For years I have been distilling illegally in my rotary evaporator because the products are delicious. I don't feel bad about being a scofflaw—our distillation laws are preposterous.Distillation is defined in the United States as any process that separates ethanol from an ethanol-containing mixture. Unless you are licensed, distillation is illegal. There are no exceptions for personal consumption; adding botanicals to high-proof alcohol and re-distilling it for flavor (to make gin, for example) is verboten, even if you don't raise the proof of the liquor. So most home distillers remain underground and won't talk about their craft for fear of the government knocking on their door, and bartenders are unable to serve house-made distillates for fear of losing their liquor license.