If you’re not from the Pennsylvania mountains, you might not know about boilo —or you might have once known about it but forgotten it entirely because you drank too much of this potent elixir.

Like mulled wine on steroids, boilo includes 101 proof Four Queens Blended Whiskey (and yes, it’s traditional to use that brand), honey, oranges, lemons and various spices, including cinnamon, cloves and allspice. It’s most often made around the holidays and during winter, with families and friends coming together to enjoy an evening tipple. Many families have their own recipes — some of which are shared and some of which are guarded like Fort Knox — but there really isn’t a bad way to make boilo.

The beverage was brought to Appalachia by Lithuanian and Polish immigrants in the 1800s, who evolved it from the spiced honey drink, krupnik. Just like a boilo hangover, the brew stuck around, with recipes passed through the generations. 

Boilo is so popular in Schuylkill County, Pa. — the heart of coal country — that 30 percent of all Four Queens Blended Whiskey sales come from that area. That number rises to 43 percent during the holiday season.

Often called the "Champagne of the Coal Region" or the “coal miner’s cure-all,” boilo is also used to treat colds, flu and various aches and pains. (I think it could probably cure a severed limb as well, but there's no documented proof of that.) Boilo can also be made with rum, grain alcohol or moonshine, though if you’re a purist, you’ll probably want to stick with cheap (less than $10 a bottle) whiskey that has a high (101 proof) alcohol content.

Yes, boilo is basically delicious rocket fuel, served warm.

I made my first batch of boilo this past November with the help of three friends. One stirred constantly to prevent our concoction from boiling off all its alcohol; one cut citrus; and one assembled the spices.

Boilo doesn’t take too long to make once all the ingredients are added; it only needs to steep about 20 minutes before it’s ready to strain and serve. And man, did it make my kitchen smell magnificent.

After a few sips of this scrumptious bevvie, my friends and I discovered it also makes the game of Scattergories a heck of a lot funnier as the answers get quite a bit more…creative.

Now, if you’re looking for a short cut, you can get a boilo kit from one of our vendors — Mud & Maker. You can even find non-alcoholic versions online, though that kind of misses the point.

Boilo is meant to bring people together, and sometimes, especially during the holidays, that means adding a little extra fun (and forget-about-it juice) to family get-togethers.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle (750 ml) Four Queens Blended Whiskey (or a similar, inexpensive blended whiskey/moonshine)

• 1 to 2 cups honey (to taste)

• 1 to 3 large oranges, quartered or sliced

• 1 to 1.5 lemons, quartered or sliced

• 1 to 3 cinnamon sticks (not ground)

• 1-2 tablespoons caraway seeds

• 12 whole peppercorns

• 1/4 to 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (to taste, optional)

• Pinch or 1 teaspoon allspice berries (If you don’t have them, you don’t need them)

• 12 whole cloves (optional)

• 1 liter ginger ale or orange juice (optional, for a less potent version)

STEPS

1. Heat: Pour the entire bottle of Four Queens into a large stainless steel or enamel pot. Warm the whiskey over low heat, uncovered. Do not let it boil.

2. Add sweeteners and spices: Once the whiskey is warm (not hot), add the honey, brown sugar (if using), cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, caraway seeds, allspice, and cloves. Stir well until the honey and sugar are dissolved.

3. Add citrus: Cut the oranges and lemons into quarters or eighths. Squeeze the juice into the pot and drop the squeezed fruit rinds into the mixture.

4. Steep: Continue to warm the mixture over low heat, allowing it to steep for a short period (about 15-20 minutes). The mixture should simmer gently but never reach a boil.

5. Strain and cool: Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool somewhat. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth (preferably twice) to remove all the solids and discard them.

6. Serve: The boilo can be served immediately while warm in small cups, or strained back into the original bottle for storage. When ready to serve later, gently reheat individual portions.

My boilo recipe is adapted from a number of sources. I am so appreciative to the generations of cooks, mixologists, and bibbers who helped shape it.