Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) cheap ‘rotgut’ whisky; thus hit the benzine can, maul the benzine, to drink whisky to excess; benzinery, a saloon.

1862		R.G. Carter Four Brothers in Blue (1978) 23 Aug. 77: Two of us [...] extracted the ‘benzine’ from his pocket.
1872		Galaxy (N.Y.) Mar. 315: The vile liquor of the bucket-shop, which the slums, always felicitous in nomenclature, have called benzine.
1874		Eau Clare Wkly Free Press (WI) 20 Aug. 3/7: Three Scandinavians, with back teeth afloat, from the effects of too much benzene.
1883		Sweet & Knox On a Mexican Mustang, Through Texas 624: The fellow had been sent for a flask of mescal to the Mustang Spring — the name of the benzinery, probably.
1901		‘Hugh McHugh’ John Henry 11: Long before Papa drops in with his usual bundle of benzine.
1902		Boston Globe Sun. Mag. 21 Dec. 7–8: If a student has ‘hit the benzine can’ too hard on the night before he is apt to be anxious to get ‘on to the water wagon’.
1908		Sun. Times (Perth) 18 Oct. 1/1: Lorenzo [...] came home smelling of benzine.

2. (W.I., Guyn./Trin.) a form of unlicensed and very potent rum distilled secretly in the countryside .

1996

Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage.