A dish with a strange sound that puts people off before they eat it and then they adore it.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Additional Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 18 |
| Yield: | 18 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 4 ½ pounds clover honey
- 4 oranges, quartered
- 3 lemons, quartered
- 1 cup raisins
- 6 cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- ½ teaspoon whole allspice berries
- ½ teaspoon whole cloves
- ½ gallon 190 proof grain alcohol
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, mix the water with honey, and stir to combine. Stir in the orange and lemon quarters, raisins, cinnamon sticks, caraway seeds, allspice berries, and cloves, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and strain the liquid into a large pot. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Slowly pour the grain alcohol into the honey mixture, and stir to combine. Pour into bottles, and cap; refrigerate until use. Serve gently warmed in shot glasses.
Reviews
Delicious, but I made way too much! How long does it last in the frig?
I used grain alcohol. Will use 3 naval oranges or 4 smaller ones next time.
My 86 year old father always talks about a drink his Slovak father made on Christmas when he was growing up in Mahanoy City, PA. He could not remember the name but had a good recollection of the ingredients that where used. After some research my wife discovered this recipe and I was able to locate a bottle of the Four Roses bourbon whiskey he drank. While not exactly like he remembered it’s close enough and my whole family enjoyed a wonderful night together talking and listening to my fathers stories about growing up in Mahanoy City and the coal mine my Grandfather worked and where my dad cracked coal as a kid.
I had it for the first time and loved it! I like it cold better than warm.
Yep, this is pretty much the stuff I remember from my Lithuanian Grandmother’s Christmas parties 30+ years ago in Mahanoy City PA. Recipe is amazing as is; no need to tweak. In my family, the tradition was to shoot Boilo warm straight-up or mix with ginger ale (delicious both ways). One note of caution; be sure to add grain alcohol AFTER the honey mixture has cooled a bit and is off the stove (no need to loose your eyebrows).
Coal miners are tough as coffin nails. that was good.
Pretty solid recipe! Back in Shenandoah PA it was potato vodka as the key ingredient…in Jersey, strong Laird’s Applejack or Bottled in Bond Apple Brandy was the kicker. Hard to get the Laird’s products here in the Deep South, but the apple flavors go so well with the other ingredients its worth looking for it. Also, was used as a cold remedy, tastes a LOT better than NyQuil…keep this in mind for cold and flu season. Cloves have a soothing anesthetic effect for sore throats.
I’m from PA coal region and this was awesome! Didn’t change anything.
I made this exactly as the recipe calls, but with whiskey (bourbon) as suggested in the recipe details, and it is fantastic! It’s very sweet, so I like it with a twist of lemon. Bottled it as part of a homemade Christmas gift.
Good coal cracker drink, it warms the heart!
I used 1 lb honey and only a pint of 150 proof Grain Alcohol.
I first had Boilo just yesterday at a Lithuanian friend’s house, made from his Grandmother’s recipe. As I didn’t have his, I made this recipe pretty much as written except to adjust the proportions as I had a fifth of grain alcohol and not half a gallon. I also squeezed the citrus fruits and really mashed them into the mixture to release their full flavor. From some other sources, I let the honey mixture simmer for an hour to fully bring out the flavors from all of the ingredients. It is delicious!
WoweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeH! Thanks so much for the recipe.