Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton was one of the last real moonshine runners in the US. Marvin committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on March 16, 2009 before having to report to federal prison. He was a fascinating character. In Sutton’s book “Me and My Likker” published in 1999 he describes his moonshine recipe. All the ingredients are available at your local feed store and grocery store.
Ingredients:
- 25 pounds coarse ground white corn meal, enough to fill half of your barrel/container
- 50 pounds of sugar – 1 pound of sugar per gallon of water of total volume
- 1 gallon of malt – can be corn, barley, rye or a combination.
Directions:
In 4-5 days it should be ready to run through your still. Most of the solids should sink to the bottom of the tank. You can use a siphon or a bucket to transfer the wash to the still.
NOTE: Notice that we never called for the addition of any yeast. The idea is that wild yeast will start the fermentation. This is a common practice in wine making also. However, if you would like more control you can add your choice of yeast after you have added the sugar and the mixture has cooled to somewhere between 65-75 F.
how much water is used?
This recipe is made in a 59 gallon barrel. In total the recipe uses about 50 gallons of water.
Popcorn only faked his death, as Ive been told by friends in the Appalachia area. He was a real cool dude.
That would be cool if he was still around. What a character.he was (is?). There is a very interesting documentary on Marvin Sutton. He builds a still by a stream, makes his mash and distills his hooch.
The Last One – Popcorn Sutton Documentary – Special Edition
Got Moonshine?