Holiday Road

Just one year after foreswearing holiday travel, we were on the road again. And while we didn't have any gourmet encounters, road food is a subject unto itself. Even we end up eating a lot of fast food on the way because a.) it's fast b.) it's hard to take a chance on that Indian restaurant in the strip mall c.) it does give you an excuse to eat a slim jim (and you know you want to).

So, next year my resolution is to do more food research for road trips. Because great little places are out there, tucked in and around the fast food joints. Such as Pop's Charburgers, right off the Heflin exit on I-20 in Alabama. We had a good diner burger and a great strawberry shake. They're supposed to have a really good egg and fried bologna for breakfast.

Here's my top five list of car snacks. All the stuff you would normally never eat, but somehow when you're driving or riding in a car, they're just what you need. Feel free to post and add your own to the list:

1. Snoballs
2. Spree
3. Slim Jims
4. Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies
5. Funyons

On one last note, I did encounter in North Carolina real homemade moonshine in a mason jar. Surprisingly, it tasted a lot like vodka, although it had a more fragrant nose. Now, this jar was about three months old, and our source swore that it had mellowed quite a bit and when fresh was much harsher. It did make my tongue tingle a bit. Personally, I'd rather drink the Catdaddy, but I appreciate all things homemade and what should be our right to make 'em.

Moonshine

So, here I'll elaborate on our Cochon moonshine experience mentioned in the previous post. Cochon offers four different ones. We sampled the Catdaddy which was purported to be the most drinkable. We were told that one other was not as good, and the last two were described as high alcohol content and pretty rough. The Catdaddy was surprisingly drinkable. Almost too drinkable. It had a very floral aroma and a taste that was hard to put a finger on, but we all enjoyed. It seemed a little like honey, but not overly sweet. Piedmont Distillers in North Carolina is the maker of Catdaddy, and according to their web site they don't really like to say what's added to it. However, our waiter said it was vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

I say almost too drinkable, because it still has a substantial alcohol content, and after a few sips you can feel it in your legs. So watch out. It's for sippin' not shootin'. Cochon also has a cocktail whose name escapes me that is Catdaddy and Abita root beer. We mixed our own at the table and it was good, but we actually preferred the straight stuff.

I was curious about legal distillation of moonshine, because I had thought that it was illegal across the board. From the Piedmont Distillers web site:

Real moonshine comes in two "flavors" - legal and illegal. The essential difference is taxed and one is not.

You can go into most any liquor store and buy moonshine such as Georgia Moon Corn Whiskey, Platte Valey Corn Whiskey or Catdaddy. The federal tax on a gallon of whiskey is $15.50.

It is legal to own a still; you can buy one online for less than $800. If you want to produce any alcohol in your still, you need a federal permit. Under the alternative fules law, you can make up to 10,000 gallons a year of ethanol, which can power engines when mixed with gasoline.

"Yes, you can have a still, but it must be permitted and you can produce spirits for fuel use only," said Art Resnick, director of public and media affairs for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. "Let's make this perfectly clear: It's illegal to make moonshine, which is untaxed spirits."

Even if a person wanted to make moonshine at home and pay federal taxes, it's not that simple. It requires a federal distiller's license and is cost-prohibitive for anything other than a business."