A potent home-distilled sugarcane spirit, rough and white, sold in bottles and poured in libation to ancestors. It is made in small village stills across Liberia and is quite distinct from the fresh cane juice drunk elsewhere.
Unlicensed distilling is illegal in Liberia and almost everywhere else, and running a still without discarding the head of the run is what leaves methanol in the bottle.
What goes into it
- sugarcane juice
- water
How it is made
Cane is crushed and the juice left to ferment in drums for several days, then run through an improvised still — commonly a drum with a length of pipe cooled in a stream. There is no ageing and generally no separation of the volatile head of the run from the rest.
How long it takes: days to ferment, then a day to distil
How it is eaten
Neat in small measures, and poured on the ground for the ancestors before drinking.
History
Distilled from sugarcane in small village stills, it is a rough white spirit sold in bottles and poured in libations to ancestors.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cane juice?
Cane juice is a wine & spirit from Liberia: potent home-distilled sugarcane spirit. Distilled from sugarcane in small village stills, it is a rough white spirit sold in bottles and poured in libations to ancestors.
How is Cane juice made?
Cane is crushed and the juice left to ferment in drums for several days, then run through an improvised still — commonly a drum with a length of pipe cooled in a stream. There is no ageing and generally no separation of the volatile head of the run from the rest. It takes days to ferment, then a day to distil.
Can I make Cane juice at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Unlicensed distilling is illegal in Liberia and almost everywhere else, and running a still without discarding the head of the run is what leaves methanol in the bottle.
What goes into Cane juice?
Sugarcane juice, water.
How is Cane juice eaten?
Neat in small measures, and poured on the ground for the ancestors before drinking.
