[narrator] this time on master distiller...
Three outlaw moonshiners, travel a century back in time to the roaring 20s
to see who can make the best bootleg liquor of the prohibition era.
[mike] prohibition corn liquor.
[narrator] but there's a twist that few moonshiners can master.
-What's that? -[digger] that's your strainer.
-[tim] what do you think? -I ain't never seen nothing like that.
I'll have to get me one of them.
[narrator] turning their illegal liquor into drinkable prohibition cocktails.
That cocktail would take the hair off of wooden leg.
I never made pretty drinks.
[narrator] across the country, a handful of expert distillers
are heirs to a centuries-old tradition.
Some operate on the legal side,
others practice their craft beyond the reach of the law.
Now, they'll face off to earn their place in america's liquor-making legacy.
-That's money jar right there. -There's about.
[narrator] judged by three legendary moonshiners,
they'll go head-to-head in a series of challenges...
-Condenser got a leak? -[rogers] it's leaking pretty bad.
-It'll surprise me if something don't go wrong. -[chuckling] yeah.
[narrator] ...To determine, who has what it takes...
If mark don't drink any of it, he'll be okay.
[narrator] ...To earn backwoods bragging rights,
and the ultimate prohibition prize.
24 pounds of yeast, right here.
-That's better than money. -[digger] that's gold right there.
Welcome, boys. We're going back in time to prohibition.
That was the bootleggers paradise.
Corn liquor was king during that period of time,
and everybody was coming to the south from the north,
to get our liquor and take it back up there and have parties.
So, here we go. We're going to make a little drink.
[tim] you made your own mash.
You got your own ingredients.
It's ready to run. We want you to run it.
And at the end, we want you to make a good prohibition cocktail for us.
[digger] boys, whoever makes us the winning cocktail,
you don't get just the bragging rights on that,
you get 24 pounds of my favorite yeast right here.
-That's better than money. -[digger] that's gold right there.
They'd kill over that right there, back in the prohibition days.
The winner will get first choice in the farmhouse,
for the fruits and the juices and the mixers for these prohibition cocktails.
Right on.
So, here we go. We need good liquor.
Ready to make drinks out of no more than four hours.
Your time starts...
Now.
[mike] oo-ee.
Let's run some alcohol.
[mark] who's your money on. Tim?
[tim] I'm betting on the winner.
[digger] I'm betting on the underdog.
Which one of y'all's the underdog, by the way?
[mark] my money's on marky, then.
If mark don't drink any of it, he'll be okay.
[chuckles]
I'm mark rogers, I come straight out of the mountains.
My mash is set up just like the old-timers made it back in the 20s.
I make my own yeast,
and it's sugar and corn, really, it all goes in my liquor.
[mark] I noticed one thing,
all three boys, done had your solids strained out before you got here.
That's a good move.
[mike] man, it smells so good.
Out of all the years, I believe that all of us has done this,
it's a practice till the day you die.
Regardless.
My name's mike cockrell. I was born and raised in the state of mississippi,
but I hang my hat in tennessee.
I'm from a long line of moonshiners.
I'm the fifth generation moonshiner, and my son's the sixth.
My family's liquor back in prohibition time,
would have been made and sold and shipped
into big cities to make cocktails with.
I mean, that was the only way of living back then.
So, this competition, it's something really dear and near to my heart.
Good old prohibition corn liquor.
My corn mash recipe is actually passed down to me, through my grandmother.
I do like to use a white sweet corn.
It's got a better flavor, better sugar content.
This alcohol, I know, it's going to come out great,
because this is what I've done all my life.
Hope your mash is as good as mine.
[chuckles]
my partner jerry benson.
I love the guy to death. I consider him a brother of mine, but now...
We're going against each other, you know and let the ball game begin.
Now, jerry if you need any help,
-now, you just call on me, all right? -[jerry] all right.
-I'll be there in a hit. -All right.
[laughs]
my name is jerry benson. I'm from hendersonville, north carolina.
I do a little bit of everything, hvac work,
rv and camp repair work, little bit of home renovation work.
And I've been making moonshine about 15 years.
I run a lot of liquor by myself, but I run even more liquor with mike.
I know what he knows, I wouldn't have no problem taking him out.
Going to a prohibition style competition.
I wanted to try to keep it old school.
Back then, there was nothing real fancy about what they've done,
and it was basic corn whiskey.
If I keep things kind of simple, just stick to the regular old corn recipe.
It kind of gives us that neutral natural base for the bright tail to work off of.
-[rogers] everything going good, jerry? -Really good.
-Good. -Climbing now.
-[mike] climbing on up? -Yeah.
[mike] yep, it's getting there.
[rogers] well, I'm up against mike cockrell, jerry benson.
I've got a little bit of history with mike cockrell.
A tall, ain't it?
-Ain't my fault. -I understand that, but a handshake is man's word.
I've got to get some liquor, so--
-and I've got to get it. -I can't help you. Get outta here.
I don't watch say a whole lot about people or nothing, anything.
So, I ain't gonna say too much.
I don't care who wins, as long as it ain't mike.
Whoo! Fixing to get into that worm, baby.
Start to get that good corn aroma over here.
[mark] you know, all prohibitions done was made bootleggers rich.
-[digger] yeah. -You know, it didn't stop the nation from drinking.
No.
Well did liquor taste really [bleep] back in the prohibition days, marky?
-[laughing] -I don't know.
That were back in my grandpa's days.
Mark rogers he's an old-timer, kind of reminds me of me in a younger sense.
-Hey mark, how you looking down there? -About ready to run.
[mike] I feel like he's gonna be tough to beat.
Boys, you're one hour into you run.
Uh-oh! Getting a drip or two starting over here.
-It'll push a steady stream before you know it. -[mike] yeah, buddy.
Now, it's just a waiting game, ain't it?
Hurry up and wait.
[tim] what you doing over there, mark?
[rogers] huh?
What you doing over there?
It does. It helps get any impurities out that's left over,
and actually put a little flavor in it for me.
I like it.
This mash is really good.
I don't really see a whole lot I need to filter out of it.
Good clean clear liquor, that's what I want to give them.
You're a-running liquor, marky.
[rogers] yep, she's a running.
That crack corn make some hot liquor, baby.
Yeah.
Mark rogers, fine old corn mash recipe,
that's what you're known for, ain't it?
Well, yeah. I've made more of that than any of you.
Oh yeah, you have.
-You happy with everything the way it's going so far? -[rogers] yeah.
-So far. -So far.
-Day's young though, ain't it? -It is.
-Liquor run, anything can go wrong anytime, can't it? -Yeah.
It'll surprise me if something don't go wrong.
Yeah.
Good luck, marky.
-I appreciate it. -All right, man.
Mikey. You're almost up to 140 already.
Yep. Getting there, getting close.
You got any doubts and worries about this prohibition cocktail?
You given that any thought?
Well, I'm always thinking ahead, anyway, even before this liquor runs,
I'm thinking about what type of cocktail I'm going to be able to make, so--
I'm always spinning up here, somewhere. [laughs]
I can see that hamster up, he's a-peddling and running like hell.
Yeah, missing every other stride, I can tell you.
[laughs]
-all right, mike, good luck to you, buddy. -Thank you, man.
Mr. Benson,
how are you feeling about your cocktail?
You got something in mind?
I personally like a good kind of the spring.
-Kind of good fruity cocktail-- -[mark] yeah, I agree.
Prohibition, where the fruits and the juices, and the mixers came in for the drinks.
Simply to make them taller.
Well, if the stories I hear are true,
they put bleach and batteries and all kinds of stuff in their mash.
-[mark] rubbing alcohol. -Yeah.
I don't know.
Mark rogers is only one that was there, when it was taken place.
-It was wild. -[all laughing]
-[mark] good luck, jerry. -Thank you buddy.
Yeah boy.
She's coming, son.
Ha-ha! We getting somewheres now.
Go up a little bit of my fire. Just a fuzz.
[jerry] I don't know about you,
but I'm not a big fan of this little bitty tiny condenser.
This water is way too warm for me.
Yeah, needs to be a little bigger, don't it?
-[jerry] about three times that big, I feel like. -Yeah.
I'm excited to taste it, boys. I know all three of them, be fine liquor.
Oh! What's all this in the floor?
-[digger] water. -Huh?
[digger] you got a big leak, marky.
-Condenser got a leak? -[rogers] it's leaking pretty bad.
[imitates explosion]
[digger] you got run over in your liquor.
[tim] oh! Water.
[digger] you got a big leak, marky.
-Condenser got a leak? -[rogers] it's leaking pretty bad.
[mike] it's somewhere in your bottom, ain't it?
[rogers] I have to turn it down.
[mike sighs] lord, I thought it was over here, but it might be over here.
[rogers] it's leaking, yes, sir.
-Just water though. It doesn't really matter. -Yeah, it ain't gonna hurt it.
As long as I don't get it in the liquor.
[mike] yeah, we don't wanna get it in the liquor, that's for sure.
Only thing I can do, is get it to slow down just a little bit.
And to really be careful.
Wish, I had noticed that earlier.
One hour and 15 minutes left, boys.
[tim] good corn liquor, can't rush it.
-[mark] no. -[tim] they're gonna need all four hours.
[mark] oh, yeah.
Them four hours go fast and--
you always wishing that you had time to get that next jar.
[digger] [bleep] in the hearts.
You guys happy with what liquor you running?
Absolutely, good, great life.
I'd say we've done 150 proof right there.
[rogers] about 130.
[jerry] proof didn't drop much between one and two.
I feel real good. I think it's going to run at 140,145, mark.
I was really pleased in the beginning, I had good heat,
and then my number three jar, my alcohol finally settled down from being so hot,
but my taste profile is really come into it nice.
Flavor's coming in real good.
Now, I'm just gonna focus on my task at hand, and get this job accomplished.
[mark] 45 minutes left. Better be buttoning it up.
[mike] I'll tell you what though, boy, charcoal cleaning it up.
Now I'm clear, I can't even tell where my lines at.
Mike you borrowed that from mark?
-No, I had my own charcoal. -You had my own charcoal.
Look it there. Own charcoal. Cleared it out.
