A great new article in the New York Times talks about how moonshine (aka White Dog, White Lightning, or (don’t sue me Pepsi) Mountain Dew) is surging in popularity among the cocktail cognoscenti.  What they’re talking about is raw, un-aged liquor straight out of the still – just like grandpappy made it way back in the hills.

I highly recommend the above article, and I also highly recommend that any gentleman (or gentlelady) adventurer with a predilection to tippling give moonshine a try.  Ideally, this should be clear spirits of questionable provenance, served out of a mason jar or other recycled container.  My first moonshine experience was lao lao – homemade Laotian rice whiskey served from a 7-Up bottle while riding on the roof of a bus from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.

If the homemade stuff that can cause blindness is not available locally where you are, however, you could do worse than trying some of the new brands mentioned in the NYT.

Oh, and while you’re searching, please enjoy this ode to clear spirits by the great George Jones:

Tags: george jones, lao lao, moonshine, mountain dew, whiskey, white dog, white lightning