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diff --git a/old/66735-0.txt b/old/66735-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 336c984..0000000 --- a/old/66735-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10241 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Drinks of the World, by James Mew - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Drinks of the World - -Author: James Mew - John Ashton - -Release Date: November 14, 2021 [eBook #66735] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Susan Skinner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DRINKS OF THE WORLD *** - - - - - -[Illustration: “DRINKS”] - - - - - DRINKS - OF THE - WORLD - - BY - JAMES MEW, - Author of “Types from Spanish Story,” &c., &c., - AND - JOHN ASHTON, - Author of “Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne,” &c., &c. - - _ONE HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS._ - - 1892. - - _LONDON:_ - _The Leadenhall Press, 50, Leadenhall Street, E.C. - Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co., Ltd._ - - _NEW YORK: Scribner & Welford._ - - * * * * * - -“Ingeniosa Sitis.”—_Martial, Epig._ xiv. 117. - -“J’y ai songé comme un autre, et je suis tenté de mettre l’appétence -des liqueurs fermentées, qui n’est pas connue des animaux, à côté de -l’inquiétude de l’avenir, qui leur est étrangère, et de les regarder -l’une et l’autre comme des attributs distinctifs du chef-d’œuvre de la -dernière révolution sublunaire.”—_Brillat-Savarin, Physiologie du Goût, -Medit._ 9. - -“Ac si quis diligenter reputet, in nulla parte operosior vita est, ceu -non saluberrimum ad potum aquæ liquorem natura dederit, quo cætera omnia -animantia utuntur.”—_Pliny, Nat. Hist._ xiv. 28. - -“Wine that maketh glad the heart of man.”—_Ps._ civ. 15. - - - - -INDEX. - - - Absinthe, 162-166 - - Adulteration of Beer, 199 - - Aërated Drinks, 324 - Waters, Introduction of, 332 - - African Beers, 200 - Wines, 58 - - Aix-la-Chapelle Council Decree, 158 - - Aizen, 355 - - Alcohol in Wine, 53 - Effects on different Races, 51 - Origin of the word, 116 - - Alcoholic strength of Gin, 140 - - Ale Conners, 200-220 - Syllabub, 335 - and Wine drinkers, social difference in, 93 - Early mention of, 39 - Origin of the word, 196 - Various, 226 - - American Beers, 201 - Drinks, 180 - Terms, explanation of, 180-181 - Wines, 59 - - Aminean Wine, 26 - - Analysis of Tea, 246 - - Anglo-Saxon Liquors, 44 - - Animals’ Blood, 355 - - Anisette, 165 - - Aqua Vite Composita recipe, 120 - Early esteem of, 117 - - Arrack, 113, 343 - - Araffer, 359 - - Artificial Wines, 157 - - Assur-ba-ni-pal’s List of Wines, 19 - - Assyrian Wines, 18 - - Athenæus on Egyptian Wines, 15 - - Athol-brose, 148 - - Auld Man’s Milk, 185 - - Augustus’ favourite Drink, 30 - - Australian Wines, 60 - - Austrian Beers, 202 - - - Bacon’s value of Cider, 111 - - Baga Wine, 17 - - Ballston Waters, 353 - - Barbot’s description of Kola, 296 - - Barley Wine, 198 - - Bastard Wine, 48 - - Bavarian Beers, 202 - - Beer, 49 - Adulteration of, 199 - Antiquity of, 197 - Belgian, 202 - English, The Metropolis of, 219 - English, Popularity of, 207 - Egyptian, 16 - Manufacture of, 195-196 - Origin of the word, 196 - The Inventor of, 197 - Various, 226 - - Beowulf, 37, 38, 45 - - Besdon, 360 - - Biliousness, Liqueur Specific for, 176 - - Black Jack Jug, 213 - - Bon Gaultier Ballads, 149 - - Bordeaux Wines, 69 - - Borneo Beers, 203 - - Bottled Beer, origin of, 219 - - Bottling, Italian mode of, 97 - - Brandy, 115 - German Legend, 115 - Origin of the name, 123 - and Port, 361 - - Braket, 352 - - Brewers’ Company, 220 - - Brick Tea, 243 - - Bull, 359 - - Burgundy, 80 - - Burns, Robert, 148 - - Burton (Robert) and Coffee, 306 - - Burton-on-Trent, 219 - - Burton Brewery, early mention of, 209 - - - Cæcuban Wine, 30 - - Caffeine, 317 - - Capnian Wine, 26 - - Canaries Wines, 62 - - Caravan Tea, 243 - - Cassis, 166, 175 - - Catherine de Medicis, 164 - - Cattia Edulis, 298 - - Ceylon Tea, 243 - - Champagne Country, The, 64 - - Champagne Cyder, 328 - - Champagne Manufacture, 65 - - Chemicals used in non-alcoholic Drinks, 329 - - Chinese Beers, 204 - Tea, Substitutes for, 298 - Tea Trade, 243 - Natural Beverage, 237 - - Chocolate, 323 - - Cider, 45, 110 - The finest, where made, 113 - - Claret, 69 - - Clergy Drinking, 46 - - Cobbler, The, 180, 181 - - Coca, 279 - Cultivation of, 291 - Early mention of, 280 - Leaf, Medicinal qualities, 294 - - Cocaine, 295 - - Cocks’ Wines of Bordeaux, 75 - - Cocktail, 181 - - Cocoa, 320 - Substitute, 323 - Tax, 322 - - Cocoa, Its Manufacture, 321 - Where grown, 320 - - Coffee, 303 - Adulteration, 319 - Legend about, 304, 305 - Species of, 316, 319 - Prosecution for the Sale of, 309 - Value of different Species, 316 - Its Growth, 303, 304 - Its Medicinal qualities, 308 - How to make, 318 - Where most drunk, 303 - - Coffee-Leaf Tea, 300 - - Coffee and Liqueur, 159 - - Coffee Houses, a Poem on, 312 - Rules and Orders of, 311 - Popularity of, 309 - The first, 306 - - Columella’s Wine Receipt, 31 - - Continental Liqueurs, 165 - - Cooked Wine, 157 - - _Cordial Makers’ Guide_, 167 - - Cordials (Non-Alcoholic), 331 - - Cornish Drink, 124 - - Corsican Wines, 82 - - Cowley’s Poem on Cuca, 288 - - Cow’s Milk, Formula for Fermenting, 341 - - Cream Syrup, 330 - - Crème de Noyau, 175 - - Croker’s Irishman and Whiskey, 144 - - Crusta, The, 181 - - Cuca, 279 - - Curaçoa, 165, 177 - - Curious Records, 132 - - Cuttach, 20 - - - Danish Drinking Vessels, 49 - - Dantzig Liqueurs, 171 - - Date Coffee, 319 - - Definition of Wine, 52 - - Distilling Brandy, Mode of, 126 - - Drinking Cups, 49 - Mode of Keeping, 34 - Health, Origin of, 33 - Horns, 41 - Vessels, 213-214-216 - - Drinks, Pliny’s List of, 33 - - Drunkards, Punishment of, 51 - - Drunkenness, Common Cause of, 132 - Cure for, 298 - - Duty on Gin, 133 - - - Eau Clairette de Framboises, 176 - Chamberri, 177 - de Cerises, 176 - - Ecbolada, 16 - - Egg-nogg, 185 - - Egyptian Process of Wine Making, 14 - - Egyptians’ Early Use of Wine, 13, 16 - - Eichhoff, 156 - - Elixir, Derivation of, 166 - - English National Drink, 207 - Wines, 62 - - - Falernian Wine, 31 - - Fall of Madame Geneva, 134 - - Fathers of Brandies, 160 - - Fenkål, 361 - - Fermenting Cow’s Milk, 341 - - Ferrintosh, 148 - - Flannel, 182 - - Flip, 181 - - “Food of the Gods”, 320 - - Francatelli’s Service of Wine, 55 - on Gin Sling, 188 - - French Beers, 228 - Liqueurs, 172 - Wines, 64 - - Fruit Syrups, 330 - - - Garapa, 360 - - Garway’s Tea Advertisement, 253 - - Garoe, 349 - - Gartmore Estate Tea, Sale of, 244 - - Galazyene, 340 - - Gallebodde Estate Tea, Sale of, 244 - - Ganges Water, 350 - - Generous Wines, 57 - - Geneva (Gin), 128, 130 - - Gerard and the Use of Cider, 111 - - German Beers, 228 - Liqueurs, 70 - Wines, 83 - - Ghee, 354 - - Gill-house, 130 - - Gin, 128 - Lane, 138 - Sling, 140, 188 - Alcoholic Strength of, 140 - - Ginger Ale, 327 - - Gingerade, 326 - - Ginger Beer, 324 - Recipes (old & new fashions), 324-325 - - Glenlivet, 149 - - Goethe’s Opinion of Wines, 89 - - Gongonha, 277 - - Gout, Accredited Agent, 104 - - Grecian Wines, 26, 90 - Dessert Wines, 32 - Process of Wine Making, 27 - - Gregory of Tours, 157 - - Greybeard Jug, 216 - - Grieve (Dr. J.) and Koumiss, 339 - - Guru, 297 - - - Hanway’s Essay on Tea, 266 - - Harrison’s (Gen.) Favourite Beverage, 185 - - Haynau (Gen.) & Brewer’s Draymen, 225 - - Heather Beer, 227 - - Hebrews and Wines, 22 - - Heidelberg Tun, 83 - - Helbon, The Wine of, 18 - - Herb Wine, 157 - - Hervey (Lord) and Drunkenness, 132 - - Hippocras, 158 - - Hippocrates and the Virtue of Wines, 33 - - Hittites and Wines, 20 - - Hock, 85 - - Hogarth’s Gin Lane, 138 - - Holy Tree, The, 349-350 - - Homer’s Wine of Thrace, &c., 25 - - Hunding, King, Death of, 48 - - Hungarian Wines, 93 - - Hydromel, 48, 158 - - Hypoteques, 177 - - - Indian Beers, 231 - Tea, 245 - - Irish Whiskey, 146 - - Italian Mode of Bottling, 97 - Wines, 94 - - - Japanese Beers, 232 - - Jekyll, Sir Joseph, 133 - - Jerry Thomas, 180 - - Jewish Prayers respecting Wine, 345 - - Johnson (Dr.) on Tea, 267 - The Gin Act, 137 - Different Liquors, 124-267 - - Julep, 181-182 - - - Kef, 355 - - Kirsch, 178 - - Kola, 296 - - Koumiss, 336-355 - Its Curative Properties, 339 - Its Manufacture, 341-342 - - Kümmel, 165-174 - - Kvas, 112 - - - Ladakh Beer, 360 - - Ladies’ Tippling, 121 - - Lamb Wine, 356 - - Lapps, The Common Drink of, 360 - - L’Eau Clairette de Groseilles, 176 - Grenade, 177 - Coings, 177 - - Leather Bottel, The, 214 - - Leake’s Description of Grecian Wines, 93 - - Leban, 355 - - Lemonade, 327 - - Liqueurs, 156 - (Non-Alcoholic), 331 - - _Liqueur Makers’ Guide_, 167 - - Lovage Receipt, 168 - - - Madeira Wines, 97 - - Mahogany Drink, 124 - - Maimonides, 347 - - Makasso, 297 - - Malmsey Wine, 100 - - Maraschino, 175 - - Markham on the Coca Leaf, 291 - - Marryatt, Capt., and Mint Julep, 182 - - Maté, 272 - Production of, 273 - - Maturing Spirits, New Process, 151 - - Mead, 41-48 - - Mead-hall, 40 - - Mead-horns, 41 - - Medicinal Quality of Tea, 255 - - Médoc Wines, 72 - - Melo-cacti, 351 - - Methylated Spirits, 362 - - Metropolis of English Beer, 219 - - Milk, 334, 354 - Beer, 355 - As a Beverage, Disadvantages of, 334 - - Mineral Waters, 331 - - Mint Julep, 183 - - Misson on Coffee Houses, 310 - - Monastical Liqueurs, 160 - - Montaigne, 159 - - _Moonshine_ on American Drinks, 193 - - Morat, 45-158 - - Morewood and Birch Wine, 63 - - Motteux’s Poem in praise of Tea, 264 - - Mulder, Professor, 54 - - Mulls, 181-183 - - Murrey, 158 - - Murrhine Cups, 34 - - Mushroom Drink, 351 - - - Nantz, 123 - - Negus, 181-185 - - Nile Water, 350 - - Nogg, 181-185 - - Non-Alcoholic Cordials & Liqueurs, 331 - - Northern Love of Drinking, 47-50 - - Noyau, 175 - - - Olaus Magnus, 47 - - Old Falernian, 156 - - Old Tom, Origin of, 141 - - Ombulbul, 359 - - Omeire, 358 - - Oporto Wine Co., 99 - - Osiris, 197 - - - Paraguay Tea, 272 - - Parfait Amour, 177 - - Pepys, 209-260 - - Pereira, 169 - - Perry, 114 - - Persian Wines, 97 - - Perlin’s description of English society, 209 - - Peter’s Pence, 162 - - Pigment, 45, 158 - - Pliny’s List of Drinks, 33-197-349-353 - - Poem on Tea, 261 - - Polo (Marco), 339-355-356-357 - - Pombe, 361 - - Pomeranzen, 178 - - Pope, 129-130 - - Popularity of Tea, 237-238 - - Populo, 164 - - Port Wines, 99-100 - - Portuguese Wines, 99 - - Private Brewing, 209 - - Procope, 175 - - Psithian Wine, 26 - - Ptisana, 351 - - Pulque, 359 - - Pulteney’s Duty on Gin, 133 - - Punch, 181-185-187 - - Punishment of Drunkards, 51 - - Pusey Horn, The, 42 - - - Raspail, 178 - - Ratafia, 166-175-176 - - Recipes (Drinks):— - A Yard of Flannel, 190 - Archbishop, 192 - Black Stripe, 193 - Blue Blazer, 192 - Bimbo Punch, 191 - Bishop, 192 - Bottled Velvet, 191 - Champagne Cyder, 328 - Cardinal, 192 - Ginger Ale, 327 - Gingerade, 326 - Ginger Beer, 324-325 - Lemonade, 327 - Locomotive, 192 - Pope, 192 - Pousse l’Amour, 192 - Rumfustian, 191 - Sleeper, 191 - Stone Fence, 191 - White Tiger’s Milk, 190 - - Recipes (Liqueurs):— - Amiable Vainqueur, 173 - Eau Aerienne, 172 - d’Amour, 170 - de Pucelle, 171 - de Scubac, 173 - de Sultane Zoraide, 170 - de Yalpa, 170 - Divine, 171 - Miraculeuse, 171 - Nuptiale, 170 - Elixir de Garus, 173 - Guignolet d’Angers, 173 - Huile des Jeunes Mariés, 173 - Vespetro, 172 - - Recipe for Cream Syrup, 330 - Fermenting Cow’s Milk, 341 - - Redding, Cyrus, 60-83-85-94-107 - - Redi’s _Bacco in Toscana_, 95 - - Reis’ Classification of Wines, 56 - - Reland, 55 - - Rhine Wines, 83 - - Rhodes, Father, on Tay, 249 - - Roman Wines, 30-32 - - Roots’ Cuca Cocoa, 293 - - Rosee’s Handbill on Coffee, 307 - - Rossolio, 164 - - Roussillon, 81 - - Rubruquis and Koumiss, 339 - and Rice Wine, 357 - - Rice Wine, 357 - - Rules & Orders of the Coffee House, 311 - - Rum, 153 - - Russian Beers, 233 - Wines, 104 - - - Sabzi, 355 - - Sacred Wine Tree, 356 - - St. Vincent and the Holy Tree, 349, 350 - - Saguer, 357 - - Samchou, 361 - - Sangaree, 181, 188 - - Saprian Wine, 26 - - Saratoga Water, 354 - - Säure, 355 - - Sbitena, 358 - - Scandal and the Tea Table, 263 - - Schiedam, 139 - - Scotch Whiskey, 147 - Earliest Account of, 148 - - Sea Water Wine, 349 - - Setine Wine, 30 - - Shandy-gaff, 324 - - Sherries, 106 - - Shrub, 181, 188 - - Sicilian Wines, 105 - - Silent Spirit, 151, 154 - - Sir John Barleycorn, 210 - - Slemp, 336 - - Sling, 181, 188 - - Sloe Poison, 271 - - Small Still Whiskey, 150 - - Smash, 181, 189 - - Social difference in Ale & Wine drinkers, 39 - - Soda Water, 332 - - Spanish Wines, 106 - - Sparkling Wines, 57 - - Spirit Beading, 167 - - Spruce Beer, 233 - - “Still Room”, 119 - - Strabo, 55 - - Substitutes for Chinese Tea, 298 - - Surrentine Wine, 31 - - Swedish Beers, 233 - Drinking Vessels, 49 - - Swiss Wines, 108 - - Syllabub, 335 - - Syra, 355 - - Syrups, List of, 330 - - - Table Wines, 56 - - Taidge, 360 - - Tartary Beers, 234 - - _Tatler_, The, 262 - - Tay, 250 - - Tea Advertisement, Garway’s, 253 - - Tea, 237 - Duty, 238 - Houses, 237 - Statistics, 245 - Trade, Centre of, 238 - Plant, Growth of, 241 - Value in time of Queen Anne, 262 - Analysis of, 246 - Earliest mention of, 248, 249 - Early Duty on, 253 - High Prices for, 244, 245 - How to Make, 268 - Introduction to England, 253, 260 - Largest Consumers of, 239 - Legendary Origin of, 239 - Medicinal Qualities of, 255 - Poems on, 261-263-264-265 - The Finest, 243 - When First Used, 240 - Where Grown, 239 - - Teas, Various, 242 - - Thales, 348 - - The Brown Jug, 216 - - Theine, 295, 296 - - Theobromine, 322 - - Thudicum, Dr., 150 - - Toak, 359 - - Toast Water, 351 - - Toby Philpot, 216 - - Toddy, 189 - - Tokay Wine, 94 - - Toupare, 359 - - Trade Rum, 154 - - Transition Wines, 57 - - Tree Water, 349 - - Tschudi on the Cuca Plant, 289 - - - Ulph’s Horn, 43 - - Usquebath, Recipe for, 146 - - - Varieties of Wines, 53 - - Vega’s Description of Cuca, 282 - - Vermuth, 178 - - Village Ale-house, The, 225 - - Villeneuve, 161-163-164 - - Vine, Cultivation of, 39-99 - - Vine’s Treatise on Home-made Wines, 62 - - Vinegar, 351 - - Vizitelly and White Wines, 76 - - Vontaca, 359 - - - Waller’s Poem on Tea, 261 - - Walnut Liquor, 357 - - Walpole, Sir Robert, 133 - - Ward, Edward, and Ladies’ Drinking, 122 - - Ward’s Dialogue: Claret & Darby Ale, 212 - - Warm Water, 354 - - Wassail Song, 206 - - Water, 348 - - Water Melon Drink, 358 - - Water of Life, 144 - - Whiskey, 144 - Distillation, 146 - Manufacture, 145 - Maturing, 151 - Duty on, 149 - - Whistling Shop, 143 - - White Ratafias, 177 - - White Wines of the Médoc District, 75 - - Wine Making by Greeks & Romans, 27 - Vessels, 24 - Alcohol in, 53 - Definition of, 52 - Distinguishing Qualities, 52 - Origin of, 54 - Oldest Records of, 13 - Egyptian Process of, 14 - Varieties of, 53 - and Beer, Merits of, 197 - - Wines, Assyrian, 18 - Francatelli’s Service of, 55 - Goethe’s Opinion of, 89 - Reis’ Classification of, 56 - - Wolff’s Description of Kirsch, 178 - - Women’s Tears, 347 - - - Youourt, 355 - - Ywera, 358 - - - Zythum, 16 - - - - - -[Illustration: “DRINKS” - -Dedicated to those who know how to use and thankfully enjoy the good -things so bountifully provided by Dame Nature.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -Introduction. - - -From the Cradle to the Grave we need DRINK, and we have not far to look -for the reason, when we consider that at least seventy per cent. of -the human body is composed of water, to compensate the perpetual waste -of which, a fresh supply is, of course, absolutely necessary. This is -taken with our food (all solid nutriment containing some water), and by -the drink we consume. But, as the largest constituent part of the body -is fluid, so, naturally, its waste is larger than that of the solid; -this fluid waste being enormous. Besides the natural losses, every -breath we exhale is heavily laden with moisture, as breathing on a cold -polished surface, or a cold day by condensing the breath, will show; -whilst the twenty-eight miles of tubing disposed over the surface of the -human body will evaporate, _invisibly_, two or three pounds of water -daily. Of course, in very hot weather, or after extreme exertion, this -perspiration is much more, and is visible. - -To remedy this loss we must DRINK, as a stoppage of the supply would -kill sooner than if solid food were withheld, for then the body would, -for a time, live upon its own substance, as in the cases of the fasting -men of the last two years; but few people can live longer than three -days without drinking, and death by thirst is looked upon as one of the -most cruel forms of dissolution. To palliate thirst, however, it is not -absolutely necessary to drink, as a moist atmosphere or copious bathing -will do much towards allaying it,—the one by introducing moisture into -the system by means of the lungs, the other through the medium of the -skin. - -Thirst is the notice given by Nature that liquid aliment is required -to repair the waste of the body; and, as in the case of Hunger, she -has kindly provided that supplying the deficiency shall be a pleasant -sensation, and one calculated to call up a feeling of gratitude for the -means of allaying the want. Indeed, no man knows the real pleasures of -eating and drinking, until he has suffered both hunger and thirst. - -Water, as a means of slaking man’s thirst, has been provided for him -in abundance from the time of Father Adam, whose “Ale” is so vaunted -by abstainers from alcoholic liquors. But Water, unless charged with -Carbonic Acid gas, or containing some mineral in solution, is considered -by some, as a constant drink, rather vapid; and Man, as he became -civilized, has made himself other beverages, more or less tasty, and -provocative of excess, and also more or less deleterious to his internal -economy. The juice of luscious fruits was expressed, the vine was made -to give up its life blood; and, probably through accident, alcoholic -fermentation was discovered, and a new zest was given to drinking. A good -servant, Alcohol is a bad master; but that it satisfies a widely felt -craving, probably induced by civilization, is certain, for most savage -tribes, emerging from their primitive and natural state, manufacture -drinks from divers vegetable substances, more or less alcoholic. - -The present volume is intended for that class of the public which is -known as “the general reader”; and its object is to interest rather than -to inform. Therefore it deals at no great length with what may be termed -the _caviare_ of the subject, as, for instance, the varied opinions of -the medical faculty with respect to the hygienic value of drinks, their -supposed uses in health and disease, and their chemical constituents, -or analyses. Nor is the question of price discussed, nor long lists -of vineyard proprietors given, nor the names of the brewers, nor the -number of casks of beer brewed. In short, as few statistics have been -introduced as possible. In deference to a maxim not always remembered in -books on beverages, “_De gustibus non est disputandum_,” or its English -equivalent, abhorred of Chesterfield, “What is one man’s meat is another -man’s poison,” the verdicts of enthusiasts and vendors have been, except -in rare instances, alike rejected. - -Nor has very much been said on the inviting topic of adulteration. It -would be almost cruel to disturb the credulity of the good people who -drink and pay for gooseberry as Champagne, or _Val de peñas_ as curious -old Port. It is a pretty comedy to watch the _soi-disant_ connoisseur -drinking a wine fully accredited with crust, out of a bottle ornamented -with fungus and cobwebs of proper consistency—a wine flavoured with -_essence_ at so much a pound, and stained with _colour_[1] at so much per -gallon. There is no need to proclaim upon the housetops the constituents -of Hamburg sherry, nor how the best rum is flavoured with “R.E.,” or -brandy with “Caramel” or “Cognacine.” - -We have generally avoided the profane use of trade or professional -jargon, too often the outcome of ignorance, pretence, and affectation, -such as “full,” “fruity,” “smooth on palate,” “round in the mouth,” “full -of body,” “wing,” “character,” etc.; nor have we touched, or desired to -touch, on the influence of alcohol on man’s social or other well-being. -Peter the Hermit is fully represented already, and we have no mission to -call upon our fellow-countrymen to “rise to the dignity of manhood,” and -never touch another glass of Madeira. - -The authors have followed the example of the illustrious Molière in -taking their matter wherever they could find it. The information -contained in this work is derived either from other books, oral -information, or personal experience. “The sun robs the sea, the moon -robs the sun, the sea robs the moon,” says Timon of Athens, repeating -Anacreon, who adds that the earth robs them all. So preceding authors are -indebted to one another, and the present volume to them all. It has been -written, it is hoped, without bias or prejudice of any kind; but, as the -drinks containing Alcohol are many more than those in which it is absent, -more have been mentioned. That a full record of all drinks should appear, -is impossible; nor could any critic expect it; but an attempt has been -made to give a fairly full list, and to render it as pleasant reading as -the subject admits. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -THE DRINKS OF ANTIQUITY. - - EGYPT: Method of Wine-Making—Early Wines—Names of Wines—Ladies - and Wine—Beer, etc. ASSYRIA: List of Assur-ba-ni-pal’s - Wines—Method of Drinking—Different Sorts of Wine. HITTITE: Two - Ladies Drinking—Their Appreciation of Wine—The Hittite Bacchus. - JUDEA: Mention of Wines in the Old Testament—Wine as an Article - of Commerce—Mixed Wines—Wine Vessels. - - -Has any man been bold enough to attempt to fix upon the discoverer of -Wine? Not to our knowledge. Nor can a date be even hazarded as to its -introduction. It was so good a thing, that we may be sure that men very -soon came to know its revivifying effects. We do know this: that the -oldest records of which we have any cognisance, those of the Egyptians -(who were in a high state of civilization and culture when the Hebrews -were semi-barbarous nomads), show us that they had wine, and used it in -a most refined manner, as we see by the headpiece to this chapter. Here -a father is nursing his child, who invites him to smell a lotus flower, -another blossom of which his mother is showing him. An attendant proffers -wine in bowls wreathed with flowers, and another is at hand with a bowl -possibly of water, and a napkin. This wreathing the bowls with flowers -shows how highly they esteemed the “good creature,” and, also, that they -were then at least as civilized as the later Greeks and Romans, who -followed the same practice. - -We have the Egyptian pictures showing the whole process of wine-making. -We see their vines very carefully trained in bowers, or in avenues, -formed by columns and rafters; their vineyards were walled in, and -frequently had a reservoir of water within their precincts, together -with a building which contained a winepress; whilst boys frightened the -birds away with slings and stones, and cries. The grapes, when gathered, -were put into deep wicker baskets, which men carried either on their -heads or shoulders, or slung upon a yoke, to the winepress, where the -wine was squeezed out of a bag by means of two poles turned in contrary -directions, an earthen pan receiving the juice. But they also had large -presses, in which they trod the fruit with their naked feet, supporting -themselves by ropes suspended from the roof. - -The grape juice having fermented, it was put into earthen jars, -resembling the Roman _amphoræ_, which were closed with a lid covered with -pitch, clay, mortar or gypsum, and sealed, after which they were removed -to the storehouse, and there placed upright. The Egyptians had a peculiar -habit, which used also to be general in Italy and Greece, and now -obtains in the islands of the Archipelago, of putting a certain quantity -of resin or bitumen at the bottom of the amphora before pouring in the -wine. This was supposed to preserve it, but it was also added to give it -a flavour—a taste probably acquired from their having been used to wine -skins, instead of jars, and having employed resins to preserve the skins. - -The Egyptians had several kinds of wine, even as early as the fourth -dynasty (above 6000 years ago, according to Mariette), when four kinds -of wine, at least, were known. Pliny and Horace say that the wine of -Mareotis was most esteemed. The soil, which lay beyond the reach of the -alluvial deposits, suited the vine, and extensive remains of vineyards -near the Qasr Karóon, still found, show whence the ancient Egyptians -obtained their wines. Athenæus says, “the Mareotic grape was remarkable -for its sweetness;” and he thus describes the wine made therefrom: “Its -colour is white, its quality excellent, and it is sweet and light, with -a fragrant _bouquet_; it is by no means astringent, nor does it affect -the head.... Still, however, it is inferior to the Teniotic, a wine which -receives its name from a place called Tenia, where it is produced. Its -colour is pale and white, and there is such a degree of richness in it, -that, when mixed with water, it seems gradually to be diluted, much in -the same way as Attic honey when a liquid is poured into it; and besides -the agreeable flavour of the wine, its fragrance is so delightful as to -render it perfectly aromatic, and it has the property of being slightly -astringent. There are many other vineyards in the valley of the Nile, -whose wines are in great repute, and these differ both in colour and -taste; but that which is produced about Anthylla is preferred to all the -rest.” He also commends some of the wines made in the Thebaïd, especially -about Coptos, and says that they were “so wholesome that invalids might -take them without inconvenience, even during a fever.” - -Pliny cites the Sebennytic wine as one of the choice Egyptian _crûs_, and -says it was made of three different sorts of grapes. He also speaks of a -curious wine called _Ecbolada_. - -Wine took a large part in the Egyptian ritual, and was freely poured -forth as libations to the different deities; and in private life women -were not restricted in its use. In fact, the ungallant Egyptians have -left behind them several delineations of ladies in a decided state of -“how came you so?” It was probably put down to the Egyptian equivalent -for Salmon.[2] But if they noticed the failings of their womankind, they -equally faithfully portrayed their own shortcomings, for we see them -being carried home from a feast limp and helpless, or else standing on -their heads, and otherwise playing the fool. - -Still, wine was the drink of the wealthy, or at least of those, as we -should call them, “well to do.” They had a beer, which Diodorus calls -_zythum_,[3] and which, he says, was scarcely inferior to the juice of -the grape. This beer was made from barley, and, hops being unknown, it -was flavoured with lupins and other vegetable substances. This old beer -was called _hega_, and can be traced back as far as the 4th dynasty. Then -they also had Palm wine, and another wine called _baga_, supposed to be -made from dates or figs; and they also made wines from pomegranates and -other fruits, and from herbs, such as rue, hellebore, absinthe, etc., -which probably answered the purpose of our modern “bitters.” - -[Illustration] - -The Assyrians, who rank next in antiquity to the Egyptians, were no -shunners of wine; they could drink sociably, and hob-nob together, as we -see by the accompanying illustration. - -Their wine cups were, in keeping with all the dress and furniture of -the royal palaces, exceedingly ornate; and it is curious to note the -comparative barbarism of the wine skin, and the nervous beauty of the -wine cups being filled by the effeminate eunuch. The numerous bas-reliefs -which, happily, have been rescued, to our great edification, afford many -examples of wine cups of very great beauty of form. The inscriptions give -us a list of many wines, and among them was the wine of Helbon, which was -grown near Damascus, at a village now called Halbûn. It is alluded to in -Ezekiel xxvii. 