A simple still can be made with ordinary kitchen items for small-scale distilling.

Equipment needed:
  • A pot
  • A bowl to collect the distillate
  • Some means of suspending the collecting bowl (so it stays cooler) such as cheesecloth
  • A cover or round-bottomed bowl to cover the pot
  • Some ice-water
  • Something to distill
  • A stove or hotplate

To set up the still, place the undistilled liquid in the pot. Place the collecting bowl in the pot. Place the cover on upside-down (or use a round-bottomed bowl) and fill it with ice water. This is the condenser.

To distill, heat the pot until you hear the distillate dripping. If you are making hard liquor, turn down the heat for maximum alcohol yield. Open the still (careful -- hot, flammable steam) and check on it periodically. Empty the collector into a bottle. If you're making hard liquor, I recommend that you taste the liqour (careful -- drunken distilling is bad) and make sure that you haven't distilled all the alcohol out.

If you are distilling alcohol, you may want to set up a fan in the area and have a fire extinguisher handy. Even if the distillate isn't flammable, the vapors almost always are.

If you do something stupid, such as drive drunk, burn down your house, go blind from methanol poisioning, get busted or do anything else, you are responsible.