Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) home distilled liquor, e.g. brandy or corn whisky; also attrib.

1896		Herald (Los Angeles) 15 Mar. 18/7: I guess the old man must be a-drinking jackass brandy all night so he can bray all day.
1910		S.F. Call 5 Feb. 10/6: The barrels contained four hundred gallons of what is known as ‘jackass brandy’.
1921		DN V 109: Jackass brandy, n. A home-made brandy with a powerful ‘kick’.
1922		Sat. Eve. Post 4 Mar. 105: How to ... produce white-mule whisky or jackass brandy [HDAS].
1924		G. Henderson Keys to Crookdom 289: The ‘jackass-brandy’ hound will boil up anything from grapes to prunes. [Ibid.] 290: The maker of jackass who has no wines [? vines], uses potato, corn, prune or raisin mash.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1968–70		in DARE.