18: “Damascus was thy merchant, by reason of the multitude -of the wares of thy making, for the multitude of all riches; in the wine -of Helbon, and white wool.” - -Wm. St. Chad Boscawen, Esq., the eminent Assyriologist, has kindly -favoured us with the following illustration and note on the subject of -Assyrian wines:— - -[Illustration] - -“This list of wines is found engraved upon a terra-cotta tablet from the -palace of Assur-ba-ni-pal, the Sardanapalus of the Greeks, and evidently -represents the wines supplied to the royal table. It reads: - - Col. I. Wine of the Land of Izalli. - Wine, the Drink of the King (_Daniel_ i. 5). - Wine of the Nazahrie. - Wine of Ra-h-ū (_Shepherds’ Wine_). - Wine of Khabaru. - - Col. II. Wine of Khilbunn or Helbon. - Wine of Arnabani (_North Syria_). - Wine of Sibzu (_Sweet Wine_). - Wine of Sa-ta-ba-bi-ru-ri (_which I think means Wines which - from the Vineyard come not_). - Wine of Kharrubi (_Wine of the Carrob or Locust bean_).” - -On Phillips’s Cylinder (col. i. l. 21-26) is a list of wines which -Nabuchodorossor is said to have offered: “The wine of the countries -of Izalla, Toúimmon, Ssmmini, Helbon, Aranaban, Souha, Bit-Koubati, -and Bigati, as the waters of rivers without number.” And among the -inscriptions deciphered appear a long list of wines which the Assyrian -monarchs are said to have carried into their country as booty, or to have -received as tribute. - -We see the process of filling the wine cups at a feast. They were dipped -into a large vase instead of being filled from a small vessel. Nor were -they alone contented with grape wine, they had palm wine, wine made from -dates, and beer even as the Egyptians had. - -[Illustration] - -According to the _Abodah Zarah_, a treatise on false worship, there was a -mixed drink used in Babylon called _Cuttach_, which possessed marvellous -properties. “It obstructs the heart, blinds the eyes, and emaciates the -body. It obstructs the heart, because it contains whey of milk; it blinds -the eyes, because it contains a peculiar salt which has this property; -and it emaciates the body, because of the putrefied bread which is mixed -with it. If poured upon stones, it breaks them; and of it is a proverb, -‘That it is better to eat a stinking fish than take _Cuttach_.’” The same -treatise also mentions Median beer and Edomite vinegar. - -[Illustration] - -The Hittites had been a powerful and civilized nation when the Jews -were in an exceedingly primitive condition, and Abraham found them the -rightful possessors of Hebron, in Southern Palestine (Gen. xxiii.), and -so far recognised their rights to the soil, as to purchase from them -the Cave of Machpelah for “four hundred shekels of silver, current money -with the merchant.” Their power afterwards waned, as they had left Hebron -and taken to the mountains, as was reported by the spies sent by Moses, -four hundred years afterwards (Num. xiii.), but they have left behind -them carvings which throw some light upon their social customs. For -instance, here is one of two ladies partaking of a social glass together. -Unfortunately, we do not know at present the true meaning of their -inscriptions, for scholars are yet at variance as to the translation -of them. That they thoroughly cherished wine may be seen from the -accompanying illustration, which represents one of their deities, who -appears to be a compound of Bacchus and Ceres, and aptly illustrative of -the two good things of those countries, corn and wine, which, with the -olive and honey, made an earthly Paradise for the inhabitants thereof. It -shows how much they appreciated wine, when they deified it. - -[Illustration] - -As to the Hebrews, they were well acquainted with wine, and placed Noah’s -beginning to be a husbandman, and planting a vineyard, as the earliest -thing he did after the subsidence of the flood. Throughout their sacred -writings, wine is frequently mentioned, and intoxication must have been -very well known among them, judging by the number of passages making -mention of it. A great variety of wines is not named—nay, there are only -two specifically mentioned: the wine of Helbon, which, as we have seen, -was an article of merchandise at Damascus, a fat, luscious wine, as its -name signifies; and the wine of Lebanon, which was celebrated for its -_bouquet_. “The scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon” (Hos. xiv. -7). It is possible that this _bouquet_ was natural, or it might have been -artificial, for it was the custom to mix perfumes, spices, and aromatic -herbs so as to enhance the flavour of the wine, as we see in Canticles -viii. 2: “I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my -pomegranate;” by which illustration we also see that the Hebrews made -wines other than those from grapes. - -[Illustration] - -That it was commonly in use is proved, if it needed proof, by the miracle -at the marriage at Cana, where the worldly-wise ruler of the feast says, -“Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have -well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine -until now.” That they drank water mixed with wine may be inferred by -the two verses (Prov. ix. 2, 5): “She hath mingled her wine”; “Drink -of the wine that I have mingled.” Their wine used to be trodden in the -press, the wine being put into bottles or wine skins, specially mentioned -in Joshua ix. 4, 13. In later days they had vessels of earthenware and -glass, similar to those in the illustration, which were found whilst -excavating in Jerusalem. - -That the ancient Jews knew of other intoxicating liquors, such as palm -and date wines, there can be very little doubt. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CLASSICAL WINES. - -GREEK.[4] - - Homer’s Wine of the Coast of Thrace—Pramnian Wine—Psithian, - Capnian, Saprian, and other Wines—The Mixing of Wines—Use of - Pitch and Rosin—Undiluted Wine—Wine Making—Spiced Wines—A Greek - Symposium. - - -The only wine upon which Homer dilates, in a tone of approval approaching -to hyperbole, is that produced on the coast of Thrace, the scene of -several of the most remarkable exploits of Bacchus. This wine the -minister of Apollo, Maron, gave to Ulysses. It was red and honey sweet, -so strong that it was mingled with twenty times its bulk of water, so -fragrant that it filled even when diluted the house with perfume (_Od._ -ix. 203). Homer’s _Pramnian_ wine is variously interpreted by various -writers. - -The most important wines of later times are those of the islands Chios, -Thasos, Cos, and Lesbos, and a few places on the opposite coast of Asia. -The _Aminean_ wine, so called from the vine which produced it, was of -great durability. The _Psithian_ was particularly suitable for _passum_, -and the _Capnian_, or smoke-wine, was so named from the colour of the -grapes. The _Saprian_ was a remarkably rich wine, “toothless,” says -Athenæus, “and sere and wondrous old.” - -Wine was the ordinary Greek drink. Diodorus Siculus says Dionysus -invented a drink from barley, a mead-like drink called βρύτος; but -there is nothing to show that this was ever introduced into Greece. The -Greek wine was conducive to inebriety, and Musæus and Eumolpus (_Plato, -Rep._ ii.) made the fairest reward of the virtuous an everlasting -booze—ἡγησάμενοι κάλλιστον ἀρετῆς μισθὸν μέθην αἰώνιον. Different sorts -of wine were sometimes mixed together; sea water was added to some wines. -Plutarch (_Quæst. Nat._ 10) also relates that the casks were smeared with -pitch, and that resin was mixed with their wine by the Eubœans. - -Wine was mingled with hot water as well as with cold before drinking. To -drink wine undiluted was looked on as a barbarism. Straining, usual among -the Romans, seems to have been the reverse among the Greeks. It is seldom -mentioned. The Roman wine was most likely filtered through wool. The -Spartans (_Herodotus_, vi. 84) fancied Cleomenes had gone mad by drinking -neat wine, a habit he had learned from the Scythians. The proportions of -the mixture varied, but there was always more water, and half and half -ἴσον ἴσῳ was repudiated as disgraceful. - -[Illustration] - -The process of wine-making was essentially the same among the Greeks -and the Romans. The grapes were gathered, trodden, and submitted to -the press. The juice which flowed from the grapes before any force was -applied was known as πρόχυμα, and was reserved for the manufacture of a -particular species of rich wine described by Pliny (_H. N._ xiv. II), to -which the inhabitants of Mitylene gave the name of πρόδρομος. The Greeks -recognised three colours in wines—black or red, white or straw-colour, -and tawny brown (κιῤῥός, _fulvus_). When wine was carried, ἀσκοί, or -bags of goat-skin, were used, pitched over to make them seam-tight. The -cut above, from a bronze found at Herculaneum (_Mus. Borbon._ iii. 28) -exhibits a Silenus astride one of them. - -The mode of drinking from the ἀμφορεύς, bottle or amphora, and from a -wine skin, is taken from a painting on an Etruscan vase. - -[Illustration] - -A spiced wine is noticed by Athenæus under the name of τρίμμα. Into the -οἶνοι ὑγιεινοί, or medical wines, drugs, such as horehound, squills, -wormwood, and myrtle-berries, were introduced to produce hygienic -effects. Essential oils were also mixed with wines. Of these the -μυῤῥινίτης[5] is mentioned by Ælian (_V. H._ xii. 3 I). So in the early -ages when Hecamede prepares a drink for Nestor, she sprinkles her cup -of _Pramnian_ wine with grated cheese, perhaps a sort of Gruyère, and -flour. The most popular of these compound beverages was the οἰνόμελι[6] -(_mulsum_), or honey wine, said by Pliny (xiv. 4) to have been invented -by Aristæus. Greek wines required no long time to ripen. The wine drank -by Nestor (_Odyss._ iii. 391) of ten years old is an exception. - -The sweet wines of the Greeks (the produce of various islands on the -Ægean and Ionian Seas) were probably something like modern Cyprus and -Constantia, while the dry wines, such as the Pramnian and Corinthian, -were remarkable for their astringency, and were indeed only drinkable -after being preserved for many years. Of the former of these Aristophanes -says that it shrivelled the features and obstructed the digestion of all -who drank it, while to taste the latter was mere torture. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CLASSICAL WINES. - -ROMAN. - - Falernian, Cæcuban, and other Wines—Galen’s Opinion—Columella’s - Receipt—The Roman Banquet—Dessert Wines—The Supper of - Nasidienus—Dedication of Cups—Wines mentioned by Pliny made of - Figs, Medlars, Mulberries, and other Fruits. - - -Of Roman wines the Campania Felix boasted the most celebrated growths. -The Falernian, Massican, Cæcuban, and Surrentine wines were all the -produce of this favoured soil. The three first of these wines have been, -as the schoolboy (not necessarily Macaulay’s) is only too well aware, -immortalised by Horace, who doubtless had ample opportunities of forming -a matured judgment about them. - -The Cæcuban is described by Galen as a generous wine, ripening only after -a long term of years. The Massican closely resembled the Falernian. The -Setine was a light wine, and, according to Pliny, the favourite drink of -Augustus, who perhaps grounded his preference on his idea that it was the -least injurious to the stomach. Possibly Horace differed from his patron -in taste. He never mentions this wine, which is however celebrated both -by Martial and by Juvenal. - -As for the Surrentine, the fiat of Tiberias has dismissed it as generous -vinegar. Dr. Henderson has no hesitation in fixing upon the wines of -Xeres and Madeira as those to which the celebrated Falernian bears the -nearest resemblance. Both are straw-coloured, assuming a deeper tint -from age. Both present the varieties of dry and sweet. Both are strong -and durable. Both require keeping. The soil of Madeira is more analogous -to that of the Campania Felix, whence we may conclude perhaps that the -flavour and aroma of its wines are similar to those of the Campania. -Finally, if Madeira or sherry were kept in earthen jars till reduced -to the consistence of honey, the taste would become so bitter that, -to use the expression of Cicero (_Brut._ 83), we should condemn it as -intolerable. - -The wines of antiquity present disagreeable features; sea water, for -instance, and resin already mentioned. Columella advises the addition of -one pint of salt water for six gallons of wine. The impregnation with -resin has been still preserved, with the result of making some modern -Greek wines unpalatable save to the modern Greeks themselves. Columella -(_De Re Rustica_, xii. 19) says that four ounces of crude pitch mingled -with certain aromatic herbs should be mixed with two _amphoræ_, or about -thirteen gallons of wine. - -Ancient wines were also exposed in smoky garrets until reduced to a thick -syrup, when they had to be strained before they were drunk. Habit only -it seems could have endeared these pickled and pitched and smoked wines -to the Greek and Roman palates, as it has endeared to some of our own -caviare and putrescent game. - -To drink wine unmixed was, it has been said before, held by the Greeks -to be disreputable. Those who did so were said to be like Scythians. -The Maronean wine of Homer was mixed with twenty measures of water. The -common proportion in the more polished days of Greece was three or four -parts of water to one of wine. But probably Greece, like Rome, had many -a Menenius who loved a cup of hot wine with not a drop of allaying Tiber -in it. If the condition of Alcibiades in the Platonic symposium was the -result of wine so diluted, the wine must have been strong indeed. - -The Grecian and Roman banquet began with the _mulsum_, of mingled -wine and honey. The dessert wines among the Greeks were the Thasian -and Lesbian; among the Romans the Alban, Cæcuban, and Falernian, and -afterwards the Chian and Lesbian. - -In the triumphal supper of Cæsar in his dictatorship Pliny says Falernian -flowed in hogsheads and Chian in gallons. At the well-known Horatian -supper of Nasidienus, the Cæcuban and indifferent Chian were handed round -before the host advised Mæcenas that Alban and Falernian were procurable -if he preferred them. - -Juvenal and Martial tell us of the complaint of clients, that while -the master and his friends drank the best wine out of costly cups, -they themselves had to put up with ropy liquors in coarse, half-broken -vessels. Human nature has changed little in this respect since those -satirists wrote. - -The old fashion of dedicating cups to divinities led perhaps to our -modern system of drinking healths. Sometimes as many cups were drunk to a -person as there were letters in the name of the person so honoured. - -It was better then for the bibulous to toast the ancient Sempronia or -Messalina than the modern Meg or Kate. - -_Hydromeli_, made of honey and five-year-old rain-water; _oxymeli_, -made of honey, sea-salt, and vinegar; _hydromelon_, made of honey and -quinces; _hydrorosatum_, a similar compound with the addition of roses; -_apomeli_, water in which honeycomb had been boiled; _omphacomeli_, a -mixture of honey and verjuice; _myrtites_, a compound of honey and myrtle -seed; _rhoites_, a drink in which the pomegranate took the place of the -myrtle; _œnanthinum_, made from the fruit of the wild vine; _silatum_, -taken, according to Festus, in the forenoon, and made of _Saxifragia -major_ (Forcellini) or _Tordylium officinale_ (Liddell and Scott); -_sycites_, wine of figs; _phœnicites_, wine of palms; _abrotonites_, wine -of wormwood; and _adynamon_, a weak wine for the sick—are most of them -mentioned as drinks in Pliny.[7] This author also mentions drinks made -of sorbs, medlars, mulberries, and other fruits, of asparagus, origanum, -thyme, and other herbs. Hippocrates praises wine as a medical agent. In -his third book the father of medicine gives a description of the general -qualities and virtues of wines, and shows for what diseases they are in -his opinion advantageous. For more information on wines the reader may -consult Sir Edward Barry, Dr. Alexander Henderson, and Cyrus Redding. -Henderson, who was, like Barry, a physician, did not always agree with -him. Barry’s observations, according to Henderson, are chiefly borrowed -from Bacci. Those not so borrowed are for the most part “flimsy and -tedious.” - -The vessels and other drinking cups were commonly ranged on an abacus -of marble, something like our sideboard. It was large, if Philo Judeus -is to be believed. Pliny, speaking of Pompey’s spoils in the matter of -the pirates, says the number of jewel-adorned drinking cups was enough -to furnish nine _abaci_. Cicero charges Verres with having plundered the -_abaci_. - -When Rome was in the height of her luxury, murrhine cups were introduced -from the East. What this substance was, the ruins of Pompeii have never -revealed; some maintain it was porcelain, others think it was a species -of spar. - -Dr. Henderson adopts the opinion of M. de Rozière that these cups were -of fluor-spar; but this article is not found in Karamania, from which -district of Parthia both Pliny and Propertius agree that they came, -though they differ with respect to their nature; its geographic situation -seems confined to Europe. The anecdote told by Lampridius of Heliogabalus -(502) proves, not the similarity of material, but only the equal rareness -and value of vessels of onyx and murrhine. - -[Illustration: AMPHORÆ, RHYTONS, ETC. (_Brit. Mus._).] - -A writer in the _Westminster Review_ for July, 1825, believes them to -have been porcelain cups from China; the expression of Propertius, -“_cocta focis_,” proves that they were manufactured. In the time of Belon -(1555) the Greeks called them _the myrrh of Smyrna_, from _murex_, a -shell. From this it seems that their name was given to the vases from a -resemblance of colours to those of the _murex_. Stolberg (_Travels_, ix. -280) says he saw in a collection at Catania a little blue vase, believed -to be a _vas murrhinum_. - -The modern jars in any of the wine districts of Italy, such as Asti -Montepulciano or Montefiascone, thin earthen two-handled vessels -holding some twenty quarts, are almost identical with the ancient -_amphoræ_. Suetonius speaks of a candidate for the quæstorship who -drank the contents of a whole _amphora_ at a dinner given by Tiberius. -This _amphora_ was probably of a smaller size. Wooden vessels for wine -seem to have been unfamiliar to the Greeks and Romans; they, however, -occasionally employed glass. Bottles, vases, and cups of that material, -which may be seen often enough now in collections of antiquities, show -the great taste which in these and in other matters they possessed. A few -of these are given to illustrate our text. Skins of animals, rendered -impervious by oil or resinous gums, were probably the most ancient -receptacles for wine after it was taken from the vat. To these there are -frequent allusions in Homer and Isaiah. Vessels of clay, with a coating -of pitch, were introduced subsequently. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -NORTHERN DRINKING. - - Beowulf—Ale—Beer—Mead—English Wine—The Mead Hall—Drinking - Horns—Tosti and Harold—Pigment, etc.—The Clergy, etc., - drinking—Northern Wine drinking—King Hunding—Brewing—Strange - Drinking Vessels, and their Use—Punishment of Drunkards. - - -Sailing from the north, being lured to the south with visions of plunder -and luxury, came the Danish and Norwegian Vikings, and, as England was -the nearest to them, she received an early visit. With them they brought -their habit of deep drinking, which was scarcely needed, as on that score -the then inhabitants of England could pretty well hold their own. Their -liquors seem to have been ale, _ealu_, beer, _beor_, wine, _win_, and -mead, _medo_. - -There was a difference between those that drank ale and those that drank -beer, as we find in _Beowulf_[8]:— - - “Full oft have promis’d, - with beer drunken, - Over _the_ ale cup, - sons of conflict, - that they in _the_ beer-hall - would await - Grendel’s warfare - with terrors of edges: - then was this mead-hall, - at morning tide, - _this_ princely court, stain’d with gore; - when _the_ day dawn’d, - all _the_ bench-floor - with blood bestream’d, - _the_ hall, with horrid gore; - of faithful _followers_ I own’d the less, - of dear nobles, - who then death destroyed. - Sit now to _the_ feast, - and unbind with mead - _thy_ valiant breast with _my_ warriors - as thy mind may excite. - Then was for _the_ sons of _the_ Goths - altogether - in _the_ beer hall - a bench clear’d; - there the strong of soul - went to sit - tumultuously rejoicing: - the thane observ’d _his_ duty, - who in _his_ hand bare - the ornamented ale-cup, - _he_ pour’d _the_ bright, sweet _liquor_: - the gleeman sang at times - serene in Heorot: - there was joy of warriors, - no few nobles - of Danes and Weders.” - -In Dugdale’s _Monasticon_ (ed. 1682, p. 126), in a Charter of Offa to the -Monastery of Westbury, three sorts of ale are mentioned. Two tuns full of -hlutres aloth (_Clear ale_), a cumb full of lithes aloth (mild ale), and -a cumb full of Welisces aloth (Welsh ale), which is again mentioned as -_cervisia Walliæ_. - -But though beer and ale were the drinks of the common folk, yet they were -not despised by their leaders. - - [9]“At times before _the_ nobles - Hrothgar’s daughter - to _the_ earls in order - _the_ ale cup bore.” - -We see the social difference between ale and wine drinkers in one of the -Cotton MSS. (_Tib._ A. 3), where a lad having been asked what he drank -replied: “Ale, if I have it; Water, if I have it not.” Asked why he does -not drink wine, he says: “I am not so rich that I can buy me wine; and -wine is not the drink of children or the weak-minded, but of the elders -and the wise.” - -The English at that time grew the Vine for wine-making purposes; indeed, -very good wine can now be, and is, made from English grapes. Every -monastery had its vineyard, and to this day London has six Vine Streets -and one Vineyard Walk. The wine-hall seems to have been a different -apartment to either the mead or ale-halls, and of a superior order. - - [10]“_The_ company all arose; - greeted then - _one_ man another - Hrothgar Beowulf, - and bade him hail, - gave _him_ command of _the_ wine-hall.” - ...[11] - “_He_ strode under _the_ clouds, - until he _the_ wine-house, - _the_ golden hall of men, - most readily perceiv’d, - richly variegated.” - -The mead-hall seems to have answered the purpose of a common hall, as we -see by the following. Speaking of Hrothgar, the poet says:— - - [12]“_It_ ran through his mind - that _he a_ hall-house - would command, - _a_ great mead-house, - men to make, - which the sons of men - should ever hear of; - and there within - all distribute - to young and old, - as to him God had given, - except _the_ people’s share, - and the lives of men. - Then I heard _that_ widely - _the_ work _was_ proclaim’d - to many _a_ tribe - through this mid-earth - that _a_ public place was building.” - -Mead was considered a glorified liquor fit for MEN and is thus sung of by -the bard Taliesin:— - - “That Maelgwn of Mona be inspired with mead and cheer us with it, - From the mead-horn’s foaming, pure, and shining liquor, - Which the bees provide, but do not enjoy; - Mead distilled, I praise; its eulogy is everywhere - Precious to the creature whom the earth maintains. - God made it to man for his happiness, - The fierce and the mute both enjoy it.” - -Mead was made from honey and water, fermented, and in many languages -its name has a striking similarity. In Greek, honey is _methu_, in -Sanskrit, _madhu_, and the drink made therefrom in Danish, is _miod_, -in Anglo-Saxon, _medu_, in Welsh, _medd_, whence metheglyn—_medd_, -mead, and _llyn_, liquor. In _Beowulf_ we frequently find mention of -the _mead-horns_, and we see it vividly portrayed in the heading of -this chapter, which is taken from the Bayeux Tapestry. These horns were -generally those of oxen, although some were made of ivory, and were -probably used because fictile ware was so easily broken in those drinking -bouts in which they so frequently indulged. Another reason was doubtless -that they promoted conviviality, for, like the classical _Rhyton_, they -could not be set down like a bowl, but must either be nursed, or their -contents quaffed. - -Many examples of drinking horns remain to us, and illustrations of two -are here given: one that of Ulph, belonging to, and now kept at, York -Minster, and the other the Pusey horn. These are veritable _drinking -horns_; but there are many other tenure horns in existence, which are -hunting horns. - -[Illustration: THE PUSEY HORN.] - -This horn is an old tenure horn. It was once the custom, when making -a gift of land, instead of making out a deed of gift, to present some -article of personal use, such as a knife, a drinking or hunting horn, and -with it the manor or land, the recipient keeping the present, as a proof -that the land was given him. This Pusey horn is said to have been given -by King Knut to William Pewse, and on the silver-gilt band, to which are -appended dog’s legs and feet, is inscribed in Gothic letters— - - “Kyng Knowde geve Wyllyam Pewse - This horne to holde by thy lond.” - -It is an ox horn, dark brown, and is 25½ inches long, having a -silver-gilt rim, and at the small end a hound’s head, also of -silver-gilt, which unscrews, thus enabling it to be used either as a -drinking or hunting horn. - -Ulph’s horn is considered of somewhat later date, and is of ivory. - -[Illustration: ULPH’S HORN.] - -Of this horn Dugdale[13] says: “About this time also, Ulphe, the son of -Thorald, who ruled in the west of Deira,[14] by reason of the difference -which was like to rise between his sons, about the sharing of his lands -and lordships after his death, resolved to make them all alike; and -thereupon, coming to York, with that horn wherewith he was used to drink, -filled it with wine, and before the altar of God, and Saint Peter, Prince -of the Apostles, kneeling devoutly, drank the wine, and by that ceremony -enfeoffed this church with all his lands and revenues. The figure of -which horn, in memory thereof, is cut in stone upon several parts of -the choir, but the horn itself, when the Reformation in King Edward the -VIth’s time began, and swept away many costly ornaments belonging to this -church, was sold to a goldsmith, who took away from it those tippings of -gold wherewith it was adorned, and the gold chain affixed thereto; since -which, the horn itself, being cut in ivory in an eight square form, came -to the hands of Thomas, late Lord Fairfax.” - -He, dying in 1671, it came into the possession of his next relation, -Henry, Lord Fairfax, who restored its ornaments in silver-gilt, and -restored it to the cathedral authorities. It bears the following -inscription:— - - “CORNV HOC, VLPHVS IN OCCIDENTALI PARTE - DEIRÆ PRINCEPS, VNA CUM OMNIBVS TERRIS - ET REDDITIBVS SUIS OLIM DONAVIT. - AMISSVM VEL ABREPTVM. - HENRICVS DOM. FAIRFAX DEMVM RESTITVIT. - DEC. ET CAPIT. DE NOVO ORNAVIT. - A.D. MDC. LXXV.” - -Most of us know Longfellow’s poem of King Witlaf’s drinking horn, a story -which may be found in Ingulphus, who says that Witlaf, King of Mercia, -who lived in the reign of Egbert, gave to the Abbey of Croyland the horn -used at his own table, for the elder monks of the house to drink out of -it on festivals and saints’ days, and that when they gave thanks, they -might remember the soul of Witlaf the donor. That they had some horn -of the kind is probable, for the same chronicler says that when the -monastery was almost destroyed by fire, this horn was saved. - -Besides the liquors above mentioned, the Anglo-Saxons had others, as we -see in a passage of Henry of Huntingdon (lib. vi.), which is probably -an invention, the same story being told by Florence of Worcester, of -Caradoc, the son of Griffith, A.D. 1065. However, he says that in 1063, -in the king’s palace at Winchester, Tosti seized his brother Harold by -the hair, in the royal presence, and while he was serving the king with -wine; for it had been a source of envy and hatred that the king showed a -higher regard for Harold, though Tosti was the elder brother. Wherefore, -in a sudden paroxysm of passion, he could not refrain from this attack on -his brother. - -Tosti departed from the king and his brother in great anger, and went to -Hereford, where Harold had purveyed large supplies for the royal use. -There he butchered all his brother’s servants, and inclosed a head and -an arm in each of the vessels containing wine, mead, ale, pigment,[15] -morat,[16] and cider, sending a message to the king that when he came to -his farm he would find plenty of salt meat, and that he would bring more -with him. For this horrible crime the king commanded him to be banished -and outlawed. - -There is no doubt but that the Anglo-Saxons drank to excess, and thought -no shame of it. Many times in Beowulf are we told of their being dragged -from the mead-benches by their enemies and slaughtered, and in a fragment -of an Anglo-Saxon poem on Judith we read:— - - “Then was Holofernes - Enchanted with the wine of men: - In the hall of the guests - He laughed and shouted, - He roared and dinn’d, - That the children of men might hear afar, - How the sturdy one - Stormed and clamoured, - Animated and elate with wine - He admonished amply - Those sitting on the bench - That they should bear it well. - So was the wicked one all day, - The lord and his men, - Drunk with wine; - The stern dispenser of wealth; - Till that they swimming lay - Over drunk. - All his nobility - As they were death slain, - Their property poured about. - So commanded the lord of men, - To fill to those sitting at the feast, - Till the dark night - Approached the children of men.” - -[Illustration] - -Even the clergy and monks drank probably more than was good for them, for -a priest was forbidden by law to eat or drink at places where ale was -sold. But that did not prevent their drinking at home; their benefactors -provided well for that, as one instance will show. Ethelwold allowed the -Monastery of Abingdon a great bowl, from which the drinking vessels of -the brothers were filled twice a day. At Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, -the Nativity and Assumption of the Virgin, on the festivals of Saints -Peter and Paul, and all the other saints, they were to have wine, as well -as mead, twice a day; and taking the number of Saints in the Anglo-Saxon -Calendar, it must have gone hard with them, if this was not almost an -every-day occurrence. - -[Illustration] - -The Northern nations did not lose their love of drink as time rolled on, -as we may find in the pages of Olaus Magnus. They drank wine, but owing -to the extreme cold it was not of native production, but imported. In -this illustration we see the vessel that has brought it, and the bush -outside, denoting that it was to be sold. They got it from Spain, Italy, -France, and Germany, but he says that the wine most in repute was a -Spanish wine called Bastard, which Shakspeare mentions more than once, as -(1 _Henry IV._ act ii. sc. 4) Prince Henry relating his adventures with a -drawer, says, “Anon, anon, sir! Score a pint of Bastard in the Half Moon.” - -[Illustration] - -He gives receipts for making Hydromel, or Mead, which was to be made of -one part honey, and four of boiling water, to be well stirred, boiled, -and skimmed. Hops were then to be added, then casked, and brewers’ yeast -added. Then to be strained, and it was fit for drinking in eight days. He -tells a pathetic story of King Hunding, who being sorely grieved at the -loss of his brother-in-law, Gutthorm, called all his nobility around him -to a great feast, and had a large tun, filled with hydromel, placed in -the middle of the hall. When his guests were sufficiently inebriated, he -threw himself into the liquor, and died sweetly. - -[Illustration] - -Beer had they, made of malt and hops, and he gives various methods of -brewing, and also a list of divers beers and their medicinal qualities. - -[Illustration] - -He also gives an illustration of various drinking vessels then (16th -cent.) in use among the Danes and Swedes, where is here reproduced. Here -we see some plain, others ornamental with runes, and some with very -curious handles. He says they were mostly of brass, copper, or iron, -because in that cold climate the liquor they held had to be warmed over -the fire. - -An old translation of a portion of his _Historia de Gentibus -Septentrionalibus_ gives the following account “Of the manner of drinking -amongst the Northern People.” - -[Illustration] - -“It will not displease curious Readers to hear how the custom is of -drinking amongst the Northern People. First, they hold it Religion to -drink the healths of Kings and Princes, standing, in reverence of them; -and here they will, as it were, sweat in the contention, who shall at -one or two, or more draughts, drink off a huge bowl. Wherefore they seem -to sit at Table as if they had Crowns on their heads, and to drink in -a certain kind of vessel; which, it may be, may cause men that know it -not, to admire it. But that were more admirable to see the servants go -in a long train, in troops, as Pastours of Harts with horns, that they -may drink up those Cups full of beer to the Ghests. And, not content with -these Ceremonies, they will strive to shew their Sobriety, by setting -such a high Cup full of Beer upon their naked heads, and dance and turn -round with it; in like manner they deliver other Cups which they bring in -both hands to the Ghests to drink off, at equall draughts, which are full -of Wine, Ale, Mede, Metheglin, or new Wine.” - -[Illustration] - -He winds up with a moral dissertation on the punishment of drinkers, -and, after detailing the various effects of alcohol on different races, -as rendering the Gaul petulant, the German quarrelsome, the Goth -obstreperous, and the Finn lachrymose, he suggests that drunkards should -be seated on a sharp wedge, compelled to drink a mighty horn of beer, and -then be hauled up and down by a rope. - - J. A. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -WINES. - - Definition—Various Meanings of Wine—Alcohol—Varieties - of Wine—Miller—Professor Mulder—Origin of Wine—Brook - of Eshcol—Strabo and Reland—Francatelli’s Order of - Wines—Classification of M. Batalhai Reis. - - -In the matter of wine, as in that of beer, it is perhaps as well to -commence with a dictionary description or definition. Ogilvie declares it -to be the “fermented juice of the grape, or fruit of the vine.” It is, -however, also the juice of certain fruits, prepared in imitation of wine -obtained from grapes, but distinguished by naming the source whence it is -derived, as currant wine, gooseberry wine, etc.; and a third meaning of -wine—a meaning with which we have happily little to do—is the effect of -drinking wine in excess, or intoxication.[17] - -Wines are practically distinguished by their colour, flavour, stillness -or effervescence, and what is known as hardness or softness. The -differences in quality depend on the vines, the soils, the exposure of -the vineyards, the treatment of the grapes, and the mode of manufacture. -The alcohol[18] contained is the leading characteristic. In strong ports -and sherries this varies from about 16 to 25 per cent. It is about 7 per -cent. in claret, hock, and other so-called light wines. Wine containing -about 13 per cent. of alcohol may be assumed to be _fortified_, as it is -called, with brandy or other spirit. - -The varieties of wine produced are said to be “almost endless.” This -great number of wines is in some measure owing to an interesting fact -mentioned by Miller in his _Organic Chemistry_ (3rd ed. p. 187), who -tells us that a particular variety of grape, when grown upon the Rhine, -furnishes a species of hock; the same grape, when raised in the valley -of the Tagus, yields Bucellas, in which the palate of a connoisseur may -possibly detect the flavour of hock; whilst in the island of Madeira the -same grape produces the wine known as _Sercial_, which, though generally -allowed to be a delicious wine, has suggested, it seems, to no skilled -palate the flavour either of Bucellas or of hock. - -It would therefore be more logical to commence an article on wines with -an article on the grapes from which they are produced, but we fear it -would be far less interesting. Of the chemical composition of wine, -and of its _uses in health and disease_, on which so many books from -the days of old have been already written, we shall, in accordance with -our preface, say nothing at all, or very little. Every person who feels -himself or herself interested in this latter matter may learn as much as -he or she will from the pages of the _Lancet_, while Professor Mulder -has probably written enough about the former to satisfy the most anxious -student. - -The origin of most things is obscure. Treatises have been composed -about that of wine. We have no intention of reproducing aught of them -in the present work. Let us be content to suppose that wine had its -origin, again like most things, somewhere at some time in the East. The -date of its introduction into Greece is no more known than that of its -introduction into Italy. A traditional credit is due to Saturn, to Noah, -and to Bacchus as early wine manufacturers. Certainly in Palestine they -had the advantage of fine grapes. On the well-known historic occasion of -Moses sending men to search the land of Canaan, in the time of the first -ripe fruit, we learn that when they came unto the brook of Eshcol, they -cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes and “bare it -between two upon a staff.” It has been perhaps somewhat hastily assumed -that the fruit was therefore necessarily of a large size. There may -have been other reasons for this proceeding than an enormity of weight. -But if, as is generally imagined, these grapes were unusually fine and -large, wine makers would be clearly benefited thereby. In support of this -interpretation of the passage in Numbers, Strabo has declared that some -of the grapes in the Holy Land measured two feet in length; and Reland -has not hesitated to declare, as if unwilling to be outdone by Strabo, -that some bunches are of ten pounds weight. - -This prefatory matter could make no pretence to completeness if it -omitted an instruction for the service of wines, denoting the order in -which they should be drank at the dinner table, which has already been -given by an adept. Whether the matter is more admirable, or the style, it -is difficult to determine. - -“I would recommend,” says Francatelli, “all _bon vivants_ desirous of -testing and thoroughly enjoying a variety of delectable wines, without -being incommoded by the diversity of those introduced for their learned -degustation, to bear in mind that they should be drunk in the following -order;” viz., “When it happens that oysters preface the dinner, a glass -of Chablis or Sauterne is their most proper accompaniment.” - -After soup of any kind, genuine old Madeira, East India Sherry, or -Amontillado are recommended as “welcome stomachics.” But you are to -avoid, as you value your health, drinking punch after Turtle soup, -especially Roman punch. With fish, a large variety of wines, such as -Pouilly, Meursault, Montrachet, Barsac, and generally all dry white -wines, is allowed. With the entrées you are permitted to drink any -variety of Bordeaux or Burgundy. - -Second course and dessert wines are given at too great a length to admit -of reproduction. About these a “question of the highest importance” -arises as to which should be preferred. But here Francatelli remembers -a fact which might have spared him his vast labour on this service of -wines: that “it is difficult, not to say impossible, to lay down rules -for the guidance of the palate.” The sanguine person, we are told, will -prefer the _genuine_ Champagne; the phlegmatic, Sherry or Madeira. The -splenetic and melancholy man will be prone to select Roussillon and -Burgundy. The bilious will imbibe Bordeaux. In few words, “Burgundy is -aphrodisiac, Champagne is captious, Roussillon restorative, and Bordeaux -stomachic.” By careful attention to the foregoing remarks, the reader -will happily be preserved from any serious mistake in the matter of his -dinner. But other meals must also be taken into consideration, about -which Francatelli preserves a Sibylline and mysterious silence. For -instance, luncheon. We learn, however, from another source that there are -luncheon sherries and dessert sherries. With lunch the brown, rich, and -full-bodied Raro may be suitably drunk; but the pale Solera and the soft -yet nutty Oloroso should make their appearance at dessert alone. - -M. Batalhai Reis, Consul for Portugal at Newcastle-on-Tyne, in a report -on the wine trade of England, has troubled himself thus in the interests -of posterity to classify the wines of the world. - - -CLASS I.—TABLE WINES. - -Alcohol and sugar imperceptible. Taste acid and astringent. - -Division A. Red. - -Group 1. _Acid._ Examples: Inferior Bordeaux and Burgundies, Wines from -North of Portugal. - -Group 2. _Astringent._ Examples: Superior Bordeaux and Burgundies, -Collares from Portugal. - -Division B. White. - -Group 1. Simple Flavour. Example: Rhine Wines. - -Group 2. Complex Flavour. Example: Bucellas of Portugal. - - -CLASS II.—TRANSITION WINES. - -Alcohol and sugar perceptible. Taste astringent. Flavour complex. - -Division A. Red. Examples: Many Spanish and Portuguese wines. - -Division B. White. Examples: Many Spanish and Portuguese wines. - - -CLASS III.—GENEROUS WINES. - -1st Family. Madeira type. Wines of the Canaries, Azores, Lisbon; -Carcanellas, Sherry, Marsala, and Cyprian wines. - -2nd Family. Port type. - -3rd Family. Tokay, Malaga. - -4th Family. Château Yquem, Johannisberg, Steinberg. - - -CLASS IV.—SPARKLING WINES. - -Group A. Natural. - -Group B. Artificial. - -This division of the wines of the world is presented to the reader as a -literary curiosity. It is at once simple and scientific. In a word, no -book on wines can be considered complete without it. In the succeeding -pages Wines as Beers are, for convenience of reference, arranged after -the alphabetical order of their countries. - - AFRICA: Constantias—Rota—Mascara. AMERICA: - Catawbas—Muscatel—Chacoli—Mosto. AUSTRALIA: - Carbinet—Kaludah—Verdeilho—Conatto. CANARIES: - Vidueño—Sack. ENGLAND: Home-made Wines. - - -AFRICA. - -Of this country the most important wines of the present are, perhaps, -Pontac, Hanepoot, Frontignac, and Drakenstein. On the wines of the Cape -of Good Hope, Dr. Edward Kretschmar is a great authority. _Kokwyn_, made -from Muscat grapes, resembles Malaga. The best dry white wines, called -Cape Hocks, are produced in the village of _Paarl_. The _Constantias_, -so called from the wife of the Dutch governor, Van der Stell, are of -three kinds. These excellent sweet wines are too frequently falsified and -adulterated before reaching the palate of the English consumer. A red -wine, called _Rota_, is made at Stellenbosch. Cape Madeira is a boiled -and mixed wine. Stein wine is excellent when old. Red Cape, when drunk in -the country, is a “sound, good wine,” says Cyrus Redding.[19] The wine -of Morocco is chiefly made by the Jews; it is light, acid, and will not -keep. In Tetuan a wine is made nearly equal, according to Cyrus Redding, -to the Spanish wine of Xeres. Palm wines are, of course, common. The -people of Cacongo prepare a wine called _Embeth_, and those of Benin -_Pali_ and _Pardon_. The Caffres make a wine called _Pombie_, from millet -or Guinea corn.[20] In Congo they drink a wine called _Milaffo_, which -will not keep beyond three days. - -Of the many wines produced at Algiers, the best is probably the white -wine of _Mascara_, situated on a slope of the plane of Egbris, 1,800 -feet above the sea level. The Arabic name of the place is a corruption -of _Umm-al-asakir_, or the Mother of Soldiers. The wine is the principal -industry of Algiers. It is eagerly bought up by agents of Bordeaux -houses. Wines of inferior quality are made at Boue, Tlemcen, Medeah, and -Milianah. The wines of _Oran_ are said to resemble the small wines of -Languedoc. In ancient times the valley of the Nile produced the wines of -Mareotis, Mendes, Koptos, and Arsinoe, and its Delta the liqueur wine of -Sebenytus. - - -AMERICA. - -The first attempt to cultivate the vine in North America was made, we are -informed by Drs. Thudichum and Dupré, in 1564. Some of its best known -wines at the present time are the _Catawbas_[21] (still and sparkling), -red _Aliso_ and _Angelico_. Wine has been made from the vines on the -Ohio, said to resemble Bordeaux in quality. In several parts of Mexico, -as at Passo del Norte, at Zalaya, and at St. Louis de la Paz, wines are -made of tolerable flavour. The red wine of California is agreeable. In -Florida, according to Sir John Hawkins, wine was made from a grape like -that of Orleans, as far back as 1564. The island of Cuba possesses a -“light, cool, sharp wine,” according to Redding. - -In South America wine was made long ago in Paraguay. A sweet wine -resembling Malaga is made at Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes, and is -found to improve by transportation some thousand miles across the Pampas. -The wines made in Chili and Peru are white and red. The _Muscatel_ of -Chili is considered to be especially good.[22] The white wine of _Nasca_ -is inferior. The wine of _Pisco_ is highly esteemed. Though the white -is held by connoisseurs to be superior to the red wine of Chili, yet it -is little drunk in the cradle of its production. _Chacoli_ is a wine -commonly patronised by labourers. The _Mosto_ of _Concepcion_ differs -from _Mosto asoleado_ by the grapes of the latter being sundried for some -twenty days. - - -AUSTRALIA. - -Australian wines are pretty well known from our tradesmen’s circulars. -For instance, there is the _Gouais_, the _Carbinet_, a soft wine like -Burgundy, the _Mataro_, the _Sauvignon_. There is that “elegant dinner -wine,” _Kaludah_, the Singleton Red or White _Hermitage_, “noted for its -refinement”; the _Tintara Ferruginous_, of “immense power and generous -quality”; the _Tokay Imperatrice_; and the _Alexandrian Moscat_, both -poetically described as “abounding in memories of the sun which begot -them,” and possessing the “most beautiful bouquet that can be imagined,” -with a flavour “resembling the first crush in the mouth of three or four -fine ripe Muscatel grapes—the large white oval ones—covered with a light -bloom, and attached to a clean, thin stalk.” - -Drs. Thudichum and Dupré, who are themselves indebted to a publication by -Toovey, have given an excellent description of these wines. _Verdeilho_ -is a wine, like Madeira, of delicate aroma and a full body; _Frontignac_ -is described as a thin white wine with a slight taste of the Muscat -grape, being a fictitious elderflower flavour; _Malbee_ is described as -made from “claret” grape; _Tavoora_ is described as a pure “port” of -1859; _Tintara_, a red, clear wine; _Adelaide_, a pure white wine, mainly -from _Riessling_ grapes with a _soupçon_ of Muscatel, “a little too fiery -for greatness.” _Wattlesville_ is an acidulous white wine. The poor and -acid _Chasselas_, the strong-scented _Highercombe_, said to resemble -good Sauterne, with many varieties of so-called claret, as _Emu_, _St. -Hubert_, and so-called Hock, as _Heron_ and _Royal Reserve_, are also -imported from Australia. The _Conatto_ is a rich liqueur with a flavour -of Curaçoa and Rum Shrub combined. - - -CANARIES. - -The Canary Islands have long been celebrated for their wines. The -favourite Teneriffe wine is _Vidueño_ or _Vidonia_. Canary _sack_ is -supposed to have been made from the _Malvasia_ sweet grape, whereas the -modern sack is dry (_sec_). The best vineyards are at Orotava, S. Ursula, -Ycod de los Vinos, Buenavista, and Valle de Guerra. - - -ENGLAND. - -British made wines hold no very high rank. A cheap foreign manufacture -is, according to some of their vendors, gradually ousting them from the -market. But at one time they formed a part of the education of the good -housewives of Great Britain. Home wines were chiefly made from plums, -apples, gooseberries, bilberries, elderberries, blackberries, currants -(red and black), raspberries, cherries, cowslips, parsnips, raisins, -greengages, damsons, ginger, oranges, and lemons. Less commonly and in -former times we had wines from mulberries, quinces, peaches, apricots, -and from the sap of the birch, beech, sycamore, and other trees. Years -ago “sweets” or home-made wines were sent from Scotland and Ireland, -such as ginger wine and so-called cherry and raspberry whiskies. The -flowers of meadow-sweet (_Spiræa ulmaria_) yield a fragrant distilled -water, which is said to be used by wine merchants to improve the flavour -of their wines. In a little work by Mr. G. Vine on Home-made Wines, the -reader will find numerous receipts how to make and keep these wines, with -observations on gathering and preparing the fruit, fining, bottling, and -storing. A correspondent of the _Gardeners’ Chronicle_ gives a receipt -for _beer wine_, a beverage which has puzzled many connoisseurs. The -curious may find it also quoted in Vine’s brochure. - -The manufacture of home-made wines is familiar. An excellent wine is -sometimes made from a mixture of the fruits above mentioned, as, for -instance, that from gooseberries and currants. All home-made wines are -prone to run into acetous fermentation without the addition of a due -proportion of pure spirits. Plums or sloes, with other ingredients, can, -it is said, be turned into excellent fruity port, the “very choice” -kind, silky, soft, and full bodied. A wine said to be agreeable is also -made from the red berries of the mountain ash or service-tree (_pyrus -aucuparia_). Birch wine is still made in some parts of England. Morewood -gives a long receipt for its manufacture. Like most other wines, it -improves greatly with age. This is especially true of parsnip wine. From -potatoes which have suffered a sort of malting from frost, a tolerable -wine has been obtained. It is said—but there are people who will say -anything—that a great portion of the champagne drunk in this country is -made from sugar and green gooseberries. Rhubarb wine has been affirmed to -be synonymous with British champagne. The reader anxious on this subject -may consult Dr. Shannon’s elaborate _Treatise on Brewing_. Cowslip wine -is all too like some of the Muscatel wines of Southern France, and the -wine of the _Sambucus nigra_ has been more than once, through some -unlucky accident, confused with Frontignac. - -[Illustration] - - -FRENCH WINES. - - The Great Makers of Champagne—Its - Manufacture—Bottling—Treatment—Bordeaux or Claret—Its early - Use and Name—Whence it comes—The different Growths—White Wines - of the District—Burgundy—Different Growths and Qualities—Other - Wines. - - -CHAMPAGNE. - -Reims and Epernay are the two great centres of the Champagne district; -but Reims, from its size and antiquity, must be considered its capital. -Here are the establishments of Pommery & Greno, Ernest Moy, Théophile -Roederer & Co., Louis Roederer & Co., Henriot & Co., Permet & Fils, -De St. Marceaux & Co., Werlé & Co. (successors to the renowned Veuve -Cliquot), Heidsieck & Co., De Lossy & Co., G. H. Mumm & Co., Jules Mumm & -Co., Piper & Co., and many others of lesser note. - -The wines of this district have, for centuries, been famous, and -especially beloved of kings and potentates. Our Henry VIII. had a -vineyard at Ay, and, in order to know that he got the genuine article, -he had a superintendent of his own on the spot. Francis I., Leo X., and -Charles V. of Spain, all had vineyards in the Champagne district. But -the wine they obtained thence was not sparkling: that was to come later, -and is said to have been the invention of Dom Petrus Perignon, who died -in 1715, monk of, and cellarer to, the Royal Monastery of St. Peter’s -at Hautvilliers. He was especially happy in his blends of wine, and -having found out the secret of highly charging the wine, naturally, with -carbonic acid, is said to have introduced the cork and string necessary -to confine it in its bottles. - -Champagne Wine owes its goodness, in the first place, to the soil on -which it is grown, which is unique in its mixture of chalk, silica, -light clay, and oxide of iron; in the second, to the very great care and -delicate manipulation which the wine receives. Every doubtful grape is -discarded, and the carts conveying the grapes from the vineyard go at a -most funereal pace, so that none of their precious contents should get -bruised; for if these little grapes (for they are little larger than -currants) get at all crushed, or partly fermented, in carriage, the fruit -is rendered absolutely worthless for Champagne purposes. - -Very great care, too, is exercised in the pressing. The grapes are laid -in carefully stacked heaps upon the floor of the press, where they are -left for a time, and then the first gentle, but firm, sustained squeeze -is applied. The juice thus extracted is the cream of the grape, and is -used only for the finest brands. There are six of these squeezes made, -each more powerful than the last; and the result of each is, of course, -inferior in quality to its predecessor, till the sixth, called the -_rébêche_,[23] is reached, which produces a coarse wine, reckoned only -fit to be given to the workmen. - -The must begins to ferment more or less quickly, according to the -temperature, in the casks, at the end of ten or twelve hours, and the -process continues for a considerable time, during which the colour -changes from pale pink to a light straw tint. About three months are -allowed to elapse, when the fermentation stops through repeated rackings -and the cold of the season. - -And now the real trouble of the Champagne manufacturer begins. First, -there is the blend, which varies in the case of each manufacturer. The -produce of the different vineyards is mixed in enormous vats, according -to the recipe in vogue in the particular establishment, and to this -mixture is added, if necessary, a proportion of some old wine of a -superior vintage. A most subtle, carefully educated, and exquisite -taste is required to discern when the wine, in this crude state, has -acquired the proper flavour and bouquet. Then comes the important point -of effervescence—a source of much anxiety to the manufacturer, for the -extremest care is required to regulate the quantity of carbonic acid gas, -so that there shall be neither too little nor too much. For if there -be too little, the wine will be flat; and if there be too much, the -bottles will burst by thousands. An instrument, called a _glucometer_, or -_saccharometer_, is used to measure the amount of saccharine matter in -the wine at this point; and if the necessary standard be not reached, the -deficiency is supplied by the purest sugar candy. To the ordinary palate, -at this stage it differs in no respect from still white wine, of somewhat -tart flavour, and is now drawn off into other casks to undergo the next -treatment in the process; viz., the fining, to make it bright, and remove -what is known to connoisseurs of wine as “ropiness.” - -The wine is now ready for bottling, and the danger to be avoided is the -bursting of the bottles, for the pressure of the gas is tremendous; hence -it is that the champagne bottle is the most solid and massive in use. -The bottling takes place, as a rule, about eight months after the grapes -have been first pressed, and the precautions against breakage are of the -most minute description. The instant any symptoms of bursting display -themselves, the wine has to be removed to a cooler temperature; but even -with every precaution, the loss sustained by the bursting of bottles is -often very serious indeed, sometimes to an almost ruinous extent. The -risk of breakage is generally almost past by the end of October, and the -bottles are then kept in the cellars for a period ranging from eighteen -months to three years, according to the custom of the establishment. - -But even now all is not over, for, during this period, a sediment, -resulting from the fermentation of the wine, has been deposited, which -must be removed before the wine is ready for consumption; and very -troublesome work it is to get rid of this sediment. The bottles are -placed in a slanting direction with the necks downward, and the angle -of inclination is altered from time to time till they stand almost -perpendicular, whilst every time the position is changed, the bottle is -sharply twisted round, so that the sediment may not cling to the sides. -Finally, the deposit collects in a ball in the neck of the bottle, from -whence it is “disgorged”—literally blown out—when the original cork is -removed. A temporary stopper is then inserted until the liqueur, which is -to give the wine its distinctive character, dry or sweet, is introduced. -This liquor consists of a preparation of the very finest sugar candy, the -best Champagne, and the oldest and purest Cognac. - -The next process is corking, and, as we all know, champagne corks are not -as other corks. They are made larger than the vent of the bottle, and are -soaked in water, and very often steamed. They are somewhat expensive, the -best corks used costing about threepence each; but it is a very false -economy to use common corks, for the gas would escape. The pliant cork -is placed in a machine which pinches it and compresses it to the size of -the aperture of the bottle, and holds it there till a twenty-pound weight -is let drop, on the principle of a pile-driving hammer, and drives the -cork in firmly. The powerful leverage used to bring down the edge of the -cork for wiring and stringing, imparts the round-shaped top peculiar to -champagne corks. The bottles, after being corked and wired, are allowed -to rest for two or three months, in order that the wine and the liqueur -may properly amalgamate, and are then tinselled and labelled, ready for -the consumer; but some of the best wines are kept for years to mature, -and are, of course, of far higher value. - -A sweet Champagne may be made of any wine, but a dry Champagne must be a -good wine, as, if it is not sound, its acidity is detected at once; but -this defect would be hidden by the liqueur necessary to make it sweet. - -At Epernay, the bulk of the wine is not so good as that coming from -Reims, and sells at a lower price; but there are firms there of -world-wide note, such as Moet & Chandon, Perrier, Joüet & Co., Meunier -Frères, Wachter & Co., etc. - - -BORDEAUX OR CLARET. - -In England we generally call the wines coming from Bordeaux, _Clarets_, -the derivation of which cognomen is somewhat obscure; but it seems almost -universally accepted that it comes from the French word _Clairet_, -which is used even at the present time as a generic term for the _vins -ordinaires_ of a light and thin quality, grown in the south of France, -and was in use from a very early date. The old French poet, Olivier -Basselin (who died 1418 or 1419), sings:— - - “Beau nez, dont les rubis ont coûté mainte pipe - De vin blanc et clairet ...” - -There was, however, another Claret, a compounded wine, resembling -_hypocras_, which Giraldus Cambrensis, who lived in the twelfth century, -classes thus: “Claretum, mustum, et medonem” (Claret, must, and mead). -And the venerable Franciscan, Bartholomew Glanville,[24] says: “Claretum, -ex vino et melle et speciebus aromaticis est confectum” (Claret is made -from wine, honey, and aromatic spices). It makes a marked feature in a -curious tenure.[25] “John de Roches holds the Manor of Winterslew, in -the county of Wilts, by the Service, that when our Lord the King should -abide at Clarendon, he should come to the Palace of the King there, and -go into the Butlery, and draw out of any vessel he should find in the -said Butlery at his choice, as much Wine as should be needful for making -(_pro factura_) a Pitcher of Claret (_unius Picheri Claretti_), which he -should make at the King’s charge, and that he should serve the King with -a Cup, and should have the vessel from whence he took the Wine, with all -the Remainder of the Wine left in the Vessel, together with the Cup from -whence the King should drink that Claret.” This refers to a roll of 50 -Ed. III., or 1376. - -[Illustration: FROM THE “COMPOST ET KALENDRIER DES BERGERES,” 1499.] - -But this is not the Claret of our days, which is the wine produced in the -countries watered by the rivers Dordogne and Garonne and the Gironde, -at least it should be so; but, in truth, owing to the good railway -communication, wine comes to Bordeaux from every part of France, large -quantities owing their birth to the banks of the Rhone, from the Hérault, -Roussillon, etc.; and a judicious blending at Bordeaux, and its being -shipped thence, is a very good title to its being grown in the Médoc; but -the quantity shipped to all parts of the world, compared with the acreage -of growth, entirely precludes the supposition that it possibly could -have been the production of that district. - -The nobility of the Médoc wines is small. There are only four _premiers -crûs_, but they are magnificent. They are Château Lafitte, Château -Latour, Château Margaux, and Château Haut-Brion; and all these, -especially the Latour, have a flavour and seductive _bouquet_ all their -own, which is believed to arise from an extremely volatile oil contained -in the grape skins, which, like all ethers, requires time to evolve and -mature. But the soil, undoubtedly, has most to do with it, and this must -be in a very large degree composed of fragments of rock, small and large, -while the smooth round pebbles reflect the rays of the sun and throw them -upwards, so as almost to surround the grapes with light and heat. Again, -these stones absorbing the sun’s rays during the day, give out warmth -after sunset, whilst they keep the roots of the vines cool, and prevent -to a great degree the evaporation of the natural and necessary moisture -of the earth. - -But these _premiers crûs_ are not always good; for instance, in 1869, -Messrs. Fulcher & Baines, wine brokers, sold by auction a very large -parcel of Château Margaux for about 30_s._ per dozen. There was no doubt -but that it was genuine wine, bottled at the Château, for the cases and -corks were all properly branded; but of such low quality was it, or it -deteriorated so rapidly, that when sold again in 1871 the same wine only -averaged 18_s._ per dozen. - - _The 2nd Growths are_:— - - Mouton, coming from _Pauillac_. - Rauzan-Segla, ” _Margaux_. - Rauzan-Gassies, ” ” - Léoville-Las Cases, ” _St. Julien_. - Léoville-Poyféré, ” ” - Léoville-Barton, ” ” - Durfort-Vivens, ” _Margaux_. - Lascombes, ” ” - Gruard-La rose-Sarg, ” _St. Julien_. - Gruard-La rose, ” ” - Braune-Cantenac, ” _Cantenac_. - Pichon-Longueville, ” _Pauillac_. - Pichon-Longueville-Lalande, ” ” - Ducru-Beaucaillou, ” _St. Julien_. - Cos-Destournel, ” _St. Estèphe_. - Montrose, ” ” - - _3rd Growths._ - - Kirwan, coming from _Cantenac_. - Château-d’Issau, ” ” - Lagrange, ” _St. Julien_. - Langoa, ” ” - Château-Giscours, ” _Labarde_. - Malescot-St. Exupéry, ” _Margaux_. - Cantenac-Brown, ” _Cantenac_. - Palmer, ” ” - La Lagune, ” _Ludon_. - Desmirail, ” _Margaux_. - Calon-Ségur, ” _St. Estèphe_. - Ferrière, ” _Margaux_. - M. d’Alesmeis Becker, ” ” - - _4th Growths._ - - St. Pierre, coming from _St. Julien_. - Branair-Duluc, ” ” - Talbot, ” ” - Duhart-Milon, ” _Pauillac_. - Poujet, ” _Cantenac_. - La Tour-Carnet, ” _St. Laurent_. - Rochet, ” _St. Estèphe_. - Château-Beychevelle, ” _St. Julien_. - La Prieuré, ” _Cantenac_. - Marquis de Therme, ” _Margaux_. - - _5th Growths._ - - Pontet-Canet, coming from _Pauillac_. - Batailley, ” ” - Grand-Puy-Lacoste, ” ” - Ducasse-Grand-Puy, ” _Pauillac_. - Lynch-Bages, ” ” - Lynch-Moussas, ” ” - Dauzac, ” _Labarde_. - Moulton d’Armailhacq, ” _Pauillac_. - Le Tertre, ” _Arsac_. - Haut-Bages, ” _Pauillac_. - Pédesclaux, ” ” - Belgrave, ” _St. Laurent_. - Camensac, ” ” - Cos-Labory, ” _St. Estèphe_. - Clerc-Milon, ” _Pauillac_. - Croizet-Bages, ” ” - Cantemerle, ” _Macau_. - -These are only some of the wines of the Médoc, so that I may be excused -from recapitulating the names of the different growths of the Graves, -the Pays de Sauternes, the Côtes, the Palus, and those of Entredeux -Mers—their name is legion, and it would answer no good purpose. Cocks, -in his _Bordeaux and its Wines_, gives a list of 1,900 of the _principal -growths_, so that we can have a good choice of names from which to -christen our “Shilling Gladstone.” - -The wines of Bordeaux used to be greatly drank in England until the great -wars with France—in the last century, when, of course, their importation -was prohibited—but, even then, large quantities were smuggled. They -must, however, have been of better quality than the cheap stuff now -imported. In Scotland, where an affinity with France always existed, -it was a common drink, and very cheap; for in Campbell’s _Life of Lord -Loughborough_ (vi. 29), we find that excellent claret was drawn from the -cask at eighteenpence a quart: and its downfall as a beverage in Scotland -is thus sung by John Home, probably in allusion to the Methuen Treaty of -1703. - - “Firm and erect the Caledonian stood, - Prime was his mutton, and his claret good: - Let him drink port, an English Statesman cried; - He drank the poison, and his spirit died.” - -The white wines of these districts are delicious, and are not -sufficiently appreciated in England, where we know very little of the -Sauternes, Bommes, Barsac, Fargues, St. Pierre de Mons, Preignac, and -those of Petits Graves and the Côtes. Chief of all is the wine of -Château d’Yquem, of which Vizitelly[26] thus writes:— - -“Among the white wines of the Gironde which obtained the higher class -reward, two require to be especially mentioned. One, the renowned Château -d’Yquem of the Marquis de Lur Saluces, the most luscious and delicately -aromatic of wines, which, for its resplendent colour, resembling liquid -gold, its exquisite bouquet, and rich, delicious flavour, due, according -to the chemists, to the presence of Mannite, is regarded in France as -unique, and which, at Vienna, naturally met with the recognition of a -medal for progress. - -“Mannite, the distinguished French chemist Berthelot informs us, has the -peculiar quality of not becoming transformed into alcohol and carbonic -acid during the process of fermentation. For a tonneau of this splendid -wine twelve years old, bought direct from the Château, the Grand Duke -Constantine paid, some few years since, 20,000 francs, or £800. The other -wine calling for notice was La Tour Blance, one of those magnificent, -liqueur-like Sauternes, ranking immediately after Château d’Yquem, and to -some fine samples of which, of the vintages of 1864 and 1865, a medal for -merit was awarded. - -[Illustration: THE DILETTANTE SOCIETY. - -In this illustration of “the Dilettante Society” we find that Noblemen -and Gentlemen such as Lord Mulgrave, Lord Seaforth, Hon. Chas. Greville, -Charles Crowle, and the Duke of Leeds, drank their claret out of the -black bottle—dispensing with the decanter altogether.] - -“The characteristic qualities of Château d’Yquem, which certain -_soi-disant_ connoisseurs pretend to pooh-pooh, as a mere ordinary _vin -de liqueur_, are due, in no degree, to simple accident. On the contrary, -the vintaging of this wine is an extremely complicated and delicate -affair. In order to insure the excessive softness and rich liqueur -character which are its distinguishing qualities, the grapes, naturally -excessively sweet and juicy, are allowed to dry on their stalks, -preserved, as it were, by the rays of the sun, until they become covered -with a kind of down, which gives to them an almost mouldy appearance. -During this period, the fruit, under the influence of the sun, ferments -within its skin, thereby attaining the requisite degree of ripeness, akin -to rottenness. - -“On the occasion of the vintage, as it is absolutely essential that the -grapes should be gathered, not only when perfectly dry, but also warm, -the cutters never commence work until the sun has attained a certain -height, and invariably suspend their labours when rain threatens, or -mists begin to rise. At the first gathering they detach simply the -_graines rôties_, or such grapes as have dried after arriving at proper -maturity, rejecting those which have shrivelled without thoroughly -ripening, and, from the former, a wine of extreme softness and density, -termed _crème de tête_, is produced. - -“By the time the first gathering has terminated, other grapes will -have sufficiently ripened and rotted, or dried, and both sorts are now -detached, yielding the wine called _vin de tête_, distinguished by -equal softness with the _crème de tête_, but combined with a larger -amount of alcohol, and greater delicacy of flavour. At this point, a -delay generally ensues, according to the state of the weather, it being -requisite, towards the end of October, to wait while the rays of the -sun, combined with the night dews, bring the remainder of the grapes to -maturity, when the third gathering takes place, from which the wine, -termed _centre_, frequently very fine and spirituous, is produced. -Another delay now ensues, and then commences the final gathering, -when all the grapes remaining on the stalks are picked, which, when -the vintage has been properly conducted, is usually only a very small -quantity, yielding what is termed the _vin de queue_.” - -However, although it is not given to all of us to be able to afford -Château d’Yquem, yet there are many of the other white wines of France, -which are within ordinary limits, and which compare more than favourably -with the red wines. - - -BURGUNDY AND OTHER WINES. - -Verily there cannot be much amiss with wine that causes a holy man (by -profession) to break forth into song as follows:— - - “Nous les boirons lentement, - Nous les boirons tendrement, - Ton Clos Vougeot, ton Romanée: - Par nous la sainte liqueur, - Qui nous rechauffe le cœur, - Ne sera jamais profanée.” - -More generous than the wines of Bordeaux, it has been the drink of Kings -and Popes, and perhaps no vineyard has a similar honour done it as that -of Clos-Vougeot (Napoleon’s favourite wine); for when a French regiment -marches past that celebrated vineyard, it halts, and presents arms. -On the golden slope—the Côte d’Or—is grown this wine of Burgundy, and -the _vignerons_ divide the district into two parts, the Côte de Nuits -and the Côte de Beaune, the first of which produces the finest wines, -from Vosne especially, whence come Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, -Romanée-St. Vivant, La Grande Rue, Gaudichat, Malconsort, and others; -but of all these Romanée Conti is king. Unfortunately the yield of this -vineyard is very small, and genuine Romanée is seldom to be met with. -But there are plenty of good wines to be bought at moderate prices, -those of Chambertin, Volnay, Beaune, Mâcon, and Beaujolais. Chief among -the white Burgundies is Chablis; but there are other sorts, not half -enough drank in England—Mâcon, Pouilly, Meursault, Chevalier-Montrachet, -Montrachet-Ainé, and many other fine white wines. Sparkling Burgundy is -not to be despised. - -The Côtes du Rhone produce fine wines, too, such as Hermitage, Côte -Rôtie, Condrieu, and St. Peray; but of these, perhaps, Hermitage red and -white are best known to us. - -Much wine is made in the South of France, in the departments of the -Hérault, the Gard, the Aude, and the Pyrenées-Orientales, whilst -Languedoc has always been famous for its wines, which are very similar to -some Spanish varieties. Roussillon is nearly as good as Burgundy, and, -after being manipulated at Cette, is often palmed off as “Vintage Port,” -and the Muscat wines of the Hérault and the Pyrenées-Orientales are -particularly luscious, especially those from Lunel. - -Some wines come from Corsica, but they do not find their way, as such, -into the English market; no doubt, though, but we have them in some -shape, for the mystifications of the wine trade are stupendous, and, to -an outsider, unfathomable. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - GERMANY: Rhine Wines—Heidelberg - Tun—Hock—Stein-wein—Asmannhäuser—Straw Wines—Goethe’s - Opinion of Wine GREECE: Verdea—Vino Santo—The Wine of Night. - HUNGARY: Maszlacz—Tokay—Carlowitz—Erlauer. ITALY: Monte - Pulciano—Chianti—Barolo—Barbera—Montefiascone—Lacryma Christi, - etc. MADEIRA: Malvasia—Tinta—Bual, etc. PERSIA: Shiraz. - - -GERMANY. - -The Germans, says Cyrus Redding, like vain men of other nations, have -wasted a good deal of idle conjecture on the antiquity of the culture -of the vine in their country; and then, as though to show by example -that this waste of idle conjecture is not confined to the Germans, Mr. -Redding continues the investigation of this important matter himself. -In the opinion of an experienced merchant these wines have a “distinct -character and classification of their own.” Their alcoholic strength is -low, averaging about 18 per cent. - -[Illustration: This illustration dates 1608 as “A Sciographie or Modell -of that stupendous vessel which is at this day shewed in the Pallace -of the Count Palatine of Rhene in the citie of Heidelberg.” A model of -this Tun was shown at the German Exhibition held in London, 1891. Its -capacity was eclipsed by a famous _tonneau_, elaborately ornamented with -allegorical figures, etc., which was shown in the French Exhibition of -1889. It would hold 200,000 bottles of Champagne, and came from Epernay. -It had to be drawn by a large team, by road, and the French press was -full of its imaginary adventures on its journey to Paris.] - -To the north of Coblentz the wines are of little comparative value, -though a Rhenish wine has been produced at Bodendorf, near Bonn. On the -Rhine or its tributary rivers between Coblentz and Mayence, all the -most celebrated wines of Germany are grown. The grapes preferred for -general cultivation are the Riessling, a small, white, harsh species. The -true _Hochheimer_, daily consumed in Germany, is grown to the eastward -of Mentz, between there and Frankfort. The wines mellow best in large -vessels, an experience which has produced the celebrated Heidelberg Tun, -holding some six hundred hogsheads. The distinguishing characteristics -of German wine have been said to be generosity, dryness, fine flavour, -and endurance of age. The dyspeptic will learn with delight that the -strong wines of the Rhine are extremely salutary, and contain less acid -than any other. It is also averred that they are never saturated with -brandy. _Liebfrauenmilch_[27] is grown at Worms. It is full bodied, -as is that of _Scharlachberg_. Wines of _Nierstein_,[28] _Laubenheim_, -and _Oppenheim_ are good, but _Deidesheimer_ is considered superior to -them. _Hock_[29] is derived from Hochheim; but nearly every town on the -banks of the Rhine gives its name to some lauded vintage. The flavour of -Hock is supposed to be improved by thin green glasses. Perhaps, says the -judicious Redding, this is mere fancy. The Palatinate wines are cheaper -Hocks. Moselles have a more delicate perfume. The whole eastern bank of -the Rhine to Lorich, called the Rheingau, about fourteen miles in extent, -has been famous for its wines for ages. Naturally, therefore, it was -once the property of the Church. Here is _Schloss-Johannisberger_, once -nearly destroyed by General Hoche, where a leading Rhine wine is made. -_Steinberger_ takes the next rank to _Johannisberger_. _Gräfenberg_, -also once ecclesiastical property, produces wine equal to _Rüdesheimer_, -which is a wine of the first Rhine growths. _Marcobrunner_, _Roth_, -_Königsbach_ are excellent drinks. _Bacharach_ has lost its former -celebrity. The conclusion to which a celebrated connoisseur has arrived -after an exhaustive examination of German wines is this: “On the whole, -the wines of _Bischeim_, _Asmannshäuser_, and _Laubenheim_ are very -pleasant wines; those of rather more strength are _Marcobrunner_, -_Rüdesheimer_ and _Niersteiner_, while those of _Johannisberg_, -_Geissenheim_, and _Hochheim_ give the most perfect delicacy and -aroma.” The Germans themselves say _Rhein-wein, fein-wein; Necker-wein, -lecker-wein; Franken-wein, tranken-wein; Mosel-wein, unnosel-wein_.[30] - -[Illustration] - -The red wines of the Rhine are considered inferior to the white. Red -_Asmannshäuser_ is perhaps the best. Near Lintz _Blischert_ is made. -Königsbach and Altenahr yield ordinary wines. The most celebrated of -Moselle wines is the _Brauneberger_, of which the varieties are numerous. -A variety called _Gruenhäuser_ was formerly styled the Nectar of the -Moselle. The wines of Ahr, of which some are red, resemble Moselles, -but will keep longer. Of the wines of the Neckar the most celebrated is -_Besigheimer_. Baden, Wiesbaden, Wangen, and Würtzberg, all grow good -wines. Of the last is _Stein-wein_, produced on a mountain so called, -and named by the Hospital to which it belongs, _Wine of the Holy -Ghost_. _Leisten_ wines are grown on Mt. Saint Nicolas. _Straw_ wines -are made in Franconia. _Calmus_, a liqueur wine, like the sweet wines of -Hungary, is made in the territory of Frankfurt. The best vineyards are -those of Bischofsheim. Wines of Saxony are of little worth. Meissen and -Guben produce the best. Naumburg makes some small wines, like inferior -Burgundy. The excellence of the Rhine wines has seldom perhaps been -proved more clearly than by one who loved them well. Goethe, in his _Aus -einer Reise am Rhein, Main und Neckar_, says: “_Niemand schämt sich der -Weinlust, sie rühmen sich einigermaassen des Trinkens. Hübsche Frauen -gestehen dass ihre Kinder mit der Mutterbrust zugleich Wein geniessen. -Wir fragten ob denn wahr sey, dass es geistlichen Herren, ja Kurfürsten -geglückt, acht Rheinische Maass, das heisst sechzehn unserer Bouteillen, -in vierundzwanzig Stunden zu sich zunehmen? Ein scheinbar ernsthafter -Gast bemerkte, man dürfe sich zu Beantwortung dieser Frage nur der -Fastenpredigt ihres Weihbischofs erinnern, welcher, nachdem er das -schreckliche Laster der Trunkenheit seiner Gemeinde mit den stärksten -Farben dargestellt, also geschlossen habe—_” But for those who understand -not the German tongue we will give some of the sermon of this Church -dignitary on the Rochusberg in English. “Those, my pious brethren, commit -the greatest sin who misuse God’s glorious gifts. But the misuse excludes -not the use. Wine, it is written, rejoices man’s heart. Therefore we are -clearly intended to enjoy it. Now perhaps, beloved brethren, there is -not one of you who cannot drink two measures of wine without feeling -any ill effects therefrom; he, however, who with his third or fourth -measure has so far forgotten himself as to abuse, beat and kick his wife -and children, and to treat his dearest friend as his worst enemy, let -such a one discontinue to drink three or four measures, which thus render -him unpleasing to God and despicable to man. But he who with the fourth -measure, nay, with his fifth or his sixth, still maintains his sense in -such a manner that he can behave properly to his fellow-Christian, attend -to his domestic duties, and obey his spiritual superiors as he ought, -let him be thankful in modesty for the gift accorded to him. But let him -not advance beyond the sixth measure, for here commonly is the term set -to human power and endurance. Rare indeed is the occasion in which the -benevolent God has lent a man such especial grace that he may drink eight -measures—a grace which He has, however, accorded to me His servant. Let, -therefore, every one take only his allotted measure _und auf dass ein -solches geschehe, alles Ubermaass dagegen verbannt sey, handelt sämmtlich -nach der Vorschrift des heiligen Apostels welcher spricht; Prüfet alles -und das Beste behaltet!_” - -[Illustration: “TASTING THE VINTAGE.”—_After_ Hasenclever.] - - -GREECE. - -The vinification of Greece is commonly imperfect. Most of its wines -become vinegar in summer. Avoid, says a well-known guide-book, the wine -of this country, which is generally acid and always impure.