Blowtorch (drink)
A blowtorch is an alcoholic drink invented by members of the 1928 Byrd Antarctic Expedition. The recipe calls for mixing powdered lemon juice with grain alcohol and diluting the mixture with water until its drinkable.
Background
As prohibition was in effect in the United States in 1928, it was illegal for American citizens to possess or consume alcohol. However, Richard Byrd got around this prohibition by requesting 2,000 gallons of alcohol for medicinal purposes. This request was fulfilled by Major Campbell, the Prohibition Administrator for New York. The large store of alcohol on board the expedition's flag ship, City of New York, caused significant excitement among members of the press.
On the day the expedition departed for Antarctica, Richard Byrd became angry when a reporter from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle pressed him to explain the vast stores of liquor on board the ship. He replied:
“Just when we are starting, I can hardly afford to discuss things that are not so. I have issued the order that there is to be absolutely no intoxicating liquor aboard except for medicinal purposes, and that this alcohol is the be kept under lock and key by the medical officer of the expedition. It has been my rule on Arctic expeditions to request the personnel to drink no intoxicating liquors after the expedition starts, as it is my opinion that it decreases the efficiency in a cold climate by giving a false sense of warmth. It is true that this expedition will need nearly pure alcohol for some of the instruments to keep the fluid from freezing in the very cold temperature."
However, even the newspapers understood that most of the alcohol was destined for recreational use. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle made a joke that Byrd would have to keep a careful watch on the prescription forms issued to the men for their medicine.
Types of liquor taken on the journey
Various newspapers reported the cargo for the City of New York, Byrd's flagship on the expedition, as including a total of 2,000 gallons of "choice liquor" or "hard stuff" as cargo. Considering the Prohibition Administrator's source of alcohol was stocked from whatever they had confiscated from illegal bootlegging, not all the liquor requested was provided in the desired amounts.
Byrd's request to the Prohibition Administrator
- Grain alcohol - 1,000 gallons
- Rum - 400 gallons
- Sherry - 100 gallons
- Champagne - 100 quarts
- Rye whiskey
- Burgundy wine
Actual liquor provided
- Grain alcohol - 1,000 gallons
- Port wine - 400 gallons
- Champagne - 100 gallons
- Brandy
- Rum
- Whiskey
Invention of the blowtorch
Although the crew had a sizable stock of liquor with them, the majority of the stores were probably consumed during the voyage to Antarctica or simply left behind on the ship while they commenced exploration of the continent. In any case, it is evident there was no liquor readily available when the crew wintered over at the Little America base.
I did a deep dive into the creation of a "Blowtorch" drink and as it turns out, the team mixed powdered orange and lemon juices with grain alcohol to create a powerful drink that helped them get through the dark winter months. The grain alcohol was intended for use in developing film, but somebody obviously thought it could be put to better use!
For the lucky men selected by Byrd to winter over with him in the Antarctic, it was hard to keep from going stir-crazy. There were unusual beard contests and a follies performance featuring some of the crew as chorus girls and others in blackface. However, what got left out of the newspaper reports of their activities was the “medicinal” alcohol mixed with lemon powder for a secret Antarctic cocktail the men called a Blowtorch.
Lemon powder
Prior to the expedition, Richard Byrd asked The Insulin Company to develop a dried fruit powder that contained vitamin C in an effort to prevent scurvy. They also took large quantities of lime juice, crushed orange juice, and lemon powders. However, these generally went unused as the crew met their daily vitamin C requirement though consuming fresh seal meat during the long winter.
This gave them freedom to utilize the fruit powders for more creative purposes.