Not Beer, But JQ's PR recipe, as requested

[JohnQ]

As I was asked for my recipe of the "Boones-like" PR that I brought to the meeting this week, here it is...
If anyone is offended by it being in the beer recipe section think of it as beer for the girl that lets you have a kegerator in the living room!

Start with a wine for something blush...
We usually use White Zinfandel, you could probably even use a sweetish white wine, too.
It really DOESN'T MATTER how cheap a kit it is, honestly I've used $25 kits with a 7 day accelerator kit, with almost no perceptible difference in the finished product.  In fact my wife wouldn't use some of the stuff I've used as furniture cleaner because it smelled and tasted that bad.

Finish the wine kit per the instructions. If you're in a rush, feel free to use a 7 day accelerator kit.

I usually keg the first 18 litres out of the secondary for storage then use the balance for the first "cooler blend"

Mix Equal parts Wine and Apple Juice
Add 1 to 2 tins of Minute Maid Frozen Cranberry Punch for each 1 litre of Apple Juice.
For each tin of Cranberry add two tins of water (not 3 as if you were making the punch)
Optionally add a tin or two of Minute Maid Berry Punch and 2 tins of water per tin of Berry Punch.
Mix and carbonate to a high level of CO2, I just shake the Corny for 5 minutes under 20 lbs pressure, then leave it overnight with that head pressure.  It can be served right away after the shake, but absorbs a little more CO2 overnight.  
I don't worry about the ferment starting up again, as it stays in the cooler, and never lasts long enough to lose the sugar content.

Notes...
NEVER EVER skimp on the Apple Juice! At least Equal AJ to Wine, if anything Extra AJ doesn't hurt. Under doing the AJ REALLY HURTS...seriously, I made up another batch last night and was too lazy to get the another AJ from the pantry to make it equal, poured a test one and nearly spewed...added another tin to make it 1:1, voila, magic.
We've noticed that the quality of the Apple Juice has a higher impact on the final product than the quality of the wine. We've used one brand that makes "Mellow Yellow" and "Honey Crisp" Apple Juices and they made interesting variations in the final product.
The range in Frozen Cranberry is to taste, start with 1 to 1 and work your way up till she likes it a lot.  You can always add another tin of Cranberry after the first mixing.
The Berry Punch is very much an option that we've stopped doing lately, it mostly sweetens it up some more.  Never tried the Fruit Punch, don't think it would work as well.


Our usual batch and cost is now ...

4 litres of Wine ($30 kit/23 litres=$1.30 litre) $5.20
4 litres of AJ (Get them on sale for .99) $4.00
8 tins of Cranberry (Try and get them for 2/$1 but usually .89) $4.00 to $7.00
16 tins of water $0

That makes 16 litres of Bubbly, and the net cost is less than $1 litre, compared to the commercial stuff at about $7 for 750 ml.

Easy enough to make it stronger if she wants, up the Wine AND THE AJ, decrease the Cranberry a bit.

Enjoy.

JW

[Richard]

Thanks for this. I'm going to work on making a super-cheap version using table sugar... things might get a little disgusting in this thread... the purists might want to look away.

JW: I couldn't actually taste any "wine" flavours in yours; can your wife?

[JohnQ]

Thanks for this. I'm going to work on making a super-cheap version using table sugar... things might get a little disgusting in this thread... the purists might want to look away.

JW: I couldn't actually taste any "wine" flavours in yours; can your wife?

SWMBO says...
It is a blessing that she cannot really taste any of the wine that I use in the PR...It's a bit like the waiter ran past the table with a glass of wine on the serving tray.

[chrismccull]

JQ, which type of wine is best, here you mention white, but, during the meet you had some made with red.

[JohnQ]

We actually used a blush usually like White Zinfandel.
The batch yesterday actually had Chardonnay in it.
Mostly White or Blush is the way to go, though a lighter Red might do the trick.

JQ

[HappyHax0r]

What exactly is a "PR" ?

[Chris Craig]

Panty Remover

[HappyHax0r]

Oh my ... *facepalm* ... how the hell did I miss that? .

I was considering making another black cherry pinot noir but carbing it in keg #4 for the wife.

Also been looking up some recipes for homemade softdrinks: rootbeer, sprucebeer, gingerbeer, gingerale, cola, and cream soda .

This kegging thing is %#@!%ing awesome.