[31] The best -Greek wines are those of the islands Ithaca, Zante, Tenos, Samos, Thera -(Santorin),[32] and Cyprus. The white wine of Zante, called _Verdea_, -resembles Madeira in flavour. The wine of Naxos is of considerable -strength, and is greatly improved by age. A quantity of it, known as -_Vino Santo_, is exported. Andros was sacred to Dionysus, and a tradition -(Plin. ii. 103; xxxi. 13; Paus. vi. 26) says that for seven days during -a festival of this god the waters of a certain fountain were changed -to wine. The wine did no credit to the god, if it resembled that which -this island at present produces. The “Nectar” of _Morta_ is bitter and -astringent. Dr. Charnock has recommended the _Monthymet_ as a good mild -wine, and the _œconomos_. A white wine, called “_the wine of night_,” is -supplied under the distinctive names of _St. Elie_ and _Calliste_; the -latter is the better. - - -HUNGARY. - -The wines of Hungary, we are told, “possess considerable body with a -moderate astringency.” The varieties of wine known as _Ausbruch_ and -_Maszlacs_, including the _Tokays_, _Rust_, _Menes_, and many more, are -of the most important character. Without the addition of dry berries the -so-called natural wine or _Szamorodni_ is obtained. The Tokay essence, -a very sweet wine, should be also very old. When fifty years in bottle -it costs some £3[33] for a small flask. Ausbruch, also sweet, should be -also old. _Maszlacz_ is of four different kinds. The _Mezes_, _Male_ or -_Imperial_, does not get into trade. _Meograd_, _Krasso_, and _Villany_ -from the West of Hungary are good strong wines of the second class. Wines -of the third class are very numerous. There is no space to mention more -than the red wines: _Baranya_, _Presburger_, _Somogy_, _Vagh-Ujhelyer_, -_Paulitsch_, and _Erdöd_, and the white _Miszla_, _Balaton_, _Füred_, -_Hont_, _Pesth_, and _Weissenburger_. _Samlauer_ is one of the best white -wines made at a place called Samlau, as _Erlauer_ another good wine -at Erlau. The most commonly known Hungarian wines of the present are -_Oedenburger_, _Samlauer_, _Neszmely_, and _Carlowitz_. - - -ITALY. - -That Italy produces good wines is, says Cyrus Redding, undeniable. -She also produces wines that are very bad. The best Italian wines are -believed to be of Tuscany. As Hafiz is the authority for _Shiraz_, so -Redi’s _Bacco in Toscana_ should be consulted for the wines of Italy. -_Monte Pulciano_ is of a purple hue, sweet and slightly astringent. -It is to this wine that Redi gives the palm, calling it _la manna di -Monte Pulciano_. The wine of _Chianti_, near Sienna, is well known. -_Artiminio_, _Poncino_, _Antella_, and _Carmignano_, though of less -reputation, are not greatly inferior. The best _Verdea_[34] comes from -Arcetri near Florence. _Trebbiano_, a gold-coloured syrup, is produced, -according to Drs. Thudichum and Dupré, from grapes, “passulated on the -vine by torsion of the stalk.” _Montelcino_, _Rimaneze_, and _Santo -Stefano_ are Siennese wines. Of Sardinia the chief wines are the -so-called _Malvasias_, _Giro_, _Aleatico_, like the _Tinto_ of Alicante, -and _Bosa_, _Ogliastra_, and _Sassari_. Of Piedmont the principal wines -are _Barolo_, _Barbera_, _Nebbiolo_, _Braccheto_. _Asti_, _Chaumont_, -_Alba_, and _Montferrat_ have had reputation thrust upon them. -_Grignolinos_ are made from a vine closely related to the _Kadarka_ -of Hungary, and the _Carmenet_ of the Gironde. The wines of Genoa are -of small repute. Central Italy furnishes _Montefiascone_,[35] with a -delicious aroma, _Albano_, resembling _Lacryma Christi_, and _Orvieto_. -The principal wine of Naples, from the base of Vesuvius, is _Lacryma -Christi_, a rich, red, exquisite drink, affirmed by some adventurous -fancies to be the _Falernian_ of Horace. “O Christ!” said a Dutchman -who drank, “why didst Thou not weep in my country?” Gallipoli, Tarento, -Baia, Pausilippo, yield good wines. The islands in the Bay of Naples -all produce wine; that of _Caprea_ is of good ordinary quality, both -white and red. Calabria furnishes many good wines. _Muscadenes_ and dry -wines are made at Reggio. _Asprino_, a white foamy wine, with a pleasant -sharpness, is a favourite of the Campagna. _Carigliano_ is a Muscadine, -with a flavour of fennel. Dr. Charnock speaks highly of the wine of -Capri, and of Orvieto, a delicate white wine of Rome. The disagreement of -travellers about the merits of wines arises principally, of course, from -a diversity of tastes, but also in the matter of Italian wines, from the -fact that different wines bear the same names in different countries. -There is, for instance, a _vino santo_ and a _vino greco_ in Naples. A -Veronese wine, _vino debolissimo e di niuna stima_, is also called _vino -santo_, and an excellently good wine at Brescia. It is the same with half -a dozen of the most noted wines of Italy. _Modico_, a fine white wine -from the place of that name near Salerno, was apparently a favourite of -the noted School of Salernum. The best known wines out of Italy are the -_Barola_, _Barbera_, and the rest which may be found on the wine-list -of every _padrone_ of an Italian restaurant; the _Inferno_ of the -Valtellina; the _Lambrusco_ of Modena; the _Chianti_ of Tuscan—a wine -grown on the estate of Baron Ricasoli, not thought so much of in Italy as -in England; and the _Lacryma Christi_ of Naples. Most Italian wines are -bottled in flasks, in the old Roman style, with oil[36] on the top, and -wool over the oil. - - -MADEIRA. - -Wine is first mentioned as a product of Funchal, the capital of Madeira, -in the fifteenth century. In 1662, when Charles II. married the Infanta -Catherine of Bragança, English merchants began to settle in Madeira. -The principal varieties of Madeira are _Malvasia_, _Bual_, _Sercial_, -_Tinta_, and _Verdelho_ (the _Verdea_ of Tuscany). In England, Madeira -is now within the reach of all. At the beginning of this century, it -was known only to connoisseurs. The “fine rich old _Boal_” is fairly -familiar, and if we may trust the wine merchants, the “Very Superior -Old,” variously described as full, soft, golden, delicate, and mellow, -is gradually winning its way into public favour, since that same “soft -fulness,” added to a delicious and yet pungent flavour, produces a drink -“altogether superior” to the best Sherry. - - -PERSIA. - -The ancient, most famous wines of this country were those of Chorassan, -Turan, and Mazanderan. These places still produce wines; but their -characteristics and reputation have, it is affirmed, become blended in -the wine of Shiraz, in the province of Ferdistan, on the Persian Gulf. -Chardin, the Frenchman, describes this wine as of excellent quality, -but of course not so fine as the French wines. The German, Kämpfer, -puts Shiraz on the same level with the best Burgundy and Champagne. He -who wishes to learn the nature of the wine of Shiraz should consult the -_Diwan_ of Hafiz. How far this poet speaks of wine literally understood, -and how far of spiritual delights, is a matter for commentatorial -investigation. Persian wine is frequently mixed with _raki_ and saffron, -and the extract of hemp. _Sherbet_, made of fruit juices and water, is -English rather than Oriental. - -[Illustration] - - -PORTUGAL. - - PORTUGAL: Peso da Regoa—Four Methods of Cultivation of - Vine—White and Black Ports—The _Quintas_—Tarragona—Charneco. - RUSSIA: Kahetia—Gumbrinskoé. SICILY: Marsala. - SPAIN: Malaga—Sherry—Amontillado. SWITZERLAND: - Chiavenna—St. Gall—The Canton of Vaud. CIDER: - Derivation—Ainsworth—Gerard—Bacon—Evelyn—Turberville—Macaulay—Phillips. - PERRY. - -One hundred and fifty years ago, in the small town of Peso da Regoa, then -called Regua only, near the confluence of the Corgo with the Douro, lived -a single fisherman, in a hut which he had himself constructed. When the -Oporto Wine Company was established, their warehouses were erected here, -and an annual fair for the sale of wine was established. - -Peso da Regoa—the Peso comes from an adjoining village—is now a thriving -town, and may be considered the capital of the Alto Douro district (_Paiz -Vinhateiro do Alto Douro_), whence are sent to England and elsewhere -those wines which are here known as Port. The wine district is bounded -by Villa Real on the north, Lamego on the south, S. João da Pesqueira on -the east, and Mezãofrio on the west. It is unwholesome, and but thinly -populated. Those who list may draw from this fact a divine prohibition of -the bibbing of Port. - -The vine is cultivated in Portugal in four ways. (1) By being trained -round oaks or poplars _de enforcado_, as the Romans _ulmisque adjungere -vites_. (2) By the terrace system, the best as (1) is the most -picturesque. (3) By bushes in rows, with the intermediate ground -ploughed. (4) By the trellis or _de ramada_. The first liquor drawn from -the _lagar_, or press, the result of the weight of the grapes alone, is -called _Lacryma Christi_. After that a gang of men jump into the _lagar_, -and dance to the sound of the fife or bagpipe. The weather is warm, the -work is hard; the result is better conceived than expressed. - -Of white Ports the best are _Muscatel de Jesus_ (the testimony to -religious influence in this and the _Lacryma Christi_ is extremely -touching), considered the prince of all, the _Dedo de Dama_, the _Ferral -Branco_, _Malvazia_ (our Malmsey),[37] _Abelhal_, _Agudelho_, _Alvaraça_, -_Donzellinho_, _Folgozão_, _Gonveio_, White _Mourisco_, _Rabo da Ovelha_, -and _Promissão_. Of the black Ports the finest is _Touriga_, and the -sweetest _Bastardo_. Other dark Ports are _Souzão_, the darkest of all, -_Aragonez_, _Pegudo_, besides _Tintas_, whose names are legion. Other -wines grown here, or in the immediate vicinity, are _Alvarilhão_, a kind -of Claret, _Alicante_, _Muscatel_, _Roxo_, and _Malvazia Vermelha_. -Great quantities of wine are produced in the _quintas_ outside the line -of demarcation, and some of these wines are equal to those made in the -wine district of the _Alto Douro_ itself. Red wines transformed into -French Clarets at Bordeaux, are exported in large quantities. A wine from -Tarragona, known as “Spanish Red,” or superb Catalan, is sent yearly to -England, and sold as very full, rich, fruity, and tawny Port. Port will -not keep good in the cask for more than two years without the addition of -alcohol. The Oporto merchants use a pure spirit distilled from the wine -itself. The old Port which we prize so highly and pay for so dearly is -seldom unaffected by brandy or other spirit. - -[Illustration: INTRODUCTION OF THE GOUT.] - -[Illustration: THE GOUT.] - -Some of the best wines are produced by Estremadura, such as _Bucellas_, -_Collares_, _Lavradio_, _Chamusca_, _Carcavellos_, _Barra a Barra_, -and many others of which not even the names are known in England. The -vines round Torres Vedras might, it has been said, produce the finest -wines in the world, if properly cultivated. _Arinto_ and _Estremadura_ -are comparatively new wines. The white wines of Tojal and the vintages -of Palmella and Inglezinhos have only to be known to become popular. -The province of Traz-os-Montes, in spite of its climate of _nove mezes -de inverno, e tres de inferno_, produces excellent wines in the Piaz -Vinhateiro. Those in the vicinity of the river Tua and the Sabor are -considered by connoisseurs to resemble the celebrated _Clos Vougeot_. -There is a remarkable red wine called _Cornifesto_, and the white wines -of _Arêas_, _Bragança_, _Moraes_, _Moncorvo_, and _Nosedo_ are excellent. -The cup of _Charneco_ (2 Hen. VI. ii. 3), a wine mentioned by Beaumont -and Fletcher and Decker, is said to have been made at _Charneco_, a -village near Lisbon (_European Magazine_, March, 1794). - -Port-wine is accredited with producing gout, and the two accompanying -illustrations give the “Introduction to the Gout,” and the real fiend -itself. - - -RUSSIA. - -_Kahetia_ is a wine produced in a district of that name, east of Tiflis. -It is of two descriptions, red and white, and is much esteemed throughout -Transcaucasia. As it is kept in skins made tight with naphtha, it has -generally a slight taste of leather and petroleum. _Gumbrinskoé_ is -a sweet wine grown in the Gumbri district of the Caucasus. _Donskoé -Champanskoé_, the champagne of the Don, is said by Dr. Charnock to be a -very good wine, and better than many sorts drunk in Britain. Russian -wines generally, as those of many other countries, are largely diluted, -and, like the majority of Greek wines, do not improve by keeping. - - -SICILY. - -A thousand years before Christ, says Mr. Simmonds, districts of Sicily -were famous for wine. The coins of Naxos (500 B.C.) bear the head of -Bacchus on the obverse, on the reverse Pan, or a bunch of grapes. Of -Sicilian wines, the light amber or brown wine of _Marsala_ is best known. -There is Ingham’s L.P., and Woodhouse’s; there is also the Old Brown. The -Faro is perhaps the strongest wine of Sicily. The wine of Terre Forte is -made near Etna, in some vineyards of Benedictine monks. Marsala, as we -know it, is generally adulterated, or fortified, to use a more technical -term. Even the “Virgin” has not escaped this common lot of wines. Much -Marsala is indeed sold as Marsala, but much more is sold as Sherry. The -wine of _Taormina_ has the classic taste of pitch. Augusta produces a -wine with a strong flavour of violets. This to some palates is the most -agreeable wine drank in Sicily or elsewhere. The _Del Bosco_ of Catania, -and the _Borgetto_ have been both recommended by the subtle taste of Dr. -Charnock. A dry wine called _Vin de Succo_ is made about ten miles from -Palermo. The wine of Syracuse somewhat resembles _Chablis_. - - -SPAIN. - -As Spain succeeds France geographically, so it follows it in the -excellence of its vinous productions. Throughout all ages this country -has been distinguished for its wines. But the Spaniard’s chief glory -under heaven is in the preparation of white dry fortified wines such as -Sherries, and sweet wines such as _Malagas_. In the province of Andalusia -is situated Xeres de la Frontera, and the convent of _Paxarete_, which -produces a rich sweet sparkling drink. Here, too, are the vines of -the _vino secco_ and the _abocado_, and _Rota_,[38] which produces -Andalusia’s best red wines. Here are _Ranico_, _Moguro_, or _Moguer_, a -cheap light wine, _Negio_, and the capital _Seville_. Catalonia yields -a large quantity of red wine shipped to England mostly as a drink -for the general. The _Malaga_ of Granada is well known. Sherry[39] -wines are, or ought to be, the products of Cadiz, including Xeres de -la Frontera, San Lucar de Barrameda,—where _Tintilla_, an excellent -Muscadine red wine, is manufactured,—Trebujena, and Puerto de Santa -Maria. The celebrated wine known as Manzanilla[40] is made in San -Lucar de Barrameda. _Val de Peñas_[41] wines are commonly red. After -the perfection of age, this celebrated product of La Manche[42] is, -in the opinion of Redding, equal to any red wine in the world. Much -wine of Catalonia is now imported into England as Catalan Port. Borja -produces a luscious white wine. The country about Tarragona on the road -to Barcelona is almost wholly occupied with wine making. _Beni-Carlos_, -_La Torre_, _Segorbe_, and _Murviedro_, are all fair wines of Valencia. -Alicant produces an excellent red wine, _vino tinto_, strong and sweet; -when old, this wine is called _Fondellol_. Vinaroz, Santo Domingo, and -Perales, offer red wines of moderate excellence. The best wines of -Aragon are _Cariñena_ and the _Hospital_, from the vine which the French -call _Grenache_. In Biscay, at Chacoli, a _vino brozno_, or austere -wine, is produced in large quantity. The best is made at Vittoria, and -called _Pedro Ximenes_.[43] Fuençaral, near Madrid, offers a good wine -seldom exported. The most famous wine-growing district of Granada is -that of Malaga, termed Axarquia. This produces _Malagas_, _Muscatels_, -_Malvasies_, and _Tintos_. The red wines called _Tinto de Rota_ and -_Sacra_ are unfermented with only enough spirit for preservation, and are -commonly advertised in our wine circulars as “suitable for sacramental -purposes.” _Guindre_ is flavoured with cherries from which it derives -its name. Into this wine, as into some others, the Spaniards are wont -to put roasted pears, under the conceit that thereby it is much improved -in taste and rendered more wholesome. Hence arose the proverb _El vino -de las peras dalo a quien bien quiéras_. _Malaga Xeres_ is often known -in England as the pale, gold, dry Sherry,[44] as the wines of Alicant, -Benicarlos, and Valencia are sold as a rich and fruity Port. The -so-called _Amontillado_ Sherry is very often the outcome of accident. Out -of a hundred butts of Sherry from the same vineyard, some, says a great -authority, will be _Amontillado_, without the manufacturers being able -to account for it. At Cordova, a dry wine called _Montilla_ is commonly -drunk. - - -SWITZERLAND. - -Swiss wines are commonly consumed only in Switzerland. The best is -produced in the Grisons, called _Chiavenna_, aromatic and white from the -red grape. A white _Malvasia_ of good quality is made in the Valais. It -is luscious, as is _Chiavenna_. The Valais also furnishes red wines, made -at La Marque and Coquempin in the district of Martigny. Schaffhausen -gives plenty of red wine. The _wine of blood_[45] is manufactured at -Basle. These wines are also known as those of the _Hospital_ and _St. -Jaques_. The red wines of Erlach, in Berne, are of a good quality. The -red wine of Neufchâtel is equal to a third-class Burgundy. St. Gall -produces tolerable wines. In the Valteline, the red wines are both good -and durable, much resembling the aromatic wine of Southern France. These -wines are remarkably luscious, and will, it is said, keep for a century. -The largest amount of wine is produced by the Canton of Vaud. The wines -of _Cully_ and _Désalés_, near Lausanne, much resemble the dry wines of -the Rhine. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration: APPLES FOR CIDER.] - - - - -CIDER. - - -The original meaning of the word _cider_[46] appears to have been strong -drink. It was used to designate a liquor made of the juice of any fruit -pressed, and an example of the word in this use is to be found in -Wycliffe’s Bible, in the speech of the angel to Zacharias (Luke i. 15), -in allusion to his promised progeny: _He schal not drynke wyn and syder_. -The next meaning is that of a liquor made from the juice of apples -expressed and fermented. - - “A flask of _cider_ from his father’s vats, - Prime, which I knew.” - - TENNYSON: _Audley Court_. - -We have little information about cider either from the Greeks or the -Latins. It would seem that it was not known to them, if we may trust -Ainsworth, who translates cider by _succus e pomis expressus_, and -Byzantius, who gives μηλίτης (οἶνος) εἶδ. ποτοῦ as the equivalent for -_cidre_.[47] Gerard, in his _Historie of Plants_, published in 1597, -says that he saw in the pastures and hedgerows about the grounds of a -“worshipful gentleman,” dwelling two miles from Hereford, called M. Roger -Bodnome, so many trees of all sorts that the servants drunk for the most -part no other drink but that which is made from apples. The quantity, -says Gerard, was such that by the report of the gentleman himself, the -parson “hath for tithe many hogsheads of Syder.” This reference to the -servants and the parson drinking it, but not to the “gentleman,” seems to -show that the liquor was not then held in much esteem. - -Bacon placed cider after wine, and we have followed in our arrangement -of the present volume his august example. This great philosopher speaks -of cider and perry as “notable beverages on sea-voyages.” The cider -of his day did not, he says, sour by crossing the line, and was good -against sea-sickness. He also speaks of cider, a “wonderful pleasing and -refreshing drink,” in his _New Atlantis_. - -John Evelyn’s _French Gardener_ gives much information on this subject, -and his _Pomona_ is, says Stopes, the first monograph on the manufacture -of cider in England. - -Cider is made in many parts of Barbary, and in Canada. In all the States, -apples are abundant, particularly in New York and New England, and cider -is a common drink of the inhabitants. And it is as excellent as it is -common. That of New Jersey is generally considered the best. It is -curious that the least juicy apples afford the best liquor. Cider of a -superior quality is abundant in Cork, Waterford, and other counties of -Ireland, where it was introduced, we are told, in the reign of Elizabeth. -It was first made at Affane, in the county of Waterford.[48] Worledge’s -_Vinetum Britannicum_, 1676, and his _Most Easy Method for Making the -Best Cider_, 1687, have been considered at full length by Mr. Stopes. -Worledge’s press is an improvement upon one shown in Evelyn’s _Pomona_. - -Cider appears in Russia under the name of _Kvas_. There is _Yàblochni -kvas_, made of apples; _Grùshevoi kvas_, of pears, a perry; and -_Malinovoi kvas_, of raspberries. George Turberville, secretary to -the English Embassy to Moscow in the year 1568, mentions _kvas_ in a -description of the Russians of his time as:— - - “Folk fit to be of Bacchus’ train, so quaffing is their kind; - Drink is their whole desire, the pot is all their pride. - The soberest head doth once a day stand needful of a guide. - If he to banquet bid his friends, he will not shrink - On them at dinner to bestow a dozen kinds of drink, - Such liquor as they have, and as the country gives; - But chiefly two, one called _kwas_, whereby the Moujike lives, - Small ware and waterlike, but somewhat tart in taste; - The rest is mead, of honey made, wherewith their lips they baste.” - -Stopes is of opinion that the finest cider is made, not in the west, as -has been commonly asserted, but in the east of England. This authority -seems particularly to favour the Ribston pippins of Norfolk. - -“Worcester,” says Macaulay, in his _History of England_, ch. iii., “is -the queen of the cider land;” but Devon and Somerset, Gloucester and -Norfolk, might dispute the title. To make good cider the apples should -be quite ripe, as the amount of sugar in ripe apples is 11·0; in unripe -apples, 4·9; in over-ripe apples, 7·95. The fermentation should proceed -slowly. Brande says that the strongest cider contains, in 100 volumes, -9·87 of alcohol of 92 per cent; the weakest, 5·21. By distillation, -cider produces a good spirit; but it is seldom converted to that purpose -in consequence of its acidity, which, however, is greatly remedied by -rectification. - -Much cider is distilled in Normandy, and sent to this country under -the name of _arrack_, or some other foreign spirit, according to its -flavour. To the Normans the invention of this liquor has been attributed. -They are also said to have received it from the Moors. Whitaker (_Hist. -Manchester_, i. 321) says this drink was introduced into this country by -the Romans; and Simmonds (p. 25) that it was first used in England about -1284. - -[Illustration: AN OLD CIDER MILL.] - -Cider has been immortalised by Phillips in a classical poem, in imitation -of Virgil’s Georgics, which, according to Johnson, “need not shun the -presence of the original.” Milton’s nephew thought that cider— - - “far surmounts - Gallic or Latin grapes.” - - -PERRY. - -Perry is prepared from pears, as cider from apples. It is capable of -being used in the adulteration of champagne.[49] The harsher, redder, -and more tawny pears produce the best drink. Perry is less popular than -cider, but some consider it superior.[50] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -BRANDY. - - The Invention of Brandy—Early Alchemists—Aqua - Vitæ—Distillation—The Still-room—Ladies Drinking—Nantes - and Charente—Johnson’s Idea of Brandy—The Charente - District—Manufacture of Brandy—The Cognac Firms. - - -Who invented Brandy? is a question that cannot be authoritatively -answered offhand; but the good people of some parts of Germany hold that -it was the Devil. And their legend is, at all events, circumstantial. - -Every one who is at all acquainted with old legends is fully aware that -the Father of Evil is extremely simple, and has allowed himself, many -times, to be outwitted by man. Once, especially, he was so guileless as -to put trust in a Steinbach man, who cajoled him into entering an old -beech tree, and there he was imprisoned until the tree was cut down. His -first step, on regaining his freedom, was to revisit his own particular -dominion, which, to his horror, he found empty! - -This, naturally, would not do, and he set about re-peopling hell without -delay. He thought the quickest plan would be to start a distillery; so -he hurried off at once to Nordhausen, where his manufacture of Brandy -(his own invention) became so famous that people from all parts came to -him to learn the new art, and to become distillers. From that time his -Satanic Majesty has never had to complain of paucity of subjects. - -It seems fairly established that the famous chemist Geber, who lived in -the 7th or 8th century, was acquainted with distillation, and we know -that it was practised by the Arabian and Saracenic alchemists, but have -no knowledge whether they made any practical use of the _alcohol_ they -produced. They, at all events, gave us the word by which we now know the -_spirit_, or ethereal part, of wine. - -Alcohol, distilled from wine, is first reliably mentioned by a celebrated -French alchemist and physician, Arnaud de Villeneuve, who died in 1313, -who gave it the name of _aqua vitæ_, or water of life,[51] and regarded -it as a valuable adjunct in physic, and as a boon to humanity. Raymond -Lully, the famous alchemist, who is said to have been his pupil, declared -it to be “an emanation from the Deity,” and on its introduction it was -supposed to be the elixir of life, capable of rejuvenating those who -partook of it, and, as such, was only purchasable at an extremely high -price. - -We may see, by a book[52] written 200 years after the death of Arnaud de -Villeneuve, the esteem in which Aqua Vitæ was held even after so great a -lapse of time. - - Aqua Vite is comonly called the mastresse of al medycynes, for - it easeth the dysseases comynge of colde. It gyveth also yonge - corage in a person, and cawseth hym to have a good memorye and - remembraunce. It puryfyeth the fyve wittes of melancolye and of - unclenes whan it is dronke by reason and measure. That is to - understande fyve or syx droppes in the mornynge lastyng with a - sponefull of wyne, usynge the same in the maner aforsayde the - evyl humours can not hurte the body, for it withdryveth them - oute of the vaynes. - - ¶ It conforteth the harte, and causeth a body to be mery. - - ¶ It heleth all olde and newe sores on the hede comynge of - colde, whan the hede is enoynted therwyth and a lytell of the - same water holden in the mouthe, and dronke of the same. - - ¶ It causeth a good colour in a parson whan it is dronke and - the hede enoynted therwyth the space of xx dayes; it heleth - Alopicia, or whan it is dronke lastyng with a lytell tryacle. - It causeth the here well to growe, and kylleth the lyce and - flees. - - ¶ It cureth the Reuma of the hede, whan the temples and the - fore hede therwith be rubbed. - - ¶ It cureth Litargiam,[53] and all yll humours of the hede. - - ¶ It heleth the coloure in the face, and all maner of pymples. - It heleth the fystule when it is put therein with the Juce of - Celendyne. - - ¶ Cotton wet in the same and a lytell wronge out agayn and so - put in the eares at nyght goynge to bedde, and a lytell dronke - thereof, is good against all defnes. - - ¶ It easeth the payn in the teethe, when it is a longe tyme - holden in the mouthe, it causeth a swete brethe, and theleth - the rottyng tethe. - - ¶ It heleth the canker in the mouthe, in the teethe, in the - lyppes, and in the tongue, whan it is longe time holden in the - mouthe. - - ¶ It cawseth the hevy togue to become light and wel spekyng. - - ¶ It heleth the shorte brethe whan it is droke with water - wheras the figes be soden in, and vanisheth al flemmes. - - ¶ It causeth good dygestynge and appetyte for to eat, and - taketh away all bolkynge.