Moonshine hearkens to rule-breaking Prohibition era
We all enjoy doing things we’re not supposed to do: staying up late on a school night, driving over the speed limit, mixing business and pleasure, even drinking while underage. I’m not making any confessions or pointing any fingers, but let’s be honest: It has happened. There was a time, however, when nobody, no matter his or her age, was allowed to legally drink.
This dark, dry time is known as Prohibition. The national ban on the sale, production and transportation of alcohol began in 1920 and lasted until 1933. Though the ban was the result of government meddling, modern culture associates Prohibition with rule breaking and drunken revelry.
After all, Prohibition was when Jay Gatsby’s infamous West Egg parties took place. Whether you like the book or the 1974 movie or the recent Baz Luhrmann extravaganza or none of the above, you cannot deny that attending one of these contraband parties would be nothing short of perfect. Music blasted, partygoers dressed to the nines and the libations were freely poured.
As a result, the Prohibition era is romanticized. It is in fashion to look like a floozy flapper or to don some raggedy newsboy cap that your grandpa might have worn. Kristen Wiig even made the Charleston hip again when she used it in Bridesmaids as proof of her sobriety. Speaking of sobriety, this brings us to the subject at hand: moonshine.
Recently, moonshine has been making a sly comeback. Riding on the coattails of handcrafted beers and all things Prohibition-chic, moonshine is available from smaller distilleries as well as on the shelves of certain chain stores. It is a resurfacing trend that is also in the process of being appropriated by the thirsty masses.
A product of necessity, moonshine was the illegal hooch made by renegades of the Appalachian Mountains. Ever the innovators, those feisty mountaineers knew how to make a mean brew. Moonshine became necessary because many Americans did not want to pay high taxes on spirits. Once Prohibition rolled around, the moonshine practice became a way to keep hydrated without the authorities knowing.
Backwoods distilleries became part of an underground network of rum-runners and moonshiners, people who made their own spirits with makeshift devices before homemade products were considered hip. Nowadays, this affinity for DIY products translates to a consumer desire for things that are not mass-produced but instead unique and hard to find. The more obscure, the better — you know how it goes.
Enter moonshine. National liquor laws are much more lax than they used to be, especially in Tennessee, where the ban on moonshine has been completely lifted. Take into consideration the recent fascination with ’20s-era style, and we have ourselves a trend.
Just as major beer companies realized that smaller breweries were edging them out of their own business, and thus created crafty beers such as Lagunitas IPA, major whiskey companies have jumped on the moonshine bandwagon. Jack Daniels released a white whiskey called Unaged Tennessee Rye and Jim Beam has Jacob’s Ghost.
So what’s the difference between regular whiskey and moonshine? The most obvious difference lies in the name. Moonshine, or white whiskey, is a clear liquid because it has not been aged for years in wood barrels. This aging process is what gives whiskey its various flavors and brown shades. Unaged whiskey, however, retains its clear hue and pure alcohol taste if left unflavored.
The first time I tried moonshine was at my brother’s wedding last May. His friend Ryan brought a flask full of clear liquid. Naturally, the other groomsmen and I pregamed the ceremony so we could perform our wedding duties with care and precision. My chief goal was to give a speech at the reception and that last swig of moonshine really did me in. It smelled like death and tasted even worse, but it was the liquid courage I needed to speak in front of the large crowd.
Unaged whiskeys such as these are now available all over the country. Ryan got his Pennsylvania-bottled ’shine from a Chelsea market. Local liquor stores in urban areas also carry various brands. I recently bought some moonshine from Pavilions, of all places.
Midnight Moon, made by Piedmont Distillery in Madison, N.C., is the brand I purchased. The recipe is based on the same one used by Junior Johnson, a legendary moonshiner and member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame (NASCAR was invented by moonshiners, by the way). There are plenty of flavors to choose from, but I picked Apple Pie and Cherry. Apple Pie is bottled at 70 proof, making it 35 percent alcohol while Cherry is 100 proof.
Before taking a sip, I expected the same kick as the wedding moonshine — meaning I anticipated a mouthful of rubbing alcohol. Actually, Apple Pie tastes like Fireball whiskey and is definitely drinkable on its own. Cherry, however, is a different story. On its own, Cherry tastes like semi-sweet cough syrup but once mixed with soda, it tasted like a fountain drink. Later I tried the cherry placed at the bottom of the moonshine jar, thinking it would taste like an alcoholic Maraschino cherry. I was gravely wrong.
Now, lest you get any funny ideas about starting your own beverage business on the side, be warned: Distilling moonshine is a dangerous process. If done incorrectly, poisonous impurities will remain in the liquid. That’s why moonshine production is best left to the pros — they’ve been doing it for a while. Modern moonshine consumption no longer requires product smuggling, just knowledge of what local store carries your favorite brand of mountain dew.
As if all of this weren’t enough, most moonshine products are bottled and sold in Mason jars. It doesn’t get much trendier than that.
Nick Cimarusti is a senior majoring in English. His column “#trending” runs Wednesdays.
Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCimarusti