The French Wine and Liquor Manufacturer

The liquor trade's own 1868 handbook — stills, cordials, imitation brandies and how wines were doctored, preserved as printed.

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To Make Absinthe by Distillation

spirit; and, before filtering, add 30 pounds honey.

This splendid bitters is much esteemed for making cocktails.

The Aroma of Cordials.

It requires a great deal of experience to combine different perfumes to produce any certain required aroma; a knowledge is necessary of the effect produced by perfumes in combination. The mere facts laid down in receipts will not be sufficient for a liquor manufacturer; he must know just what, and how much of it to use, to counteract what is objectionable, and produce or increase the correct aroma. He will frequently find that a single aromatic perfume fails to give the effect he anticipated; and yet the addition of a mere atom of some other perfume may be all that is required. Thus, the flavor of star-anise is accompanied by a slight, but objectionable odor of bed-bugs; a very small addition of green anise and fennel counteracts this. Ambergris, alone, gives scarcely any perfume, but musk brings it out. The quince has a peculiar taste which is corrected by cloves; the aftertaste of cinnamon is also destroyed by cloves; vanilla has more flavor if pounded with sugar than when ground with it. Absinthe requires the zest of the lemon to take away its naturally bitter taste. These examples will show that considerable experience is needed to be able to blend perfumes with any degree of success.

To make Absinthe by Distillation.

Put the following ingredients into a cask:-1 pounds large absinthe, 2 pounds small absinthe, 2 pounds long fennel, 2½ pounds star anise (breaking the star only), 2 pounds green anise seed, 6 ounces cori- 264 TO MAKE DOPPELT KUMMEL OR CARAWAY. ander seed, and 1 pound hyssop; moisten the whole with a little water, allowing it time to soften and swell; then add 12 gallons 95 per cent. alcohol, and steep for 2 or 3 days; next add 10 gallons water, and let the whole steep for 1 day more. The water will reduce the alcohol to about 23 gallons of proof spirit. Distill it, and it will produce nearly 15 gallons absinthe of 65 to 70 per cent. strength. Change the receiver as soon as the spirit, as it comes from the worm, begins to assume a reddish tinge. Color the distilled product, by steeping in it for 10 or 15 days pound mint leaves, 4 pound melissa leaves, pound small absinthe, 2 ounces citron peel, and pound bruised liquorice root.

Strain and filter.

Doppel Kummel.

To 5 gallons 94 per cent. alcohol add 4 ounces oil of caraway, drachm (30 drops) oil of anise, 5 drops oil of coriander, 5 drops oil of bitter almonds, and 10 drops oil of calamus. Add 20 gallons French proof spirit; and 15 gallons water in which 10 pounds white sugar have been dissolved. This will make 40 gallons Kummel of a strength of 364 per cent. If for cordial, more sugar may be added.

To make Curacoa.

Slice the outside peel very thin from 60 bitter oranges; infuse for 15 days with 4 drachms bruised cinnamon, and 2 drachms bruised mace, in 5 gallons 95 per cent. French spirit, stirring every day. Then add 25 pounds white sugar dissolved in 2 gallons water; color with caramel; stir thoroughly, and filter.

To make Doppelt Kummel or Caraway.

Dissolve separately, each in a little 95 per cent.

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