[54] - - ¶ It dryveth the wyndes out of the body, and is good agaynst - the evyll stomake. - - ¶ It easeth the fayntenes of the harte, the payn of the mylte, - the yelowe Jandis, the dropsy, the yll lymmes, the goute, in - the handes and in the fete, the payne in the brestes whan they - be swollen, and heleth al diseases in the bladder, and breaketh - the stone. - - ¶ It withdryveth venym that hath been taken in meat or in - drynke, whā a lytell tryacle is put therto. - - ¶ It heleth the flanckes[55] and all dyseases coming of colde. - - ¶ It heleth the brennyng of the body, and of al membres whan it - is rubbed therewith by the fyre viii dayes contynnynge. - - ¶ It is good to be dronke agaynst the sodeyn dede. - - ¶ It heleth all scabbes of the body, and all colde swellynges, - enoynted or washed therwith, and also a lytell thereof dronke. - - ¶ It heleth all shronke sinewes, and causeth them to become - softe and right. - - ¶ It heleth the febres tertiana and quartana, when it is dronke - an houre before, or the febres becometh on a body. - - ¶ It heleth the venymous bytes, and also of a madde dogge, whan - they be wasshed therwith. - - ¶ It heleth all stynkyng woundes whan they be wasshed therwith.” - -From use in medicine, Aqua Vitæ soon came into domestic use, and here -is given one of Iherom Bruynswyke’s “Styllatoryes,” which he says was -the “comon fornays” which was “well beknowen amonge the potters, made of -erthe leded or glased, and it may be removed from the one place to the -other.” - -[Illustration] - -It was in a still of this sort that the old housewives of the sixteenth -and succeeding centuries used to concoct their strong and cordial -waters—a practice which has given, and left to, our own times, the -name of “Still-room,” as the housekeeper’s own particular domain. -They experimented on almost every herb that grew, and some of their -concoctions must have been exceedingly nasty. Yet some of their recipes -read as if they were comforting, and they were not deficient in variety. - -Heywood, in his _Philocothonista_, or _The Drunkard, Opened, Dissected, -and Anatomized_, 1635, p. 48, mentions some of them. “To add to these -chiefe and multiplicitie of wines before named, yet there be Stills and -Limbecks going, swetting out _Aqua Vitæ_ and strong waters deriving -their names from _Cynamon_, _Lemmons_, _Balme_, _Angelica_, _Aniseed_, -_Stomach Water_, _Hunni_, etc. And to fill up the number, we have plenty -of _Vsque-ba’ha_.” - -The old housewives’ books of the latter end of the sixteenth century, -until much later, are still in existence, and from them we may learn many -drinks of our forefathers, how to make _Ipocras_ (_very good_, especially -when taken in a “Loving Cup”), to clarify _Whey_, to make _Buttered -Beer_, _Sirrop of Roses or Violets_, _Rosa Solis_, _a Caudle for an old -Man_, or to distil _Spirits of Spices_, _Spirits of Wine tasting of -what Vegetable you please_, _Balme Water_, _Rosemary Water_, _Sinamon -Water_, _Aqua Rubea_, Spirits of Hony, Rose Water, _Vinegar_, very many -scents, and a distillation called _Aqua Composita_, which entered into -many receipts. There are many formulæ for this, but Bruynswyke gives the -following:— - - “AQUA VITE COMPOSITA. - - “The same water is made some time of wyne with spyces onely, - sometyme with wyne and rotes of the herbes, sometyme with the - herbes, some tyme with the rotes and herbes togyder, for at all - tymes thereto must be stronge wyne. - - “Take a gallon of strong Gascoigne wine, and Sage, Mints, - Red Roses, Time, Pellitorie, Rosemarie, Wild Thime, Camomil, - Lavender, of eche an handfull. These herbes shal be stamped all - togyder in a Morter, and then putte it in a clene vessell and - do herto a pynte of Rose Water, and a quart of romney,[56] and - then stoppe it close and let it stand so iii or iiii dayes. - Whan ye have so done, put all this togyder in a styllatory and - dystyll water of the same; than take your dystylled water, and - pore it upon the herbes agayne into the styllatory, and strewe - upon it these powders followynge. - - ¶ Fyrst cloves and cynamon, of eche an halfe ounce, Oryous[57] - an ounce, and a few Maces, nutmeggs halfe an ounce, a lytell - saffran, muscus, spica nardi, ambre, and some put campher in - it, bycawse the materyals be so hote. Stere[58] all the same - well togyder and dystylle it clene of, tyll it come fat lyke - oyle, than set awaye your water, and let it be wel kepte. - After that make a stronge fyre, and dystyll oyle of it, and - receyve it in a fyole,[59] this oyle smelleth above all oyles, - and he that letteth one droppe fall on his hande, it will - perce through. It is wonderfull good, excellynge many other - soveraygne oyles to dyvers dysseases.” - -Although the Still-room was serviceable for medicinal purposes, yet, -as we have seen, there were many comforting drinks made, including -_Vsquebath, or Irish aqua vitæ_ (a recipe for which we will give in its -proper place), and doubtless this contributed much towards the tippling -habit of some ladies in the 17th and 18th centuries. We hear somewhat of -this in the reign of good Queen Anne (who, by the bye, was irreverently -termed “Brandy-faced Nan”), when they used to make, and drink, _Ratifia -of Apricocks_, _Fenouillette of Rhé_, _Millefleurs_, _Orangiat_, -_Burgamot_, _Pesicot_, and _Citron Water_, etc., etc., numerous allusions -to which are made in the pages of “The Spectator,” and other literature -of the times. Edward Ward, who had no objection to call a spade, a -spade, thus plainly speaks out.[60] - -“It would make a Man smile to behold her Figure in a front Box, where -her twinkling Eyes, by her Afternoon’s Drams of Ratifee and cold Tea, -sparkle more than her Pendants.... Her closet is always as well stor’d -with Juleps, Restoratives, and Strong Waters, as an Apothecary’s Shop, -or a Distiller’s Laboratory; and is, herself, so notable a Housewife in -the Art of preparing them, that she has a larger Collection of Chemical -Receipts than a Dutch Mountebank.... As soon as she rises, she must have -a Salutary Dram to keep her Stomach from the Cholick; a Whet before she -eats, to procure Appetite; after eating, a plentiful Dose for Concoction; -and to be sure a Bottle of Brandy under her Bed side for fear of fainting -in the Night.” - -There is no necessity to multiply instances of the feminine liking -for brandy, for everyone finds numerous examples in his reading, from -Juliet’s nurse,[61] who, after Tybalt’s death, says, “Give me some -_aqua vitæ_,” to old Lady Clermont, of whom Grantley Berkeley tells the -following story[62]:— - -“Prominent among my earliest Brighton reminiscences are those of old Lady -Clermont, who was a frequent guest at the Pavilion. Her physician had -recommended a moderate use of stimulants, to supply that energy which was -deficient in her system, and brandy had been suggested in a prescribed -quantity, to be mixed with her tea. I remember well having my curiosity -excited by this, to me, novel form of taking medicine, and holding on -by the back of a chair to watch the _modus operandi_. Very much to my -astonishment, the patient held a liqueur bottle over a cup of tea, and -began to pour out its contents, with a peculiar purblind look, upon the -_back_ of a teaspoon. Presently, she seemed suddenly to become aware of -what she was about, turned up the spoon the right way, and carefully -measured, and added the quantity to which she had been restricted. The -Tea, so strongly ‘laced,’ she now drank with great apparent gusto.” - -We derive our name of Brandy from the Dutch _brand-wijn_, or the German -brannt-wein, that is, _burnt_ or distilled _wine_; and in the 17th and -18th centuries it was generally spelt, and spoken of as brandy wine. But, -also, in those centuries was it known by the name of “Nantz,” from the -town (Nantes, the capital of the Loire Inferieure) whence it came. But -this name was changed early last century, when the trade left Nantes, and -got into the Charente district, of which Cognac was the centre; so what -used to be “right good Nantz” of the old smuggling days, turned into the -delicate, many-starred “Cognac” of our times. - -It was an eminently respectable spirit. Whiskey was practically unknown -out of Scotland and Ireland. Gin was the drink of the common people, and -rum was considered only fit for sailors. Even Dr. Johnson, though so fond -of his tea, was also fond of brandy, as Boswell chronicles of him, when -in his 70th year: “On Wednesday, April 7, I dined with him at Sir Joshua -Reynolds’s. Johnson harangued upon the qualities of different liquors; -and spoke with great contempt of claret, as so weak, that ‘a man would -be drowned by it, before it made him drunk.’ He was persuaded to drink -one glass of it, that he might judge, not from recollection, which might -be dim, but from immediate sensation. He shook his head, and said, ‘Poor -stuff! No, sir, claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who -aspires to be a hero’ (smiling) ‘must drink brandy. In the first place -the flavour of brandy is the most grateful to the palate, and then brandy -will do soonest for a man what drinking _can_ do for him. There are, -indeed, few who are able to drink brandy. That is a power rather to be -wished for than attained.’” - -And two years later on he gives another illustration of the doctor’s -liking for strong potations. “Mr. Eliot mentioned a curious liquor -peculiar to his country, which the Cornish fishermen drink. They call it -_Mahogany_; and it is made of two parts gin and one part treacle, well -beaten together. I begged to have some of it made, which was done with -proper skill by Mr. Eliot. I thought it very good liquor, and said it was -a counterpart of what is called _Athol porridge_[63] in the Highlands of -Scotland, which is a mixture of whiskey and honey. Johnson said ‘That -must be a better liquor than the Cornish, for both its component parts -are better.’ He also observed, ‘_Mahogany_ must be a modern name; for it -is not long since the wood called mahogany was known in this country. I -mentioned his scale of liquors: Claret for boys—port for men—brandy for -heroes. ‘Then,’ said Mr. Burke, ‘let me have claret; I love to be a boy; -to have the careless gaiety of boyish days,’ Johnson: ‘I should drink -claret too, if it would give me that; but it does not; it neither makes -boys men, nor men boys. You’ll be drowned in it before it has any effect -upon you.’” - -But it was the spirit always drunk by gentlemen until well on in this -century, as we see by Mr. Pickwick, whose constant resource in all cases -of difficulty, was a glass of brandy. Pale brandy was not so much drank -as brown, which is now only taken, when very old, as a liqueur, although -a brown brandy of very dubious quality is to be met with in some country -public houses. Brandy, like every other spirit, developes its ethers with -age, gets mellower, and of exquisite flavour; and its popularity would -undoubtedly be revived if the drinker were only sure he could get such -brandy as the many starred brands of Hennessy and Martell, instead of -that awful substitute so often given—British brandy, made of raw potato -spirit. - -The soil of the Charente slope is particularly adapted to the growth of -the vine, although, as in all vine-growing countries some districts, and -even small patches of land, produce finer wine than others. The grapes -are white, not much larger than good-sized currants, and the vines seldom -bear fruit until four or five years from their planting, and are most -vigorous at the age of from ten to thirty. Many bear well up to fifty and -seventy, and some are fruitful at one hundred years or more. - -As a rule, the large firms do not distil the brandy they sell, but leave -that operation to the small farmers round about, and then blend their -products; as, to produce the quantity they sell, enormous distilling -space would be necessary, wine only producing one-eighth or one-tenth of -alcohol to its bulk. The farmer’s distillery is very primitive; merely -a simple boiler with a head or receiver, and a worm surrounded with -cold water. There are generally two of these stills at work, and when -once the farmer commences making his brandy, he keeps on day and night, -bivouacking near the stills, until he has converted all his wine into -crude spirit, as colourless as water, which he carts off, just as it is, -to the brandy factory for sale. There it is tasted, measured, and put -into new casks of oak, hooped round with chestnut wood. These casks are -branded with the date, together with the quality and place of growth of -the wine from which the brandy was distilled, and they remain some time -in stock before their contents are blended in the proportions which the -firm deem suitable. - -This new spirit is housed on a floor over large vats, which are filled -from selected casks, the spirit being filtered through flannel discs on -its way. This mixes the various growths pretty well, but the spirit is -run into other vats, being forced through filters of a peculiar kind of -paper, almost like paste-board. When it gets to the second series of -vats, it is kept well stirred, to prevent the heavier spirit sinking to -the bottom. It is then drawn off into casks, which are bunged up, and -stored for several years that the brandy may mature, and that the fusel -oil may develope into the ethyls, which give such flavour and fragrance -to the brandy. - -Perhaps the oldest house in the Cognac district is Hennessy’s, but it -would be invidious to say that their brandy was superior either to -Martell’s, Otard and Dupuy’s, the Société Vignicole, Courvoisier, or many -other firms. That must be left to individual taste. But from these firms -we can rely on having pure unadulterated brandies, the pure product of -the vine, without any admixture of grain or beet spirit. At one time, -adulteration was rife among the farmers, but in 1857 and 1858 several of -them were prosecuted, and they are now credited with having abjured their -evil ways. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -GIN. - - Massinger’s _Duke of Milan_—Pope’s _Epilogue to Satires_—The - _Dunciad_—William III.—Lord Hervey—Sir R. Walpole—The Fall of - Madame Geneva—Hogarth’s Gin Lane—Schiedam Adulteration—Gin - Sling—Captain Dudley Bradstreet—Tom and Jerry Hawthorn. - - -Gin is an alcoholic drink distilled from malt or from unmalted barley or -other grain, and afterwards rectified and flavoured. The word is French, -_genièvre_, juniper, corrupted into _Geneva_, and subsequently into its -present form. It is to the berries of the juniper that the best Hollands -owes its flavour. - -Perhaps one of the earliest allusions to gin is in Massinger’s _Duke of -Milan_ (1623), Act I., scene i., when Graccho, a creature of Mariana, -says to the courtier Julio, of a chance drunkard, - - “Bid him sleep; - ’Tis a sign he has ta’en his liquor, and if you meet - An officer preaching of sobriety, - Unless he read it in Geneva print, - Lay him by the heels.” - -In this extract the word is played upon, Geneva suggesting both the habit -of spirit-drinking and Calvinistic doctrine. - -When Pope wrote, the corrupted word “Gin” had become common. In the -_Epilogue to the Satires_, I. 130. - - “Vice thus abused, demands a nation’s care; - This calls the Church to deprecate our sin, - And hurls the thunder of our laws on gin.” - -Pope has added a note to this passage, to the effect that gin had almost -destroyed the lowest rank of the people before it was restrained by -Parliament in 1736. - -Another early allusion to Geneva is to be found in _Carmina -Quadragesimalia_, Oxford, 1723, vol. i., p. 7, in a copy of verses -contributed by Salusbury Cade, elected from Westminster to Ch. Ch. in -1714. - -The thesis of which Salusbury Cade maintained the affirmative, is whether -life consists in heat, or in the original _An vita consistat in calore?_ - - “Dum tremula hyberno Dipsas superimminet igni - Et dextra cyathum sustinet, ore tubum, - Alternis vicibus fumos hauritque, bibitque, - Quam dat arundo sitim grata Geneva levat. - Languenti hic ingens stomacho est fultura, nec alvus - Nunc Hypochondriacis flatibus ægra tumet. - Liberior fluit in tepido nunc corpore sanguis, - Hinc nova vis membris et novus inde calor. - Si quando audieris vetulam hanc periisse: Genevæ - Dicas ampullam non renovasse suam.” - -Which being Englished, is - - “Dipsas, who shivers by her wintry fire, - While her pipe’s smoke ascends in spire on spire, - Alternate puffs and drinks—Geneva lays - That thirst the weed is wont in her to raise. - With this her belly propped, its pain expels; - Intestine wind no more her stomach swells; - A freer blood runs leaping through her frame, - New heat, new strength recalls the ancient game. - And should you hear she’s dead, the cause you’ll know - Was that Geneva in her jug ran low.” - -In the _Dunciad_, which Pope wrote in 1726 (book iii., l. 143), we read,— - - “A second see, by meeker manners known, - And modest as the maid that sips alone; - From the strong fate of drams if thou get free, - Another D’Urfey, Ward! shall sing in thee! - Thee shall each ale-house, thee each gill-house[64] mourn, - And answering gin-shops sourer sighs return.” - -An early allusion to Geneva is in a poem by Alexander Blunt, Distiller, -8vo, 1729, price 6_d._, called “Geneva,” addressed to the Right -Honourable Sir R⸺ W⸺. It commences, - - “Thy virtues, O Geneva! yet unsung - By ancient or by modern bard, the muse - In verse sublime shall celebrate. And thou - O W⸺ statesman most profound! vouchsafe - To lend a gracious ear: for fame reports - That thou with zeal assiduous dost attempt - Superior to _Canary_ or _Champaigne_ - Geneva salutiferous to enhance; - To rescue it from hand of porter vile, - And basket woman, and to the bouffet - Of lady delicate and courtier grand - Exalt it; well from thee may it assume - The glorious modern name of _royal_ BOB!” - -Though “Brandy cognac, Jamaica Rum, and costly Arrack” are alluded to, -there is no mention of Hollands in the poem, which is a defence of -_Geneva_ against _ale_. - -In this poem a statement is contained that Geneva was introduced by -William III., and that he himself drank it. - - “Great Nassau, - Immortal name! Britain’s deliverer - From slavery, from wooden shoes and chains, - Dungeons and fire; attendants on the sway - Of tyrants bigotted and zeal accurst, - Of holy butchers, prelates insolent, - Despotic and bloodthirsty! He who did - Expiring liberty revive (who wrought - Salvation wondrous!) God-like hero! He - It was, who to compleat our happiness - With liberty, restored Geneva introduced. - O Britons. O my countrymen can you - To glorious William now commence ingrates - And spurn his ashes? Can you vilify - The sovereign cordial he has pointed out, - Which by your own misconduct only can - Prove detrimental? Martial William drank - Geneva, yet no age could ever boast - A braver prince than he. Within his breast - Glowed every royal virtue! Little sign, - O Genius of _malt liquor_! that Geneva - Debilitates the limbs and health impairs - And mind enervates. Men for learning famed - And skill in medicine prescribed it then - Frequent in recipe, nor did it want - Success to recommend its virtues vast - To late posterity.” - -In 1736 Lord Hervey, describing the state of England, says: The -drunkenness of the common people was so universal by the retailing a -liquor called Gin, with which they could get drunk for a groat, that the -whole town of London and many towns in the country swarmed with drunken -people from morning till night, and were more like a scene of a Bacchanal -than the residence of a civil society. - -Retailers exhibited placards in their windows, intimating that people -might get drunk for the sum of 1_d._ and that clean straw would be -provided for customers in the most comfortable of cellars. - -On Feb. 20, 1736, in the ninth year of George II., a petition of the -Justices of the Peace for Middlesex against the excessive use of -spirituous liquors was presented to the House of Commons, setting forth: -That the drinking of Geneva and other distilled spirituous liquors had -greatly increased, especially among the people of inferior rank, that -the constant and excessive use thereof had destroyed thousands of his -Majesty’s subjects, debauching their morals, etc., that the “pernicious -liquor” was then sold not only by the distillers and Geneva shops, but -many other persons of inferior trades, “by which means journeymen, -apprentices and servants were drawn in to taste, and by degrees to like, -approve, and immoderately to drink thereof,” and that the petitioners -therefore prayed that the House would take the premises into their -serious consideration, etc. The House having resolved itself into a -committee on Feb. 23, Sir Joseph Jekyll moved the following resolutions: -(1) That the low price of spirituous liquors is the principal inducement -to the excessive and pernicious use thereof. (2) That a discouragement -should be given to their use by a duty. (3) That the vending, etc., -of such liquors be restrained to persons keeping public brandy-shops, -victualling houses, coffee houses, ale houses and inn-holders, and to -such apothecaries and surgeons as should make use of the same by way of -medicine only; and, (4) That no person keeping a public brandy-shop, -etc., should be permitted to vend, etc., such liquors, but by licence -with duty payable thereon. These Resolutions were agreed on without -debate. - -On March 8, Mr. William Pulteney affixed a duty of 20_s._ per gallon on -gin, on the grounds of ancient use and sanction, and of its reducing many -thousands of families at once to a state of despair. - -Sir Robert Walpole had no immediate concern in the laying of this tax -on spirituous liquors, but suffered therefrom much unmerited obloquy. -The bill was presented by Jekyll from a spirit of philanthropy, which -led him to contemplate with horror the progress of vice that marked the -popular attachment to this inflammatory poison. The populace showed their -disapprobation of this Act in their usual fashion of riot and violence. -We are told in Coxe’s Walpole that numerous desperados continued the -clandestine sale of gin in defiance of every restriction. - -The duty of 20_s._ per gallon was repealed 16 Geo. II., c. 8. On the 28th -of September, 1736, it was deemed necessary to send a detachment of -sixty soldiers from Kensington to protect the house of Sir Joseph Jekyll, -the Master of the Rolls, in Chancery Lane, from the violence threatened -by the populace against this eminent lawyer. Two soldiers with their -bayonets fixed were planted as sentinels at the little door next Chancery -Lane, and the great doors were shut up, the rest of the soldiers kept -garrison in the stables in the yard. - -This agitation gave rise to many a ballad and broadside, such as the -“Fall of Bob,” or the “Oracle of Gin,” a tragedy; and “Desolation, or the -Fall of Gin,” a poem. - - THE LAMENTABLE FALL OF MADAME GENEVA.—_29 Sept., 1736._[65] - - The Woman holds a song to yᵉ tune to yᵉ Children in yᵉ Wood. - - “Good lack, good lack, and Well-a-day, - That Madame Gin should fall: - Superior Powers she must obey. - This Act will starve us all.” - - The Man has the second part to yᵉ same tune. - - “Th’ Afflicted she has caus’d to sing, - The Cripple leap and dance; - All those who die for love of Gin - Go to Heaven in a Trance.” - - -[Illustration] - -Underneath are the following verses— - - “The Scene appears, and Madame’s Crew - In deep Despair, Exposed to view. - See Tinkers, Cobblers, and cold Watchmen, - With B⸺s and W⸺s as drunk as Dutchmen. - All mingling with the Common Throng, - Resort to hear her Passing Song. - - “Whilst Mirth suppress’d by Parliament, - In Sober Sadness all lament, - Pursued by Jekyl’s indignation, - She’s brought to utter desolation. - With Oaths they storm their Monarch’s name, - And curse their Hands that form’d the Scheme. - - “All Billingsgate their Case Bemoan, - And Rag-fair Change in Mourning’s hung; - Queen Gin, for whom they’d sacrifice - Their Shirts and Smocks, nay, both their Eyes. - Rather than She want Contribution, - They’d trudge the Streets without their shoes on.” - -The following verses on the Gin Act, in 1736, are supposed by John -Nichols to be the production of Dr. Johnson. - - “Pensilibus fusis cyatho comitata supremo, - Terribili fremitu stridula mæret anus. - O longum formosa vale mihi vita decusque, - Fida comes mensæ fida comesque tori! - Eheu quam longo tecum consumerer ævo, - Heu quam tristitiæ dulce lenimen eras. - Æternum direpta mihi, sed quid moror istis, - Stat, fixum est, nequeunt jam revocare preces; - I, quoniam sic fata vocant, liceat mihi tantum, - Vivere te viva te moriente mori.” - -A clever cento from the Latin poets, which may be thus represented in -English:— - - “... Left with her last glass alone, - Thus loud laments her lot, the squeaking crone: - Farewell, my life and beauty, thou art sped, - Faithful companion of my board and bed! - My earthly term fain with thee would I live, - Who to my sorrowing heart can’st solace give. - Bereft of gin, alas! am I for aye! - The Act is passed. ’Tis all in vain to pray. - Go where the Fates may call, and know that I - Living, with thee would live, and dying, die!” - -Hogarth’s Gin Lane was advertised in 1751, with a note that, as its -subject was calculated to reform some reigning vices peculiar to the -lower class of people, in hopes to render them of more extensive use, the -author had published them in the cheapest manner possible. “The cheapest -manner possible” was one shilling which in those days was a fairly good -price for a print. The following lame and defamatory verse was composed -for the occasion by the Rev. James Townley:— - - “GIN LANE. - - Gin, cursed fiend, with fury fraught, - Makes human race a prey; - It enters by a deadly draught, - And steals our life away. - Virtue and Truth, driven to despair, - Its rage compels to fly; - But cherishes, with hellish care, - Theft, murder, perjury. - Damned cup, that on the vitals preys, - That liquid fire contains; - Which madness to the heart conveys, - And rolls it through the veins.” - -Hogarth tells us that in Gin Lane every circumstance of the horrid -effects of gin drinking is brought to view _in terrorem_. Idleness, -poverty, misery, and distress, which drives even to madness and death, -are the only objects that are to be seen; and not a house in tolerable -condition but the pawnbrokers and gin shop. The same moral is taught by -Cruikshank, but not before his conversion to teetotalism. - -Schiedam is the metropolis of gin, and its numerous distilleries are -omnivorous, taking with equal relish cargoes of rye and buckwheat -from Russia, and damaged rice or any cereal from other countries, and -sometimes also potato spirit from Hamburg. - -The distillery of De Kuypers is probably that of the greatest note, and -that firm’s black square bottles, packed in cases filled with hemp husks, -are known all over the world. In Africa “square face” is king, but he -frequently holds some counterfeit liquor, even sometimes the vilest of -Cape Smoke. - -Schiedam is the Mecca of the Dutchman, the birthplace of his beloved -Schnapps. This drink is always acceptable, and fifty good reasons exist -for drinking it. - -The chief varieties of the aromatised popular spirit called gin are now -known as Geneva, Hollands, and Schiedam. It is current in some parts of -Africa as a species of coin. - -Since, however, every distiller varies his materials and their -proportions, the species of this beverage are practically unlimited. -Generally, however, the distinction is clear between Hollands or Dutch -and English gin. The former is commonly purer than the highly flavoured -and too frequently adulterated British product. - -The matters employed in the adulteration are very many. Corianders, -crushed almond cake, angelica root powdered, liquorice, cardamoms, -cassia, cinnamon, grains of paradise, and cayenne pepper, and many -more substances take the place of the berries of the juniper tree. As -these substances frequently produce a cloudy appearance, the liquid is -subsequently refined by other adulterants, such as alum, sulphate of -zinc, and acetate of lead. - -The variety of gin dear to ancient beldams, which is known as Cordial, is -more highly sweetened and aromatized than the ordinary quality. - -The alcoholic strength of gin as commonly sold ranges from 22 to 48 -degrees. The amount of sugar varies between 2 and 9 per cent. - -Gin is a beneficial diuretic, but the compounds sold under that name are -too often detrimental in their effects. - -A popular drink called gin-sling takes its name from John Collins, -formerly a celebrated waiter in Limmer’s old house. The old lines on this -drink ran as follows:— - - “My name is John Collins, head waiter at Limmer’s, - Corner of Conduit Street, Hanover Square. - My chief occupation is filling of brimmers - For all the young gentlemen frequenters there.” - -The poetry is very far from bad, and so was the liquor. It was a -composition of gin, soda water, lemon, and sugar. John was abbreviated to -gin and Collins to sling. - -Gin has had many popular names, but why gin should be called Old Tom -by the publicans and lower orders of London has sometimes puzzled those -who are inquisitive enough to consider the subject etymologically. The -answer may, perhaps, be found in a curious book, called “The Life and -Uncommon Adventures of Captain Dudley Bradstreet, Dublin, 1755.” Captain -Dudley, a government spy of the Count Fathom species, after declaring -that the selling of Geneva in a less quantity than two gallons had been -prohibited, says: “Most of the gaols were full, on account of this Act, -and it occurred to me to venture upon the trade. I got an acquaintance to -rent a house in Blue Anchor Alley, in St. Luke’s parish, who privately -conveyed his bargain to me: I then got it well secured, and laid out in -a bed and other furniture five pounds, in provision and drink that would -keep, about two pounds, and purchased in Moorfields the sign of a cat and -had it nailed to a street window. I then caused a leaden pipe, the small -end out about an inch, to be placed under the paw of the cat, the end -that was within had a funnel to it. - -“When my house was ready for business I inquired what distiller in London -was most famous for good gin, and was assured by several that it was Mr. -L⸺dale, in Holborn.