Everclear
| File:EverclearBottle.jpg | |
| Type | Neutral grain spirit |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Luxco |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Alcohol by volume | 95.0% or 75.5% |
| Proof (US) | 190 or 151 |
| Color | colorless |
| Website | www |
In the United States, Everclear is a brand of grain alcohol (ethanol), available at concentrations of 95% alcohol (190 proof) and 75.5% (151 proof).[1] By contrast, hard liquors such as rum and vodka generally contain 40% alcohol (80 proof). Everclear is manufactured by Luxco (formerly the David Sherman Corporation).[2]
Since 95.6% ethanol and 4.4% water is an azeotrope, meaning that simple distillation can not concentrate the alcohol further, 191 proof spirits are essentially the maximum proof easily available for consumption.
It is illegal to purchase the 190 proof version in certain states in the US, including Ohio, California, Minnesota,[3] Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia[4],Hawaii, and Florida.[citation needed] Due to Everclear's lack of sugar and impurities (congeners), it may make drinkers less vulnerable to hangovers[citation needed]. Everclear (or any high proof grain alcohol) is rarely consumed straight and is nearly always used as a mixer.
Uses
There are legitimate uses for highly pure alcohols, beyond simple fortification (the practice of increasing a liquor or wine's potency by mixing in a high-proof alcohol). Everclear, like other highly refined alcohols, can be used in the manufacture of some liqueurs and medicinal tinctures. By steeping lemon rind in pure alcohol for several days, straining and mixing with 2-3 parts syrup solution one can produce Limoncello. A similar method can be used with mint leaves to produce Crème de menthe. Various other herbs can be used to produce other pleasing liqueurs and medicinal tinctures. Similarly, by using fruit purees one can produce fruit liqueurs, such as crème de cassis, banana liqueur, melon liqueurs and strawberry liqueurs. The Sardinian "Mirto" is produced by steeping Myrtle bark in highly pure alcohol.
It is also used for flambé at many restaurants.
Everclear is also gaining popularity as fuel for the alcohol stoves and Beverage-can stoves often used by ultralight backpackers. It is expensive compared to denatured alcohol, but many backpackers greatly value it because, unlike most other fuels, it is non-toxic (accidental introduction will not ruin the food being prepared) and can be used as a hand cleanser, disinfectant, panic suppressant, painkiller, or as a beverage mixer.
Everclear is also sometimes used as a cleaner for tobacco and marijuana smoking pipes to dissolve residual tar and resin.
Consumption
Everclear is commonly added to a variety of other drinks, such as soft drinks, juice, iced tea, Gatorade or Powerade. Everclear is often consumed at college parties mixed with fruit juice or Kool-Aid and mixed fruit in a large tub.
In media
Everclear is featured in Minnesota humorist Garrison Keillor's book Lake Wobegon Days; in one scene, a housewife throws her husband's cup of coffee on a kitchen fire to douse it, whereupon the beverage erupts in flames. 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 in his coffee.
The 1998 release of Texas Country musician Roger Creager’s album, 'Having Fun All Wrong', included 'The Everclear Song', which pays homage to 'the invisible intoxicant'. The song's popularity spread quickly across Texas university towns, making the song a regional standard and having a high-profile impact on the developing Texas Country sub-genre of country music.
In American Pie: Band Camp, Matt Stifler spikes the camps' fruit punch with several bottles of "Cannon Rum" to seduce the band. However, "Cannon Rum" is a fictional brand, and was an obvious spoof of Everclear, as it was marked 200 proof and had the infamous corn ear on it.