Put Some Age On Your Cheap Booze With the Help of 15,000 Volts [Booze]

Why get drunk on cheap booze when you can get drunk on cheap booze that actually tastes good? That is the question Jon Sarriugarte asked himself when he and a buddy set out to solve the problem of how to artificially age brandy. Inspired by a single sentence in a book from the 1930s, they decided that electric current would do the trick. Fortunately, John already had a luminous transformer in his basement (don't we all), and he proceeded to pump 15,000 volts into a glass of bitter brandy. To his surprise, the taste had mellowed considerably.

After their initial success, they developed a more elaborate copper pipe system with a Jacob's Ladder and dubbed it VOLT/AGED. Throw in a safety cage, Oil Punk plexiglass, and a timer that determines how many years the alcohol should be aged and you have a functional piece of equipment that is also interesting to look at. My liver hurts just thinking about it. [Jon Sarriugarte via MAKE]