Booze for shtf.

[Kevin L]

I was thinking of lying in a stockpile of liqour for barter purposes post shtf.

I was thinking Everclear, and it can be used as a disinfectant, it can be drunk, used as a firestarter, a cooling agent for someone with a fever, and as a weapon when made into a molotov cocktail.

Do you guys think its a good idea?

 

[Proud Prepper]

Yes its a very good one with many uses. Others are scotch, vodka, gin, brandy, rum and my favorite is bourbon.

 

[tmttactical]

Booze has it value for barter. I am not sure what the value would be. I seldom drink, maybe 4 drinks per year, special occasions type things. So I am not familiar withe cost of booze vs. other barter items of demand (alcoholics or heavy drinkers or ?). so I will watch this thread with great interest. If not booze, what item would be a great demand?

 

[Mountain trapper]

I was thinking of lying in a stockpile of liqour for barter purposes post shtf.

I was thinking Everclear, and it can be used as a disinfectant, it can be drunk, used as a firestarter, a cooling agent for someone with a fever, and as a weapon when made into a molotov cocktail.

Do you guys think its a good idea?

Everclear has many uses. I like injecting Everclear in watermelons. Let the melon sit in ice over night and enjoy on a hot day. It also makes a good citrus punch. Just add Everclear, vodka and gin with frozen orange, lemon, lime and pineapple juice concentrate. Or try Everclear Jello poppers. Oh, I guess it does have some medicinal uses too.

 

[Doreena]

Everclear has many uses. I like injecting Everclear in watermelons. Let the melon sit in ice over night and enjoy on a hot day. It also makes a good citrus punch. Just add Everclear, vodka and gin with frozen orange, lemon, lime and pineapple juice concentrate. Or try Everclear Jello poppers. Oh, I guess it does have some medicinal uses too.

I use local moonshine, have some stored, but make apple pie moonshine from the everclear/all mighty alcohol.


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[brandx]

I wonder what is cheaper rubbing alcohol at 140 proof or everclear at 140-190 proof? And wouldn't rubbing alcohol be a substitute for everclear? I mean if you are going to drink everclear, it is a destructive substance, you might as well drink rubbing alcohol. Plus rubbing alcohol has all the other uses that everclear does. Something to think about. Many years ago I had a regular customer at the grocery store where I worked, he was what we used to call a "Wino", he always smelled of booze and was a very quiet person but generally unkempt. He came in one day and the only thing he purchased was a bottle of wintergreen scented rubbing alcohol. I was only 19 but I knew what that was about. Felt sorry for the old man.

 

[WGregMiller]

I wonder what is cheaper rubbing alcohol at 140 proof or everclear at 140-190 proof? And wouldn't rubbing alcohol be a substitute for everclear? I mean if you are going to drink everclear, it is a destructive substance, you might as well drink rubbing alcohol. Plus rubbing alcohol has all the other uses that everclear does. Something to think about. Many years ago I had a regular customer at the grocery store where I worked, he was what we used to call a "Wino", he always smelled of booze and was a very quiet person but generally unkempt. He came in one day and the only thing he purchased was a bottle of wintergreen scented rubbing alcohol. I was only 19 but I knew what that was about. Felt sorry for the old man.

Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol. What I read said over 8 ounces may kill you.

The local winos used to drink rub when they didn’t have money. Their breath would peel paint....

For cleaning wounds, rubbing alcohol is good.

 

[brandx]

Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol. What I read said over 8 ounces may kill you.

The local winos used to drink rub when they didn’t have money. Their breath would peel paint....

For cleaning wounds, rubbing alcohol is good.

Yes, it could kill you, it might do the job and everclear can kill you as well. It is just a different kind of alcohol but suits the same purposes as far as I know. No expert here though.

 

[Maverick]

Booze isn't a problem, I have lots of it primarily Whiskey and Bourbon with a few cases of Scotch. Many useful things with spirits, medical, bartering, sterilizing, hygiene, cooking, fuel, social etc..

 

[Dani]

I think anyone who indulges in alcohol during a SHTF situation is playing with fire. Just too many things could happen and you want to be alert with a level head at all times, BUT yes, I think it would make for a good barter item. Let someone else be the easy target, one less idiot to have to worry about. It does have other benefits and uses but I think there are alternatives that would be cheaper to buy.

 

[Doreena]

I think anyone who indulges in alcohol during a SHTF situation is playing with fire. Just too many things could happen and you want to be alert with a level head at all times, BUT yes, I think it would make for a good barter item. Let someone else be the easy target, one less idiot to have to worry about. It does have other benefits and uses but I think there are alternatives that would be cheaper to buy.

I agree, I rarely have a drink now, but if things get bad, I wouldn’t miss recreational alcohol a bit. I like mixing the moonshine up because I have a very appreciative audience... and it would also be, as stated previously, good for bartering. And I am a strange person who likes to mix things up or cook for the fun of it!


