Believe it or not, June 5th is National Moonshine day, and we couldn’t very well pass by the chance to properly observe a seriously American drink. We’ve clandestinely gathered a little list of ways to celebrate this weekend.

1. Brush up on your moonshine history. The term moonshine comes from the word moonrakers, which was the colloquial name for people from Wiltshire, England. Moonrakers refers to a time when smuggling was a significant industry in the Wiltshire area. According to the story, locals had hidden barrels of brandy from officers by tossing them in a village pond. While raking in their product by the light of the moon, they were caught by officials but explained themselves by pointing to the reflection of the moon and claiming they were trying to rake in a round cheese. The similarly secret operations of Appalachians producing liquor by the light of the moon inspired the term moonshiners.
2. Create your own moonshine. You should have started this ahead of time, but there’s never a wrong time to make your own hooch. There are legions of recipes out there to follow, but you can start here or here for some basic processes. Be careful with this one though—many states don’t allow distilling without a permit, even if it is only for personal use.
3. Host a moonshine party. Pinterest has endless ideas for themed parties. I rather prefer the more glamorous prohibition-style moonshine theme, but a more simple approach is the backwoods rustic mountain style. Get creative.

 

4. Create your own moonshine cocktails. Many states allow the sale of moonshine made by professionals. If you’re not making your own white lightning, you may as well dress it up. Try a Lemon Blueberry Moonshine Slush or a batch of Ribs with Pineapple Moonshine BBQ Sauce.

However you choose to celebrate, please do so responsibly, and remember that you can read more about state-by-state laws concerning moonshine and other liquors in The Field Guide to Drinking in America by Niki Ganong.