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Factitious Liquors (Much of the wine and spirits)

Much of the wine and spirits sold is factitious.

In some cases the ingredients added are not infer'or in their character; in others alcohol is replaced by poisonous bodies, some imitations containing absolutely no alcohol. The receipts given below are among the least injurious, although none are recommended. Neutral Spirit, Or sweet liquor, is made by filtering ordinary whiskey through bone-black, and afterwards through wood charcoal, to deprive it of all fusel oil, and other odorous matter.

Flavoring Materials.

These are acetic, butyric ethers, acetate of the oxyde of amyl (see CONFECTIONARY for Flavoring Extracts), sweet spirit of nitre, oil of bitter almonds, oil of cognac, light oil of wine, the various essential oils, tincture of benzoin, citric, tartaric, and sulphuric acid.

Nut kernels, mucilage of various kinds, slippery elm, almond oil, green tea, and sugar are used to give the appearance of age.

Coculus indicus, Guinea pepper, mustard, horseradish, pellitory, are used to give pungency and intoxicating qualities.

Catechu, green tea, logwood, oak bark, etc., to give astringency and color.

Caramel and burned sugar to give color.

To Detect Adulterations.

The quantity of alcohol is determined by the hydrometer (see SPECIFIC GRAVITY). Should the liquor be much below proof, and still possess decidedly intoxicating qualities, coculus indicus is to be suspected, but no good test for this substance is known. If, when the liquor be swallowed, it produces a burning sensation at the back of the throat, it is adulterated with pepper, etc.

The flavoring ethers may be separated by distillation, but as some of them exist in true wines and spirits, this cannot decide that the liquor is factitious.

If the liquor be cautiously evaporated to dryness, in a porcelain capsule, the extract will contain most of the adulterations, which can often be detected by the taste and smell.

If nitrate of baryta gives a precipitate with any spirit, the presence of acid artificially added may be suspected. This is not true of wines.

To detect fusel oil, put some fused chloride of calcium, broken into small pieces, into a glass; pour over it the suspected liquor, cover it with a glass plate, and let it stand aside for a short time. If fusel oil be present it will at once manifest itself by its smell. The smaller the quantity of fusel oil the longer must it stand before examination. To Determine the Quantity of Alcohol in Wine, Beer, etc.

Distill carefully a small quantity of the liquid, until from to have passed over, then add water enough to the distillate to make it up to its original bulk, put the mixture in a well-stopped bottle and shake well; let it stand aside for a day or two; its specific gravity may be then taken with the hydrometer, or specific gravity bottle.

To Determine the Strength of Spirits.

The simplest method and that generally adopted, is by the hydrometer. It consists of a cylinder, with a weighted bulb below to make it float upright, and a graduated stem. If it float with the bottom of the stem at the surface of pure water at 60° Fahr., it will sink deeper in a lighter liquid.

The instrument of Tralles is so graduated as to indicate the percentage by volume of absolute alco-order to develop the true flavor. oz. of sulphuric acid. Distill in a glass retort.

The distillate may be re-distilled over chloride of calcium. hol in any mixture of alcohol and water. If the spirit be not at the temperature of 60°, it should be brought to that degree, or the temperature tested and allowance made by a table which is found in the chemical works. In introducing the instrument, care should be taken to avoid wetting the stem, as this would give a higher percentage than the truth. To convert volume percentage into that by weight, multiply the number of degrees on Tralles' scale by 0.794, and divide by the specific gravity of the liquid under trial. In case the Tralles' instrument is not at hand, take the specific gravity of the liquid by any of the methods given under that head. By means of tables to be found in the chemical works, the percentage of alcohol may be determined.

To Procure the Oil of Wine.

This oil should be distilled from the thick lees of French wines, because of the flavor, and when procured must be kept ready for use. It must be mixed with the purest spirits of wine, such as alcohol; by which means it may be preserved a long time. The bottle should be chaken before the oil is used.

When the flavor of the brandy is well imitated by a proper portion of the essential oil, and the whole reduced into one nature, yet other difficulties still exist; which are, the color, the softness, and the proof. The proof may be effected by using a spirit above proof, which after being mixed with the oil may be let down to any strength with water.

The softness will be attained by getting a spirit that has been distilled by a slow fire; and the color may be regulated by the use of brandy coloring.

Preparation of Rum Ether.