Jerry is switching another jar.
[mike] what jar was that?
-[jerry] seven. -I'm working on number six. It's getting good.
[tim] they in neck and neck.
You're getting into the back from jerry little bit, ain't you?
Yeah, buddy. The flavors is coming through.
Tasting good, marky?
-[rogers] yeah. -Yeah.
That right there's a drinking liquor, right there, ain't it?
I like my liquor stout.
110, about right.
[laughs]
where you at, mark? What jar you on?
Eight.
[mark] you had five gallon more liquid in yours than they did.
Mmm-hmm.
That's a good yield in a short amount of time.
I had to run my a little faster. I had to catch up pretty quick.
Mark, you worried down there?
-Do I look worried? -[mark] no. Not really.
[mike] you see any concern in them eyes?
I'm used to real big pot. You know, a wood furnace.
Ain't never fooled with gas much.
But, I believe I got it figured out now.
All I'm saying is may the better man win.
Look it there.
-That's money jar right there. -There's about.
[rogers] it look good from over here now.
I believe they all going to be good.
They'll be good. I know they'll be good.
But I'm excited to see what kind of prohibition drinks they're going to make.
-Be interesting -[digger] yeah.
I'm done.
When mark decides he's through, I'm glad he just quits.
That's what I'm saying. He's done. He's done threw the hat in.
Ain't no sense second guessing.
[tim] cut it all, that's it.
Here's my jar, boys.
-That's your winning jar? -Yeah.
About the best one I think.
-[digger] hard work. -Looking good, mark.
Okay.
Just us brother.
Tell you what, that last jar, son, has got the stuff to it.
Decent alcohol without getting too deep into my tails.
I'm going to stop right there, and not be greedy.
-[mike] you wrapping it up? -[jerry] yeah.
Now, for the fun part.
[mike] now, you add your little bit of spring water?
[jerry] I think I'm gonna self-temp it.
[mike] you're gonna self temp?
I'm gonna try.
To temper, in my back ends is something I'm not traditionally known for,
but as I got for the tails, my flavors started coming in.
So, I decided to use my third and the fourth and then what I had in my tenth jar,
to do my blending with instead of good spring water.
Wow!
[mark] mike, are you gonna do any blending
or are you just gonna go with your best jar?
[mike] I'm gonna blend a little.
I'm calling my number nine jar, the last jar.
I need it up it up, just a little bit.
I'm gonna go to the middle of the run and do a little blending.
Well, that being said, right here's the jar.
-[thud] -I like the confidence.
-[digger] good luck. -Thank you.
[tim] the one jar.
-[jerry] the one. -[mark] the one.
Five minutes, mikey.
I know, I've got competition, but I feel 100% confident,
in the jar that I'm putting on the table for the judges.
That's good whiskey, right there.
It tastes just like I've run it a thousand times before,
and I have no worries, whatsoever.
This is going to be a good jar liquor.
I'm done brother.
I got my jar right here. Number 9 to 5.
-[mark] 9 to 5. -That's it.
-That's the one. -All right.
-All right, guys. -[mark] go take a break.
[digger] we'll get you in a little bit.
[mark] from the looks of things, we've got three good jars of liquor there.
-They know what to doing. -[mark] they do.
Now, this is jerry's, correct?
[tim] this is jerry.
He's popping and going away pretty fast.
-[digger] right. -[mark] yeah.
But it's real clear and nice beads.
-We're north of 110 I'd say. -Yeah.
Yeah, I'd say over a hundred proof, anyway.
This is a good thing.
I wouldn't want him to bring me a 70 proof up here.
-No. Because by the time I make a cocktail out of it... -It would be water.
-...It would be water. -[tim] yeah.
[jerry] I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.
That's the first time I've ever tempered corn liquor with the tails.
[digger] let's get tasting.
[tim] all right.
There you are. Mr. Ramsey.
It must be pretty good. It's taking the paint off the top of that lid.
-So, that's pretty good stuff. -That's either good or bad, ain't it?
-We know it ain't buttermilk. -[mark] no.
It does have a little buttery smell.
I like that.
It's good. It's good.
[digger] it's not harsh at all.
Kind of melts in your mouth, don't it?
[mark] it's really a smooth liquor for the proof it is.
[digger] yeah.
I think it's a top notch cocktail liquor.
Jerry's knocked it out.
-Yeah. -[tim] good job on jerry.
[mark] 9 to 5, that's mikey's, ain't it?
-[digger] yep. -That's mikey's, 9 to 5.
Now, he did some blending.
Now, believe he is a little bit lower proof, it looks like.
-Little the bit smaller. -[digger] yeah.
Yeah, and they running away pretty quick.
-Well, that's 90 proof liquor. -[tim] yeah, I'd say 90.
[mike] my number nine jar was very, very flavorful.
Just a little over the proof. So, I went to number five,
-and blended those two together. -[jerry] mmm-hmm.
I called that my 9 to 5.
-9 to 5. -And I believe I hit the nail right on the head, huh?
Little bite on the nose. It's a little more harsh, ain't it?
That smell like rum. It's like butter rum.
-[mark] but ain't got no bite to it. -[digger] no.
