Apparently it was very similar to Sterno:
http://www.commonlink.com/~olsen/WAR/bridge.html
> People drank canned heat, lemon extract,
anything
> that contained alcohol. Bootleggers flourished
in
> every town, and they sure didn't refrain
from
> selling to minors.
http://blueslyrics.tripod.com/blueslanguage.htm
> alcorub
>
> Greg Gurtizen says: "I believe that alcorub
was
> a "Patent Medicine" of the time that
alcoholics
> would use when they couldn't get their
sterno
> (canned heat) aka "squeeze".
http://blueslyrics.tripod.com/blueslanguage.htm#canned_heat
> canned heat
>
> 1 - Steven Soms wrote: "This was a cooking
fuel
> based on denatured alcohol, like Sterno. I
think
> "Canned Heat" was a brand name that has become
a
> generic term. Tommy Johnson was addicted to
this
> stuff, and it probably didn't do him much good.
I
> believe there may be a US expression
"sterno
> drinker" relating to this. Here in Australia
the
> equivalent term would be "metho drinker"
from
> methylated spirits, our local name for
denatured
> alcohol." Thanks to Steven Sims for this
> contribution to the list;
>
> 2 - Jim Burger confirms Steven's version:
"I'm
> pretty sure that canned heat is basically
sterno,
> alcohol-based, liquid, in a can (obviously).
When
> one is down on his luck, this stuff comes a
lot
> cheaper than a bottle of Jack, but it doesn't
leave
> such a good taste in the mouth and can probly
drive
> ya blind.
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