Irish moonshine, poitín, on its way to the United States – VIDEO

Once illegal, it’s hoped that this Irish liquor could be found in US bars

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Hopefully on its way to Ireland 1661 Poitin

Photo by 1661 Poitin

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Kickstarter, a website that helps entrepreneurs raise funds, is helping an ambitious Irish woman to bring the historic Irish liquor poitín (pronounced puh-cheen) to the United States. It’s her dream to have 1661 Poitín as a regular liquor found in US bars.

The liquor, made with malted barley grain or potatoes, is very potent. It was banned from being sold in Ireland in 1661, hence the name, and although the drink is still banned in Northern Ireland, as of 1997 the ban was lifted in the Republic.

Ashlee Casserly, a Westmeath woman now living in Washington DC, envisages 1661 Poitín being made with only Irish ingredients. Her plan is to base the recipe on the traditional poitín and incorporate changes to accommodate the modern palate.

She told IrishCentral that the drink “has been made in Ireland for centuries and centuries, it was even banned for 300 years in between and still managed to thrive. It is almost impossible to get it here in the States and so I propose to change that.”

Casserly’s goal on Kickstarter is to reach $40,000 within the next 20 days. Here is her Kickstarter account.

In the past, Kickstarter has helped unique projects such as iPhone smart covers, to MacBook Air docks get off the ground. Here’s hoping the new project works.

Here’s a video:

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