Pruno is an alcoholic beverage made from oranges, fruit cocktail, ketchup, sugar, and possibly other ingredients. It originated in (and remains largely confined to) prisons, 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 to conceal the pulp during fermentation. The end result has been colourfully described as a "vomit-flavoured wine-cooler", although it could be argued that flavor is not the main objective. Depending on the time spent fermenting, the sugar content, and the quality of the ingredients and preparation, pruno's alcohol content can range from as low as 2% (equivalent to a weak beer) to as high as 14% alcohol by volume.

Typically, the fermenting mass of fruit -- called the motor in prison parlance (from "promoter" and from the quiet humming sound it makes as it ferments) is retained from batch to batch, to make the fermentation start faster. The more sugar 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 yeasts 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 sickly-sweet flavor associated with pruno.

Inmates are obviously not permitted alcoholic beverages, and prison authorities confiscate pruno whenever they find it. The beverage, if made improperly -- such as in 'tin cans' -- can cause severe illness and possibly blindness. 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. To illustrate the versatility of pruno, a variety exists that is made almost entirely from sauerkraut and orange juice.

A variety of other alcoholic prison-made potables are known to exist. These include crude wines, famously fermented in toilet tanks. Sugary beverages like orange drink may also be fermented slowly 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.

See also

• Drinking culture
• Bootlegging
• Moonshine

External links

• Blacktable.com - a complete pruno recipe, including detailed instructions and frequent disclaimers. (http://www.blacktable.com/gillin030901.htm)