Recipe for Missouri River whiskey

[MTCoyotero]

Found this recipe in a book I'm reading {The Wolves of North America} this whiskey was sold at all the forts along the Missouri river.
   To one barrel of Missouri River water was added two gallons of alcohol,two ounces of strychine,three plugs of tobacco, and five bars of soap to give it a "bead," following which one-half pound of red pepper was stirred into the mixture. This concoction was then futher supplemented by the addition of sagebrush, and then boiled until the liquid turned brown, after which the mixture was strained into a stock barrel, and then bottled. Strychnine, it is said, was added for it's stimulating properties, while tobacco was a necessity because of the nausea it produced in the Indians of the time, for no whiskey was of value unless the one who drank it eventually became deathly sick. Of the white man it is said that when he drank the mixture he became so inebriated that he could not close his eyes.

[Daryl (deceased)]

No wonder I don't drink.
 
Daryl

[rockinbbar]

Yep, that "popskull" whiskey was popular with the Indians & at mining camps, where they couldn't get real whiskey...

Another well documented ingredient they sometimes used was a few rattlesnake heads....
I heard the tobacco was used to give the whiskey it's brownish color as well.

I think there must have been LOTS of deaths from over indulging in this stuff.

Rockinbbar

[MTCoyotero]

Ya the snake heads would give it a nice kick.

      " 100% double rectified bust head."  John Wayne

[Dragonfly]

I think I'll stick to "the recipe".  MOONSHINE!!!!:D

[rockinbbar]

Probably a safe bet, Draggy...LOL.

That ol' snake oil Who-Hit-John will make a person go blind, or worse.:)

Rockin'

[Skip]

I'll stick to my Crown Royal Reserve thank you

[LLANOJOHN (deceased)]

I'll stick to my Crown Royal Reserve thank you

Skip,
 
My friend I must introduce you to the very best of the best...........here is a pic!

[rockinbbar]

Hondojohn,

You have to have a toddy down there to keep warm when I sent you all that cold weather last week?
Did it help?

Rockinbbar

[LLANOJOHN (deceased)]

Hondojohn,
 
You have to have a toddy down there to keep warm when I sent you all that cold weather last week?
Did it help?
 
Rockinbbar

Pardner, you done out-did yoreself by leavin' that thar gate open!!!!  I gots enough clothes to keep the outside warm but it jest takes a "touch" of the ol' JTS to keep the innards up to temperature.  Just usin' some of natures own good stuff to keep inner balance!;)
 
Ol' John..:D :D

[Kit]

I think there must have been LOTS of deaths from over indulging in this stuff.  

Used to be called "natural selection". now we call it "Darwin Awards"
 ~ME

[drinksgin (deceased)]

If a barrel was 42 gallons, then as now, 2 gallons of alcohol would be about like beer, when they boiled it, the small amount of alcohol would boil off, since ethyl alcohol boils at about 180', and water at 212', this leaves the rest of the mess to poison the drinker, the other things might just do the job!

Don   :D