• Welcome to the Receipts of the Blue & Gray. - The receipts you will find here are original Antebellum, and Civil War period receipts, as originally published between the years 1796 and 1880. One exception, is: Newspaper Clippings & Periodical Receipts are limited to a publishing period from 1858 to 1866.

    Some receipts from this era attempted to give medicinal advice. Many dangerous, and in some cases, deadly, "cures" were given, reflecting the primitive knowledge of that time period. Don't assume everything you read here is safe to try! Recipes and Receipts posted here are for Historic Research Purposes, enjoy them, learn from them, discuss them!

    ★ If you attempt to try one of these recipes / receipts, you do so at your own risk! ★

  • Welcome to CivilWarTalk, a forum about the American Civil War! - Join today! It's fast, simple, and FREE!

Cocktails/Brews Irish Whiskey - Cheap

irish whiskey - cheap
(from The Manufacture of Liquors, Wines, and Cordials, Without the Aid of Distillation, by Pierre Lacour, 1853)

(FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY! Do Not Attempt to Recreate! Dangerous!)

Ingredients:
30 gallons rectified whiskey​
3 quarts grains of paradise tincture​
2 oz. catechu​
10 drops creasote​
5 gallons of water​
for mixture bedding filter:​
1 empty whiskey barrel​
3 parts oatmeal or rice, 1 part wheat flour; combined, enough to fill bottom of whiskey barrel, 12 inches deep​
Instructions:
Rectified whiskey, thirty gallons; grains of paradise tincture, three quarts; catechu, two ounces; creasote, ten drops; water, five gallons; mix the liquor before it is charged with any of the articles. It should be passed through a bed composed of ground oatmeal, or of ground rice, or of a mass composed of three parts of unground rice, to one part of wheat flour. This bed should be about twelve inches in depth, and for convenience can be arranged in an empty whiskey barrel. Full instructions for this will be found under the head of "Filtering." The spirit should pass with rapidity through the filter, and if it comes off too highly charged with starch, it should have clean spirit added until the starch becomes dissipated, or is not perceptible to the naked eye; or if the spirit should be too heavy, or cloudy, run it through the sand filter alone, until it comes out bright. The amount of flour necessary to impart the desired flavor to the spirit, is not distinguishable by the naked eye; and neither should the liquor have the slightest tinge imparted to its original color.​


Rectified whiskey is noticed under the head of low proof spirit. It contains about twenty per cent of alcohol, and the deficient alcohol is supplied from the usual articles used for giving artificial strength to spirits.

"Grains of Paradise" is another name for pepper seeds, either guinea pepper or melegueta pepper. Cayenne would probably work about as well. Grind pepper and soak 1 to 1 and 1/2 lb. in a gallon of pure alcohol such as Everclear. Seal bottle tightly and soak for days or weeks as desired. Strain carefully to prevent muddiness, and add from one to two quarts to whiskey recipe above. This was a common method of making fake liquor seem stronger than it was, since the sting of the pepper simulated the bite of alcohol.

Catechu is the bark of an East Indian acacia plant, recommended by Lacour for addition to fraudulent liquor as it constricted the throat like strong alcohol. Where you would find this today we have no idea, and no intention of investigating.

Creosote is the stuff the use to coat telephone poles to keep them from rotting in the ground. Lacour's recommended dose was 60-80 drops per 100 gallons of fake booze. Unless you like drinking tar, the recommended dose is zero.

This is an authentic recipe of stuff that was made by cheating sutlers and sold to soldiers stuck in camp or field who were so desperate for a drink they would buy the godawfullest rot you can imagine. This recipe is included for historical interest ONLY and we trust our readers to have the good sense God gave a goat and not to actually make this dreadful stuff.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
or you ould just do this.... 10 lbs. Whole kernel corn, untreated
5 Gallons Water
1 Cup Yeast, champagne yeast starter

DIRECTIONS:
Put corn in a burlap bag and wet with warm water. Place bag in a warm dark
place and keep moist for about ten days. When the sprouts are about a 1/4" long
the corn is ready for the next step. Wash the corn in a tub of water, rubbing
the sprouts and roots off.. Throw the sprouts and roots away and transfer the
corn into your primary fermenter. With a pole or another hard object mash the
corn, make sure all kernels are cracked. Next add 5 gallons of boiling water
and when the mash cools add yeast. Seal fermenter and vent with a water sealed
vent. Fermentation will take 7-10 days. When fermentation is done, pour into
still filtering through a pillow case to remove all solids.
 
Firewater! :smoke: This is what they sold Indians. That tobacco was often the empties of spittoons, by the way. They always said liquor made Indians mean but this would make ANYBODY mean!
 
From Manufacture of Liquors by Pierre Lacour, 1853

30 gallons cheap whiskey, 80-90 proof
3 qt. tincture Grains of Paradise (see note 1)
2 ounces catechu (see note 2)
10 drops creosote (see note 3)
5 gallons water.

