Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Midnight Moon is so good it used to be illegal

Brad Bourque
By

midnight moon, moonshine, alcohol, liquor
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Even though Johnson family hooch isn’t made in copper stills out in the woods any more, the recipe lives on in the (now legally distributed) Midnight Moon. The family took a huge risk bootlegging corn alcohol before, during, and after prohibition, and the decades of hard work and fast driving paid off in the form of one of the most recognizable moonshine brands in the country.

Related: Spirit Education at Moonshine University

Recommended Videos

Junior Johnson’s legacy extends far beyond crafting some of the finest corn whiskey around, though. A big part of distilling moonshine is transporting and selling it, or bootlegging, a role that Junior took over for his family when he was 14. Junior was never caught while driving, and only spent 11 months of a two-year sentence in prison when he was caught lighting a still the police had staked out in May of 1956.

Bootleg drivers in the ’40s became the pioneers of professional racing, and Junior Johnson was well known in the early NASCAR movement.  A creative and daring racer, Junior is also credited with creating the bootleg turn, a sharp 180-degree turn designed to lose police cars in a chase. Despite his car driving 22 miles per hour slower than the fastest cars in the race, Junior won the 1960 Daytona 500, one of the first documented uses of drafting in racing.

Despite multiple distilleries making offers on the Johnson family recipe, Junior partnered with Piedmont Distillers in 2007 to bring his historic moonshine to life once again — this time legally. Midnight Moon is now distilled in small batches in North Carolina, where Junior Johnson can still get involved from time to time.

Midnight Moon Applepie, moonshine, liquor
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Midnight Moon is available in its classic clear form, or in one of six infused flavors: blackberry, blueberry, cherry, cranberry, and strawberry, all of which are made with the real fruit included in the jar. The apple pie flavor, for instance, is made with real apple juice and includes a stick of cinnamon inside for an added kick.

The infused flavors are hand-packed with real fruit to impart flavor and color, without making the moonshine overly sweet. The fruit is preserved in the alcohol, making it safe to eat even for years after the jar has been opened, even if Midnight Moon recommends against it. Since the fruit absorbs the alcohol as well as imparting its flavors into the jar, it’s important to remember to “respect the fruit” and think carefully before you start snacking on those blueberries, as tasty as they are.

Strawberry blueberry jars with fruit, midnight moon, moonshine, liquor
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The strawberry infused Midnight Moon has a quiet sweetness to it, but it doesn’t distract from the huge taste of real fruit. The vibrant red and pink spirit goes down deceptively smooth, considering that the infused varieties are bottled at 100 proof. Serving it chilled brings out the fruit flavors and corn sweetness even more, but it’s great in a glass of lemonade, too.

By the time the jar hits the shelves, the blueberry infused Midnight Moon has turned the clear liquid a deep, opaque purple. The mass of blueberries at the bottom of the jar can only be seen by tilting the glass so their dark lines can be seen moving around. The result is a drink that’s smooth and just a little tart, with the corn alcohol coming a bit more to the front than in the strawberry and apple pie infusions.

Midnight Moon Apple pie Overhead, midnight moon, moonshine, liquor
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The apple pie flavor is a bit different than the other infused flavors. Rather than dropping a pile of fruit into the bottom, the classic Midnight Moon is mixed with real apple juice and cinnamon. The result is a cocktail in a jar, and while Midnight Moon offers up a number of simple recipes to go along with each flavor, the apple pie is sweet, warm, and tastes great on the rocks or with a splash of ginger ale.

The Midnight Moon website has great recipes for all of their infused moonshines, as well as a handy “find the shine” tool so you can taste it for yourself.

Topics
Brad Bourque
Brad Bourque
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad Bourque is a beer and sneaker writer, retired fantasy football commissioner, and devout Portland Timbers. On the…
Is erythritol harmful? What a dietitian says recent data means for your keto diet
Erythritol is common in many keto foods — what does that mean for your health?
Erythritol

While sugar substitutes have been around for more than a century, they didn't really become mainstream here in the U.S. until around the mid-70s. According to Carolyn De La Pena, professor of American Studies at UC Davis and author of Empty Pleasures: The Story of Artificial Sweeteners from Saccharin to Splenda, between 1975 and 1984, Americans increased their consumption of artificial sweeteners by 150%. This timeline makes sense when you take into account that the late seventies coincided with the start of our crazed diet culture and the revolving door of fad diets.
One such diet that doesn't seem to be going anywhere, however, is the keto diet. Still hugely popular among Americans trying to shed a few pounds, keto focuses heavily on limited or no carbohydrates. Because sugar contains carbohydrates, followers of keto have turned to artificial sweeteners to satisfy those late-night cravings — sweeteners that, more often than not, contain erythritol. Erythritol, in particular, has become hugely popular because it's much better for baking than other sugar substitutes, has less of an artificial flavor, and will keep the eater in ketosis, which is key for losing weight on the keto diet.
A new study has made waves recently because its findings indicate there's a link between erythritol and higher rates of heart attack and stroke (though the study did note that only an association was found — not causation. So should you be worried?
We asked Dan LeMoine, board-certified holistic nutritionist, the award-winning author of Fear No Food and the clinical director at Phoenix-based Re:vitalize Nutrition, what he had to say about erythritol, including its benefits and potential health risks. "Artificial sweeteners are still sweeteners. While many are non-nutritive or zero-calorie, we tend to view them similarly as we do regular sweeteners or sugars — moderation is key. While many have amazing implications on weight loss — being low to no-calorie options and having little impact on blood sugar, some have their downside," he said.

Is there a cause for concern with sugar substitution?
While some of that sugar substitution has been good for waistlines and health issues that come from obesity, it seems to be causing more and more concern when it comes to other potential health issues. "For example," said LeMoine, "some research indicates the popular sweeteners stevia may have negative effects on the gut microbiome. And the recent study showing a correlation between the sugar alcohol, erythritol, and heart attack and stroke."

Read more
This empanadas recipe is actually the perfect ‘second meal’ for leftover pot roast
Make a big pot roast, then make these awesome empanadas
Empanadas

We love a good pot roast. The thing about a pot roast, though, is that there always seem to be a ton of leftovers. No matter the amount you made or how many guests you had around the table, there's extra. Perhaps that's one of the comforting things about pot roast - there's always more to share. But if we're honest, on the second or third day of leftovers, most of us are ready for something different. That's where this handy recipe comes in, and it's for another delicious food: empanadas.

All you need to transform your pot roast leftovers into something new and enticing is a little pie dough. By filling that pie dough with your leftovers, you're creating flakey, steamy, golden-brown little meat pies that will make just about everyone happy. Not only are they delicious, but they're perfect for any occasion. Serve them with rice and a salad for a beautifully savory dinner. Pile them on a platter with a creamy dipping sauce for the next football game, or bring them on a fall picnic with a bottle of your favorite Burgundy. Whatever the occasion, though, be sure to make enough because these are oddly addicting.

Read more
The golden wonder of flax: How to eat flaxseed for health and vitality
Not sure how to work with raw flaxseed? Here's how to eat the healthy ingredient
F

Flaxseed is the true golden fleece of legend. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, lignans, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are hard to find in plant-based foods, giving it the much-acclaimed "superfood" status.

Humans have cultivated flax since the beginning of recorded history. The ancient Romans knew the plant as Linum usitatissimum which translates neatly as "very useful." This crop also played a major role in the birth of America, where it quickly took root as a fiber to use for producing clothing.

Read more