Pruno
Encyclopedia
Pruno, or prison wine, is an alcohol
ic liquid variously made from apples, orange
s, fruit cocktail, ketchup
, sugar
, and possibly other ingredients, including crumbled bread
. Bread provides the yeast for the pruno to ferment. Pruno originated in (and remains largely confined to) prison
s and jail
s, where it can be produced cheaply, easily, and discreetly. The concoction can be made using only a plastic bag, hot running water, and a towel or sock to conceal the pulp during fermentation
. The end result has been colorfully described as a "vomit-flavored wine-cooler", although flavor is often not the primary objective. Depending on the time spent fermenting, the sugar content, and the quality of the ingredients and preparation, pruno's alcohol content by volume
can range from as low as 2% (equivalent to a very weak beer) to as high as 14% (equivalent to a strong wine).
s outgrow their food supply. This also causes the taste of the end product to suffer. Ascorbic acid or Vitamin C
powder is sometimes used to stop the fermentation at a certain point, which, combined with the tartness of the added acid, somewhat enhances the taste by reducing the cloyingly sweet flavor associated with pruno.
Inmates are not permitted to have alcoholic beverages, and prison authorities confiscate pruno whenever they find it. In an effort to eradicate pruno, some wardens have gone as far as banning all fresh fruit from prison cafeterias. But even this is not always enough; there are pruno varieties made almost entirely from sauerkraut
and orange juice
. Food hoarding
in the inmate cells in both prisons and jails allows the inmates to acquire ingredients and produce pruno. Some jails and prisons toss the inmate cells to remove excessive food items and hopefully halt the production of pruno. Pruno is hidden under bunks, inside toilets, inside walls, in the shower area and anywhere an inmate feels is safe to brew their pruno away from the prying eyes of prison guards and jailers.
A variety of other prison-made alcoholic potables are known to exist. These include crude wine
s, famously fermented in toilet
tanks. Sugary beverages like orange drink
may also be fermented and distilled using a radiator
or other available heat source. Though popularized in prison fiction, these techniques are slow and laborious, and generally result in a low alcohol content.
The classic recipe for pruno has been attributed to Jarvis Masters
, a death-row inmate at San Quentin
, in his poem, "Recipe for Prison Pruno."
In 2004 at the American Homebrewer's Association's National Homebrew Conference in Las Vegas, a pruno competition and judging was held.
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
ic liquid variously made from apples, orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
s, fruit cocktail, ketchup
Ketchup
Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of...
, sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, and possibly other ingredients, including crumbled bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
. Bread provides the yeast for the pruno to ferment. Pruno originated in (and remains largely confined to) prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s and jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
s, where it can be produced cheaply, easily, and discreetly. The concoction can be made using only a plastic bag, hot running water, and a towel or sock to conceal the pulp during fermentation
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
. The end result has been colorfully described as a "vomit-flavored wine-cooler", although flavor is often not the primary objective. Depending on the time spent fermenting, the sugar content, and the quality of the ingredients and preparation, pruno's alcohol content by volume
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
can range from as low as 2% (equivalent to a very weak beer) to as high as 14% (equivalent to a strong wine).
Description
Typically, the fermenting mass of fruit — called the motor in prison parlance (from "promoter") - is retained from batch to batch to make the fermentation start faster. The more sugar that is added, the greater the potential for a higher alcohol content — to a point. Beyond this point, the waste products of fermentation cause the motor to die when the yeastYeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
s outgrow their food supply. This also causes the taste of the end product to suffer. Ascorbic acid or Vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
powder is sometimes used to stop the fermentation at a certain point, which, combined with the tartness of the added acid, somewhat enhances the taste by reducing the cloyingly sweet flavor associated with pruno.
Inmates are not permitted to have alcoholic beverages, and prison authorities confiscate pruno whenever they find it. In an effort to eradicate pruno, some wardens have gone as far as banning all fresh fruit from prison cafeterias. But even this is not always enough; there are pruno varieties made almost entirely from sauerkraut
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut , directly translated from German: "sour cabbage", is finely shredded cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria, including Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus. It has a long shelf-life and a distinctive sour flavor, both of which result from the lactic acid...
and orange juice
Orange juice
Orange juice is a popular beverage made from oranges. It is made by extraction from the fresh fruit, by desiccation and subsequent reconstitution of dried juice, or by concentration of the juice and the subsequent addition of water to the concentrate...