[tim] he put a lot of tails in it. Didn't he?
[mark] I think that's where he's getting that good flavor from.
Because he did put back ins.
Man.
I think, what I gotta do is just chill it a little bit and put it in a glass.
I'd drink it right out of a cooler ice.
-If this was ice cold. It'd be delicious. -Yeah.
This is a prohibition cocktail straight out of the worm.
[mike] you know, me and you being partners in everything, jerry.
That's the first time we've ever went against each other in a competition.
-Oh, yeah. -That'll show who makes the best liquor.
That'll show who makes the best liquor.
If they ever get back to voting.
It can't do it, can't argue about it no more.
That's right.
That's another clear jar.
That's marky rogers.
This right here, has got some proof in it.
[jerry] where did you end up at, mark?
I let mine around 110.
-110? -Pretty high, yeah.
-[jerry] yeah, well. -That's the way I like it.
[tim] you can smell corn in here.
It's light on the nose, like a damn feather.
Mmm, whoa.
Boy, that get your ass quick.
His proof is just a tiny bit higher up.
Which is backbone for your drink,
-and it tastes good on top of it. -[tim] yeah, it tastes good.
-You know, what we got here? -[mark] we got a dilemma.
-We got a competition. -[digger] yeah.
[narrator] three of appalachia's best moonshiners are going head-to-head
with their prohibition-era spirits.
But now these backwoods outlaws must venture into uncharted territory,
to mix their high proof moonshine into cocktails worthy of the roaring 20s.
[mark] welcome back.
We had tough chore to perform.
This round don't determine who gets the yeast.
Best jar on the table is going to get first pick at the fruit stand for your cocktail.
[digger] mark.
You had a fine jar of liquor.
It was spot-on. It was buttery smooth.
Mikey, your flavor.
That jar right there, would be the jar we'd go to in a cooler full of ice.
-It don't need a thing except drinking. -Appreciate it. Thank y'all.
Jerry, flavored smooth and sealed.
-I mean, buttery smooth. -It's like butter.
Thank you means a lot.
-You all did an outstanding job. -Thank you. Appreciate it.
But there can only be one winner.
Get your fruit first, to build a cocktail.
We ended up basing our decisions basically on the proofs.
And then whether we had a good backbone to build a cocktail on.
Mark, you had the highest proof
we could see and still had a good flavor.
[rogers] I know needed to make some good high-proof liquor.
Ain't nobody likes weak liquor and worked good.
Jerry, marky edged you out just a tiny bit.
You come in second.
Mikey, you were a little bit weak.
I believe you put just a little more your tails in yours.
You really needed you to.
And that being said,
mark, you're number one, jerry, you're number two,
mike, your number three.
But to win the big cheese, you all got to build us a prohibition-style cocktail.
And I don't know, that I trust you to make me a cocktail,
that wouldn't take the hair off a wooden leg.
[laughs]
so, we're gonna bring in some help.
She is an expert in prohibition cocktails.
-Sounds good. -[jerry] looking forward to it.
Hey there gentleman. How's it going?
-Hi casey. -How you doing?
-Great to see you all. -Good to see you again.
So casey, this is mark.
This is mike.
-This is jerry down there with the whiskers. -How you doing?
Gentlemen my name is casey fox.
I am a cocktail consultant based in knoxville.
I have a company called libacious.
And our mission is to help people drink better at home.
Wow.
I do have a special affinity for prohibition-era cocktails.
-They're some of my favorites. -[digger] right.
[casey] I am very much looking forward to tasting all your things,
and seeing what we can put together.
All right.
Come on down.
-[casey] hey, there mark. -I got you one fixed.
-See what you think about that. -Oh, excellent. Thank you.
All right. That has a little bit of a kick to it.
-That's right. -[laughs]
are there any flavors that you particularly like?
[rogers] I like lime.
Lime? Oh, excellent.
During prohibition, gin was the most popular liquor that you would find around,
because it was really the easiest to make.
So, I think your liquor would do really, really well
with the modified prohibition-era gin cocktail that we call a southside.
It's very, very simple.
You got your liquor, and then take any kind of sweetener.
Simple syrup or honey and some fresh lime,
and then a little bit of fresh mint as well.
Well, it sounds good.
It's a good one. I hope you like it.
-Thank you. -Cheers.
She's a dandy, I'd say casey is.
She knows what she's doing.
I don't know about these drinks.
So, I listened to her a little bit.
Hey, there mike.
-[mike] hello there. -What you got going on over here?
-See what you think. -Excellent. Thank you, sir.
All right. All right. So, during prohibition,
rum was one of the most popular liquors you would find around,
because there was so much of it being smuggled in from cuba.
And also, lots of americans would go to cuba on vacation.
So, I think you've got a lot of nice notes in here,
that would actually give a lot of similarities to rum,
and particularly in a drink called the hurricane. It's based in new orleans.
I'm pretty familiar with the hurricane.
-I'm from the deep south. -[casey] oh, nice.
So, the prohibition version, it will be very simple.
So, you've got a little lime, some passion fruit,
and some sweet.
If you want to kind of give a drink,
a nice silky velvety texture,
one thing I like to recommend is adding an egg white.