Take black oxide of manganese, and sulphuric acid, each 12 lbs.; alcohol, 26 lbs.; strong acetic acid, 10 lbs.

The ether above prepared is the body to which rum owes its peculiar flavor; it is also used in making cheap brandy.

Artificial Fruit Essences.

The pine-apple flavor is butyrate of ethyloxide, or butyric ether; apple, valerianate of amyloxide; quince, pelargonate of ethyloxide; jargonelle pear, acetate of amyloxide; ordinary pear, acetate of amyloxide, with acetate of ethyloxide; melon flavor, cocinate of ethyloxide. Other flavors are made by using these in various proportions and different degrees of dilution with alcohol.

To make Butyric Acid.

Dissolve 6 lbs. of sugar and oz. of tartaric acid in 26 lbs. of water. Let the solution stand for several days, add 8 oz. of putrid cheese, 3 lbs. skimmed and curdled sour milk, and 3 lbs. of levigated chalk. The mixture should be kept in a warm place, say 92° Fahr., and stirred from time to time. In about 6 weeks the sugar will have given rise to butyric acid, which unites with the lime of the chalk.

This is the pine-apple oil. It is used to flavor syrup, creams, fruit-drops, and cheap brandy. It requires to be diluted with deodorized alcohol, in To make Oil of Quince.

Pelargonic ether is made from oil of rue by treating with double its volume of dilute nitric acid, heating the mixture until it begins to boil.

After some time two layers are seen. The lower one is separated with a pipette, and freed from nitric acid by evaporation in a chloride of zinc bath, it is then filtered mixed with deodorized alcohol, and digested at a gentle heat until the fruity odor is noticed.

This ether seems identical with the ethereal oil of wine, which gives the bouquet. It is sometimes sold as oil of Cognac. Jargonelle Pear Oil Is made from heavy fusel oil, that which comes over last in distillation. To purify the fusel oil wash with soda and water, and distill between 254° and 284° Fahr. Of this take 1 lb.; glacial acetic acid, 1 lb.; sulphuric acid, lb. Digest for some hours at 254° Fahr. The ether separates upon the addition of water, and is purified by washing with soda and water. Mixed with 1-30th of acetic ether, and 7 parts of deodorized alcohol, it gives the essence of pears.

Apple Oil.

Mix cautiously 1 part of fusel oil, 3 parts of sulphuric acid, and 2 parts of water. Dissolve 2 parts of bichromate of potash in 44 parts of water, introduce this into a large tubulated retort, and gradually add the former liquid, so that the boiling continues very slowly. The distillate, which is principally valerianic acid, is saturated with carbonate of soda, and evaporated to dryness.

Take of the valerianate of soda, thus formed, 14 parts; fusel oil, 1 part; sulphuric acid, 1 part; mix cautiously, heat by a water bath, and mix with water; the impure valerianate of amyloxide will separate. It is washed several times with water, then with a solution of carbonate of soda, and finally with water. This is dissolved in from 6 to 8 parts of water.

To Improve the Flavor of Fruit Essences.

Add to the essence made by dissolving the oil in 6 or 8 parts of deodorized alcohol a small quantity of tartaric or citric acid. This will develop the flavor, and, when used in confectionary, imitate more closely the taste of the fruit. Bead for Liquors.

Ether, 1 lb.; strong alcohol, 2 qts. Keep in a well-stopped bottle.

Jamaica Rum Neutral spirits, 4 galls.; Jamaica rum, 1 gall.; sulphuric acid, oz.; acetic ether, 4 oz.; burnt sugar coloring, 8 oz.

Pineapple Rum.

Neutral spirits, 4 galls.; honey, 5 pts.; water, to dissolve, 3 qts.; Jamaica rum, 1 gall.; sulphuric acid, 1 oz.; butyric ether, 2 oz.; tincture of To separate the butyric acid, add hydrochloric cochineal, 3 oz.; burnt sugar, 2 oz. (muriatic) acid and distill. It is well to neutralize the distillate with carbonate of soda and re-distill. Then saturate the distillate with fused chloride of calcium and re-distill.

To make Butyric Ether.

Gin.

Aromatic Schiedam Schnapps.

Neutral spirits, 4 galls.; water, 4 pts., to dissolve honey, 4 pts.; oil of juniper, 15 drops, dis- Take 3 oz. of butyric acid, 6 oz. alcohol, and 2 solved in nitric ether, 1 oz