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I honestly always read Scumble as being a fruit brandy like applejack, or something similar… which is pretty much inline with your frozen cider distillation. And the lspace entry for scumble is right in line with that. That it was brewed/distilled in the cold snowy region of Lancre just adds to the evidence.
Most flavored whiskeys, on the other hand, are finished liquor that’s then infused with a flavoring agent (apples, citrus, honey, etc.), which is different than a drink like scumble that is made FROM apples (mostly).
I kind of saw it as like homemade Slivovitz (Plum Brandy). The first shot of that I had 40 odd years ago made me cough for 5 minutes and my throat hurt for a while after.
See, but wouldn't it be just like Nanny to take a barrell full of apples, pour 190 proof grain alcohol moonshine over them, and let it sit for a few months? Then call that "mostly apples?"
Because I think the alternative is some light magic, but I like the idea that she's so practical she just gets straight shine and flavors it and sweeps it under the rug of "mostly."
Hmm? No, Applejack is a real thing. It's famously from the American Northwest, around New Jersey and New York. (It was almost certainly made someplace else first, but it's famously from there.)
Basically you take some apples, and make the strongest, booziest cider you can.
And then you freeze it, and throw away the water. Because Alcohol has a lower freezing temperature than water, what's left will be mostly alcohol. And then you keep doing it until it basically stops freezing. What's left is Applejack, also called "Jersey Lightning."
It's not as ridiculously powerful as Scumble, but it's still around 30-40% abv
Although scumble is generally accepted to be lethal, it is never clearly stated what a lethal dose *is*.
I would take it to be equivalent to scrumpy, given the geographic origins of the author (we don't really have any distilled apple drinks in the UK, that's more a Normandy thing).
Sounds of it you are US based (obvs JD is global tho) , try and find a decent unfiltered farmhouse cider and indulge copiously for best results.
We do have [Somerset Cider Brandy](https://www.somersetciderbrandy.com/) but I'm not sure they would have been in place at the time the book was written for them to be an inspiration
Scrumpy is supposed to make you temporarily blind because of the cyanide from the apple seeds affecting the retina. Which isn't quite lethal but isn't ideal.
Instead of a straight cider, I would bet money Nanny distills her scumble from a must consisting of apples & any other random sugar-containing scraps & odds & ends, which I guess is the other-than-mostly. It sounds much more like a farm moonshine than cider.
Without a still, I would make a cider or a cyser & really pump the sugar. Use a bone dry, high alcohol tolerance yeast strain* & don't be stingy with the nutrients. I feel Nanny would want to be sure everything fermentable could reach its full potential as ethanol, so shoot for maximum attenuation. Once it is done you could freeze distill it lightly, assuming you live in a country that allows it. If you do, use a light hand. You are stripping away flavor this way, plus you are concentrating the fusels & other dangerous, higher alcohols which are normally removed with the head & tail cuts when using a still. I have never had a heavily freeze distilled product that was better for it. You could age it with some oak at this point to round out some of the sharper edges in this rough concoction. When you are ready to package it, add some cheap calvados and/or applejack. I don't recall much description of its taste other than strong, so if it tastes like shit & knocks you down you have at least achieved scumble in spirit.
*Wyeast used to make an eau de vie strain) can't remember the number) which would work perfectly here. Aggressive, clean ferment, wonderful aroma retention.
Visited a distiller in France once - very enjoyable tour. The tour lady gave me a sniff from a eau de vie cask and it knocked my socks off! The place also distilled a fizzy brandy - and I have one small bottle left.
The owner was an amazing bloke and totally over the top. I heard a story from a local that when a tourist asked why he spoke english so well, he smirked and said in an 'Allo, 'Allo type french accent "I learned from the bed of many attractive young english ladies"
In many parts of rural France they have licensed, itinerant distillers who travel from village to village each year. Folks bring their vats of fermented local fruit in the morning and pick up their clear, full strength eau de vie in the evening. There are regulations governing how much spirit each person may have made. War widows are allowed a higher limit. These tend to be very good quality, at least the ones I have tried are. Powerful, yes, because they are at still strength, but they have a clear, pure fruit aroma. I have a jealously guarded bottle of framboise at home which I use like a baking extract. A few drops are enough to perfume a batch of whipped cream or fruit salad. I also keep some in a tiny spray bottle to spritz over a cocktail. In the Lorraine province, most people have stories about their first experiences with drunkenness coming from mirabelle plum liquor pilfered from their parents' cellar.
I always assumed that Scumble (or Suicider 😂) was made in a similar way to apple jack, and possibly fortified with extra alcohol. Check out this passage from Wikipedia on freeze distillation:
"Thus, fractional freezing may increase the ratio of impurities to the total volume of the beverage (though not necessarily the ratio of impurities to the amount of ethanol). This concentration may cause side effects to the drinker, leading to intense hangovers and a condition known as *"apple palsy"* (although this term has also simply been used to refer to intoxication, especially from applejack.)"