Hmm?
Miss casey recommended that I put a egg white into my cocktail,
which will give it a silky texture.
You add it in before you add your ice into your shaker.
And so you want to shake it without ice.
[mike] but when I get to thinking about it, I was like, "you know what,
I think that would be pretty good."
I love eggs in any shape, form or fashion.
-Appreciate it. -Good luck.
Jerry!
-You got a little something for me to try back there? -[jerry] I sure do.
Say what you think about this.
Excellent. Thank you, sir.
My pleasure.
-Wonderful. Very nice. -Thank you.
What kind of flavors do you like in a cocktail?
Well, I kind of like, you know, fruitier flavors,
but also kind of like you know, kind of the sweet.
Maybe a little bit of citrus?
-Oh, yeah. Absolutely, citrus. -[casey] all right.
There's a cocktail that was really popular during the 20s and 30s called the ward-8.
Traditionally uses bourbon.
Our sweetening agent in that is gonna be grenadine.
And this uses lemon juice, but also add in a little bit of orange juice as well.
It softens and it balances everything out.
-Awesome, I'll give it a try. -All right.
-Wonderful. Good luck, sir. -Thank you.
Appreciate your help.
I'd done a little bit of research on prohibition drinks.
The ward-8, that was one that really caught my eye.
So, it was a good fit for me.
Well men, you know your pecking order, three, two, one.
So, we're gonna move on to challenge number two.
Get y'all out to the fruit stand.
-Timmy, get your boy. -[tim] mmm-hmm.
Tickle.
All right, man.
-[all laughing] -really?
I've been keeping an eye on y'all fellers.
-[digger] what did you do? -He's been in there all that time?
Find a secret passageway?
-[all laughing] -well, tell you what.
This was full when I got in there. I can tell you that much.
[digger] I hope you'll walk.
[tickle] is y'all ready?
All right.
Let's hit it boys.
Come on. Let's go.
[laughs]
I know one thing. That's some strong stuff right there.
God almighty.
[tickle] well, I'll tell you fellas,
you will get fired from the pickle factory,
if you put your pecker in the pickle slicer.
-[all laughing] -all right.
[tickle] okay guys. Casey,
she done told you everything you need to mix up some drinks for our judges.
So, three minutes and that's it. Mark.
Here you go, boss man.
-All right. -So, what you got here?
There's all kinds of good stuff.
[rogers] okay, she told me what
she want me to put in cocktail to make it good.
A lime.
We got any honey anywhere?
[tickle] now, that's good stuff. I raise bees myself.
[rogers] honey, and mint.
But, I like orange juice.
[tickle] all right, mark. You got one minute left.
It's about time, you start wrapping this up.
I don't know where the mint's at.
[tickle] we got some herbs over yonder.
And I'll tell you what, I believe all of them would go good in a drink.
[rogers] yeah, they would.
I believe that'll about do me, right there.
All right, oh, yeah, I bet you can make a drink out of that.
[rogers] I'll try.
[tickle] jerry.
You sir, have three minutes.
You better leave me something or I'm gonna be digging in your basket.
[jerry] the ward-8, it's a pretty simple drink.
A little bit of grenadine,
orange juice,
and citrus.
Pretty much everything I need was at the farm stand.
[tickle] all right, you got two minutes.
You have got two minutes.
What're you grabbing there, cherries?
-Oh, nothing can go wrong with that. -[jerry] the cherry's good.
One of the things I chose to do is dressing it up with some cherries.
Just kinda give it a little bit of a different contrast.
-I believe I'm good. -[tickle] all right.
-[jerry] short and sweet, huh -short and sweet.
-[laughs] -all right.
You leave me anything, jerry?
-I left a little bit. -[tickle] all right.
Well mike, you got three minutes buddy.
There's the onions. Green beans. Corn and squash.
You know what, look you got tomato juice over yonder for bloody mary.
There's a whole basket of eggs, right yonder.
That makes one in bodybuilder drinks.
[mike] I'm not listening to you.
-I'm toned out. -Okay, you're tone out? All right.
I've got to build the perfect hurricane,
but they don't have passion fruit here.
All I can do at this point,
is run with it and do the best that I can.
[tickle] got two minutes left, mike.
[mike] got me some mint,
some cherries, lime,
and you know me.
[tickle] some jalapenos? All right.
I gotta put a little hot pepper in it.
-I'm done brother. -All right, fellas.
Well, I tell you what. Nobody got any eggs.
[laughs]
[bleep] I need eggs.
-Frig! -He even said it.
-I did. -Oh my [bleep]!
I did, I told him, eggs.
[mike] miss casey suggested putting egg whites in my cocktail for silky taste.
I gotta have egg.
What am I gonna do?
Oh my god! Oh!
[digger] welcome back, boys.
Thank you.
Time to build us a drink.
Remember presentation is everything.
Some people like these nice pretty glasses.
[mark] the one that gets his drink built first,
gets to pick the glass first.
[digger] first come, first serve basis.
All I'm gonna tell you right now,
is think about balance in your flavors.
And we'll go from there.
