Everclear is a line of (also known as grain alcohol and neutral spirit) produced by the American company Luxco. It is made from grain[ Sale of the 190-proof variant is prohibited in some states, which led Luxco to start selling the 189-proof version.][
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Consumption
According to the manufacturer, Everclear "should be viewed as an unfinished ingredient", not consumed directly in undiluted form, and the company acknowledges that the product "has a rather notorious reputation" due to its high alcohol content. Rather than consuming Everclear directly, the company says it should be diluted by mixing it with water or other ingredients until the alcohol strength of the drink is "no more dangerous than other spirits or liqueurs on the shelf". For example, ordinary vodka, gin, rum and tequila have an alcohol concentration typically around 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof), and are typically around 20% alcohol (40 proof).
Everclear is also used as a household "food-grade" cleaner, disinfectant, or stove fuel alcohol because its fumes and odor are less offensive than isopropyl, rubbing, and denatured alcohol which are toxic to breathe or drink. Everclear is also used for extracting flavor from other ingredients to make and because of its neutral flavor profile.
Similar brands
Luxco also manufactures two other brands, Golden Grain alcohol and Crystal Clear alcohol, as essentially the same spirit with a different brand name.
Alcohol content
Ethanol cannot be concentrated by ordinary distillation to greater than 97.2% by volume (95.6% by weight), because at that concentration, the vapor has the same ratio of water to alcohol as the liquid, a phenomenon known as azeotrope.[95.6% according to 49th edition of CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Perry's Handbook gives 10.57 mole percent water, which is 95.58 weight percent.] The 190-proof variant of Everclear is 92.4% ethanol by weight and is thus produced at approximately the practical limit of distillation purity.
Some U.S. states impose limits on maximum alcohol content, or have other restrictions that prohibit the sale of the 190-proof variant of Everclear, and several of those also effectively prohibit lower-proof Everclear.
In popular culture
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American rock band Everclear is named after the spirit. "Pure White Evil", a nickname for the drink coined by the band's singer/guitarist Art Alexakis, was the original working title for their album So Much for the Afterglow.
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Texan rapper Bushwick Bill has a song titled “Ever So Clear” in which he describes the consequences of his abuse of the beverage.
See also
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Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, drinking alcohol)
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Liquor
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Denatured alcohol
External links
