500 gr Rye Bread
8 L Water
25 gr Yeast
225 gr Sugar
4 tblsp lukewarm Water
1 Lemon
2 tblsp Raisins
2 Mint sprigs
Put the slices of rye-bread in the oven (200 degrees Celsius) for about 45 mins, until they're dried. Boil the 8 liters of water. Crumble the dried rye-bread, put it in the boiling water for about 5 mins. Let it the water, and rye-bread rest for 4 hours, covered with a tea-cloth. Crumble the yeast, 15 mins before the 4 hours are over. Mix the crumbled yeast with some sugar and the luke warm water. Let it rest for 15 mins. Filter the water-rye-bread mix in a kitchensieve. Carefully extract all water from the rye-bread. Wash, and peel the lemon. Add the lemon-peel, the sugar, the yeast and the mint. Stir the solution, and let it rest (covered) for 8 hours. Sieve the solution (tea-cloth). Bottle it. Put some raisins, a bit of lemon-peel, and a fresh leaf of mint in every bottle, close the bottles, and keep them in a cool place. Ready when the raisins start floating. Sieve the stuff one more time in a tea-cloth. Put the Kvas in the fridge 4 hours before drinking.
1/3 cup Orange zest
1/2 cup granulated Sugar
2 cups Cognac (or French brandy)
1/2 tsp Glycerine
Place zest and sugar in a small bowl. Mash and mix together with the back of a wooden spoon or a pestle. Continue mashing until sugar is absorbed into the orange zest and is no longer distinct. Place into aging container. Add cognac. Stir, cap and let age in a cool dark place 2 to 3 months, shaking monthly. After initial aging, pour through fine mesh strainer placed over medium bowl. Rinse out aging container. Pour glycerine into aging container and place cloth bag inside strainer. Pour liqueur through cloth bag. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Cap and age 3 more months before serving.