[66] To him I went, and laid out thirteen pounds.... -The cargo was sent to my house, at the back of which there was a way to -go in or out. When the liquor was properly disposed, I got a person to -inform a few of the mob that gin would be sold by the cat at my window -next day, provided they put the money in his mouth, from whence there was -a hole which conveyed it to me.” This, by the way, is a rare anticipation -of our automatic sweetstuff, scent, and other machines. To continue: -“At night I took possession of my den, and got up early next morning -to be ready for custom. It was over three hours before anybody called, -which made me almost despair of the project; at last I heard the chink -of money and a comfortable voice say, ‘Puss, give me two pennyworth of -gin!’ I instantly put my mouth to the tube and bid them receive it from -the pipe under her paw”—the cat seems to have changed its sex in this -short interval of time—“and then measured and poured it into the funnel, -from whence they soon received it. Before night I took six shillings, the -next day about thirty shillings, and afterwards three or four pounds a -day. From all parts of London people used to resort to me in such numbers -that my neighbours could scarcely get in and out of their houses. After -this manner I went on for a month, in which time I cleared upwards of -two-and-twenty pounds.” - -So far Captain Bradstreet, “but,” says the Editor of _Notes & Queries_, -“the ghost of ‘old Tom Hodges’ will probably enter a protest against -Captain Bradstreet’s cat.” - -Another popular name for gin was used when Corinthian Tom and Jerry -Hawthorn visited Bob Logic in the Fleet. Bob says, “Let us spend the -day comfortably, and in the evening I will introduce you both to my -friend the haberdasher. He is a good whistler,[67] and his shop always -abounds with some prime articles that you will like to look at....” A -glass or two of wine made them as gay as larks, and a hint from Jerry to -Logic about the whistler brought them into the shop of the latter in a -twinkling. - -Hawthorne, with great surprise, said, “Where are we? This is no -haberdasher’s. It’s a ⸺” - -“No nosing, Jerry,” replied Logic, with a grin; “you’re wrong, the man is -a dealer in tape.” - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -WHISKEY. - - _Uisge-beatha_—“My Stint”—Its Manufacture—Good and Bad—Early - Mentions of Whiskey—Materials used in its Manufacture—St. - Thorwald—Duncan Forbes and Ferrintosh—Duty on Whiskey—Silent - Spirit—Artificial Maturing. - - -No matter in what country, wherever it was known, alcohol has been hailed -as the Water of Life, even in the Gaelic. _Uisge-beatha_, or, as we term -it, whiskey, bears literally that interpretation. This is “the wine of -the country,” both in Ireland and Scotland, and the quantities drank, -without any apparently hurtful effect, is astonishing to a southern -Englishman. Northwards, on the border land, it is a question whether more -whiskey is not drunk, _pro rata_, than in Scotland. - -Still, even there, every one is not gifted, as was the Irishman spoken -of by John Wilson Croker. He tells the story of a lawsuit, in which a -life insurance company disputed a claim, on the ground that the death was -caused by excessive drinking. One witness for the plaintiff was called, -who deposed that, for the last eighteen years of his life, he had been in -the nightly habit of imbibing _twenty-four tumblers of whiskey punch_. -The cross-examining counsel wished to know whether he would swear to -that, or whether he ever overstepped that limit. The witness replied that -he was upon his oath, and would swear no farther; “for I never kept count -beyond the two dozen, though there is no saying how many beyond I might -drink to make myself comfortable; but _that’s my stint_.” - -Good whiskey should be made solely from the finest barley malt, and is so -made by the largest and best distillers; but the smaller ones, and those -who are in a hurry to get rich by any means, use all kinds of refuse -grain, and produce a spirit which, if drank new, is neither more nor less -than rank poison. The fusel oil, which is present in all distillations -from grain, requires time to resolve itself into those delicate ethers, -which, while enhancing the flavour and bouquet of the spirit, are -harmless. Good whiskey, properly matured, mixed with a sufficient -quantity of water, and used in moderation, is a good and a wholesome -drink, acting also in lieu of food. - -When this life-giving liquor was discovered is uncertain. Edward Campion, -in his _History of Ireland_, 1633, speaking of a famine which happened in -1316, says that it was caused by the soldiers eating flesh and drinking -_aqua vitæ_ in Lent; and, in another place, he states that a knight, -called Savage, who lived in 1350, having prepared an army against the -Irish, allowed to every soldier, before he buckled with the enemy, a -mighty draught of _aqua vitæ_, wine, or old ale. - -Walter Harris, in his _Hibernica_, 1757, says that in the reign of Henry -VIII. it was decreed that there be but one maker of _aqua vitæ_ in every -borough town, upon pain of 6_s._ 8_d._; and that no _wheaten malt_ go -to any Irishman’s country, upon pain of forfeiture of the same in value, -except only bread, ale, or _aqua vitæ_. - -In a little book, _Delightes for Ladies_, etc., 1602, is the following -recipe for _Usquebath, or Irish Aqua Vitæ_:— - -“To every gallon of good Aqua Composita, put two ounces of chosen -liquerice, bruised and cut into small peeces, but first clensed from all -his filth, and two ounces of Annis seeds that are cleane and bruised. Let -them macerate five or six daies in a wodden Vessel, stopping the same -close, and then draw off as much as will runne cleere, dissolving in that -cleare Aqua Vitæ five or six spoonfuls of the best Malassoes you can get; -Spanish cute, if you can get it, is thought better than Malassoes; then -put this into another vessell; and after three or foure daies (the more -the better), when the liquor hath fined itself, you may use the same; -some add Dates and Raisons of the Sun to this receipt: those groundes -which remaine, you may redistill, and make more Aqua Composita of them, -and of that Aqua Composita you may make more Usquebath.” - -The distillation of whiskey in Ireland, on a large scale, is of -comparatively modern date, the _poteen_ having been manufactured in -illicit stills, in inaccessible and unhandy places. Now, Roe’s distillery -turns out over two million gallons a year, and Jameson’s more than a -million and a half. The whiskey made by these firms, that of Sir John -Power & Sons, and some others, is distilled from pure malt; but there are -many distilleries that send out a spirit made from molasses, beet-root, -potatoes, and other things, which cannot possibly be called whiskey, -which has brought Irish whiskey somewhat into disrepute, to the great -advantage of the Scotch distillers. Again, unmalted grain is used, which -gives a practically tasteless spirit, which is almost entirely deficient -in the grateful ethers, and is only so much raw alcohol and water, a very -different article to that which occasioned the following verses:— - - “Oh, Whiskey Punch, I love you much, for you’re the very thing, - To level all distinctions ’twixt a beggar and a king. - You lift me up so aisy, and so softly let me down, - That the devil a hair I care what I wear, a caubeen or a crown. - - “While you’re a-coorsin’ through my veins I feel mighty pleasant, - That I cannot just exactly tell whether I’m a prince or peasant; - Maybe I’m one, maybe the other, but that gives me small trouble, - By the Powers! I believe I’m both on ’em, for I think I’m seein’ - double.” - -Scotch whiskey is the same as Irish, and should be similarly made from -pure malted barley. No one knows when it was first made; but, until -the time of the Pretender, it was hardly known in the Lowlands, being -a drink strictly of the Highlanders. There is a tradition of a certain -St. Thorwald, whose name may be sought for in vain in the pages of Alban -Butler, who had a cell in the side of a hill looking upon the Esk. He -is said to have possessed a wonderful elixir, famous for curing all -diseases, and, consequently, he was resorted to by pilgrims both far and -near. Could it be that he had a whiskey still? We know not; but to this -day a spring on the site of his hermitage helps to supply the Langholm -distillery. - -Perhaps the earliest historical account of Scotch whiskey is the grant, -in 1690, to Duncan Forbes of Culloden, in consideration of his services -to William III., of the privilege of distilling whiskey, duty free, -in the barony of Ferrintosh. Naturally, a number of distilleries were -erected there, and Ferrintosh became the generic term for whiskey. In -1785 this grant was annulled on payment of £20,000 to the representatives -of Duncan Forbes, a proceeding which Robert Burns thus wrote about, in -his “Scotch Drink”:— - - “Thee, Ferrintosh! O sadly lost! - Scotland laments from coast to coast! - Now colic-grips an’ barkin’ hoast - May kill us a’; - For loyal Forbes’ _chartered boast_ - Is ta’en awa’.” - -The Highland risings made the Lowlanders more familiar with this spirit; -but it was a long time before the drink became general, and a far longer -before it was generally introduced into England. “Bonnie Prince Charlie” -got too fond of it, and his affection for strong drinks was life-long. -George IV., on his visit to Scotland, thought the best way to popularise -himself on his arrival was to call for, and drink, a glass of whiskey; -and even our good Queen has tasted “Athol-brose.” - -The manufacture of whiskey was encouraged for several reasons: first, -that it gave employment; secondly, that it used up large quantities of -grain, to the benefit of the farmer; and thirdly, it was hoped that -it would, in many cases, supersede the French brandy, which was most -extensively smuggled. But Government imposed so high a duty, that illicit -stills sprang up everywhere, and contraband whiskey was universally -drank, the smugglers openly bringing their wares down south, and in such -force as to defy the Excise, and frequently the military. A wise step was -then taken, and in 1823 the excise duty was lowered from 6_s._ 2_d._ to -2_s._ 4¾_d._ per imperial gallon, a proceeding which, in a year, doubled -the output of exciseable spirits; but, by degrees, fiscal exigencies have -raised it to 10_s._ per proof gallon. Now, the quantity of home-made -spirits on which duty was paid for the year ending 31st March, 1890, is -as follows:— - - England. Scotland. Ireland. - _Galls._ _Galls._ _Galls._ - 12,636,060 9,463,012 7,521,998 - -or in all, 29,621,070 gallons, yielding a revenue of £14,810,522. - -It would be invidious to particularize any of the large Scotch -distilleries, which mostly owe their fame to the excellence of their -malt and the extreme purity of their water, together with the fact that -peat is extensively used as fuel, even to the drying of the malt; but -“Glenlivet” has a name as world-wide as “Ferrintosh.” Do we not read in -the _Bon Gaultier Ballads_ that— - - “Fhairhson had a son - Who married Noah’s daughter, - And nearly spoiled ta flood, - By trinking up ta water; - Which he would have done, - I at least pelieve it, - Had ta mixture peen - Only half Glenlivet”? - -It was such a famous place that, according to the _Ordnance Gazetteer of -Scotland_, there were as many as 200 illicit stills there, in brisk work, -at the beginning of the present century. - -“Small still” whiskey is undoubtedly the best, for only good materials -can be used, as the distillation carries over the flavour of the malt. -Hear what Dr. Thudicum says[68]:— - -“The product of the patent still derives its name from the fact that it -is mere alcohol and water, having no distinctive qualities, telling no -tales to nose or palate of the source from which it was obtained, and -hence, in the almost poetic spirit of the trade, it is commonly called -‘silent spirit.’ The owner of a patent still, instead of being confined, -like a whiskey distiller, to the use of the best materials, is able to -make his spirit from any, even spoiled and waste, materials, and with -little reference to any other quality than cheapness. The worst of the -spirit thus produced is fit only for methylation, preparatory for being -used for trade purposes, exclusive of consumption as a beverage. When -intended for a beverage, it must be rectified and flavoured. It thus -serves as a basis for the implanting of artificial flavours, which may -be those of sham whiskey, sham brandy, or sham rum.... - -“The presence of grain ethers is the condition of the genuineness of -whiskey. Silent spirit, on the other hand, undergoes no change by -keeping, and must be flavoured to become drinkable. For that purpose it -is either made smoky, to become like Scotch, or it is mixed with Irish -pot whiskey, to become like Irish whiskey.” - -There is yet another and a newer way of altering whiskey, which was shown -in the Brewers’ Exhibition at Islington, October, 1890, and described -in an advertisement in a morning paper as “A Transformation Scene; no -Pantomime.” This new process of maturing spirits is by subjecting them -to the action of compressed air confined in a close chamber. Nothing but -atmospheric air is used, which is filtered through pure water before -being compressed. The air chamber shown was a cylindrical vessel, which, -in practice, would be some twelve feet high or more. It is supplied with -a finely perforated floor, at a convenient distance below the top, and -it has, besides, one or two lower floors of metallic gauze. The cylinder -is charged with the liquor to be treated, and the compressed air is -then let into it. The taps having been closed on the completion of this -operation, a rotary pump keeps the liquor in continuous circulation as -it passes through the floors in the form of a fine shower. As soon as -it reaches the gauze floor it breaks up into spray, and, in this minute -state of sub-division, it is acted on by the condensed air. This air, -rising through a pipe, collects at the top of the cylinder, and in that -way it is prevented from interfering with the steady flow of the shower. -A slight circulation of the air is at the same time promoted. On the -process being completed, the liquor is run into casks, and the air which -remains in the vessel is allowed to escape, the quantity of alcohol in -combination with it not being worth saving. - -The object of this process is to bring about the oxidation of the -essential oils contained in the whiskey or other spirit, and to promote -their conversion into ethers. It is claimed that this transformation does -take place, and that the spirit is changed from a new spirit, and has -all the character, mellowness, and flavour of that matured by time. This -change is said to be effected in twenty-four hours, and that the spirit -has, in that period, put on a maturity of ten years. - - J. A. - -[Illustration: WOODEN CUAGH OR QUAIGH. (_Brit. Mus._)] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -RUM. - - Derivation of Name—Whence Procured—Its Manufacture—Its - Price—Trade Rum. - - -The etymon of the name of this spirit is somewhat dubious. Some have it -that it was formerly spelt (as it now is in French) _Rhum_, and that -it is derived from _rheum_, or ῥεῦμα, a flowing, on account of its -manufacture from the juice of the sugar cane. Others say that, as rum has -the strongest odour of any distilled spirit, it is a corruption of the -word _aroma_. - -Rum is made from the refuse of sugar, and can, of course, be produced -wherever sugar is grown. This is notably the case in the West Indies, and -the best rum comes thence. The finest, and that commanding the highest -price in the market, is from Jamaica; Martinique and Guadaloupe perhaps -come next; and Santa Cruz has a very good name. British Guiana, the -Brazils, Natal, Queensland, and New South Wales all produce it. - -It is made from molasses and the skimmings of the boiling sugar. Molasses -is the syrup remaining after the separation of all the saccharine -matter which will crystallize, and is a dense, viscous liquid, varying -from light yellow to nearly black, according to the source from which -it is obtained; but its distillation will not produce rum. Sugar or -molasses, if distilled, will produce alcohol, but it will have no -character of rum. This peculiar odour is imparted to it by the addition, -in distillation, of “skimmings,” which are the matters separated from -the sugar in clarifying and evaporation; that is to say, the scum of the -precipitators, clarifiers and evaporators is mixed with the rinsing of -the boiling pans, and is thus called. They contain all the necessaries -of fermentation, and when mixed with molasses and “dunder,” which is the -fermented wash left from distillation, are distilled into rum. - -The odour of rum is very volatile; so much so, that it should be casked -immediately after distillation. The raw spirit is extremely injurious; -but it improves so much by age that, at a sale in Carlisle in 1865, rum, -known to be 140 years old, sold at three guineas a bottle. Like all -alcohol, rum, when distilled, is white, the colour being given to it, -as it used to be in brown brandy, by caramel (burnt sugar). Much of the -rum sold in England is made from “silent” spirit, flavoured with butyric -ether; and it is this stuff which is sold as “trade rum” for export to -Africa. Some years since an action was brought by an African merchant -against the vendor of “trade rum” for damages caused by it to his trade. -All went merrily till the negroes drank the rum, when it suddenly -ceased, owing to its colouring their excreta red, probably owing to the -colouring matter. - -In the old days of punch drinking, rum was the great ingredient in that -beverage, but its use has gradually died out, except among sailors, it -still being served out in the navy, on account of its supposed warming -qualities. Rum and milk, taken before breakfast, is also a beverage used -very extensively. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -LIQUEURS. - -I. - - Derivation of Term—Eichhoff—Gregory of - Tours—Liqueur Wines—Herb Wines—Scot’s - _Ivanhoe_—Hydromel—Murrey—Delille—Montaigne—Monastical - Liqueurs—Arnold de Villeneuve—Catherine de Medicis—Elixir - Ratafia. - - -The word _liqueur_ has been traced by Eichhoff to a Sanskrit root, viz., -_laks_ or _lauc_, to see, appear. It is now commonly understood of a -drink obtained by distillation, a beverage of which alcohol is the base. - -To the ancients liqueurs appear to have been unknown. The art of -distillation on which they depend was not apparently discovered till the -middle ages. Fermented wines, of which some description will be found in -another part of this book, occupied their place at dinner and dessert. -Old Falernian when mixed with honey probably bore some near resemblance -to what is now understood by liqueur. But this drink was found to have -such disastrous effects by way of intoxication that it was forbidden to -women to drink of it. - -Our ancestors, perhaps in imitation of the ancients, composed a sort of -liqueur with the must of wine, in which they had infused berries of the -_lentiscus_, or a portion of its tender wood. The artificial wines made -either with this _lentiscus_, or with other aromatic herbs, called by -Gregory of Tours _vina odoramentis immixta_, were the only approaches to -the modern liqueurs, even some time after the discovery of the process of -distillation. - -Among these liqueur wines must be mentioned that species of cooked wine -which was the result of a portion of must reduced to half or a third -of its original bulk by boiling. The capitularies of Charlemagne speak -of this drink as _vinum coctum_, and the southern provinces called -it _Sabe_, from the Latin _sapa_, which with the Romans had the same -signification. Both Galen and Hippocrates refer to a Greek composition -called _Siræum_ or _Hepsema_, which, says Pliny, we call _sapa_. The -fashion in which this wine was cooked is shown in the _Pitture antiche -d’Ercolano_, t. I., tab. 35. - -Those artificial wines which consisted solely of infusions of aromatic or -medicinal plants, such as absinthe, aloes, anise, rosemary, hyssop, and -so on, were called _herb wines_, and were frequently employed as remedies -and preventives. With a herb wine, the wine of a honied absinthe, it was -that Fredegonda poisoned him who reproached her with the murder of the -Pretextate. The most famous of these wines were those into which entered, -besides honey, the spices and aromatic confections of Asia, to which were -given the name of pigments. The highly spiced and “most odoriferous” wine -sweetened with honey is one of those drinks which Cedric bids Oswald, in -_Ivanhoe_,[69] to place upon the board for the refreshment of the Knight -Templar. It is mentioned in company with the oldest wine, the best mead, -the mightiest ale, the richest _morat_,[70] and the most sparkling cider. - -The poets of the thirteenth century speak of this decoction with -transport. They regarded it in the light of an exquisite delicacy. -As no gentleman’s library is complete without the presence of some -particular work of which a bookseller is anxious to dispose, so no feast -at which pigment was not present was held to be complete by the medieval -_gourmet_. Indeed this drink seems to have been all too sweet, and was, -in consequence of its inebriating property, like the honied Falernian, -partially prohibited. The Council of Aix-la-Chapelle in 817 decreed -that on festival days only might this voluptuous cup be introduced into -conventual repasts. - -Hydromel and hippocras were allied to this category of fermented and -almost alcoholic drinks, but they were not liqueurs. Finally certain -liqueurs were composed entirely of juices of fruits and held the rank -and title of wines. Such were cherry, gooseberry, strawberry wine, and -others. Another liqueur wine often cited by the thirteenth-century poets -is _Murrey_, a thin drink coloured or otherwise affected by mulberries. - -The word liqueur appears to have had a considerable latitude of -signification. We talk now of coffee and liqueur, but according to the -French poet Delille, who lived at a time very near our own, coffee itself -was included under the latter category— - - “Cest toi, divin café, dont l’aimable liqueur - Sans altérer la tête épanouit le cœur”: - -which presents us with a view of coffee akin to that held by Cowper of -tea, when he talks in his _Task_ (Book IV.) of - - “the cups - That cheer but not inebriate.” - -Liqueurs, indeed, properly so called were not known till long after -the distillation of wine had been recognised, probably about the -fourteenth century. Many years elapsed before these preparations escaped -from the domination of the alchemists. Those religious who employed -distillation for the confection of balsams and panaceas seem to have -been the first to discover them to the world. Montaigne, in the strange -account he has written of his travel in Italy, speaks of the Jesuits of -Vicenza—the _Jesuates_ as he calls them—who had a liquor shop in their -fair monastery, in which were sold phials of scent for a crown. The -good fathers appear to have busied themselves in the intervals of their -religious exercises with distilling waters of different herbs and flowers -for the public use, as well for medicine as for sensual delight. Speaking -of Verona, Montaigne says he saw also a religious of monks who call -themselves _Jesuates_ of St. Jérosme. They are dressed in white under a -smoked robe with little white caps. They are not priests, neither do -they say mass, nor preach,[71] and they are for the most part ignorant. -But they make a boast to be excellent distillers of _eau de naffé_[72] -and other waters, both in Verona and elsewhere. - -Monastical liqueurs are worthy of a paragraph to themselves. So long -as monks have existed, they seem to have manifested a taste for the -concoction of these drinks. We can scarcely pass the shop window of -a liqueur-seller without having our attention attracted by what the -French call a _Kyrielle_ or litany of flasks of diverse forms, decorated -with tickets bearing such titles as the following:—_Liqueur des -Chartreux_, _Liqueur des Benedictins_, _Liqueur des Carmes_, _Liqueur des -Trappistes_, _Liqueur des Pères de Garaison_, _Liqueur du P. Kermann_, -and so on. A large volume might well be composed on these liqueurs alone. -About their supposed virtues,—aperient, digestive, antiapoplectic, -antispasmodic, anticholeric, tonic, etc., that book might be well -supposed likely to stretch out as far as the list of Banquo’s issue to -the diseased imagination of Macbeth. - -The search for the philosopher’s stone and the powder of projection was -by no means wholly fruitless. It strengthened the hands of chemistry. It -was also the cradle of liqueurs. In the early part of the middle ages -the learned inhabitants of the convents devoted their leisure time, of -which they appear to have had no lack, to the so-called _magnum opus_. -The _magnum opus_, the quintessence, the elixir of long life, were three -different denominations of one and the same thing. Monkish intellectual -toil was chiefly connected at that time with the study of essences, -spirits, alcohols, and distillations. The plants which they sought with -the greatest eagerness were rosemary, arnica, elder, camomile, sweet -trefoil, rose, borage, balm mint, snake weed, iris, etc. - -In the thirteenth century, Arnold de Villeneuve, a celebrated physician, -possessed with this devil of a _magnum opus_, formulated the question -of the quintessence or elixir of long life in these terms, which became -afterwards a dogma for all his monastic successors. “This is the secret, -viz., to find substances so homogeneous to our nature that they can -increase it without inflaming it, continue it without diminishing it -... as our life continually loses somewhat, until at last all is lost.” -The outcome of the long and patient labours of the monkish alchemists -was certain elixirs and liqueurs, of which the secret composition was -transmitted from generation to generation in convents and monasteries. -Such liqueurs were in their origin simply a pharmaceutic product. It -is only within the last few years comparatively that they have been -converted into delicacies after dinner. Our age bears the hall mark of -positivism. The monks labour no longer for the sole glory of God and -comfort of the sick. Their object at the present day is to effect, it -is affirmed, a ready and productive sale. It may be so; happily it is -not our business to determine. It is certain that a vast development has -taken place in the manufacture of the majority of the monkish liqueurs. -The _Chartreux_ of _L’Isère_ now realize annual benefices of considerable -value, of which a portion is said to be contributed to the continually -diminishing Papal exchequer, under the title of Peter’s pence. Of this -medicinal liqueur the active and benevolent element is gathered from -herbs scattered on the Alpine mountains cold, or on the slopes of the -Pyrenees, or in the sombre forests of the north (see the Prospectus), -or in the shops of the apothecaries. But they all assuredly depend -upon cognac for their element of life. _Benedictine_, with its four -cabalistic letters, A M D G,[73] is made by the monks of Fécamp, at the -famous Carthusian monastery of _La Grande Chartreuse_, near Grenoble. -The elixir of long life, _de Sept-Fonds_, is made in a convent of the -Trappists of l’Allier, and _Trappistine_ is the work of the good fathers -of the abbey of _La Grâce-Dieu_ (Doubs). It is, however, affirmed that -only Chartreuse, coloured yellow or green at will, and Trappistine, are -the works of religious hands, while all other liqueurs are made by the -laics. The methods of fabrication employed in the convents are now well -known.