A
spodi (many alternative spellings exist, including "spodee", "spodee-odee", "sbodi", "sbodee", etc.) is an
alcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group. An important group of acohols is formed by the simple acyclic alcohols, the general formula for which is C
nH
2n+1OH...
ic fruit beverage or the parties where such are consumed. Legend says it originated on sailing ships which may be true, as alcohol would preserve the fruit and fruit prevents
scurvyScurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus. Scurvy leads to the formation of spots on the skin, spongy gums, and bleeding...
. The term is probably slang from the Pacific Northwest region. The drink is known elsewhere by a variety of names including
jungle juiceJungle juice is the name given to a mix of liquor that is usually served for group consumption.Most jungle juice mixtures contain large quantities of hard alcohol mixed with arbitrary juices...
, hairy buffalo, PJ, hunch punch, ghetto sangria, and wop (not to be confused with the racial slur), wopatui, wapatuli, and other phonetic variations thereof.
The spodi is, by its very nature, a
partyA party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, and recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
drink that is made and consumed in large amounts.
A
spodi (many alternative spellings exist, including "spodee", "spodee-odee", "sbodi", "sbodee", etc.) is an
alcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is any organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom of an alkyl or substituted alkyl group. An important group of acohols is formed by the simple acyclic alcohols, the general formula for which is C
nH
2n+1OH...
ic fruit beverage or the parties where such are consumed. Legend says it originated on sailing ships which may be true, as alcohol would preserve the fruit and fruit prevents
scurvyScurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus. Scurvy leads to the formation of spots on the skin, spongy gums, and bleeding...
. The term is probably slang from the Pacific Northwest region. The drink is known elsewhere by a variety of names including
jungle juiceJungle juice is the name given to a mix of liquor that is usually served for group consumption.Most jungle juice mixtures contain large quantities of hard alcohol mixed with arbitrary juices...
, hairy buffalo, PJ, hunch punch, ghetto sangria, and wop (not to be confused with the racial slur), wopatui, wapatuli, and other phonetic variations thereof.
The spodi is, by its very nature, a
partyA party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, and recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well....
drink that is made and consumed in large amounts. The drink is made in a large container like a five gallon bucket, a plastic trash can or even a bath tub. The container is filled with fruit, either cut up or thrown in whole. The container is then filled with hard liquor of the makers' choice. Most people prefer a very strong but neutrally flavored liquor such as
vodkaVodka is a clear distilled liquor composed of water and ethyl alcohol, made from a fermented substance of either grain, rye, wheat, potatoes, or sugar beet molasses; it also might contain trace amounts of other substances, either a flavour or unintended impurities...
or grain alcohol (i.e.
EverclearEverclear is a brand of neutral grain spirit that is available at concentrations of 75.5% alcohol and 95% alcohol , in contrast to hard liquors such as rum and vodka, which typically contain 40%–60% alcohol ....
). Additions to the taste might include a liqueur like
triple secTriple sec is an orange-flavored liqueur made from the dried peel of oranges from the Caribbean. Its name means triple distilled.It is widely used in mixed drinks and recipes as a sweetening and flavoring agent. Better-quality brands are made from brandy or Cognac and are often sipped alone,...
, a
schnappsSchnapps is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage. The English word schnapps is derived from the German Schnaps , which can refer to any strong alcoholic drink but particularly those containing at least 32% ABV . American schnapps, however, are liqueurs.Both the German and the English word are...
, fruit
juiceJuice is a liquid naturally contained in fruit or vegetable tissue. Juice is prepared by mechanically squeezing or macerating fresh fruits or vegetables without the application of heat or solvents. For example, orange juice is the liquid extract of the fruit of the orange tree. Juice may be...
or even
Kool-AidKool-Aid is a brand of flavored drink mix owned by the Kraft Foods Company.-Invention and production:Kool-Aid was invented by Edwin Perkins and his wife Kitty in Hastings, Nebraska, United States. All of his experiments took place in his mother's kitchen..Its predecessor was a liquid concentrate...
flavoring packets. The container is then let to sit (refrigerated if possible) for at least a day.
An alternative to putting the fruit and alcohol in a container is to get large
melonMelon is a name given to various members of the Cucurbitaceae family with fleshy fruit. Melon can refer to either the plant or the fruit, which is a false berry. Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of muskmelons...
s, create a small hole in the
rindRind may refer to:*Peel *Pork rind*Rind , a giantess in Norse mythology*Rind, Armenia, also Rrind*Rind et al. , a controversial study on child sexual abuse*Rind , a tribe in Baluchistan...
, and put the alcohol straight into the melon. The melons should also sit for a day to absorb the contents into the flesh. This is sometimes known as "plugging" the melon.
On the day of the spodi party, the fruit and the liquid are sometimes separated. The fruit is eaten by the party attendants. The liquid is similar to a homemade schnapps. Mixed with a fruity
sodaA soft drink is a drink that does not contain alcohol . Soft drinks are often carbonated and commonly consumed while cold. The most common soft drinks are colas, flavored water, sparkling water, iced tea, sweet tea, lemonade, squash and fruit punch....
like 7-up or
ginger aleGinger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger.-History:Ginger ales come in two varieties: golden ginger ale and dry ginger ale. Golden ginger ale, dark colored and strong flavored, is the older style...
it makes a hard
punchPunch is a general term for any of a wide assortment of mixed drinks, either soft or alcoholic, often rum, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was brought from India to England in the early seventeenth century, and from there it was introduced into other countries...
. The liquid can also be used as the basis for many other cocktails.
The attraction of a spodi is in the social atmosphere created by sharing a common drink and (particularly for those that dislike the taste of alcohol) the ease of getting drunk by eating fruit. Depending on the strength of the original alcohol, the consumed pieces of fruit have similar alcohol content of a mixed drink.
Origins and alternate names
The name "spodi" is likely to be related to the term used in the classic R&B song, "Drinkin' Wine Spodee-O-Dee", which was a
1949-Events:*December 15 - Birdland jazz club opens in New York City.*December 24 - At the start of the Holy Year, Charles Gounod's Inno e Marcia Pontificale is adopted as the new papal anthem.*December 29 - Les Paul and Mary Ford marry....
hit by
Stick McGhee- Early Life :
-Entertainment Career:Drinkin’ that mess is our delight,
And when we get drunk, start fightin’ all night.
Knockin’ out windows and learnin’ down doors,
...
, and was later
coveredIn popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition of a previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by many artists including
Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and his pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame...
. Interestingly, another McGhee song is the thematically similar "Jungle Juice".
In the American midwest, spodi is known as "Hairy Buffalo". It's served from the bucket, or in a punchbowl, and a proper serving of Hairy Buffalo has fruit in the bottom of the glass, to be consumed after drinking the liquor. In the Appalachian regions of the US it is also known as "Hooch".
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