Anyone ever drank moonshine?

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nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
63,075
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Yep, only one shot (I was only sixteen at the time). From an old-school style still in a genuine medieval keep in northern Italy. Supposedly made from peaches, but it sure did taste like fire. Then I had some grapa, which was pretty bad as well.
 

Slickone

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 1999
6,120
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Hm, I've never tried any, and I even live in TN. Someone send me a little. Oddly, I've always heard it's pretty smooth considering the alcohol content; smoother than Everclear. I've also heard to be sure about your source since it can be contaminated and kill ya. Vodka already smells/tastes about like rubbing alcohol to me, so I can't imagine moonshine being much worse.
 

WhiteKnight

Platinum Member
May 21, 2001
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My fiancee's cousin makes it and I tried just a tiiiiny little sip last summer. He had flavored it with something or other so it wasn't the tasteless fire that some people describing, although it was very very strong, 180 proof he claimed. It seemed very starchy to me, like you could still smell the yeast. I don't know if that was a lack of filtration or something, but it certainly appeared free of sediment and such.
 

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
63,075
19,398
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Originally posted by: Slickone
Hm, I've never tried any, and I even live in TN. Someone send me a little. Oddly, I've always heard it's pretty smooth considering the alcohol content; smoother than Everclear. I've also heard to be sure about your source since it can be contaminated and kill ya. Vodka already smells/tastes about like rubbing alcohol to me, so I can't imagine moonshine being much worse.

Yeah, I'd say it was smooth, as in no grimace/shuddering after taking it, but it tasted as described.
 

Beau

Lifer
Jun 25, 2001
17,730
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www.beauscott.com
Originally posted by: MichaelD
Originally posted by: geno
No but I've been told it's like drinking fire

I did it once. And is was liquid fire. It had no smell...that I remember...but one guzzle set my intestines on fire. The second sip and I was singing something in Latin. I don't remember finishing the jar. The hangover was more of gradual transition back to reality. It was evil.

Put it through a Brita filter! It'd change from rough fire to smooth lava. ;):p
 

PricklyPete

Lifer
Sep 17, 2002
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Since I went to college in SC...yes, some drunk rednecks always had it around. I tried some...and yes...it is filthy horrible. It's like drinking paint thinner (who knows...maybe that was what I was drinking).
 

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
17,112
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Yep......back in high school and buddy and I went out and did some drinking....crashed at his house that night....the next morning his Dad woke us up at the crack of dawn.....told us to come out to his workshop.....we out there and he had a mason jar full of the stuff. Told us that if we thought we were old enough to start drinking then we should be able to drink like real men. Poured us each a glass and told us to drink it. I got about 1/2 the glass down before I started puking my guts up. That sh1t was lethal.....back then I drank Jack like water...but that shine was like drinking liquid fire.
 

AlienCraft

Lifer
Nov 23, 2002
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Originally posted by: deftron
How was it ?
I've got a quart jar of peach. It is awesome. smooth as silk, with a kick thats slowwwwww but sure.
It's from the hills of Georgia.

 

thegimp03

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2004
7,420
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haha, that's a funny story shiner...closest i've come is bacardi 151 and absinthe ~75% alcohol each. Moonshine is 90%+ isn't it? I couldn't imagine what I'd feel like after drinking some of that stuff. I've gotten so hungover off of 151 that I was praying to be sober and normal again.
 

anxi80

Lifer
Jul 7, 2002
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never had it before, but extremely curious to try it out. closest ive had in terms of % of alcohol content is everclear.
 

jemcam

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
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Originally posted by: deftron
How was it ?

I went to college in south Alabama and lots of the country bars would sell quarts of it out of the back door. It was good for punch and stuff like that, but to drink it straight was like trying to drink gasoline.
 

edro

Lifer
Apr 5, 2002
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According to the History Channel special on moonshine, moonshine is 50% alcohol, or 100 Proof. I was always under the impression that it was like 90% alcohol, or 180 proof... but I guess not.

Maybe there are different kinds... who knows?

Maybe I should try google.
 

jemcam

Diamond Member
Jan 3, 2001
3,676
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Originally posted by: edro13
According to the History Channel special on moonshine, moonshine is 50% alcohol, or 100 Proof. I was always under the impression that it was like 90% alcohol, or 180 proof... but I guess not.

Maybe there are different kinds... who knows?

Maybe I should try google.


The amount of alcohol depends on how many times it's distilled. The distillation process removes water from the corn beer (if you're making corn whiskey). The more you distill it, the stronger it gets.

Me and some of my buds in college decided to give home brewing a try and we started with 5 gallons of corn beer. After distilling 5 gallons of corn beer, we ended up with about a quart or so of "moonshine". It was cloudy and really tasted bad, but it worked. The more you distill it, the clearer and stronger it becomes.

That's my knowledge based on experience. In our case, we got tired of distilling and wanted to drink up, besides, we didn't think we'd have much left if we kept distilling until it came out clear. We were doing this with just a hot plate, and it was very unscientific. We knew that alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, so we were just guessing on what the setting was to evaporate the alcohol but not the water. I suppose real moonshiners know exactly what they're doing.
 

jjones

Lifer
Oct 9, 2001
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Drank it many times and yes, it wasn't the best; even participated in a corn liquor drinking contest one time. That didn't leave any pleasant memories.
 

kranky

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
21,019
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I have a half a mason jar that a friend gave me but I'm too afraid to drink it since I don't know where it came from. He assures me it's perfectly fine but I'm not taking any chances. Smells pretty strong.
 

Slickone

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 1999
6,120
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Coincendentally tonight on Letterman Bill Murray was talking about drinking Moonshine in Virginia.