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Another Recipe

To sixty gals. of pure proof spirits add one pound of sweet spirit of nitre, one pound of cassia-buds, ground, one pound of bitter almond meal (the cassia and almond meal to be mixed together before they are put to the spirits), two oz. of orris root, sliced, and about thirty or forty prune-stones; a little butyric ether or spirit of prunes may also be added; stir them all well together two or three times a day, for three days or more let them settle, then add one gal. of the best white wine vinegar, and if you wish to have it better than domestic brandy is in general, add to every four gals. one gal. of foreign brandy, and you will obtain a mixture nearly equal to the foreign produce.

How to Cut Foreign Brandy with Pure Spirits.

RECIPE No. 14.

To 100 gals. pure proof spirits, add : 65 66 2 66 Seignette brandy, sugar syrup, pound black tea, 3 or 4 pounds prune kernals, mashed up and hung in little bags in the cask.

Stir up well one or two times a week. Color, if necessary. 56 TO IMPROVE ARMAGNAC BRANDY WITH SAINTONGE.

To make a Second Quality RECIPE No. 15.

To 50 gals. of the brandy made as per recipe No. 14, add: 50 gals. pure proof spirits.

Add 1 pound mashed prune kernals, same way as in recipe No. 14, and stir up as directed in that recipe.

To make a Third Quality.

RECIPE No. 16.

To 50 gals. of the brandy made as per recipe No. 15, add: 50 gals. pure proof spirits.

Add 1 lb. mashed prune kernals, same way as in recipe No. 14.

To Improve Saintonge Brandy with Cognac.

RECIPE No. 17.

To 25 gals. Cognac, add 75 gals. Saintonge brandy; then add, an infusion of lb. liquorice root, boiled in 1 gal. of water, and filtered; when the brandy is thus mixed, add, to your taste, as many gals. of liquorice water (prepared as above) as you think will improve the flavor.

To Improve Armagnac Brandy with Saintonge.

RECIPE No. 18.

To + Saintonge brandy add Armagnac, then a decoction of liquorice root and water, as directed in Recipe No. 17.

TO IMPROVE THE FLAVOR OF INFERIOR BRANDY. 57 To Improve the Flavor of Inferior Brandy.

RECIPE No. 19.

To 100 gals. inferior brandy, add : 10 lbs. prunes, prepared as follows:- Put the prunes in an iron pan, over the fire, turn them over and over, for five minutes, until they are a little burned; then bruise them until the stones are broken, and steep the whole in spirits, sufficient in quantity to cover the prunes. If you desire to make a large quantity, it would be better to use a chopping-knife similar to either of those shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Your chopping-board should be of hard wood, with the grain at right angles; we would recommend a board not less than three inches Fig. 1.

Fig. 2. thick, smooth on both sides, so that either may be used, and about two feet square. On this should stand a loose, bottomless tub (see Fig. 3), to confine the materials, and the whole resting on the floor, should be used with a knife, sufficiently long in the handle to be employed by a person standing erect, and it should have a small crossbar for the hands, as A Fig. 3. shown in Fig. 4. Prunes Fig. 4. prepared in this way are called torrefied prunes, and are also much esteemed as a flavor for Port wine.