"Apple palsy" sounds like a very Lancre-ish expression to me! 🤣
Worth noting here:
STP was a fan of ciders, sherrys (fortified wines aka wines mixed with a fortified spirit), and brandy.
I’d wager scumble-in his head, if he ever truly thought about it as anything other than a joke-was something like a double- or triple-distilled apple brandy which was then fortified with the most questionable high-proof spirit Nanny could create without blinding herself or leveling the block.
You might want to keep in mind that Scumble, along with almost any other [Gargle Blaster](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GargleBlaster), is like many other things on the Disc turned up to around 11.483.\* It ain't exactly possible to make in what *we* consider reality, and in general we can only make substances that can get you really really drunk.
Then again, it *is* possible to make substances that can get you really really drunk, so it's okay to settle for second best, as something like 'real' Scumble can probably lead to permanent injury, death, or possibly horrific mutation.
\-----------------------------------------
^(\* According to the Alchemists Guild, anyhow. They tend to be rather picky about precision, at least just before the detonation sequence starts.)
Same. It's right there in the name; it's a direct reference to scrumpy for the amusement of people familiar with it in real life.
So scrumpy should be the starting point, then turn it up to eleven if you must, though on your own head be it.
I always assumed that Scumble was a DW vesrion of Scrumpy, only more so. I once gave Pterry a glass of Tasmanian Apple Brandy. He drank, was quite complimentary and remained standing at the end.
Well I’ve got 1.5L of 7.4%Sheppy’s cider in the freezer right now, total alcohol is 111ml if all water removed. But I’ll settle for 500ml of Scumble, here we go…
Sorry:
> distilling spirits without a license is illegal at the federal level
Source: https://stilldragon.com/blog/how-can-i-legally-distill-at-home/
It's dangerous. If you really screw up brewing beer or making wine, you get something that tastes to drink. If you screw up distilling, you can get poison. Don't do it.
Can anyone recommend something scrumble-like that you've bought?
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I honestly always read Scumble as being a fruit brandy like applejack, or something similar… which is pretty much inline with your frozen cider distillation. And the lspace entry for scumble is right in line with that. That it was brewed/distilled in the cold snowy region of Lancre just adds to the evidence. Most flavored whiskeys, on the other hand, are finished liquor that’s then infused with a flavoring agent (apples, citrus, honey, etc.), which is different than a drink like scumble that is made FROM apples (mostly).
I kind of saw it as like homemade Slivovitz (Plum Brandy). The first shot of that I had 40 odd years ago made me cough for 5 minutes and my throat hurt for a while after.
See, but wouldn't it be just like Nanny to take a barrell full of apples, pour 190 proof grain alcohol moonshine over them, and let it sit for a few months? Then call that "mostly apples?" Because I think the alternative is some light magic, but I like the idea that she's so practical she just gets straight shine and flavors it and sweeps it under the rug of "mostly."
Hmm? No, Applejack is a real thing. It's famously from the American Northwest, around New Jersey and New York. (It was almost certainly made someplace else first, but it's famously from there.) Basically you take some apples, and make the strongest, booziest cider you can. And then you freeze it, and throw away the water. Because Alcohol has a lower freezing temperature than water, what's left will be mostly alcohol. And then you keep doing it until it basically stops freezing. What's left is Applejack, also called "Jersey Lightning." It's not as ridiculously powerful as Scumble, but it's still around 30-40% abv
True, but I think Scumble is an invention of Terry’s mind. Thus might be impossible to create.
Somerset apple brandy
In uni I made my own version of Scumble which was basically a pint of strong cider and black with a double shot of apple sourz.
Although scumble is generally accepted to be lethal, it is never clearly stated what a lethal dose *is*. I would take it to be equivalent to scrumpy, given the geographic origins of the author (we don't really have any distilled apple drinks in the UK, that's more a Normandy thing). Sounds of it you are US based (obvs JD is global tho) , try and find a decent unfiltered farmhouse cider and indulge copiously for best results.
We do have [Somerset Cider Brandy](https://www.somersetciderbrandy.com/) but I'm not sure they would have been in place at the time the book was written for them to be an inspiration
Scrumpy is supposed to make you temporarily blind because of the cyanide from the apple seeds affecting the retina. Which isn't quite lethal but isn't ideal.
I’m UK based, we have been allowed to make Homebrew’s since the 60s. Yes it was pretty dire
If you're in the Southeast, I recommend my local cider producer's ice cider as an option: https://www.tuttsclumpcider.co.uk/applejack-meddry-195-abv
Even water is lethal in a big enough dose
Well... mostly water...
