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Spirits

Spinach is to chop it up finely, and stew it in butter; if it be cooked in water this water will have a strong smell. A French physician styles Spinach "le balai de l'estomac," "the broom of the stomach"; people know the plant in France as 66 Epinards," whilst containing a small quantity of sorrel salt, the binoxalate of potash; they like it with much butter, and call it therefore "la mort au beurre." Their epicures teach "when eating it not forget the nutmeg." Brillat Savarin never had Spinach served to him on a Friday unless it had been cooked the Sunday before, and put each day over the fire with a fresh addition of butter. A wild species of Spinach, the "Good King Henry," or Margery, grows about rural England, particularly in Lincolnshire, where it is popular as a pot-herb in most cottage gardens. Another excellent way of dressing the ordinary Spinach is to "wash your Spinach well, break off the leaves, boil (without adding water, or only a drain) until tender, dry, chop fine, and fry in butter until thoroughly done; add a tablespoonful of white sugar, and mix thoroughly; place in a dish some toasted bread cut into small squares, and put these on the Spinach, or else some slices of hard-boiled egg." To make Extract of Spinach : "Comminute in a mortar one pound of Spinach, and when it is quite a paste, place it on a strong cloth, roll it up, and twist the opposite ends so as to wring the cloth, and Spinach, and express the juice; (for making it more easy to twist the cloth use two cooking spoons as levers, -one at each end.) Then place the extracted juice in a pan, and heat it until the chlorophyllin, and the albumin are coagulated; next drain off the water, and work it through a tammy." It was with a delicate offering of gammon (of pork), and Spinach, in his hands, Mr. Anthony Roley, of Nursery fame, went a-wooing, calamitous as to its result. "Ranula furtivos statuebat quærere amores; Me miserum! tristi Rolius ore gemit:

Ranula furtivos statuebat quærere amores, Mater sive daret, sive negaret iter."

SPIRITS (See ALCOHOL).

THE several Spirits-Brandy, Gin, Rum, and Whisky, (which see) are obtained by the fermentation of various saccharine substances, their alcohol, and other volatile bodies thus produced, being separated by distillation. It is to the various bye-products which make their appearance during the fermenting process that the characteristic flavour of the different spirits is due. Thus the bye-products of the fermentation of malted barley give rise to the flavour of Whisky; those of molasses to the flavour of Rum; and those of the grape to that of Brandy. By means of patent stills these bye-products can be almost entirely separated from the alcohol with which they are mixed; and the result is a nearly pure form of spirit, the origin whereof can scarcely be discriminated; for which reason it is called "Silent Spirit." By suitable "flavouring the artful manufacturer can make this the basis of almost any spirituous drink"-(Dr. R. Hutchison). Amongst the substances commonly used for alcoholic fermentation in this country are malted, and unmalted barley, maize, rice, sugar, and molasses. The most valuable spirit for giving to sick persons, when really needed, is Brandy, provided it be genuine, which article is rare in this country. "The greater part of it," says Dr. Hutchison, "is spuriously concocted (actually in the Cognac district of France) from "silent spirit," whilst coloured with burnt sugar, and flavoured with enanthine, or with various essences. But such a product is entirely different from genuine Brandy, since it is quite devoid of those volatile ethers derived from wine (in the true Brandy) to which the real Cognac owes most of the beneficial results it is capable of producing in sickness. Likewise the possession of these volatile ethers in large amount is that which mainly distinguishes Brandy from Whisky; as regards alcoholic strength the two are about equal." For Sloe Gin, as a noted astringent cordial of wide repute, a certain Mr. Nathanael Gubbins, at Chichester, used to possess a priceless prescription. Annually, on October 20th, a "Sloe" Fair (as thus interpreted) is held in that venerable city. Sloe jelly and Sloe puddings are much affected by the natives. But originally this October Fair was a "Slo" Fair (old English, sloh, to slaughter), when the beasts were sold for killing, that they might be salted down to provide meat through the winter.