Poteen*

thadiisgirl

*Please forgive my anglicized version of the word!

Intrigued by the whole history of Poteen and how our forebears made it and used it.

Does anyone here have any anecdotal tales to tell of family traditions around its making and its drinking? Were there particular counties that made it more than others? Regional variations in taste and ingredients?

Obviously, I've never tried it, but I assume it is like an eau de vie or a vodka-type of taste....;)

gobnaitolunacy

Used a lot for curing sick calves before. I don't think anyone in the house used drink it!


http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-poitin-poteen.html

Drop of the Craythur


Poitín or poteen, is a traditional Irish distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still from malted barley grain or potatoes.

Poitín was generally produced in remote rural areas, away from the interference of the law. A wash was created and fermented before the distillation began. A wash for 100 gallons of fresh water contained six stone (84 lb) of potatoes, six stone of sugar and some yeast. Stills were often set up on land boundaries so the issue of ownership could be disputed. Prior to the introduction of bottled gas, the fire to heat the wash was provided by turf. In the Republic, smoke was a giveaway for the Gardaí (Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in the North), so windy, broken weather was chosen to disperse the smoke. The still was heated and attended to for several days to allow the runs to go through. In later years, the heat was provided by gas and this reduced discovery by police while distilling.

The quality of poitín was highly variable, depending on the skill of the distiller and the quality of his equipment. If poorly produced, it can contain dangerous amounts of methanol and can blind or kill.

Producing poitín was a source of income for some, while for others it was produced for cheap alcoholic drinking. Poitín was popular at weddings and wakes and a large supply was at hand. Farmers often used it (and still do) as a cure for sick calves and other farm animals as well as a method of curing muscle cramp/problems. While not as widely used now, poitín is still available. It was common for communities to leave poitín distilling to widows to grant them a source of income. Poitín is also used in the Irish midlands as an alternative to deep heat; it is commonly rubbed onto muscles to warm them.

Produced by Pat Feeley

First broadcast 26th December, 1976

slowburner

I can't tell you a whole lot about the mechanics of making it, but I can tell you that it was very common in certain parts of the Wesht, until fairly recently; maybe it still goes on.
I can also tell you that there is good stuff and very bad stuff. The very bad stuff has detergent in it, and whatever else bad makers have to hand.
It's well known that the bad stuff causes all sorts of serious and frightening problems.
Broadly speaking, anywhere that policing is difficult because of terrain or resources, there is a chance of a thriving underground industry.
Ipso facto.

I once had a glass of poitín which was reputed to be the very finest in the entire west of Ireland.
It was in an old house where access to the upstairs was via a ladder.
I wasn't too keen to try a drop, but the host was very insistent.
That very day, I had been intrigued by the furtive manufacturing process I had witnessed on an island in one of the many bog lakes nearby, so I felt I had to try a drop - partially out of courtesy, partially out of curiosity.
The host insisted that I should have a glass before I went to bed.
So I did.
It tasted absolutely delicious.
There was no harshness, no sense that you were drinking a strong spirit.
It was mellow, round and smooth, and tasted for all the world like a saké.

I said it was time for me to hit the hay, so I swallowed it down in one.
The host grinned.
I didn't ask why he was grinning and said I'd see him in the morning...as I turned around and climbed the two staircases...for a couple of hours.