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