Celebrate National Moonshine Day on 5 June with a Moonshine Old Fashioned.
Known as white dog, hooch and white lightning among other names, Moonshine is defined as a distilled spirit that is illicitly made, primarily for tax evasion purposes. Typically made from corn mash and other grain like rye, the raw spirit derives its name from the fact that this illegal spirit was made under the light of the moon.
Today’s legal moonshine has evolved beyond the raw and rough spirit with many producers crafting quality bands designed to be sipped neat or used in cocktails. Many distilleries in the USA produce moonshine while their bourbon and whiskey stocks are ageing, much like Australian distilleries produce gin, vodka and other white spirits until their whisky comes to maturation.
These days, you’ll find modern moonshine on back bars and in bottle shops ranging from unaged moonshine and barrel aged for four weeks to flavoured moonshine such as with apple pie or tea. The spirit has many applications in cocktails and can be used in place of whiskey. Here’s how to make a classic cocktail, a Moonshine Old Fashioned using a 4 week old spirit.
Moonshine Old Fashioned Recipe
Ingredients
- 60 ml moonshine (we used a 4 week old barrel aged moonshine)
- 1 heaped bar spoon of sugar
- 1 bar spoon water
- 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters
Glassware: rocks glass
Garnish: orange or lemon peel (we used orange)
Method
In a rocks glass, add sugar, water, bitters and muddle until partly dissolved. Stir in the moonshine. Add a large ice cube. Express the citrus peel around the rim of the glass and use it as garnish.
Photo by Cocktails & Bars – © Copyright: All rights reserved.