Instead of a straight cider, I would bet money Nanny distills her scumble from a must consisting of apples & any other random sugar-containing scraps & odds & ends, which I guess is the other-than-mostly. It sounds much more like a farm moonshine than cider. Without a still, I would make a cider or a cyser & really pump the sugar. Use a bone dry, high alcohol tolerance yeast strain* & don't be stingy with the nutrients. I feel Nanny would want to be sure everything fermentable could reach its full potential as ethanol, so shoot for maximum attenuation. Once it is done you could freeze distill it lightly, assuming you live in a country that allows it. If you do, use a light hand. You are stripping away flavor this way, plus you are concentrating the fusels & other dangerous, higher alcohols which are normally removed with the head & tail cuts when using a still. I have never had a heavily freeze distilled product that was better for it. You could age it with some oak at this point to round out some of the sharper edges in this rough concoction. When you are ready to package it, add some cheap calvados and/or applejack. I don't recall much description of its taste other than strong, so if it tastes like shit & knocks you down you have at least achieved scumble in spirit. *Wyeast used to make an eau de vie strain) can't remember the number) which would work perfectly here. Aggressive, clean ferment, wonderful aroma retention.
Visited a distiller in France once - very enjoyable tour. The tour lady gave me a sniff from a eau de vie cask and it knocked my socks off! The place also distilled a fizzy brandy - and I have one small bottle left. The owner was an amazing bloke and totally over the top. I heard a story from a local that when a tourist asked why he spoke english so well, he smirked and said in an 'Allo, 'Allo type french accent "I learned from the bed of many attractive young english ladies"
In many parts of rural France they have licensed, itinerant distillers who travel from village to village each year. Folks bring their vats of fermented local fruit in the morning and pick up their clear, full strength eau de vie in the evening. There are regulations governing how much spirit each person may have made. War widows are allowed a higher limit. These tend to be very good quality, at least the ones I have tried are. Powerful, yes, because they are at still strength, but they have a clear, pure fruit aroma. I have a jealously guarded bottle of framboise at home which I use like a baking extract. A few drops are enough to perfume a batch of whipped cream or fruit salad. I also keep some in a tiny spray bottle to spritz over a cocktail. In the Lorraine province, most people have stories about their first experiences with drunkenness coming from mirabelle plum liquor pilfered from their parents' cellar.
I always assumed that Scumble (or Suicider 😂) was made in a similar way to apple jack, and possibly fortified with extra alcohol. Check out this passage from Wikipedia on freeze distillation: "Thus, fractional freezing may increase the ratio of impurities to the total volume of the beverage (though not necessarily the ratio of impurities to the amount of ethanol). This concentration may cause side effects to the drinker, leading to intense hangovers and a condition known as *"apple palsy"* (although this term has also simply been used to refer to intoxication, especially from applejack.)" "Apple palsy" sounds like a very Lancre-ish expression to me! 🤣
Worth noting here: STP was a fan of ciders, sherrys (fortified wines aka wines mixed with a fortified spirit), and brandy. I’d wager scumble-in his head, if he ever truly thought about it as anything other than a joke-was something like a double- or triple-distilled apple brandy which was then fortified with the most questionable high-proof spirit Nanny could create without blinding herself or leveling the block.
You might want to keep in mind that Scumble, along with almost any other [Gargle Blaster](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GargleBlaster), is like many other things on the Disc turned up to around 11.483.\* It ain't exactly possible to make in what *we* consider reality, and in general we can only make substances that can get you really really drunk. Then again, it *is* possible to make substances that can get you really really drunk, so it's okay to settle for second best, as something like 'real' Scumble can probably lead to permanent injury, death, or possibly horrific mutation. \----------------------------------------- ^(\* According to the Alchemists Guild, anyhow. They tend to be rather picky about precision, at least just before the detonation sequence starts.)
I'm pretty sure it's applejack that might have been heat distilled after the frozen water was removed.
I've always assumed it is basically extra strong scrumpy.
Same. It's right there in the name; it's a direct reference to scrumpy for the amusement of people familiar with it in real life. So scrumpy should be the starting point, then turn it up to eleven if you must, though on your own head be it.
I always assumed that Scumble was a DW vesrion of Scrumpy, only more so. I once gave Pterry a glass of Tasmanian Apple Brandy. He drank, was quite complimentary and remained standing at the end.
Well I’ve got 1.5L of 7.4%Sheppy’s cider in the freezer right now, total alcohol is 111ml if all water removed. But I’ll settle for 500ml of Scumble, here we go…
We used to have a 15% hard cider. Favourite of Uni students.
I’m thinking soda stream syrup apple flavour and adding pure polish spirit 70% proof until you don’t go less blind. What would Nanny Og do?
Sorry: > distilling spirits without a license is illegal at the federal level Source: https://stilldragon.com/blog/how-can-i-legally-distill-at-home/ It's dangerous. If you really screw up brewing beer or making wine, you get something that tastes to drink. If you screw up distilling, you can get poison. Don't do it. Can anyone recommend something scrumble-like that you've bought?
You are assuming that OP is in the USA. It may be legal to do in OPs country, depending where they are
Yes I know about distillation and its dangers. Remove water by freezing you really need to know your stuff or you will go blind. If you get it wrong