[digger] 30 minutes,
that's plenty of time to build us a handsome prohibition drink.
Your time starts now.
We want to feel like we're sitting in a speakeasy in the twenties,
when they're sipping on these.
[digger] marky's done started on quality control over there.
[rogers] my deal of a cocktail is taking me a good drink of liquor,
and chasing her down with a cold beer.
But casey told me what you want me to put in cocktails, lime,
honey, and mint.
All right, what in the world is mark doing over there?
-[casey] he got his mint leaves in there. -Yeah.
[laughs]
mark did you find your muddler for your mint over there?
-[rogers] I don't need it. -[casey] okay.
I don't know what muddler is.
You guys got a whole tray of cocktail tools there. Don't forget.
[rogers] I know she knows how to mix all that stuff up good.
Make it taste just as good as it could taste, you know.
But I just want to give them a drink like I would fix myself.
Well, see mike, he's mixing up a whole pot full.
[casey] is that a soup or a cocktail?
We'll let you decide in a little while.
Miss casey recommended that I try to make a hurricane,
but I don't have the ingredients.
So, I'm going to put my own twist on it.
Jerry, you mind, if I borrow some orange juice.
[jerry] yeah, here you go.
[mike] my plan is, I'm going to use orange juice,
a little lime juice.
Some cherry.
And some mint.
And I'm actually going to put in a couple of jalapeno peppers,
which I love.
[casey] oh, we got some spice happening over here.
Mike's gonna put some peppers and I don't care what it is.
He could have a banana split, he going to put peppers in here.
I know who ain't going to vote for him. Tim smith.
I've seen the whole garden going into that.
It's not going to burn you.
He can taste a grain of pepper in a half gallon of milk.
[tim] yeah.
I know that tim smith does not like peppers at all, but I'm gonna risk it.
[mike] I know enough about using peppers,
that I can get that flavor across without burning him up,
and actually convince him to like it.
Mike, can I get a little bit of lime juice?
-[mike] what is it? -Lime juice.
Yep, I pre-tasted, it's good.
-Yeah. -There you go.
The ward-8, it's a pretty simple drink.
So, I'm feeling really good about this.
But I want to make my juice first.
Some orange juice, lime juice.
-I'm noticing a trend in the citrus line. -[casey] mmm-hmm.
Orange juice is the common factor through here.
[jerry] I want to get all my ingredients in different jars.
Where I can add them and blends. I need to.
Bam!
Jerry's just turned from one color to another.
[jerry] and of course, you know, I tweaked it a little bit more of my palate
with some cherries.
I think it's going to be a good blend.
[mike] now, you looking good, bubble.
[jerry] the recipe calls for a half an ounce of liquor.
But you know, three quarter of an ounce might be a little bit better.
[digger] it doesn't look like any of them light on liquor.
Nope, I think they're gonna hit that criteria.
[mark] I'm pretty sure of one thing.
We are going to get a wide range of flavors here.
[casey] I think, you are correct.
I'm seeing some honey going on, I think.
[mark] honey and liquor goes hand-in-hand, my opinion.
Trying to find me a spoon I could stir my honey up with.
Find a little thing that would work.
I was using it like a stick, you know.
Yeah.
What the heck?
Pretty neat deal when I turned it on.
Stirred itself.
I ain't never seen nothing like that. I'll have to get me one of them.
[laughs]
I call it a stirring-stick, or a ziz wheel, or something. It's something.
I never would have known that.
Boys, you got ten minutes.
[mark] you know, we don't know it.
One of these fellows might be coming up with the next big thing.
[casey] it's true.
[mark] I liked that look on his face.
Looked like the good moonshiner seal of approval to me.
[mike] wait a minute. Where's the other--
is that the other part of my tumbler?
-[digger] yeah, you cram it down there face first. -Flip it around.
-Yeah, there you go. -[digger] there you go.
But it don't.
Oh, it don't?
Argh!
We're all here to win 24 pounds a yeast.
It's a prized possession to people like us moonshiners.
We got a strainer, so I can put it in glasses?
-Is there a strainer? -Sure, there's one over there. It's got a coil on it.
-This? -[casey] yep, that's it.
What's that do?
-[digger] that's your strainer. -[casey] that's your strainer.
[mike] I want miss casey and all the judges,
to be blown away by my cocktail.
[mark] mikey is making him some garnish there, ain't he?
[digger] yep.
So, I've got to put something beautiful on the table.
[casey] seen some things we talked about,
and some other things that are from left field,
but I'm excited to see what happens.
-[tim] far out left field. -[laughs]
[mark] we got to be doing something good over here.
Now, we're back to that ziz wheel.
[digger] he's having a damn ball.
[mark] he's playing with his little outboard motor over.
You know, I might have to get rid of my shaking tins and just use that thing.
I know my liquor is real stout,
and I wanted to put orange juice in it just to weaken it down.
-[tim] I think mark is making a screwdriver. -[casey laughing]
-that's a screwdriver on steroids. -[casey] mmm-hmm.
[digger] I just hope it ain't gasoline.
[laughs]
[digger] there we go.
I thought when you got done you set 'em down.
-We got to put them in glasses. -You gotta what?
