I had some genuine moonshine once .... a mountain guy named Sly made it. The second I took a sip and it hit my tongue, it was instant intoxication. I kid you not.
Years ago I worked with some good ol’ boys. Being a young man I bragged how I could handle any kind of drink. Boy was I wrong! They brought some shine in the next day and after ONE sip my a$$ was kicked.
It wasn't very good, tasted like gasoline, but it was 110 proof and only cost $1.50 a quart to produce. It did the job on a budget.
We used a recipe from prohibition days called Minnesota 13.
My buddy had found a book called The Moonshiners Bible at a garage sale.
If I distilled it twice it went up to 160 proof and cost $3.00 a quart to produce.
Each additional distillation after that only brought the proof up 10% each time and doubled the cost so we only made a few quarts of 180 for novelty purposes.
We named ours Ferocious Cirrhosis Total Amnesia Frontal Lobotomy Whiskey.
Made up labels with a little guy with Xs for eyes and a red nose laying in a puddle of his own urine holding up a bottle saying "Smooth!"
Wow did we have fun but my liver winces at the memories or lack thereof.