Moonshine is high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol at night, usually when the moon was out, to avoid detection
A modern DIY pot still
A thermal immersion circulator, like this sous vide stick, is used to evaporate ethanol in plastic stills or spiral stills.
Former West Virginia moonshiner John Bowman explains the workings of a still. (November 1996, American Folklife Center)
Lucas test: Negative (left) with ethanol and positive with t-butanol.
Moonshine from various countries that have been known to be contaminated:
Changaa being made
A crude moonshine (aragh) device in an Armenian village
Lotoko being made from maize, in a still improvised from an oil drum. – Democratic Republic of Congo
Moonshiner, 1916 painting by Joseph Alanen [fi]