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[Kevin L]

I wonder what is cheaper rubbing alcohol at 140 proof or everclear at 140-190 proof? And wouldn't rubbing alcohol be a substitute for everclear? I mean if you are going to drink everclear, it is a destructive substance, you might as well drink rubbing alcohol. Plus rubbing alcohol has all the other uses that everclear does. Something to think about. Many years ago I had a regular customer at the grocery store where I worked, he was what we used to call a "Wino", he always smelled of booze and was a very quiet person but generally unkempt. He came in one day and the only thing he purchased was a bottle of wintergreen scented rubbing alcohol. I was only 19 but I knew what that was about. Felt sorry for the old man.

You're probably right about being able to use rubbing alcohol instead of Everclear for most situations...especially since I don't drink.

I was more concerned about the liqour as a barter item.

And, as a paramedic, I consider undiluted Everclear to be a dangerous substance to drink.

 

[brandx]

I think anyone who indulges in alcohol during a SHTF situation is playing with fire. Just too many things could happen and you want to be alert with a level head at all times, BUT yes, I think it would make for a good barter item. Let someone else be the easy target, one less idiot to have to worry about. It does have other benefits and uses but I think there are alternatives that would be cheaper to buy.

I guess one could look at it as a luxury item, something for the nerves.

 

[brandx]

I think

You're probably right about being able to use rubbing alcohol instead of Everclear for most situations...especially since I don't drink.

I was more concerned about the liqour as a barter item.

And, as a paramedic, I consider undiluted Everclear to be a dangerous substance to drink.[/
I think it would suck the air out of me LOL, but it could be a barter item, not everyone would want that but perhaps something more desirable, some other kind of high powered stuff. Whiskey, blended for the ladies? What the heck, just go buy a liter of everything.

 

[tmttactical]

Since I don't purchase booze, I am not familiar with the cost vs. barter value vs. other barter items of like cost. What I am asking is / are there better barter items in the same price range? Cigarettes / tobacco comes to mind. Storage space is also another factor to consider. AND last but not least do you want a drunk person around your trading area / post / BOL ? Old western movies comes to mind. Trading tobacco with the Indians vs. trading whiskey to the Indians. Same Indians but different results.

 

[Doreena]

Since I don't purchase booze, I am not familiar with the cost vs. barter value vs. other barter items of like cost. What I am asking is / are there better barter items in the same price range? Cigarettes / tobacco comes to mind. Storage space is also another factor to consider. AND last but not least do you want a drunk person around your trading area / post / BOL ? Old western movies comes to mind. Trading tobacco with the Indians vs. trading whiskey to the Indians. Same Indians but different results.

Ideally, you wouldn’t trade where you live....and tobacco would go stale I think ( I would never buy it even for barter)


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[jimLE]

Yeah.a drunk within a trading area,can prove to be a danger to everyone else,as well to them self.so limiting how much beer,liquor or shine you'll trade to each person is a good idea.so if a person can handle up to 60oz then trade them no more than 45 to 50oz .and make it clear to them that they need to move on,once the trade is done.and they have everything they traded for.before they start drinking.

 

[tmttactical]

Ideally, you wouldn’t trade where you live....and tobacco would go stale I think ( I would never buy it even for barter)


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Which brings up the other questions transportation. It would be a lot easier to transport tobacco vs. booze. Vacuum sealed tobacco should not go stale and you can grow your own tobacco. Yes, you can distill your own booze too, so it gets down to cost vs. return. Heck, for that matter, you cold grow your own marijuana (after WROL) and cover both bases, sort of.

 

[Doreena]

Which brings up the other questions transportation. It would be a lot easier to transport tobacco vs. booze. Vacuum sealed tobacco should not go stale and you can grow your own tobacco. Yes, you can distill your own booze too, so it gets down to cost vs. return. Heck, for that matter, you cold grow your own marijuana (after WROL) and cover both bases, sort of.

Actually, a still is on my list of it would be nice to have.


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[DrHenley]

I was thinking of lying in a stockpile of liqour for barter purposes post shtf.
I was thinking Everclear....

Absolutely! I have a small bottle of Everclear in my BOB. And I keep a bottle in the bathroom and use it for all sorts of things. You can use a small amount to substitute for Vodka in mixed drinks. I don't have a problem with getting inebriated because I have a condition where alcohol metabolizes very rapidly. If I get a buzz at all, it doesn't last long and goes quickly into a hangover.

 

[Brent S]

I’m not a heavy drinker but love a glass of red wine each evening. My hobby of winemaking has produced loads of surplus, and I have at least 100 gallons of it stored in the root cellar. Each season I grow way more than I can drink, so I give bottles as gifts quite often, but like knowing I have a good barter item. Distilling liquor is pretty simple, just remember that pre shtf it is still a major crime and can get you locked up for a ridiculously long time. Beer and wine are legit hobbies though.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I think anyone who indulges in alcohol during a SHTF situation is playing with fire. Just too many things could happen and you want to be alert with a level head at all times, BUT yes, I think it would make for a good barter item. Let someone else be the easy target, one less idiot to have to worry about. It does have other benefits and uses but I think there are alternatives that would be cheaper to buy.

