Everclear (alcohol)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Type | Neutral grain spirit |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Luxco |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Alcohol by volume | 95% or 75.5% |
| Proof | 190 or 151 |
| Color | Colorless |
| Flavour | Neutral, contains no flavoring |
Everclear is a brand of neutral grain spirit that is available at concentrations of 75.5% alcohol (151 proof) and 95% alcohol (190 proof),[1] in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol (80–120 proof).
Since 95.6% ethanol and 4.4% water form an azeotrope (meaning that simple distillation cannot remove any of the remaining water), 191-proof spirits are the maximum proof that is available from the distilled beverage industry.
Because Everclear is a neutral grain spirit, it is relatively low in congeners.
Everclear is manufactured by Luxco (formerly the David Sherman Company).[2]
Contents |
[edit] Availability
[edit] As a beverage
Due to high alcohol content, Everclear is illegal, unavailable, or difficult to find in many states as a beverage.
[edit] 190-proof version
It is illegal to sell the 190-proof variety in some states of the United States for beverage purposes, namely California, Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, [3] Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
[edit] 151-proof version
In California and in some other states, the 151-proof variety may be sold.
[edit] As industrial alcohol
Everclear is sold in most of the States for industrial purposes. It usually requires an Industrial Alcohol Permit to obtain any quantity. Each state has its own laws governing the use and sale of industrial alcohol.
[edit] In other countries
In Canada, Everclear is sold in Alberta but not in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and most other provinces.
[edit] Uses
Everclear is commonly added to a variety of other drinks, such as soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit juice, and iced tea. It is used in some cocktails[4] and sometimes in place of vodka or rum in Jello shots. It is used to make Apple Pie Punch.[5]
Everclear is also used in cooking because it extracts flavors exceptionally well. It can be used to make homemade liqueurs, such as limoncello.
Everclear can be used to prepare medicinal tinctures and spice extracts. This done by soaking herbs in it for several days and then straining out the solid material.
Everclear can be used to “cut” (i.e., adulterate) other spirits, particularly clear spirits such as gin and vodka, without reducing their proof. When 190-proof Everclear is mixed with an equal amount of distilled water, a 95-proof mixture is obtained, which is the average proof of most spirits — because most spirits have 80 to 110 proof. The diluted Everclear is then mixed with a more expensive liquor, which increases the liquor’s volume without greatly changing its alcohol content. Of course, its taste will be impaired.
Everclear (the 190-proof variety) is sometimes used by backpackers as fuel in alcohol stoves (often a homemade beverage-can stove). It burns cleanly, and since it is not as toxic as methanol and isopropanol, it can be stored inside cookware without contamination.
[edit] In popular culture
Everclear is featured in Minnesota humorist Garrison Keillor’s novel Lake Wobegon Days. In one scene, a housewife throws her husband’s cup of coffee onto a kitchen fire to douse it, whereupon the coffee bursts into flame. She later finds a bottle of Everclear labeled “DON’T THROW OUT” under the kitchen sink, and correctly surmises that her husband had put a shot of it in his coffee. In real life, a shot of Everclear in a cup of coffee would not “burst into flame”; the flash point of this mixture would be far too high.
A song called “The Everclear Song” was written by Mike Ethan Messick and performed by him on his album Bootlegger’s Turn. It was covered by Roger Creager on his album Having Fun All Wrong.
In the 2001 musical film Hedwig and the Angry Inch , Tommy Gnosis asks Hedwig if she is drunk. She replies, “I’m not drunk; I’m enjoying a little rainwater and Everclear.” [6]
In the Tucker Max book I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell, Max refers to the Tucker Max Death Mix, a mixture of Everclear, Gatorade, and Red Bull energy drink.
The Portland rock band Everclear was named after it.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "(brands)". luxco.com. http://www.luxco.com/public/brands/specs/specification.asp?brandid=21&brandname=EVERCLEAR. Retrieved on 2009-07-01.
- ^ "(company)". luxco.com. http://www.luxco.com/public/company/pres.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-01.
- ^ "340A.506, Minnesota Statutes 2007". Ros.leg.mn. 2004-08-15. http://ros.leg.mn/bin/getpub.php?pubtype=STAT_CHAP_SEC&year=current§ion=340A.506&image.x=19&image.y=10&image=Get+Section. Retrieved on 2009-07-01.
- ^ "Cocktails with Everclear". Drinknation.com. http://www.drinknation.com/ingbrowse/Everclear. Retrieved on 2009-07-01.
- ^ "Apple Pie Punch receipe". Drinksmixer.com. http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink11164.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-01.
- ^ August 21, 2007 (2007-08-21). "At 3 min 5 sec". Youtube.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdSotkOhpso. Retrieved on 2009-07-01.
- ^ , http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Everclear:band.htm
