Q. Some of the people in my multiple sclerosis support group use the gin and raisins remedy for achy muscles and joints. Does the alcohol evaporate entirely? Would there be cause for worry if a person ate 15 or 20 raisins and was pulled over by a state trooper?
A. The recipe for gin-soaked raisins calls for barely covering golden raisins with gin in a shallow bowl. Allow the gin to evaporate, and eat 9 raisins a day.
Under these conditions, there is only about a drop of alcohol in the daily dose. But someone who ate 15 or 20 raisins might blow detectable alcohol on a Breathalyzer soon afterwards. This actually happened several years ago to a sheriff who was eating the raisins for his arthritis.
The People's Perspective on Medicine