So I started making alcohol while abroad with the Peace Corps in Tanzania. The technique basically involved getting a bunch of fruit or other flavor providing substance, putting it in a five gallon bucket with five kilos of sugar, some baking yeast, and a little bit of tea (the tannins are supposed to mellow it out), and then closing the lid tightly and waiting for a few weeks. I made the following kinds of “wine” while in Tanzania.
| Type of Wine | Made | Filtered | Bottled | Comments |
| Mango | Dec 2004 | Jan 2005 | ||
| Mango | Jan 2005 | Feb 2005 | Entered in Septemberfest 2005 | |
| Soursop (Stafeli) | Feb 2005 | Mar 2005 | ||
| Banana | Mar 2005 | Mar 2005 | ||
| Orange Peel | 7/3/05 | 7/26/05 | ||
| Orange | 7/26/05 | 8/13/05 | ||
| Spiced Pumpkin | 8/7/05 | 8/21/05 | Entered in Septemberfest 2005 | |
| Tamarind (Ukwaju) | 8/13/05 | 8/25/05 | 10/27/05 | Entered in Septemberfest 2005 |
| Honey | 8/14/05 | 8/27/05 | 10/27/05 | Entered in Septemberfest 2005 |
| Cashewapple (Bibo) | 10/8/05 | 11/8/05 | 11/8/05 | 100% Juice, no water added |
| Java Plum (zambarau) | 12/24/05 | 1/17/06 | Went bad | |
| Jackfruit | 12/26/05 | 2/3/06 | 2/19/06 | |
| Mango | 1/24/06 | 2/25/06 | 4/5/06 | |
| Mango-Banana | 3/19/06 | 4/26/06 | 4/26/06 | |
| Soursop | 4/11/06? | 5/7/06? | 5/15/06 | |
| Watermelon-Orange | 4/11/06? | 5/7/06? | ||
| Baobab Fruit | 8/28/06 | Entered in Septemberfest 2006 | ||
| Peanut | 8/28/06 | Entered in Septemberfest 2006 | ||
| Mango Only | 2/13/07 | 3/12/07 | 4/8/07 | Filtered again on 8/4/07 |
| Soursop & Water | 3/11/07 | 4/8/07 | 4/8/07 |
Of all of these, my favorite was, for sure, soursop. Makes a great wine. My friends and I were asked to write up the wine-making process for the Peace Corps Tanzania cookbook, drawing on our experience making wine and holding the annual Septemberfest Wine Festival.
Tags: fruits, peace corps, septemberfest, Tanzania, wine