Recipe for a delicious winter snack: crispy pickled cucumbers with vodka

Pickled cucumbers are one of the most favorite preserves, and vodka, in addition to its status as the main drink of all Russian feasts, has preservative properties. For this reason, preparations made from cucumbers with vodka have taken root in cookbooks and on refrigerator shelves. We'll tell you in the article how to pickle cucumbers with vodka for the winter.

Why are cucumbers preserved with strong alcohol?

The main problem with canning cucumbers is swelling of the jars and mold in the pickling., which are usually associated with an unfinished fermentation process and insufficient quality preparation of containers for preservation.

The most commonly used preservative ingredient is vinegar combined with salt and sugar. The use of vodka (or 40% alcohol) as a preservative began relatively recently, but this method has already gained its admirers.

Advantages of using vodka:

• alcohol is an ideal preservative, it stops fermentation and prevents mold and fungi from multiplying;
• pickling has a long shelf life;
• vodka improves the compatibility of flavors of different ingredients, so it is suitable for pickling salads and combinations of different vegetables;
• You can even use vodka, the taste of which the household did not like, but it would be a pity to throw it away.

Disadvantages of such conservation:

• despite the extremely small amount of vodka in the brine, such cucumbers should not be given to children, and for older children it is better to limit themselves to 1-2 fruits per day;
• Only ground cucumbers grown in season are suitable for pickling; it is not recommended to preserve greenhouse fruits with soft skin with vodka.

Cucumbers pickled with vodka have special taste characteristics:

• they always turn out dense and crispy, while vinegar often softens foods, removing crunch;
• in such preparations there is no “vinegar” taste and smell, which many people do not like;

The amount of alcohol in pickled cucumber recipes is extremely low - as a rule, no more than 1-2% of the volume of the entire brine, so the vodka in the pickling will not be noticeable, and the effect of such a small amount of alcohol on the body can be considered insignificant.

Preparing for conservation

In order for the resulting products to delight you with taste, crunch and vitamins, you need high-quality preparation of products and containers.

Selection of capacity

For pickling with vodka, glass jars with a capacity of 1 to 3 liters are suitable.

Preliminary preparation of containers includes:

• thoroughly washing jars and lids with soda;
• sterilization of jars in a convenient way - steam, oven or microwave;
• Steam sterilization of lids.

Preparing Ingredients

For marinating with vodka, dark seasonal ground cucumbers with sharp pimples and a small crack in the center of the vegetable when cut are selected. Greenhouse fruits have too soft skin, so they are not suitable for preservation with vodka.

The fruits are washed and pre-soaked in water from several hours to a day.

If cucumbers with the “tails” cut off or cut into pieces are used for pickling, then each specimen is tasted, after which bitter fruits removed so that they do not spoil the taste of the product.

Any alcohol with a strength of 40% is suitable for pickling.But the added alcohol will likely give the cucumbers or pickle their slight flavor. Therefore, to obtain a classic taste, use vodka or 40% alcohol.

Drinking well water is ideal for cucumber preparations. If it is unavailable, bottled water will be the best replacement. Drinking tap water can only be used for pickles after filtering.

How to pickle cucumbers with vodka

Preserving cucumbers with vodka differs little from other methods: pre-soaked cucumbers are placed in a jar, sprinkled with spices, poured with hot marinade and rolled up. But there are preparations whose marinating procedure is somewhat different from the standard one.

We offer options recipes crispy pickled cucumbers with vodka for the winter.

Classic way

Crispy, tasty and dense cucumbers, ideal for both daily meat and vegetable menus and holiday treats.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers (gherkins) - 600 g;
• water - 0.5 l;
• salt - 2 tsp;
• vinegar - 1 tsp;
• sugar - 1 tbsp. l.;
• vodka - 1 tbsp. l.;
• spices (garlic, dill, bay leaf, etc.) - to taste.

Preparation procedure:

1. Spices are placed at the bottom of the sterilized container.
2. Pre-soaked cucumbers of the same size Place tightly in container.
3. Pour boiling water over it and drain after 15-20 minutes.
4. Marinade: add salt and sugar to boiling water.
5. Pour vinegar and vodka into a jar.
6. Pour in hot marinade.
7. Roll up, turn over and cover with a warm blanket.

Without vinegar

Ideal cucumbers for those who don't like the taste and smell of vinegar. There is no vinegar in this pickling.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - for a 3 liter container;
• water - 1.5 l;
• salt - 4 tbsp. l.;
• vodka (alcohol 40%, moonshine 40%) - 50 ml;
• herbs, herbs, spices (garlic, dill, bay leaf, cherry leaves, oak leaves) - to taste.

Preparation procedure:

1. Both “tails” are cut off from pre-soaked cucumbers.
2. Cucumbers are placed in a sterilized container, sprinkled with spices. They don't tamp down.
3. Salt is poured onto the top of the cucumbers.
4. Fill with cold boiled water.
5. Cover with lids (not tightly) and put in the cold for fermentation.
6. After 2-7 days (faster in a warm place, longer in a cold place), a film will appear on the cucumbers, which means the fermentation is happening correctly.
7. Without removing the film, the brine is drained and brought to a boil.
8. Alcohol is poured into the cucumbers and filled with boiling brine.
9. Roll up, turn over and cover with a blanket.

With red currants

Crispy cucumbers, pickled with a little salt and with the addition of red currants, are not just a tasty preparation, but also a source of vitamins for the whole family in the cool winter.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 2 kg;
• red currant - 350 g;
• garlic - 1 head;
• water - 1.5 l;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l.;
• sugar - 50 g;
• vodka - 30 ml;
• vinegar - 0.5 cups;
• spices, herbs, herbs - to taste.

