Celebrate National Moonshine Day Every June 5
If you love your white lightning, today’s for you. It’s National Moonshine Day.
That’s right, today we celebrate the illegally produced whiskey smuggled around the country during prohibition, and long before. And the legal moonshine made today.
Also called hooch, mountain dew, rotgut and Tennessee whiskey (among other things), this high-proof, corn-based drink burns and knocks you flat the first time you try it. You may vow to never even look at it again … But you probably will!
The term moonshine is believed to refer to a combination of the word moonrakers, used to describe early English traffickers, and the light of the moon, under which distillers worked to avoid discovery.
Who created National Moonshine Day? We don’t know, but not knowing the origin of a day has never stopped us from celebrating!
Moonshinin’
Making moonshine actually started long before prohibition. It started when the government started taxing distilled spirits. Back in 1791. Farmer-distillers in Pennsylvania rebelled, causing the Whiskey Rebellion.
Now, at that time making alcohol wasn’t illegal. But the new laws required those taxes and also required distillers to register their distilleries. Only those operations whose owners refused to do these things were illegal.
Of course, the “moonshine” they started making illegally wasn’t likely much (or any) different from the “whiskey” they were making before.
Today we think of moonshine as something made in the South, especially the Appalachian mountains. It’s true that moonshine is an important part of the South’s history, but it’s more widespread than that.
New York City was a major producer of moonshine, even before Prohibition. Illegal distilleries in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco churned out the stuff, too.
And while we think of moonshine as traditionally made from corn, ‘shiners also used anything they could ferment.
And the stuff could be dangerous, too. From lye (added for faster fermentation) to lead (from the car radiators sometimes used in production), contaminants in moonshine could make you sick or worse.
Moonshine Today
With moonshine’s long history, it’s no surprise that the end of prohibition still wasn’t the end of moonshine. Distilleries simply went “legit.”
Today you can find moonshine at your local liquor store. Made legally and safely by licensed distillers.
For example, McCormick Distilling, makers of Platte Valley Moonshine, has been around since 1856. And continuously operating, so clearly it wasn’t always legit, but it is today. With more than 150 years of experience in ‘shining (and other alcohols), it knows its corn whiskey.
By contrast, a legal distillery in New York City was a long time coming. Kings County Distillery opened in 2010. Despite its relative newness, it’s already won numerous awards. And it touts itself as “New York City’s oldest operating whiskey distillery.”
Then there’s Junior Johnson (yes, the NASCAR legend), whose Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon is sold around the country. Pretty much any major liquor store sells it. The original is his father’s recipe. There’s also a variety of other flavors, including Apple Pie and Blueberry.
And that’s only three of the growing number of distilleries, large and small, producing moonshine legally today.
Restaurants are using moonshine in their cocktails and even food items. Yep, it’s a far cry from the rotgut that could blind you. But it’s still strong stuff!
Are there still illegal moonshine operations? Most probably yes, but we don’t plan to go looking for any!
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial holiday.
Ideas For Celebrating National Moonshine Day
How to celebrate? With moonshine, of course.
We’d suggest making a small batch of your own, but as near as we can tell, it’s still illegal to distill alcohol without a permit, even if it’s just for personal use.
Distilling itself isn’t illegal. For example, there’s nothing stopping you from purifying water with a still. It’s just alcohol you can’t distill. Home brewing and wine making are legal because they don’t involve distilling.
So instead we’re going to suggest you check out your local liquor store and see what they’ve got. There’s lots of choices around, so you can still enjoy a shot or two.
Maybe even have a moonshine tasting party with several different kinds to try. Hey, there’s wine tastings, why not a moonshine tasting? Have each person bring a different bottle. Have a list of the kinds you’d like to try and have people check off the list when they buy one. That way you don’t end up with several bottles of the same stuff.
If you’d rather not drink shots, you can also make cocktails with moonshine. Try one of these:
- Candy Appley Cocktail Recipe. Uses XXX Salted Caramel Corn Whiskey and Apple Liquer, along with sparkling cider.
- Bellini Moonshiners. Made with Lincoln County Lightning Whiskey, fresh peaches, basil and Champagne.
- Lemon Blueberry Moonshine Slush. Refreshing!
- Ole Smoky Cinnamon Churro. Uses cinnamon moonshine.
Or use moonshine in your food. These recipes look interesting:
- Moonshine Onion Rings. You can also make these with vodka, if you’d prefer to keep your moonshine for drinking.
- Moonshine-Glazed Doughnuts. Doughnuts covered in moonshine-spiked chocolate? Sounds like heaven. (You can also make a vanilla glaze).
- Grilled Buffalo Ribs with Pineapple-Moonshine BBQ Sauce.
[…] National Moonshine Day: Open a bottle of your favorite moonshine & raise a toast to this delicious day. […]