Slivovice? Moonshine?

[Captain Awesome]

drinking homemade slivovice sent from the gf's dad in the Czech Republic. Good, but strong stuff (he said it's > 60%, but it's hard to know that for sure). Anyone else have hookups with homemade spirits?

[nugblaster]

My slovak extended family is into some variation of slivovitza (slovak term, think it's the same type of shit) big time. Terrible, terrible stuff, but man does it get you fucked up!

[Arty50]

Yeah, us dirty Croats drink it too. It's made from plums and it buuuuuuurrnnnns all the way down. Actually a local restaurant here gave me a taste from a bottle their local distributor dropped off. It wasn't as bad as I'm used to. Reminded me of a decent (but not excellent) tequila a little bit. Kinda surpised.

[Art Shirk]

Wife is 100% Polish and I have had more than a few nights spent drinking substances that were made in a garbage bag in a closet.

This summer I am opening a place in Seattle that will have infused Vodka based upon certain Polish recipes. Been dabbling in the booze-arts for awhile.

[That was Pontus]

I make a couple of bottles of crab apple liqueur every other year. It's pretty easy to finish off a bottle of that stuff quick...

[St. Jerry]

Not true moonshine, but this stuff is damn good: http://www.harvestspirits.com/core_vodka.html

[Arty50]

Aha! Stara slivovitz was the one I had. It was actually pretty good.

Here's a good description: "It's an upper-middle class slivovitz, but friendly enough to borrow a lawn mower from."

[TNKen]

Yeah, have lots of hookups on 'shine here in TN. Some very tasty, some not, some just really bad. Most of the good stuff comes from small time conissours that have decided to play with and preserve an age old tradition in these part. Usually made in a welded stainless steel cooker, or a beer keg cooker. Charred in oak kegs like the real stuff.

Rumor had it a fellow a county over had a 1,000 gallon still, which would yield about 300 gallons per run. Most of the shine went into New England. He died a couple of months ago, so that source went away.

One guy here in town a few years ago was running a batch in his basement. Sprung a leak in the condensing line. Blew the end off his house when the fumes reached the propane burners. That plus having firearms near the still and the dynamite he had in the refrigerator got him about 6 years in the pokey.

When I worked in the wildlife business, used to come across old still sites out in the mountains. Most had axe chops in the sides or shotgun blasts. And made out of galvanized tin--not good.

[irul&ublo]

Wife is 100% Polish...

That explains the time share...

[ICEHOCEY77]

the guy next to my tailgate spot for football games usually brings a 2 liter bottle full for every game. Usually strawberry flavored. I've had to swear it off, would rather drink everclear than that stuff.

[ICEHOCEY77]

One guy here in town a few years ago was running a batch in his basement. Sprung a leak in the condensing line. Blew the end off his house when the fumes reached the propane burners. That plus having firearms near the still and the dynamite he had in the refrigerator got him about 6 years in the pokey.
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Was the dynamite for the revenuers? My grandmother grew up in Cocke County, has quite a few tales of revenuers and sticks of dynamite.

[TNKen]

No, the dynamite was for fishing and being kept in the refrigerator so it would not deterioriate.

Most of the stills I saw in the woods were in Cocke County whilst wandering in the woods in search of wild turkeys to trap and relocate.