Its good to have a variety to barter, you never know what someone wants to trade for.

 

[Dani]

Its good to have a variety to barter, you never know what someone wants to trade for.

I agree it would be good to barter with, but I can find other things that are cheaper than booze to disinfect with or start a fire or any of the other things booze would be good for other than getting drunk off of. I'm taking a guess here but a cheap Vodka is around $10 bucks for a liter I think. A gallon of bleach is about a $1 for a gallon and diesel is what $2.69 a gallon to use as a fire starter. If I were to make my own liquor, then that would be a different story maybe. I'm just saying using the liquor to accomplish other things than what it is made for is costly if you have other items available.

 

[user 6493]

booze...............it might be good for trading but I can think of many things I would lay in first,,,,,,the best items for trade would be ammo,food ,meds

 

[Mountain trapper]

I don't mind keeping a few gallons of booze around the place for my own use, Scotch and vodka mostly. I can think of many other things that would make better trade items, such as; surplus garden produce, excess eggs, chicks, calves, meat, ammo, animal by-products like tanned fur, hides etc, labor, tools, gold and silver just to name a few.

 

[brandx]

I would divvy it, saving little bottles with lids might be wise.

 

[jimLE]

The only way id barter/trade ammo in a shtf situation,is if i was sure enough,that it won't come back and get me later on.same thing applies to knife's and other items that could be used as weapons as well.

 

[DrHenley]

Something you may not know about Everclear...

Not all states allow full strength Everclear, but in those that do, Everclear is 95% ethanol.

Why is that number, 95% (190 proof),significant?

Two things.

First, it is stronger than any rubbing alcohol you can buy at the supermarket or drug store. Most rubbing alcohol is 70%, Many stores also sell 91%. You'll be hard pressed to find rubbing alcohol any stronger than that. Yes, Everclear is more expensive since it is food grade ethanol, so the Federal alcohol tax has to be paid.

Second, in distilling ethanol, there reaches a point called an "azeotrope" where the vapor pressure of ethanol and the vapor pressure of water are equal. The closer you get to the azeotrope, the harder it is to separate ethanol and water by distillation. So what does this have to do with Everclear you ask? The azeotrope for ethanol and water is....95.6%

What this means is that when Everclear evaporates, the composition changes very litte.

Because it is so close to the azeotrope, the composition of the vapor is very close to the composition of the remaining liquid. So Everclear will retain it's strength even when a large amount has evaporated.

As long as there is a functioning Revenuer agency (AKA the BATF) The federal grubbymitts will fight you tooth and nail if you try to make 95% ethanol at home without a license. (actually there are ways around that but my lips are sealed ) But when the revenuers all start worrying more about taking care of themselves and their families, you can easily make your own ethanol at home.

 

[Kevin L]

Something you may not know about Everclear...

Not all states allow full strength Everclear, but in those that do, Everclear is 95% ethanol.

Why is that number, 95% (190 proof),significant?

Two things.

First, it is stronger than any rubbing alcohol you can buy at the supermarket or drug store. Most rubbing alcohol is 70%, Many stores also sell 91%. You'll be hard pressed to find rubbing alcohol any stronger than that. Yes, Everclear is more expensive since it is food grade ethanol, so the Federal alcohol tax has to be paid.

Second, in distilling ethanol, there reaches a point called an "azeotrope" where the vapor pressure of ethanol and the vapor pressure of water are equal. The closer you get to the azeotrope, the harder it is to separate ethanol and water by distillation. So what does this have to do with Everclear you ask? The azeotrope for ethanol and water is....95.6%

What this means is that when Everclear evaporates, the composition changes very litte.

Because it is so close to the azeotrope, the composition of the vapor is very close to the composition of the remaining liquid. So Everclear will retain it's strength even when a large amount has evaporated.

As long as there is a functioning Revenuer agency (AKA the BATF) The federal grubbymitts will fight you tooth and nail if you try to make 95% ethanol at home without a license. (actually there are ways around that but my lips are sealed ) But when the revenuers all start worrying more about taking care of themselves and their families, you can easily make your own ethanol at home.

Kudos, and agree with everything...but my concerns with making booze post SHTF are similar to the concerns of the prohibition era.

A lit of bathtub booze was actually quite dangerous because the quality control wasn't there.

I have a chemistry background, and making liqour in a still is actually rather straightforward, but I suspect pre-SHTF liqour with fetch a good price.

 

[lonewolf]

I gave up drinking 18 years ago and post SHTF I wont be drinking the stuff, I want a clear head at all times, but I MAY keep a couple of bottles of spirit purely for medicinal use but only that.
I wont be bartering alcohol, a desperate alcoholic is the last thing I need.