-[digger] we got to put them in glasses. -We gotta put them in.
Well, I thought you-- well.
[digger] mad mark's got a drink right there.
But everybody else [bleep] out of luck.
Mark rogers, he don't even have his glasses out.
He's trying to carry two big jars up to the judges.
I'm ready to serve.
-Good cocktail glasses. -[digger] I would bet money that was coming.
He likes him a martini glass.
[mike] I'm putting mine in martini glasses.
I love presentation. I like stuff to look good.
Woo-hoo!
[digger] three minutes left guys.
Time to be putting everything together.
[jerry] you know, I feel like I hit this nail right on the head.
I got all my tastes exactly where I want.
Jerry, you happy with yours?
Just gotta ice it and put it in glass.
Okay.
[jerry] I chose that whiskey glass.
Because it just got the profile that I like.
Putting it on the rocks.
This is a really strong thought of mine,
but giving it a good shake, that was chilled.
So, I didn't really feel like I needed the rocks.
Get anyone's you want there.
[glasses clinking]
[digger] prohibition drinks needs to be in a jar. Don't they?
[laughs]
or a bathtub.
[rogers] why would you use a little bitty something, when you got a whole jar?
I'd rather have something a handle on it or have to use both hands.
[tim] he got about a 16-ounce glass.
[mark] and I'ma betting that one would be plenty.
[casey] I don't know if you can drink a whole one of those.
[rogers] I just made them four drinks out of a quart of moonshine.
[laughs]
it'll do the job.
[mark laughs]
looking good, everyone have been doing a good job.
[casey] like the attention to detail over here. Very nice.
[mike] stay! You know what?
Get the flavor. We're good.
I never have made pretty drinks.
[mark] well, there ain't nothing wrong with that.
And these boys, just took that seriously.
[rogers] I looked over at mike and jerry.
Theirs are prettier there.
A little cherries and stuff in it.
Only thing I had was an orange.
So, I put some orange on top of the glass.
I just hope you like, a good stout drink. [laughs]
I believe everybody's all in all done, marky?
I'm done all I can do. It's what I got.
-[digger] mikey? -That's all I can do.
-Jerry? -Good to go.
[digger] good deal. Well, y'all chase on out to that holding pen
-and we'll be out to get you when we get a decision. -Sounds good.
[digger] if we remember, what our decision was.
Do either one of you know anything about prohibition cocktails?
I know nothing about prohibition cocktails.
Back them days, they take it any way they can get it.
-Yeah. -[rogers] I ain't much on mixing.
-[mike] rights. -I chase all my drinks and everything.
I really don't know a whole lot about mixing drinks,
but maybe it'll work.
You know, I wouldn't even really know what to mix with it.
-[chuckling] right. -I just got me a drink of water,
or chase it with a beer.
-[all laughing] -[mike] that's right.
I tell you what, you never get too old to learn something new,
or take some good advice when it comes to something special to you, like that.
You do, you better just quit the game.
Yeah, you might as well just stop and quit.
[casey] so, I saw a few of the components we talked about,
but I think, they all went a little off the range.
-[tim] I agree. -So, should we just go down the line?
I think so, slide us one down here, timmy.
[tim] all right.
[mark] wow.
I'm kind of impressed with the looks of it.
[tim] yeah, here's a little garnish.
[casey] I have to say yeah, that's a thing of beauty.
Let's give it a shot.
I think he got the balance well.
He's got his sweet. He's got his tart. He's got his booze.
-I think it's good. -[casey] I do too.
Yeah.
So, its lemony-- [stammering]
I'm trying to say lemony.
Well, he went a little off the range on the citrus,
-but he came up with something pretty good. -Yeah.
It's more like off the chain.
[laughs]
looked pretty good.
-[laughs] -it looked good.
-Yeah. -Both of you's looked really well.
I did wanna put a cucumber on it.
[laughs]
-I'm thankful that I used orange. -Why's that?
Because it looked good with that red cherry.
-[mike] kind of stuck out like a sore thumb. -Yeah.
It holds together pretty good.
If it was just a little colder.
[digger] it was on that crushed ice, would be good.
[casey] absolutely. I would have served this on the rocks.
But a respectable drink.
I think, we move on to numero dos.
All right, here we go.
There you are, sir.
-All right. That is a hunk of orange. -Bon appetite.
[tim] oh boy.
-I can smell that pepper. -[casey] mmm-hmm.
-[tim] you can smell that pepper. You can taste it too. -Absolutely.
[mark] I like it. That hits me in the crease.
-If you're not a pepper man. No, it's not a drink for you. -[tim] no.
Who chops up a big old hot pepper and put in the drink?
I don't know, but I'm damn glad he did.
Whoo! I'm sweating already.
I don't know nothing about prohibition cocktails.
So, I took her knowledge and I put my own little twist on it,
which was a jalapeno and a little crushed mint to go along with my hurricane.
I hope it's good enough for the judges.
You know, I like the pepper.
It could use a little more bright citrus,
maybe some lemon or some lime to kind of brighten things up.
This one's a little on the sweet and hot and not enough tart.
It's not horrible, but it wouldn't be my choice at the country fair.
