oitin, although illegal in Ireland, is a drink few can't pronounce or few haven't tried. For Poitin or Poteen as it is known in the U.K. and the States has been outlawed in Ireland since 1661, when alcohol production was forced underground after punitive taxes were introduced by Charles II. But this has never killed off the drink which is thought to date back to the sixth century. Bootleggers have risked raids and penalties which seem to have added to the drink's mystique.
oitin, although illegal in Ireland, is a drink few can't pronounce or few haven't tried. For Poitin or Poteen as it is known in the U.K. and the States has been outlawed in Ireland since 1661, when alcohol production was forced underground after punitive taxes were introduced by Charles II. But this has never killed off the drink which is thought to date back to the sixth century. 
