Pennsylvania Christmas Punch - Home Brewed Boilo
Boilo is based on grain alcohol or cheap whiskey mulled with fruits, cider and spices added to jazz it up and add interesting flavors. It's a best-served-warm holiday punch to which you add the alcohol AFTER you've heated all the spices and cider and removed ithe pan from the stove.
Some folks refer to boilo as "coal region nectar," "coal cracker punch" or the "champagne of the coal region." Everyone agrees on how you should drink boilo ... sip very slowly, because it's universally agreed that boilo can knock you off your feet. As with all cultural cocktails, variations on the recipe are abundant - feel free to improvise! Just remember this: gently warm the finished boilo to serve it, but don't boil it or you'll evaporate the alcohol.
Photo credit - bekathwia, Flickr
Boilo Basics - Whiskey, Fruit, Honey, Spices, Whiskey ...
Similar to wassail or mulled, spiced wine, boilo was originally made with moonshine
" Intensely fragrant steam rises from the simmering pot. Fruits, spices and honey swirl in a kaleidoscope of colors and holiday scents of cinnamon, cloves and caraway. Boilo-making has begun." ... Read more at Boilo: A coal country cocktail (RiverReporter.com)
Note this stage - adding whiskey to the mixture - should only be done when the stove is OFF and boilo has cooled down a bit to prevent any fire danger.
Make Your Own Moonshine
White Lighnin' Users Guide
Modern Moonshine Techniques
Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 05/29/2012)
Learn how make your own personal supply of moonshine.
Have You Ever Tasted Boilo?
Also known as "coal cracker" (coal miner) champagne
If you've ever had the good fortune to take a sip or several sips of boilo, you know it's a unique and warming experience.
Steel Brewing Pot with Glass Lid
Use to warm up your boilo with spices and spirits
Prime Pacific 18/10 Stainless Steel 20 Quart Stock Pot With Glass Lid
Amazon Price: $52.77 (as of 05/29/2012)
Glass cover lets you keep boilo warm after it's ixed.d and mixed. Don't put alcohol into your boilo until you remove it from the stove!
Home Made Boilo Recipe
Like Wassail, only less refined
- Serves: Many or few, depending on tolerance
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour at most
There are dozens of different recipes for boilo, each one customized by generations of coal-cracker-brewmeisters. Thie recipe for boilo that's in our cookbook came to me via my husband's co-workers. The company president serves this to employees on the final work day before Christmas ...
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon orange juice
- 1 quart water
- 1/2 gallon grain alcohol (or cheap whiskey like 4 Roses)
- 3/4 quart honey
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 oranges cut into wedges/slices
Instructions
Combine all ingredients except the alcohol in a large kettle or stew pot. Boil for a few minutes, cool slightly and strain.
Bring strained mixture to a gentle boil again; strain once more.
After strained mixture cools down, add the alcohol. Before drinking, warm your boilo, but don't boil or you will evaporate the alcohol.
Our faded copy of the local recipe actually says this: Yes, it's called boilo but if you boil it with the alcohol it will evaporate and you're an idiot.
NEVER ADD THE ALCOHOL TO THE BOILO WHILE IT IS COOKING or NEAR FLAMES. SEVERE FIRE DANGER!
Boilo Recipe History
Moonshine Base with Citrus and Spice
Boilo is one of the oldest alcoholic concoctions to hail from Pennsylvania's Northeast region coal country. Boilo is a "home-brewed" blend of alcohol, honey, fruits, juice and spices whose popularity is second only to the lager crafted and bottled in Pottsville by America's oldest brewery, Yuengling (YING-ling). Recipes vary slightly from one home to another, but each one uses the same basic ingredients. Many boilo recipes have been handed down for generations and their exact ingredients are a family secret.
Boilo recipes were originally developed using moonshine as the alcohol base but more recently the favored spirits for this citrus-spiced beverage (served hot, like wassail) is high-proof low-grade whiskey. Boilo is meant to be served warm ... and can get you really fired up if you're not careful!
Wassail Photo Credit:topdrawersausage, Flickr
WARNING - FIRE HAZARD
NEVER ADD THE ALCOHOL TO THE BOILO WHILE COOKING.
Turn off heat and remove pan from hot stove.
Kitchen Safety - Fire Extinguisher
Kidde FX10K Kitchen Fire Extinguisher, 82CI
Amazon Price: $21.95 (as of 05/29/2012)
The Kidde FX10K Kitchen Fire Extinguisher is designed to provide supplementary fire protection for your home, as it is UL- rated for specific hazards, such as common kitchen cooking fires and energized electronic equipment. You can place a kitchen fire extinguisher near your countertop or in a drawer or cabinets, but make sure it is close at hand for emergency use.
How to Make Boilo
Espresso Cups - Perfect for Boilo
Serve Your Warm Boilo These Cups
Bormioli Rocco Verdi Espresso Cup With Stainless Steel Handle, Set of 4, Gift Boxed
Amazon Price: $11.95 (as of 05/29/2012)
Just the right size for serving warm beverages like boilo, wassail or espresso.
Squid Angels Like Boilo
Boilo gets heavenly blessings
Squid Angel mysticmama blessed this holiday beverage lens in December, 2010 - she might try the recipe made with brandy instead of whiskey. Nice Idea! Party Drinks, Cocktails, Spirited Beverages
Drink Up, but Don't Drive!
Beaucoup Boilo - Recipes & Folk Lore
Blend, Simmer, Cool Slightly, Drink Up
Some recipes recommend adding the whiskey after simmering the rest of the ingredients, then letting the whole batch cool down before bottling. All recipes caution about the danger of adding so much alcohol while the pot is on the stove - the fumes can actually cause a fire hazard, so be very careful.
