# How does methanol get into alcoholic beverages?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-methanol-get-into-alcoholic-beverages/831629>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 27, 2019, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-methanol-get-into-alcoholic-beverages/831629 "2019-03-27T19:39:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\
**Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-methanol-get-into-alcoholic-beverages/831629/41 "2022-07-21T18:57:12Z")

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> [@md-2000](#):
>
> One thing I read long long ago said that all these residual chemical variants (present in small quantities in alcoholic beverages) were what caused hangovers by being slow to leave the body - not ethanol itself

Ethanol is metabolized to acetaldehyde, which will make you feel bad. Taking a drug that inhibits metabolism of acetaldehyde to acetate (e.g. disulfiram/Antabuse) will exacerbate the hangover. I can’t say whether minor components also contribute but you can get a hangover from the purest ethanol.

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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-methanol-get-into-alcoholic-beverages/831629/42 "2022-07-26T19:17:56Z")

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> [@PastTense](#):
>
> I would guess this was a moonshine situation, where the bar owner tried to save some money.
> 
> [Methanol found in blood of 21 teens found dead in South African bar](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/07/19/methanol-found-blood-21-teens-dead-south-african-bar/10096060002/)

That’s likely what happened here.

While it’s true that there are lots of risks in illegal _distillation_, the biggest risk by far is in illegal _distribution_. Moonshine can’t legally be sold in a liquor store. It ends up in nip joints and shot houses and speakeasies and so forth.

Every step in the distribution chain is an opportunity for someone to maximize their profits by adding adulterants. The safest adulterant is of course water, but customers would detect a weakened product, so the adulterant should have a sensory “kick” (but again, without the flavor being off too much). So that steers distributors toward commercially/industrially available solvents, ideally alcohols.

Moonshine is an illegal drug. Illegal drug distributors adulterate their product because consumers have no recourse. It’s that simple.

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**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2022, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-methanol-get-into-alcoholic-beverages/831629/43 "2022-07-26T19:44:59Z")

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From my understanding, you have to try pretty hard to make moonshine with enough methanol to kill you (like you would have to deliberately concentrate the heads and tails of the distillate). I’m betting that it’s ethyl alcohol cut with methanol.

(Ah, actually, I see that what you say does not necessarily contradict the above.)

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