MOONSHINE HIP?

Yesterday’s local newspaper ran an article on moonshine – the great illicit whiskey – white lightening – hooch – mountain dew – ah, you get my drift.  I don’t care what your pedigree is, if you claim to be a Southerner, there is somebody, somewhere in your family tree that has at one time or another done a little shining.

In my own family, apparently it was my grandfather who liked to tend to the still under the light of an East Tennessee moon. Then somewhere along the way, he went to a revival, found the Lord, and took up preaching.  As I write in Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, “he built a church and nurtured a flock, all the while delivering another libation just as intoxicating as his moonshine.”

But now the infamous drink is becoming cool, hip, and worst of all, LEGAL.  The mystery and aura around moonshine will, I’m afraid, fade with the setting sun now that micro-distilleries are brewing small batches of rye, wheat and millet shine with cute, catchy names like Death’s Door, White Dog and Wry Moon.  Soon there will be moonshine-based martinis and other specialty drinks with even cuter names like Lightning Breeze or Corntini.

Please, please, listen to reason.  Some things just need to remain a little shadowy, a little prohibited, a little banned!

Posted July 5, 2010 at 1:28 pm · 4 comments · Leave a Comment