- Apple Pie Boilo
- Feaston's recipe and directions (complete with great photos) about how to make Apple Pie boilo - complete with a bit of cultural commentary.
- Coal Region Recipes - Boilo, Traditional Yuletide drink of the Coal Region
- Boilo is traditionally made during the Christmas and New Year's holiday. It's great on those cold winter nights. Cheers!
- New York Cork Report: Boilo: Champagne of the Schuylkill County Coal Region
- by Tom Mansell, Science Editor Nothing scientific about today's post. After all, there's really nothing scientific about a recipe... unless it involves careful record keeping and experimentation, which it almost never does. Anyway, if your family is anything like mine,...
- Holiday Drink - Boilo
- Official holiday drink of the coal mine region in eastern Pennsylvania, especially Schuylkill County.
- Cookbook: Boilo - Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks
- Boilo is a traditional Yuletide drink of the northeastern United States, specifically Pennsylvania's coal region.
- That's the Spirit! BOILO PUNCH Recipe
- Be careful when cooking boilo - it can catch fire when you add the whiskey.
- XYZ Recipes: Boilo - Yuletide drink of the Coal Region
- How to concoct boilo: two methods, stove top boilo and crock pot boilo.
- TastyBrew.com | Forum | Boilo Anyone?
- TastyBrew is an on-line homebrew recipe database and homebrewing resource. This entry offers a simple recipe for Apple Pie boilo, made with a cider and spice base.
- S.N.A.B.U.: BOILO... Nectar of the Godz!
- In my area of Pennsylvania there is a traditional winter drink that is produced by local residents call BOILO... the kind of drink that can soothe a winter cold, take the chillout of your bones after shovelling snow, or ... Everyone has their own recipe and there are even contests for it. So here's my recipe... Try it, especially if you're not from Pa and have never heard of it...
More Cultural Cocktails
Cowboy Beverages
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Amazon Price: $4.49 (as of 05/29/2012)
Holiday Beverages on Squidoo
Some alcoholic, some non-alcoholic
Happy Holidays! Have a Cup of Boilo!
Have you ever tasted or concocted your own boilo brew?
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WaynesWorld
Dec 28, 2011 @ 6:47 pm | delete
- Never tasted it. My dad talked about how Everclear was so potent, a guy I work with mentioned how they would go to parties and dump a pint in the punch bowl. It didn't take much to get you soused.
My cousin received some moonshine and had his wife convinced it was evaporating(all the while he was the evaporator. =*)
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vallain Dec 22, 2011 @ 8:44 am | delete
- I love discovering regional concoctions like this! Well presented (and I'm leaving an angel blessing).
It would be great to put the recipe in a printable recipe module.
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Guest
Nov 24, 2011 @ 5:02 pm | delete
- I like using tupelo honey, it is just the right amount of sweet and also use grain alcohol. Smooth and sweet.
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Tipi
Mar 14, 2011 @ 10:54 pm | delete
- I don't think I'll make this, but I sure would like to have a sample. I will try just about anything once to see if a I like it.
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SmartChica
Feb 15, 2011 @ 6:02 pm | delete
- A group of us made a really dangerous sangria concoction when I was in college that this reminds me of. LOL I will have to try this next holiday season since the below zero weather has passed us and Spring appears to be in the air here in New Mexico.
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TurtleDog70
Feb 14, 2011 @ 9:05 pm | delete
- What a great post! I was in the rural Berks County area and met a man, of all first-names, named Cotton. This was years ago, around Christmas time. Cotton had a batch of boilo on the stove and I had it for the first time. Great drink.
Good call too adding all the fire warnings to your post. Cotton told us a few bolio legends about people burning up their kitchen.
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ricky-macleod Jan 17, 2011 @ 2:08 am | delete
- sounds like a good drink can you use jack daniels though lol x
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mysticmama
Dec 31, 2010 @ 5:32 pm | delete
- I'm not a fan of Whiskey, but imagine I could use brandy instead ~ nothing quite as good as warm brandy on a cold day :)
~ Blessed :)
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Heather426
Dec 31, 2010 @ 11:14 am | delete
- Yum! I want some of this right now. It is freezing here in So California and we are not used to it! (28 degrees this morning) I have everything but fresh oranges and cheap whiskey. Will lemons and good rum work? Will let you know as I think I need this for breakfast. Happy New Year, Lee!
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WendyKrick
Dec 31, 2010 @ 9:31 am | delete
- I love wassail so I would probably like this. Thanks for the idea.
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Cultural Cocktails
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Make Yourself a Batch of Boilo - Index
- Boilo Basics - Whiskey, Fruit, Honey, Spices, Whiskey ...
- Make Your Own Moonshine
- Have You Ever Tasted Boilo?
- Steel Brewing Pot with Glass Lid
- Home Made Boilo Recipe
- Boilo Recipe History
- WARNING - FIRE HAZARD
- Kitchen Safety - Fire Extinguisher
- How to Make Boilo
- Espresso Cups - Perfect for Boilo
- Squid Angels Like Boilo
- Party Drinks, Cocktails, Spirited Beverages
- Beaucoup Boilo - Recipes & Folk Lore
- More Cultural Cocktails
- Holiday Beverages on Squidoo
- Happy Holidays! Have a Cup of Boilo!
- Cultural Cocktails
- Boilo Snacks - Suggested Appetizer Pairs for Coalcracker Champagne
- Coal Region Blogosphere
15607/111711
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That's pronounced YING-ling ... and it truly is the oldest continually operating brewery in the USA, based in Schuylkill county, PA - the anthracite coal region of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
