You might think moonshine only comes from ramshackle stills hidden away in the Appalachian Mountains, but the fact of the matter is humans around the globe have been illicitly concocting distilled spirits for centuries. And they continue to do so. No matter where you go, there is a local bootleg liquor, whether it’s white lightning (USA), toddy (Malaysia), or chang’aa (Kenya). Why do people risk their health making illicit booze? How do they do it? And why do we call it moonshine? Kevin Kosar will lead you on a whirlwind tour of the history of moonshine and its mischiefs.

Kevin R. Kosar founded AlcoholReviews.com in 1998, an online review of beers, spirits, and wines. He is the author of Moonshine: A Global History (Reaktion Books), Whiskey: A Global History (Reaktion Books), and a contributor to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2004). He has written about drinks, drinks history, and drinks politics for the New York Times, American Spectator, and the late Weekly Standard magazine. He lives in Washington, DC and works for a think-tank (not a drink-tank). You can follow his writing on beverages at https://twitter.com/alcoholreviews1.