What is Meth, In Terms Of Alcohol (Australian Usage)

General Questions
#1

This clip is from the old Australian soap opera Prisoner (Prisoner: Cell Block H), in it Lou (short for Louise) the bad guy prisoner is selling Jan (a lawyer who is also a prisoner and co-incidently an alcoholic) a drink.

Now it looks like Lou is handing Jan a bottle of rubbing alcohol, but maybe I’m wrong.
(around 0:41)

Lou’s recipe seems to be

Rubbing alcohol, water and liver salts (whatever they are) all mixed together (1:00)

And she calls this Bush Champagne. (Bush as in the Australian Bush)

Around 1:08 Jan complains Lou is charging her $5.00 for “this” and Lou says that it is only for the “metho”

Later episodes find the others refering to Lou still selling meths to Jan.

Since this is in the early 80s and a drink it’s obviously not the same as meth, the drug is now? Or is it?

#2

Methylated Spirits.

#3

Well that was quick and thanks, I had never heard it called that before

#4

I’d just like to chip in and say rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) isn’t the same substance as methanol.

#5

In the UK we call it “Meths” - always plural.

My Aussie flatmate says she would think “meth” or “meths” referred to methamphetamine, but she would link methylated spirit with the word “metho”.

#6

iYes, as jjimm says, it’s common in the UK in the form meths. The sin gular meth can sometimes refer to methadone (the heroin substitute) but more usually to methedrin.