Moonshiners Uncover and Recreate Long Lost American Spirits

Tim, Howard, and Tickle journey across the US to learn about and remake famous American Spirits. Follow along on their adventures as they learn history and old-school 'shining techniques.

Stream Moonshiners: American Spirit episodes on discovery+.

April 21, 2022

By: Discovery

Related To:

Shop This Look

Boston Rum Tasting

Tim and Howard try Bully Boy’s rum as they try to figure out how to recreate the Medford Rum that was made in Boston in colonial times.

Rum made from fermented molasses was popular across the British empire in the 1770s, with colonists drinking a reported four gallons per person, per year. The best was known as Old Medford Rum, which was made by John Hall at the first production distillery in Medford, Massachusetts. The recipe was lost after the distillery was closed in 1905.

The Historic Buckman Tavern

Behind the scenes of Carol giving Tim and Howard a tour of Buckman Tavern.

Paul Revere rode right down the street from the Tavern to let everyone know the British were coming, and right across the street is where the first shot of the American Revolution was fired. It's believed that Revere would've enjoyed some Old Medford Rum inside.

No Taxation Without Representation

Tim and Howard meet a Paul Revere impersonator to learn about the history of the Boston Tea Party.

Boston Tea Party Reenactment

Tim, Howard and, the Paul Revere impersonator throw "tea" into the Boston Harbor after their history lesson.

50 Gallon Still

Tim and Howard check out GrandTen Distillery’s massive 50 gallon still in Boston.

Learning About Al Capone

Tim and Tickle visit Paul at the Chicago History Museum to learn more about Al Capone. Their mission is to recreate the bathtub gin that was made in the prohibition era.

Juniper Berries

Tim takes a closer look at the berries they foraged while trying to make a gin true to how Al Capone would've made it back in the prohibition era.

Al Capone's Bathtub Gin Run

Tim and Tickle stand over their still waiting for the gin to come out.

Tim and Howard Get in Character

Tim and Howard took part in a battle reenactment at Fort Mifflin after learning how spruce beer was brewed for the troops.

Colonial Troops were said to have drunk spruce beer to help prevent scurvy. General Washington ordered a quart of the beer per man per day during the war.

Benjamin Franklin History Lesson

Tim and Howard visit the American Philosophical Society Library. They got to see Benjamin Franklin's real handwritten spruce beer recipe in person.

They also learned about the vault that contains all of Franklin's handwritten documents.

Learning Spruce

Debbie shows Tim and Howard a spruce tree and how to identify the growth needed to harvest the tips.

Tickle at Work

Tickle put together a cooling table for Tim and Howard to use for their Benjamin Franklin spruce beer recipe. As always, they tried to keep everything as authentic as possible for that time period.

A Taste of Elijah Craig Bourbon

Tim and Tickle went straight to the source to try out Elijah Craig's famous Kentucky bourbon. But while tasting, they knew that their version would be very different. The Moonshiner duo worked hard to stay true to how Elijah would've made his bourbon way back when he first started in the 1700s.

Kentucky Bourbon Legend

Legend has it Elijah Craig’s famous bourbon was made with a lightning strike. After lighting hit his barrelhouse, he used the burnt barrels for a customer’s whiskey. After a month on a boat, the liquor darkened and bourbon was born. Now, barrels are charred like this in a factory.

Building Barrels

Tickle builds his own white oak barrel at Kentucky Cooperage. Tickle and Tim learned about the barrel-making and charring process.

Charred Barrels and Copper Stills

Tickle, Josh, and Tim did absolutely everything they could to stay true to how Elijah Craig would've made his bourbon, including charring a barrel themselves and crafting a copper still.

FDR's Secret Peach Brandy

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is rumored to have loved local Georgia moonshine.

He found refuge in the healing waters of Warm Springs, Georgia after contracting polio in 1921. He also created his own polio treatment center in the city.

Tim and Howard Meet FDR

In order to figure out what kind of moonshine Franklin D. Roosevelt drank back in the day, Tim and Howard consulted an expert (AKA an amazing FDR impersonator).

90-Plus Year Old Still

A local Georgia 'shiner showed Tim and Howard this old school still that's been in his family since the 1930s. Tickle helped recreate a version of this still.

"Sweetest peaches in the country"

While trying to figure out the best way to recreate FDR's secret peach brandy, Tim and Howard learn about peach trees from Lee Dickey at Dickey Farms in Georgia. Lee says their farm has "hands down the sweetest peaches in the country and most likely the world." Lee credits that to the rich, dense soil the trees grow in, saying that they also have "the best soil in the country."

Peach Brandy Run

Tim and Howard checking on their run of FDR's peach brandy.

There's nothing like a successful liquor run after learning about the old school history and technique.