. Food hoarding
Hoarding
Hoarding or caching is a general term for a behavior that leads people or animals to accumulate food or other items in anticipation of future need or scarcity.-Animal behavior:...
in the inmate cells in both prisons and jails allows the inmates to acquire ingredients and produce pruno. Some jails and prisons toss the inmate cells to remove excessive food items and hopefully halt the production of pruno. Pruno is hidden under bunks, inside toilets, inside walls, in the shower area and anywhere an inmate feels is safe to brew their pruno away from the prying eyes of prison guards and jailers.
A variety of other prison-made alcoholic potables are known to exist. These include crude wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s, famously fermented in toilet
Flush toilet
A flush toilet is a toilet that disposes of human waste by using water to flush it through a drainpipe to another location. Flushing mechanisms are found more often on western toilets , but many squat toilets also are made for automated flushing...
tanks. Sugary beverages like orange drink
Orange drink
The term orange drink refers to a sweet, sugary, sometimes fizzy, orange-flavored drink.Typically such beverages contain little or no orange juice and are mainly composed of water, sugar or sweeteners, flavor, coloring, and additives, sometimes in that order...
may also be fermented and distilled using a radiator
Radiator
Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in automobiles, buildings, and electronics...
or other available heat source. Though popularized in prison fiction, these techniques are slow and laborious, and generally result in a low alcohol content.
The classic recipe for pruno has been attributed to Jarvis Masters
Jarvis Jay Masters
Jarvis Jay Masters is an American criminal currently on death row at San Quentin State Prison in Marin County, California...
, a death-row inmate at San Quentin
San Quentin State Prison
San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest...
, in his poem, "Recipe for Prison Pruno."
In 2004 at the American Homebrewer's Association's National Homebrew Conference in Las Vegas, a pruno competition and judging was held.
See also
- Bum wineBum wineLow-end fortified wine is an inexpensive fortified wine that typically has an alcohol content between 13% and 20% ABV. These inexpensive wines usually contain added sugar, artificial color, and artificial flavor.- Brands :...
- ChangaaChangaaChangaa or Chang'aa is an alcoholic drink which is popular in Kenya. Distilled from grains like millet, maize and sorghum, it is very potent. Its production and distribution is controlled in many cases by criminal gangs like the Mungiki...
- Drinking cultureDrinking cultureDrinking culture refers to the customs and practices associated with the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Although alcoholic beverages and social attitudes toward drinking vary around the world, nearly every civilization has independently discovered the processes of brewing beer, fermenting...
- JenkemJenkemJenkem is a purportedly hallucinogenic inhalant created from fermented human waste. In the mid-1990s, it was reported to be a popular street drug among Zambian street children....
- KiljuKiljuKilju , in English also known as sugar wine, is a Finnish home-made alcoholic beverage made from sugar, yeast, and water. Its alcohol content is usually 15%–17% ABV....
- MoonshineMoonshineMoonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
- BootleggingRum-runningRum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
- TepacheTepacheThe tepache is a drink made out of the flesh and rind of the pineapple, sweetened with brown sugar and cinnamon and sometimes beer. Tepache does not have a high quantity of alcohol, since it is left to ferment for only about three days. The alcohol comes mostly from the addition of a small amount...
- TharraTharraTharra is locally brewed alcoholic drink, or moonshine; from yeast fermentation of sugarcane, or wheat husk; in regions of northern India and Pakistan, especially Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Nasik and Haryana.-Preparation:...
- White LightningWhite Lightning (cider)White Lightning was a brand of white cider brewed by Scottish Courage in the UK from the early 1990s until 2009. It was known for its high alcohol strength and low price...
External links
- Jailhouse Hooch: How to Get Liquored Up While Locked Down from Modern Drunkard MagazineModern Drunkard MagazineModern Drunkard Magazine is a sporadically released glossy color periodical promoting the "functional alcoholic's" lifestyle. Created in 1996, it has slowly gained notoriety, and currently enjoys a circulation of roughly 50,000. The magazine's creator, Frank Kelly Rich, is also listed as the...
- Blacktable.com - a complete pruno recipe, including detailed instructions and frequent disclaimers.
- The Sneeze, "Steve Don't Eat It, Vol. 8: Prison Wine" - extensive, humorous account of preparation and tasting, with photographs.
- "Recipe for Prison Pruno" by Jarvis Jay Masters.