Bama Dew…being a story of Alabama moonshiners, their history, techniques and recipes
Bama Dew
…being a story of Alabama moonshiners, their history, techniques and recipes
“Bama Dew” consists of the many tales of historical and present day moonshine in Alabama. The tales are narrated by Melvin Cane. We hope you enjoy the stories and ask that you share your own stories with us.
Thousands of men and women made moonshine in the early days of Alabama. Making and selling moonshine proved to be a simple way of providing for their families. One relative of the authors of this site, Melvin Cane (alias), was an inventive and energetic moonshiner that helped many families throughout the state of Alabama by sharing his techniques and recipes. Melvin was never arrested for his moonshining activities but six other Cane family members were arrested and jailed for making and distribuiting moonshine.
Years of research have gone into determining the travels and the influence of Melvin. Hundreds of documents have been reviewed and hundreds of family stories have been analyzed. During this discovery process, many fascinating facts about Alabama moonshiners were brought to light and an abundance of folk tales were discussed and shared.
It is our wish to share the end result of the professional analytical process – true investigative journalism – used by the writers of these stories in a series of articles we have titled “Bama Dew.”
Let’s begin with a few newspaper articles from Alabama’s past:
Moonshiners of Thorsby Alabama, 1907
A Little Fun At The Expense Of Our Representative
Moonshiners and Deputies Have Gunfight