Oatmeal or rice, 3 parts
Wheat flour, 1 part
Combined, enough to fill a whiskey barrel about 1 ft. deep

See note 4 before actually assembling ingredients

Mix the whiskey, Grains of Paradise and water, then add the remaining ingredients. Pass through a bed composed of ground oatmeal, or of ground rice, of a mass composed of three parts of unground rice, to one part of wheat flour. This bed should be about twelve inches in depth, and for convenience can be arranged in an empty whiskey barrel. The spirit should pass with rapidity through the filter, and if it comes off too highly charged with starch, it should have clean spirit added until the starch becomes dissipated, or is not perceptible to the naked eye; or if the spirit should be too heavy, or cloudy, run through the sand filter alone until it comes out bright. The amount of flour necessary to impart the
desired flavor to the spirit, is not distinguishable to the naked eye; and neither should the liquor have the slightest tinge imparted to its original color.


Note 1: "Grains of Paradise" is another name for pepper seeds, either guinea pepper or melegueta pepper. Cayenne would probably work about as well. Grind pepper and soak 1 to 1 and 1/2 lb. in a gallon of pure alcohol such as Everclear. Seal bottle tightly and soak for days or weeks as desired. Strain carefully to prevent muddiness, and add from one to two quarts to whiskey recipe above. This was a common method of making fake liquor seem stronger than it was, since the sting of the pepper simulated the bite of alcohol.

Note 2: Catechu is the bark of an East Indian acacia plant, recommended by Lacour for addition to fraudulent liquor as it constricted the throat like strong alcohol. Where you would find this today we have no idea, and no intention of investigating.

Note 3: Creosote is the stuff the use to coat telephone poles to keep them from rotting in the ground. Lacour's recommended dose was 60-80 drops per 100 gallons of fake booze. Unless you like drinking tar, the recommended dose is zero.

Note 4: Please read notes 1, 2 and 3. This is an authentic recipe of stuff that was made by cheating sutlers and sold to soldiers stuck in camp or field who were so desperate for a drink they would buy the godawfullest rot you can imagine. This recipe is included for historical interest ONLY and we trust our readers to have the good sense God gave a goat and not to actually make this dreadful stuff.
Now I know what to serve the relatives over Xmas. I will save the good store bought stuff for myself.:smile coffee:
 
From Manufacture of Liquors by Pierre Lacour, 1853

30 gallons cheap whiskey, 80-90 proof
3 qt. tincture Grains of Paradise (see note 1)
2 ounces catechu (see note 2)
10 drops creosote (see note 3)
5 gallons water.

Oatmeal or rice, 3 parts
Wheat flour, 1 part
Combined, enough to fill a whiskey barrel about 1 ft. deep

See note 4 before actually assembling ingredients

Mix the whiskey, Grains of Paradise and water, then add the remaining ingredients. Pass through a bed composed of ground oatmeal, or of ground rice, of a mass composed of three parts of unground rice, to one part of wheat flour. This bed should be about twelve inches in depth, and for convenience can be arranged in an empty whiskey barrel. The spirit should pass with rapidity through the filter, and if it comes off too highly charged with starch, it should have clean spirit added until the starch becomes dissipated, or is not perceptible to the naked eye; or if the spirit should be too heavy, or cloudy, run through the sand filter alone until it comes out bright. The amount of flour necessary to impart the
desired flavor to the spirit, is not distinguishable to the naked eye; and neither should the liquor have the slightest tinge imparted to its original color.


Note 1: "Grains of Paradise" is another name for pepper seeds, either guinea pepper or melegueta pepper. Cayenne would probably work about as well. Grind pepper and soak 1 to 1 and 1/2 lb. in a gallon of pure alcohol such as Everclear. Seal bottle tightly and soak for days or weeks as desired. Strain carefully to prevent muddiness, and add from one to two quarts to whiskey recipe above. This was a common method of making fake liquor seem stronger than it was, since the sting of the pepper simulated the bite of alcohol.

Note 2: Catechu is the bark of an East Indian acacia plant, recommended by Lacour for addition to fraudulent liquor as it constricted the throat like strong alcohol. Where you would find this today we have no idea, and no intention of investigating.

Note 3: Creosote is the stuff the use to coat telephone poles to keep them from rotting in the ground. Lacour's recommended dose was 60-80 drops per 100 gallons of fake booze. Unless you like drinking tar, the recommended dose is zero.

Note 4: Please read notes 1, 2 and 3. This is an authentic recipe of stuff that was made by cheating sutlers and sold to soldiers stuck in camp or field who were so desperate for a drink they would buy the godawfullest rot you can imagine. This recipe is included for historical interest ONLY and we trust our readers to have the good sense God gave a goat and not to actually make this dreadful stuff.

Hi, just reading the ingredients gave me heartburn.
Wanda
 
I want to try this SO bad... I love the heartburn... to bad I'm only four-teen!

Just kidding...
 
Evan, sorry to sound like your grandmother, but you won't feel so LOL or Yea! after drinking that stuff. :hot:<this is you after a swig>
 
There's always rotgut to be sold to soldiers. My dad, a WWII vet, tells of a potent hootch they made in the Philippines of pineapple and coconut juice and who knows what else, that they buried for a few days. When they dug it up, whatever it was, it had a mighty punch! :eek:
 
You know to be officially considered and branded Irish Whiskey it needs to be aged for no less then 3 years in wooden casks, the casks could have previously been used to carry rum or sherry and this would impact on the taste of the matured whiskey. I would have thought moonshine/poitin would have been more accessible to the average soldier.
 
Back
Top