Preparation procedure:

1. Red currants are washed and divided into small branches.
2. Spices, herbs, spices, and garlic are poured into sterilized containers.
3. Then lay out the pre-soaked cucumbers mixed with red currants.
4. Pour boiling water over it for 15 minutes, after which the water is drained.
5. Marinade: add salt, sugar, vinegar and vodka to boiling drained water.
6. Pour the marinade into jars for 20 minutes, drain, boil again and pour over the cucumbers.
7. Roll up, turn over and cover with a warm blanket.

With honey, citric acid and rowan without sterilization

To the recipe includes rowan, which has bactericidal properties.Mild taste and undoubted benefits are the main advantages of this pickling.

Ingredients:

• small cucumbers - per 1 liter container;
• salt - 1.5 tbsp. l. without a slide for 1 liter of water;
• vodka (alcohol 40%, moonshine 40%) - 1.5 tbsp. l.;
• liquid honey - 2 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water;
• citric acid - 1 tsp. for 1 liter of water;
• bunches of rowan (berries) - 3-4 branches;
• spices (dill, horseradish root, garlic, red rowan and cherry leaves, peppercorns) - to taste.

Preparation procedure:

1. Both “tails” are cut off from pre-soaked cucumbers.
2. Wash the greens and leaves, cut the horseradish root into 1.5-2 cm pieces.
3. Bunches of rowan are disassembled into small branches with berries.
4. Rowan and cherry leaves, dill, garlic, and pieces of horseradish root are placed at the bottom of the sterilized container.
5. Next, place the cucumbers mixed with rowan berries (on small branches).
6. Cherry leaves are placed under the lid.
7. Pour boiling water over it for 30 minutes. The water is drained, boiled again and re-poured into jars for 30 minutes.
8. Based on the volume of water, calculate the amount of salt, honey and citric acid.
9. The water is drained from the jars, boiled, salt and citric acid are added, and boiled for 3-4 minutes.
10. Alcohol is poured into cucumbers.
11. Honey is dissolved in brine and the brine is poured into jars.
12. Roll up, turn over and leave until cool.

With lime and cognac

Piquant, hot-spicy, crispy cucumbers will be appreciated by the male half of the family.

However, according to this recipe, you can pickle cucumbers for ladies, if you replace the spices with softer ones.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - per 1 liter container;
• lemon (lime) - 4-6 pieces;
• salt - 2 tsp;
• sugar - 2 tsp;
• cognac (vodka, alcohol 40%, moonshine 40%) - 1.5 tbsp. l.;
• spices for men (cloves, ginger root, hot pepper, mustard seeds, dill, bay leaf, cherry and oak leaves) - to taste;
• spices for ladies (cinnamon stick, star anise, nasturtium buds, cardamom boxes, cherry leaves, tarragon sprigs) - to taste.

Preparation procedure:

1. The “tails” on both sides of pre-soaked cucumbers are cut off.
2. Lemon or lime is scalded before slicing.
3. The ginger root is washed, peeled and cut into slices.
4. For men - place cloves (2-3 buds), ginger root (3-4 slices), hot pepper (1/8-1/4), mustard (1 tsp seeds) at the bottom of a sterilized container. For ladies - cinnamon (1/6-1/4 sticks), star anise (½ star), cardamom (2-3 boxes), cherry leaf (1 leaf), tarragon (1 branch) are placed at the bottom of a sterilized container.
5. Then the cucumbers mixed with lemon slices are placed in the jar.
6. Under the lid they put: for men - cherry leaves and dill umbrellas, for ladies - lemon, nasturtium (2-3 buds), cherry leaves.
7. Pour boiling water over, drain the water after 15-20 minutes.
8. The drained water is boiled, salt and sugar are added and boiled again for 2-3 minutes.
9. Cognac (or vodka, alcohol) is poured into cucumbers.
10. Pour in the brine.
11. Roll up, turn over and cool.

Why strong alcohol is eaten with pickled cucumbers

Many people snack on strong alcohol with pickled cucumbers, but this is just wrong.

Dieticians and nutrition specialists say that cucumbers pickled with vinegar, and even after vodka, overload the kidneys, liver and irritate the gastric mucosa.

As a snack for vodka, only lightly salted cucumbers without adding vinegar are acceptable. In addition to the pleasant taste, such “acetic-free” starters will help restore the water-salt balance disturbed by alcohol.

It is recommended to enjoy vodka with fresh meat and vegetable dishes, but it is better to eat pickled vegetables separately.

Useful tips and tricks for preserving delicious cucumbers with a “crunch”

For tasty and crispy preserved cucumbers, it is enough to observe several important conditions:

• select the right cucumbers - dark, with sharp pimples, salad varieties are not suitable for pickling;
• carefully prepare the container - wash, sterilize;
• do not place the fruits in the container too tightly - the brine must have access to each vegetable;
• strictly follow the recommendations for the amount of ingredients - too few spices or seasonings will make the vegetables bland, and too much will lead to bloating of the jars or a change in the taste of the product.

Conclusion

Cucumbers pickled with the addition of alcohol (vodka, alcohol, cognac) will become the main decoration of the holiday and everyday menu, if you choose a recipe that your household will like.

The classic pickling recipe will appeal to guests, lovers of “natural” taste will appreciate recipes without vinegar, and recipes with rowan or cognac will be highly appreciated on the festive table.