10 Craziest Liquors You Can Actually Buy

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To Google: I am in no way advocate drinking liquor. If anything this post will make you never want to drink liquor again.

Despite all of our differences—ethnic, religious, geographical, political—the one thing that binds us human beings together as a species is our need to get drunk. From the dawn of time, almost every culture all over the world has figured out ingenious and (sometimes) tasty ways to make (and ingest) alcoholic beverages.

Today, certain methods for making alcoholic beverages have become well-established and, therefore, “normal.” But although whiskey, vodka, and rum may be liquor cabinet standards, they are not the only forms of booze out there.

Today we celebrate the “alternative spirits.” So here is a list of 9 of the strangest liquors, liqueurs, and spirits you’ll ever find.

9. Cynar (Artichoke Liquor)

via:cynar

I thought grappa was the weirdest liquor they made in Italy—that’s made from the skins, pulp, seeds, and stems that are left over after they make wine. It’s pretty pungent. But then I came across Cynar, which is booze made by fermenting artichokes. I don’t know how it tastes, but it sounds…uh…delightful.

8. Root (Organic Liquor)

via:root liquor

This booze is allegedly an old Native American recipe passed on to early colonial settlers (weren’t they Puritans?) and served to Pennsylvania coal miners.

Whatever. What we know for sure is that the stuff is made from sugar cane, birch bark, black tea leaves, wintergreen, cinnamon, and cardamom. So this is an 80-proof liquor that really packs some punch.

7. Pulque (Mexian Aloe Liquor)

via:pulque

Also sometimes called octli, pulque is a thick milk-colored booze made from the fermented sap of maguey (aka aloe) plants in Mexico. It dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries and just goes to show that, no matter where in the world humans live and no matter what the resources available to them, they will find a way to get drunk.

6. Scorpion Vodka

This is exactly what it sounds like: vodka with a scorpion in it.

Why? For the novelty. They only sell it in shot-sized 70mL bottles or slightly larger 250mL bottles.

As for the scorpions inside, they are said to give the booze a “woody” taste, and have supposedly been “purified”—meaning they are safe to (make freshmen pledging your fraternity) eat.

5. Mamajuana (aka “Dominican Viagara”)

via:mamajuana

No word on what this stuff was nicknamed before Viagara existed, but as you can guess from the moniker, it’s supposed to make you quite virile. It’s a spirit made from a mix of herbs, sticks, and wood—sounds tasty, right?—that are soaked in wine, rum, and honey for several weeks.

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Bontheball here: I’ve had mamajuana and it doesn’t perform as advertise. Apparently it is illegal to bring back to USA. I didn’t know. I still have a couple of bottles. All I noticed is a quicker drunk and not as tired.

he specific herbs that make up Mamajuana were originally prepared as an herbal tea by the native Taino Indians and much later in time, post-Columbus, alcohol was added to the recipe. Besides being rumored to be an aphrodisiac, with many natives of the Dominican Republic claiming that the drink has similar effects, Mamajuana is also consumed for its medicinal value. The alcohol is said to act as an extract base that pulls the herbs’ curative properties, creating an herbal tincture that is often served as a shot. The reported positive effects on health vary, ranging from a flu remedy, to a digestion and circulation aid, a blood cleanser and kidney and liver tonic.

The Taino Indians, before Columbus! MamaJuana has been around for centuries in the Dominican Republic. I came up with the idea of taking it out of the Caribbean and bringing it to the world, but the recipes are closely guarded and vary drastically among the many villages and families who make it. And 95% of the ingredients aren’t legal on the U.S. market. We kept the name because it was part of our inspiration; it has a cool back-story and legacy. And we developed an entirely new product that would have the same sexual effects that made the original mamajuana so legendary. via

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