shot measuring 1.5 ounces.
FERMENTED ROOT BEER: How to Make Homemade Soda with a Ginger Bug
FAQ
Is homemade root beer alcoholic?
What happens if you ferment root beer?
Is there an alcoholic version of root beer?
How much alcohol is in fermented root beer?
Can you add alcohol to root beer?
If ya want more or just have to get hammered add neutral spirits. I like my little buzz in the afternoon. Yes you can make root beer have an alcohol percentage close to beer. You follow the instructions on a root beer kit except add more sugar. Then you let the root beer sit in the bottles with the cap opened, this is to ferment them.
How do you make your own root beer?
Add herbs, spices, and hops and boil for 30 minutes. Strain out herbs and spices and mix in lactose sugar. If needed, top off with enough clean, filtered water to make five gallons. Cool and transfer to a clean, sanitized fermenter and ferment until complete. Bottle or keg as you would otherwise. That’s how you make your own root beer.
How do you make yeast carbonated root beer?
To make Yeast Carbonated Root Beer: Add the sugar and the root beer extract to 11 cups warm water. Add 1 cup of warm water to 1 Tablespoon of yeast. Add the contents together and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into clean bottles leaving an inch of space. Let them sit at room temperature for four days.