Yeah, but I could drink those all day long.
I got a bottle of acid reflux out that too you can have to go with it.
[mark] oh. I don't need that.
There ain't nothing wrong with my belly.
I ain't never had heartburn my life.
Okay, you keep on drinking that then.
I've rode a million miles with you in a vehicle,
and you have had some issues with that belly.
I didn't say I ain't had no gas.
I said, I ain't never had no heartburn.
-[tim] all right. -[casey] all right.
Let's move on to this quart jaw screwdriver here.
-[tim] that goes a slice of orange in it. -[all laughing]
it's like a slice of watermelon in here.
Feel like garnishes should complement the drink, not take them over, but--
-we'll see how it goes. Yeah. -[tim] yeah, you gotta take it out to find the glass.
[digger] it's a souped-up screwdriver, ain't it?
That's what it is.
[digger] got plenty of alcohol in it, though.
Whoa!
Hot damn.
I mean liquor times ten.
[digger] hell yeah.
Now, there's my wheelhouse right there.
I saw some mint go in and--
I saw some other things go in and--
it's got a whole lot of stuff in there.
-Especially alcohol. -All I'm tasting is the alcohol.
I think, that's why he's got this big old slice of orange, that's a chaser.
-You made a stout one, then? -I made a stout one.
-Heard that. -I made them a prohibition drink. Yeah.
It's strong as hell, but I like it.
-I like my alcohol, like I want my women, strong. -Yeah, I do.
[casey] there's not a lot of complexity there.
The nice thing about cocktails is that they bring a lot of things together in harmony,
and kind of give you lot of different flavors.
And that one is very one note.
Well, marky's is simple, and I'm all about that because I am simple.
[tim] yeah.
[mark] I would drink any of these at any given time but,
mikey's is to me, hits me in the crease. It just,
I love that pepper in it.
I have to put jerry on number one.
I'm digging marky's.
-It would, me too. -I'm a little on the,
little on the anxious nervous side, I guess you'd say.
Going to put in that my truck.
That'll make a lot of liquor right there, guys.
I got a lot of grapes coming in. I could use it.
-Yeah. -We'll see what'll happen.
We'll see what happens.
[mark] casey, since you're our professional here.
I think, she breaks the news to them.
-All right. -Yeah, but hell, we got your back, sister.
I recognized the task at hand.
You want me to go fetch them?
[tim] I think so.
[digger] boys, welcome back.
We had a little bit of a stalemate with deliberations here,
but I think, we know where we're at.
[casey] so, gentlemen,
thank you all for your creativity today in your cocktails.
We weren't all totally in agreement.
But we all found some things we really liked.
So, jerry,
your riff on the ward-8, presentation was marvelous.
And I think it was a very nice-looking cocktail.
[jerry] thank you.
[digger] as far as the drink.
The alcohol, you know you didn't quite put enough for my palate.
You know, I like to taste my liquor more than I like to taste the accompaniments.
Maybe this one should have been served on the rocks.
So, maybe it is the way to go next time.
Mike, I know that you couldn't find your passion fruit, but,
the riff on the hurricane brought us in a lot of nice flavors
and I think that heat really made an impression on the judges,
one way or the other.
I'm sure.
Those peppers man, for me a little bit, little bit hot.
-Can't satisfy everybody. -[tim] yeah, yeah.
That's not anywhere near a hurricane that I've ever had,
and thank you for that, because it's ten times better.
Damn! Thank you.
More like a tornado with a pepper in it.
[casey laughs]
and mark, with the southside, you started off in good shape.
You had your lime, you had your mint and your honey as a sweetener,
and then the copious amount of alcohol knocked it all off the rails.
I ain't a whole lot on mixing drinks. I don't know much about it.
[digger] you're like me. We like to drink strong liquors,
with nothing really standing in the way between that taste of that liquor and my belly.
If you drink one of those, you're probably be enough.
Well, back in prohibition days,
didn't have much money.
Had to get it when you can get it.
[laughs]
[digger] all in all, everybody did a fine job.
But at the end of the day, there can only be one winner,
of the 24 pounds of yeast.
-[tim] make a whole lot of bread with that -[digger] yeah.
And that falls today...
To jerry benson.
[clapping]
-thank you. -Congrats brother.
[casey] jerry, good presentation. Good flavor. Good balance.
Really a nice drink.
[digger] we loved it.
Sir.
To win this competition is absolutely amazing.
24 pounds of the yeast to a moonshiner, I mean that's like gold to a jeweler.
And to be able to take mike out in this was very rewarding.
Mark, come forward.
Now, you are the recipient of the runner-up,
and you've got the little ziz wheel.
Yes, there's a lot of uses you can do with that.
[mark] I'd rather have the ziz wheel to yeast, anytime.
I'll keep it with me, at all time now.
Damn fine job. Appreciate every one of you.
Now, which one of you gonna drive me back to the house?
-Ah. -[mark] yeah, grab your prize there, jerry.
Thank you, guys.
-There you go. -Thank you, guys.
-[casey] thank you, gentleman. -[tim] appreciate you all.
All right, who's mixing the next round?
-[tim] you. [laughs] -[digger] yeah.