Everclear (alcohol)
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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. As Everclear is a neutral grain spirit, it is relatively low in congeners.
Everclear is manufactured by Luxco (formerly the David Sherman Company).[2]
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[edit] Availability in market areas
Because of its high alcohol content, Everclear is illegal, unavailable, or hard to find in many areas.
It is illegal to sell the 190-proof variety in some states of the United States, namely California, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota,[3] Nevada, New York, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia. In California and in some other states, the 151-proof variety may be sold.
In Canada, it is sold in Alberta but not in Saskatchewan, Manitoba 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 alcohol extracts flavors exceptionally well. It can be used to make homemade liqueurs, such as limoncello.
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.
[edit] Everclear 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]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ luxco.com (brands)
- ^ luxco.com (company)
- ^ 340A.506, Minnesota Statutes 2007
- ^ Cocktails with Everclear
- ^ Apple Pie Punch receipe
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdSotkOhpso At 3 min 5 sec.
