Day 34: Distilling Alcohol

Dear Student,

The distillation process came about in the 1st century AD. It was the ancient Greeks who were the first to practice distillation—of chemicals not alcohol—as far as historical record can tell us, though the Chinese may have predated them.

By the 13th century, the Irish and Germans were manufacturing alcohol with stills as we know them today.

And even before that, there was the old habit of leaving alcoholic beverages out on a freezing night. Overnight the water in them freezes and can be lifted out, concentrating the strength. People today still do this, though they don’t have to wait for a freezing night anymore.

Early Irish and Scottish immigrants to the United States were proponents of distilling alcohol made of excess corn, and the industry became quickly adopted in America. Even the prohibition couldn’t stop Americans from finding ways to distill alcohol—whether it came from their bathtub or was bought from gangsters, spirits have always been part of the landscape of libations in America.

Today, it’s illegal in the United States to distil alcohol at home, it can only be done in permitted facilities. Of course, making moonshine and basement gin is practiced throughout the country nevertheless… though we can’t condone breaking the law.

But permits aren’t required in many other parts of the world. If you’ve relocated overseas for your self-sufficiency enterprise, or you spend a few weeks a year in a second home overseas, distillation can be a fun hobby to take up.

Making Moonshine

First of all, only ever use equipment made of glass, copper, stainless steel, wood, or food-grade plastic when distilling alcohol. Other metals can react with the alcohol and make it toxic.

To distil alcohol, you first have to ferment a low-alcohol beverage like corn mash, wine, or cider.