Everclear is a brand name of

rectified spirit Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countri ...

(also known as grain alcohol and neutral spirit) produced by the American company

Luxco Luxco, Inc. is a privately owned producer and marketer of distilled beverages and liqueurs. Formerly called the David Sherman Corporation, the company was renamed in 2006. Founded in 1958 in St. Louis, Missouri, by David Sherman Sr. and Paul A. ...

(formerly known as the David Sherman Corporation). It is made from grain and is bottled at 60%, 75.5%, 94.5% and 95%

alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol ( ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) ...

(120, 151, 189, and 190 U.S. proof respectively). Due to its market prevalence and high alcohol content, the product has become iconic with a "notorious reputation" in popular culture. Sale of the 190-proof variant is prohibited in some states, which led Luxco to start selling the 189-proof version.

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%

(80 proof), and

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyon ...

s are typically around 20% alcohol (40 proof). Everclear is also used as a household "food-grade" cleaning, disinfecting, 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

infusion Infusion is the process of extracting chemical compounds or flavors from plant material in a solvent such as water, oil or alcohol, by allowing the material to remain suspended in the solvent over time (a process often called steeping). An in ...

s and

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

s 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. Several other brands of grain neutral spirits are also available on the market from other companies.

Alcohol content

Ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...

cannot be concentrated by ordinary

distillation Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the he ...

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 azeotropy. 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

* In the 1991 rap tune "Ever So Clear",

Bushwick Bill Richard William Stephen Shaw (December 8, 1966 – June 9, 2019), better known by his stage name Bushwick Bill, was a Jamaican-American rapper. He was a member of the Texas hip hop group Geto Boys, a group he originally joined as a breakdancer ...

of the

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earni ...

tells the tale of his night drinking Everclear and getting high on PCP earlier that year that resulted in his eye being shot out. A photo of the rapper taken at the hospital after the incident was used on the cover of the Geto Boys album '' We Can't Be Stopped'', on which the track appeared. A version of the track on his 1992 solo album '' Little Big Man'' reached number 1 on the U.S. rap charts. * In the

id Software id Software LLC () is an American video game developer based in Richardson, Texas. It was founded on February 1, 1991, by four members of the computer company Softdisk: game programmer, programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer T ...

video game series Commander Keen, Everclear is used to fuel the titular character's homemade spaceship. In addition to being a key element of the first installment of the series, the Everclear can be seen on the spaceship in subsequent games. * The

Roger Creager Roger Creager (born July 25, 1971) is an American Texas country music singer and songwriter from Corpus Christi, Texas. Biography Creager aspired to become a country music singer since he was six years old. He started learning how to play pian ...

song "The Everclear Song" (written by Mike Ethan Messick and released on the 1998 album ''Having Fun All Wrong'') refers to it. * The Jerrod Niemann song "For Everclear" on the 2010 album ''

Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury ''Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury'' is the third studio album by American country music singer Jerrod Niemann. It was released July 13, 2010 (see 2010 in country music) via Sea Gayle Music and Arista Nashville. It is his first major-label album, f ...

'' refers to it. *American rock band Everclear is named for the spirit. "Pure White Evil", a nickname for the drink coined by the band's singer/guitarist

Art Alexakis Arthur Paul "Art" Alexakis (born April 12, 1962) is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter f ...

, was the original working title for their album '' So Much for the Afterglow''. *In the HBO series ''

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and d ...

,'' Maddy Perez (played by Alexa Demie), mixes Everclear with

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develo ...

before heading to the high school winter formal. *In the 2001 film ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', Hedwig (played by John Cameron Mitchell) drinks a cocktail consisting of "a little rainwater and Everclear". *In the 2003 movie Freddy vs Jason, the Everclear is used against Jason in the rave party scene, setting him on fire before beginning a killing spree. *

References

External links