[74] Benedictine is the only liqueur which has escaped analysis. - -_Absinthe_ is not strictly a liqueur. It substitutes bitter for sweet. -This strong spirituous liquor, so prejudicial to French health and -morality, is, however, commonly called a liqueur. Its base is an -alcoholate, composed of anise, coriander, and fennel. It is flavoured -with wormwood, a species of _artemisia_, and other plants containing -_absinthin_. It is said to be commonly coloured with indigo and sulphate -of copper. It is prepared chiefly in Switzerland, but much of it is made -at Bordeaux. - -Arnold de Villeneuve, in his medical treatise, written in Latin, _On the -preservation of youth and the retardation of age_, has a sermon upon -Golden water. “I have not,” he says, “read the properties of this water -in books of distinguished authority, but it is to be presumed that, if -it exists, it is so sublime a work that they have concealed the method -of its preparation, and have even refused to mention its name. Of gold, -however, they have spoken, and set it among cordial medicines. They have -praised it for the comforting of the heart and for the palliation of -leprosy. It is possible that since we every day find things diversified -by alteration of substance, acquiring the operations of those other -things into which they have been transformed, so out of wine may be made -a water of life very different from wine both in colour and in substance, -in effect and in operation. And the doubt here is, not about the fact, -but how it is brought about. That the bodies of all metals may be reduced -into water by the ingenuity of mankind, experience allows us not to -question; but the operation and nature of those things by which this end -is obtained it is no easy matter to discover.” - -This golden water was originally nothing else than _eau de vie_ in which -had been macerated certain herbs and aromatic spices to give it taste -and colour; afterwards minute portions of metallic gold were added. The -ingredients mentioned by Arnold de Villeneuve are rosemary flowers, from -which, he says, the water obtains its golden colour, cinnamon, grains of -paradise, cloves, cubebs, liquorice, and the like. - -In the mind of the middle ages, gold was held to be a remedy for every -ill. Many people applied themselves to the task of dissolving this metal -and rendering it potable. It was put into drinks, baths, victuals, pills, -and the pharmacopeia of the time abounds in elixirs of gold, tinctures of -gold, drops of gold, and so on. To please the public eye, those pieces of -the precious metal were cast into the composition which we now know as -_Eau de vie de Dantzig_. - -Catherine de Medicis brought into France all the voluptuous discoveries -and superfluities of Italy, and helped to augment considerably the number -of new liqueurs and to popularize their usage. Henry II. was especially -fond of the _anisette_ of Marie Brizard of Bordeaux. Sully, in 1604, -examining the objects of luxury in France, found _Populo_ and _Rossolio_ -to have the chief share in the public estimation and expenditure. Of them -_Populo_ is mentioned in the Letters of Gui-Patin.[75] It was composed of -spirits of wine, water, sugar, musk, amber, essence of anise, and essence -of cinnamon. - -_Rossolis_, our _Rossolio_, or _Rossoli_, said to be derived, in -consequence of its extreme excellence, from the dew of the sun, _ros -solis_, was made of burnt brandy, sugar, and the juice of sweet fruits, -such as cherries or mulberries. Louis XIV. was much attached to this -particular liqueur. That prepared for him was said to differ a little -from the ordinary compound. A receipt is given of the king’s drink. - -Equal quantities of _eau de vie_ and Spanish wine, in which were infused -anise, coriander, fennel, citron, angelica, and sugar-candy dissolved in -camomile water, and boiled to a thick syrup, were a distinctive feature -in this royal liqueur. - -Owing to oblivion or ignorance of the _anisette_ of Henri II. this -monarchical recognition of _rossolio_ has led to the supposition that -liqueurs were invented to invigorate the senile decrepitude of Louis -XIV., but it has been shown that they existed long before his time. -George IV. is said to have been attached to liqueurs in much the same way -as Louis XIV., who may have supposed that they in some measure improved -his health or arrested his decay. - -The liqueur industry is chiefly continental, and the liqueurs are -very numerous. Holland is famous for its _Curaçoa_ and Russia for -its _Kümmel_, and almost every large district of France has its own -speciality of liqueur. Bordeaux[76] is remarkable for its _Anisette_, -Dijon for its _Cassis_, Marseilles for its _Absinthe_, Grenoble for its -_Ratafias_, and Paris and Lyons are each noted for many different kinds. - -The English have attained as yet no high rank as liqueur manufacturers. -The prosaic nature of the Trade Returns includes all liqueurs of foreign -origin under the heading of “_Sweetened or mixed Spirits_.” It makes no -distinction between Eaux and Crèmes or between Ratafias and Elixirs. We -have been told that elixirs are yellow and aromatized, and eaux or crèmes -white, while ratafias are substantially infusions of fruit. Originally -this may have been so. It is not the case at present. - -Both _Elixir_ and _Ratafia_ are interesting from an etymological -standpoint. The latter word has excited considerable discussion. Menage, -writing it as it was commonly written in his time, _ratafiat_, says it is -a term derived from the East Indies. Leibnitz, on the contrary, holds it -to be a corruption of _rectifié_ applied to alcohol. Another etymology is -_rata fiat_. Parties were supposed to enter into a contract, and after -drinking the liqueur to say, “Let it be ratified.” - -_Elixir_[77] is an Arabic word derived from the Greek, by which the -alchemists denoted their powder of projection or philosopher’s stone. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -LIQUEURS. - -II. - - Liqueur Maker’s Guide. GERMAN LIQUEURS: Eau d’Amour—Eau - Divine. DANTZIG LIQUEURS: Eau Miraculeuse—Eau Aerienne. - FRENCH LIQUEURS: Vespetro—Scubac—Absinthe—Maraschino, etc. Du - Verger—Vermuth, etc. - - -To a humble and unpretending volume, little known by the world, to the -_Cordial and Liqueur Makers’ Guide, and Publicans’ Instructor_, we are -indebted for a large part of the information in the present chapter. -This excellent and possibly unique volume of modern date contains some -two hundred receipts for the manufacture of the most favourite drinks -in their greatest perfection; in addition to a variety of miscellaneous -matter of much practical utility to the publicans’ profession, though of -no immediate interest probably to the readers of the present book. For -instance, we are taught therein the mysteries of _Spirit Beading_, or, in -exoteric language, the putting a head on weak spirits, and the _fining_ -of sherry, port, gin, ale, and porter. Most of the receipts, we are -assured, have never before appeared in print. They are the result of an -experience of some thirty years. A warning is given in the preface about -the common and extensive adulteration of liqueurs with essential oils, -turpentine, and spirits of wine. - -In the first chapter of the _Cordial and Liqueur Makers’ Guide_, we -find receipts for those familiar beverages which are most common -in our respectable public firms—public house is what Bentham would -call an emotional term—such as _Peppermint_, _Cloves_, _Rum Shrub_, -_Aniseed_, _Caraway_, _Noyeau_, _Raspberry_, _Gingerette_, _Orange -Bitters_, _Wormwood Bitters_, _Lemonade_, _Capillaire_, _Cherry Brandy_, -_Cinnamon_, _Lovage_, and _Usquebaugh_—of these the receipt for _Lovage_ -may be taken as a sole representative. - -This aromatic drink, which is comparatively rare, is perhaps not -generally known to be prepared from a plant indigenous to Liguria, a -country of Cisalpine Gaul—from which country its name is through sundry -philological decadences derived.[78] After reading this, the student of -human nature and mercantile morality will be fully prepared to learn that -the plant indigenous to Liguria enters in no way into its composition. - -Mix, says the receipt, five drams of oil of nutmegs, five drams of oil of -cassia, and three drams of oil of caraway in a quart of strong spirits of -wine. Shake it well, and put it into a ten gallon cask with two gallons -more of spirits of wine. Dissolve twenty pounds of lump sugar in hot -water, add this to the spirit with a quarter of a pint of colouring, -and fill up the cask with water. Fine it down with two ounces of alum -dissolved in boiling water, and put into the goods[79] hot; afterwards -add one ounce of salts of tartar, and stir the whole well together. - -The receipts which follow of German, Dantzig, and French liqueurs -postulate a preliminary grinding of all dry substances, such as cloves -or cinnamon; the cutting into the smallest pieces of leaves, flowers, -peels; and the reducing to a paste, by means of a marble mortar, of -almonds and fruit kernels with a small quantity of spirits to prevent -them _oiling_.[79] These ingredients should be allowed to soak in the -spirit for a month with diurnal shakings in a warm place. Then the spirit -must be poured off and the water added after the quantity in the receipt. -After standing a few days, pour off, press out all the liquid, mix with -the spirit, add sugar and colouring matter, and filter through a flannel -bag. In the matter of gold and silver leaf, an attempt to break it when -dry would reduce one half to dust, and so spoil the appearance of the -liqueur. It must be spread on a plate which has a little thin syrup on -it. The leaf must also be covered with the syrup, and then torn by means -of two forks into small pieces about the size of a canary seed. The leaf -should not be added until the liqueur is in the bottle. The reader will -observe the common use of capillaire.[80] - - -GERMAN LIQUEURS. - -_Eau de Sultane Zoraide._ - -Lemon peel, 8 ounces; orange peel, 8 ounces; figs, 8 ounces; dates, 4 -ounces; jessamine flowers, 4 ounces; cinnamon, 3 ounces; spirits of wine, -60 o.p., 19 quarts; orange-flower water, 2 quarts; pure water, 12 quarts; -capillaire, 8 quarts. _Colour,[81] rose._ - -_Eau Nuptiale._ - -Parsley seed, 6 ounces; carrot seed, 5 ounces; aniseed, orris root, 2 -ounces each; mace, 1½ ounces; spirit, 60 o.p., 19 quarts; rose water, 7 -pints; water, 11 quarts; capillaire, 9 quarts. _Colour, yellow._ - -_Eau d’ Amour._ - -Bitter almonds, lemon peel, 12 ounces each; cinnamon, 6 ounces; mace, 1 -ounce; cloves, 1½ ounces; lavender flowers, 8 ounces; spirits of wine, 60 -o.p., 19 quarts; Muscat wine, 8 quarts; oil of amber, 36 drops; water 7 -quarts; capillaire, 7 quarts. _Colour, rose._ - -_Eau de Yalpa._ - -Marjoram, cinnamon, 3 ounces each; fennel seed, thyme, sweet basil, -bitter almonds, figs, balm, 2 ounces each; carrot seed, sage, 1 ounce -each; cardamom, cloves, ½ ounce each; spirits of wine, 60 o.p., 19 -quarts; essence of vanilla, 50 drops; essence of amber, 50 drams; water, -14 quarts; capillaire 8 quarts. _Colour, scarlet._ - -_Eau Divine._ - -Lemon peel, 1½ pounds; coriander, 4 ounces; mace, cardamom, 1 ounce each; -spirits of wine, 60 o.p., 19 quarts; oil of bergamot, 1½ drams; oil of -Neroly,[82] 2 drams; water, 14 quarts; capillaire, 8 quarts. - -_Eau de Pucelle._ - -Juniper berries, 1½ pounds; fennel seed, 4 ounces; angelica seed, -cinnamon, 3 ounces each; cloves, 1 ounce; spirits of wine, 60 o.p., 19 -quarts; water, 13 quarts; capillaire, 10 quarts. _Colour, yellow._ - -Other German liqueurs, according to our authority, are _Eau de Zelia_, -_de Rebecca_, _de Fantaisie_, _the ruby Eau des Epicuriens_, _the -Elixir Monfron_, _the Eau Divine_, _the Eau d’Orient de Napoleon_, _de -Didon_, _du Dauphin_, _de Santé_, _Royale_, _Américaine_, _de Paix_, -_de J. Saint-Aure_, _de Mille-Fleurs_, _d’Argent_, _de Montpellier_, -_d’Ardelle_, _de Turin_, _de Tubinge_, _du Sorcier-Comte_, _de Vertu_, -_de Chypre_, _de Jacques_, _Romantique_, _Crème Voizot_, _Aqua Bianca_, -and many others. - - -DANTZIG LIQUEURS. - -_Eau Miraculeuse._ - -Orange peel, lemon peel, 1 pound each; cinnamon, ginger, 6 ounces each; -rosemary leaves, 2 ounces; galanga,[83] mace, cloves, 1 ounce each; -orris root, 1½ ounces; spirits of wine, 60 o.p., 19 quarts; capillaire, 8 -quarts; water, 14 quarts. _Colour, red._ - -_Eau Aerienne._[84] - -Figs, 12 ounces; cumin, 5 ounces; leaves of rosemary, fennel seed, 4 -ounces each; cinnamon, 5 ounces; sage, sassafras, 2 ounces each; lavender -flowers, camomile flowers, orris root, 4 ounces each; spirits of wine, 60 -o.p., 19 quarts; capillaire, 8 quarts; water, 14 quarts. - -Other Dantzig liqueurs mentioned are the _Eau de vie de Dantzig_, _Eau -Forcifère_, _Christophelet_, _Eau Carminative_, _de Musettier_, _de -Girofle_, _Persicot_, _Amer d’Angleterre_, and _Eau des Favorites_, the -ruby gold sprinkled _Eau de Lisette_, the yellow _Krambambuli_,[85] the -_Eau de Baal_, and the _Liqueur des Évèques_. - - -FRENCH LIQUEURS. - -_Vespetro._[86] - -Angelica seed, 3 ounces; coriander seed, 2 ounces; fennel seed, aniseed, -½ ounce each; lemons sliced, oranges sliced, 6 ounces each; spirits of -wine, 60 o.p., 12 quarts; water, 9½ pints; capillaire, 3 pints. - -_Eau de Scubac._[87] - -Lemon peel, 6 ounces; coriander, 4 ounces; aniseed, juniper berries, -cinnamon, 2 ounces each; angelica root, 1½ ounces; saffron, 1 ounce; -spirits of wine, 60 o.p., 10 quarts; orange-flower water, 2 quarts; -capillaire, 4 quarts; water, 8 quarts. - -_Elixir de Garus._[88] - -Myrrh, aloes, 2 drams each; cloves, nutmegs, 3 drams each; saffron, 1 -ounce; cinnamon, 5 drams; spirits of wine, p., 5 quarts; sugar, 6 pounds. - -_Amiable[89] Vainqueur._ - -Spirits of wine, p., 25 quarts; essential oil of citron, 1 ounce; of -neroli, of angelica, ½ ounce each; tincture of vanilla, 1 dram; sugar 12 -pounds; water, 4 quarts. - -_Guignolet[90] d’Angers._ - -Spirits of wine, p., 12 quarts; cherries with the stones, raspberries, -gooseberries, red currants, 1 pound each; oil of cinnamon, of cloves, 10 -drops each; sugar, 7 pounds; water, 2 quarts. - -_Huile des Jeunes Mariés._ - -Aniseed, fennel seed, 2 ounces each; angelica seed, cumin seed, caraway -seed, 1 ounce each; coriander, 3 ounces; spirits of wine, p., 4 quarts; -distilled water, 3 quarts; sugar, 10 pounds. _Colour, yellow._ - -Other French liqueurs worthy of notice are _Eau Archiepiscopale_, _des -Financiers_, _de Noyeau_, _de Phalsbourg_, _de Jasmin_, _des chevaliers -de Saint Louis_, _des Pacificateurs de la Grèce_, _Souvenir d’un Brave_, -_Goûte Nationale_, _Coquette Flatteuse_, _Ratafias_ of different kinds, -such as _Absinthe_, _Angelique_, _Celery_, _Quatre Graines_,[91] -_Cerises_, _Noyeau_ and _Carve_,[92] _Amour sans Fin_, _Gaîté Française_, -_Plaisir des Dames_, _Citronelle_, _Elixir Columbat_, _Eau des Chevaliers -de la Legion d’Honneur_, _Eau des Amis_, _Crème de Macaron_, and _Eau -de Pologne_, the crimson _Alkermes_, the emerald _Huile des Venus_, the -_Elixir des Anges_, the pale straw-coloured _Eau de vie d’Andaye_,[93] -the crimson _Nectar des Dieux_, and _Missilimakinac_. - -The most important, or rather the most popular in this country, of the -very numerous alcoholic preparations which are flavoured, or perfumed, -or sweetened, or more commonly treated in all these three ways to be -agreeable to the taste are, placing them as they suggest themselves:— - -_Kümmel_, or _Kimmel_, as it is sometimes incorrectly written, from -the German name of the herb _cumin_, is made with sweetened spirit, -generally brandy, flavoured with coriander and caraway seeds. It is -chiefly produced at Riga, and is much esteemed in Java and the Eastern -Archipelago generally. - -_Maraschino_ is distilled from bruised cherries. The fruit and seed are -crushed together. It is commonly prepared in Italy and Dalmatia from a -delicately flavoured variety called _Marazques_ or _Marascas_, a small, -black, wild cherry, so named, it is said, from its bitterness. Zara, in -Dalmatia, is the principal place of production of _Maraschino_. - -_Cassis_[94] (or _Cacis_) is a sort of ratafia made with the fruit of -the cassis, the vulgar French name of a species of gooseberry with black -berries. - -_Noyau_, or _Crème de Noyau_, derived from the French word for a -kernel, is commonly prepared from white brandy, bitter almonds or -amygdalin, sugar candy, mace, and nutmeg. Its distinctive flavour -comes from the amygdalin, or the kernels of peaches, plums, cherries, -apricots, and other fruit. In Dominica the bark of the noyau tree -(_Cerasus occidentalis_) is used, and in France the leaves of a small -convolvulus-like tropical plant called _Ipomœa dissectis_. It is coloured -white and pink. - -_Ratafias_ are called by du Verger _liqueurs de conversation_, and _eau -clairettes_ and _hypoteques_, an old term of which Menage expresses -himself unable to find the derivation as applied to a liqueur. The Master -Distiller considers them preferable to spirituous liqueurs. Procope, the -ancient Master of Paris, includes under this term liqueurs, or syrups, -as we should say, of cherries, strawberries, gooseberries, apricots, -peaches, and other fruits. He it was who first proposed the pressure of -the fruits, without infusing them entire. Some years afterwards, Breard, -one of the chiefs of the fruitery of Louis XIV., gave these liqueurs the -name of _Hypoteques_ to distinguish them. The products both of Procope -and Breard were of the highest excellence. “‘I,’ says du Verger, ‘have -always considered Procope’s Ratafias as finer and more delicate, those of -Breard softer and more flowing; but,’ he adds, ‘as tastes differ, both -their Ratafias have their approvers and their critics. It is difficult -to equal them in cold countries, either in taste or in smell.’” They are -called _Liqueurs of conversation_, because, according to this authority, -in talking after meals, you may drink of them three or four times as much -as of other liqueurs without fear of any inconvenience. Nay, they nourish -and fortify the stomach, and in addition to being pleasant to the palate, -are good friends of the liver. - -The first _Ratafia_ was called _Eau de Cerises_, or cherry water. The -kernels should be added to the juice of the fruit with cinnamon and mace -in small quantities. This renders the composition beneficent, strengthens -the brain, and banishes the vapours. - -The _Eau clairette de framboises_ is also composed of cherries, though -a few strawberries are added to give the dominant flavour. It should, -therefore, says the Master Distiller, be rather called _Eau clairette -framboisée_. - -_L’eau clairette de groseilles_ has a specific virtue against -biliousness. - -_L’eau clairette de grenade_ is the most agreeable of _Ratafias_, but has -an astringent property. - -_L’eau clairette de coings_ is still more estimable than the preceding, -and imparts a new activity to the limbs. - -_Eau clairette de Chamberri_ should be made of the ripest black grapes, a -small quantity of spirit of wine, a little sugar, and other ingredients. -In addition to giving an appetite, it rejoices the heart. The longer it -is kept, as in the case with all _Ratafias_, the better. - -The white _Ratafias_, or _Hypoteques_, should be mixed with cinnamon, -mace, cloves, and coriander. Under these circumstances they render -the blood balsamic. The best fruits for white _Ratafias_ are oranges, -peaches, and apricots. - -_Curaçoa_ derives its name from the group of small islands in the West -Indies, situated near the north shore of Venezuela, in the Caribbean Sea. -The liqueur is made in these islands by the Dutch. It is also made at -Amsterdam from orange peel imported from the Curaçoas. The bitter orange -used is the _Citrus bigaradia_. - -It is commonly obtained by digesting orange peel in sweetened spirits, -and flavouring with cinnamon, cloves, or mace. The spirits employed are -usually reduced to nearly 56 under proof, and each gallon contains about -3½ pounds of sugar. _Curaçoa_ varies in colour. The darker is produced by -powdered Brazil wood, mellowed by caramel. - -_Parfait Amour_ is a liqueur composed of several ingredients, such as -citron, clove, muscat, and others. - -_Kirsch_, _Kirschwasser_, or _Kirschenwasser_, or cherry water, is the -genuine drink of the Black Forest. The head-quarters of this liqueur, as -Griesbach and Petersthal in the Reuch valley, are rich in cherry trees of -the Machaleb variety. H. W. Wolff, in his _Rambles_, rises into an almost -poetic description of its virtues. “It is,” he says, referring to the -Black Foresters, “their general stimulant and comforter, their consoler -in grief, their promoter of conviviality, their safety valve in trouble -or excitement.” After this, little can be added without the danger, or -rather the certainty, of _bathos_. When genuine—for alas, it shares the -common fate of drinks, adulteration—it is said to be ardent and slightly -poisonous. In other words, it contains “that excellent stomachic, -hydrocyanic acid.” Of late the Black Foresters have rivalled the Servians -in a spirit distilled from wild plums. Stolberg thinks _Kirschenwasser_ -in no way inferior to the spirit made from corn at Dantzic,[95] and -others hold it equal to the Dalmatian _Maraschino_. The liqueur is also -made in Germany, France, and elsewhere. - -_Pomeranzen_, or _Pomeranzen-Wasser_, somewhat resembling our orangeade, -is principally drunk in Northern Germany. - -_Raspail_ was originally, as many other liqueurs, medicinal, and was so -called from the name of its inventor. Mariani has made an _Elixir à la -coca du Pérou_. This, like _Raspail_, is an agreeable tonic. - -_Vermuth_[96] is composed of white wine, angelica, absinthe, and other -aromatic herbs. - -Many sweet wines approach very nearly liqueurs. Of these are in Austria -some sweet wines of Transylvania and Dalmatia. In Spain, the _Tinto -d’Alicante_, and the white _Muscats_ of Malaga. In France, _Hermitage_, -_Grenache_, _Colmar_, and the _Muscats_ of Rivesaltes and of Roquevaire. -In Cyprus, _La Commanderie_. In Italy, the _Muscats_ of Vesuvius, Orvieto -and Montefiascone, the holy wine of Castiglione, the white wines of -Albano, and the aromatic wine of Chiavenna. In Greece, the _Malmseys_ -of Santorin and the Ionian Isles. In Russia, the wines of _Koos_ and -_Sudach_ in the Crimea; and in Mexico, those of _Passo del Nocte_, -_Paras_, _San Luiz de la Paz_, and _Zelaya_. - -In the _Widdowes Treasure_, London, 1595, are receipts for _Sirrop of -Roses_ or _Violets_, and two receipts for _Rosa Solis_, and in the -_Good Housewife’s Jewele_, London, 1596, are receipts for distilling of -_Rosemary water_, _Imperiall water_, _Sinamon water_, and the _Water of -Life_. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -AMERICAN DRINKS. - - Cobblers—Cocktails—Flips, etc.—Punch—Varieties—A Bar - Tender—Anstey’s _Pleader’s Guide_—A Yard of Flannel—Bottled - Velvet—Rumfustian, etc. - - -The great authority, probably the greatest authority, on this interesting -subject is a gentleman who, with the true modesty of genius, allows -himself to be known only by the pseudonym of _Jerry Thomas_. Formerly -a bar-tender at the Metropolitan Hotel, New York, and the Planter’s -House, St. Louis, he is said to have travelled over Europe and America -in “search of all that is recondite in this branch of the spirit art.” -His very name, says one of his admirers, is synonymous in the lexicon of -mixed drinks with all that is rare and original. - -Among the chief American drinks are, being alphabetically arranged, -_cobblers_, _cocktails_, _cups_, _flips_, _juleps_, _mulls_, _nectars_, -_neguses_, _noggs_, _punches_—of which there are at least three -score—_sangarees_, _shrubs_, _slings_, _smashes_, and _toddies_.[97] - -The _cobbler_ is an American invention, though now common in other -countries. It requires small skill in its composition, but should be -arranged to please the eye. Of this drink the straw is the leading -characteristic. - -The _cocktail_ is a comparatively modern discovery. In this drink -_Bogart’s Bitters_ occupies invariably a prominent place. The _Crusta_ -is an improvement on the _cocktail_, and is said to have been invented -by Santina, a celebrated Spanish caterer. Its _differentia_ is a small -quantity of lemon juice and a little lump of ice. The paring of a lemon -must also line the glass, from which feature it probably derives its name. - -_Flip_ has been immortalised by Dibdin as the favourite beverage of -sailors, though it has been asserted that they seldom drink it; a -somewhat hazardous statement, unless limited to the times in which there -is none to be had. The essential feature in _a flip_ is repeated pouring -between two vessels, supposed to produce smoothness in the drink. The -Slang Dictionary holds _flip_ to be synonymous with _Flannel_, the old -term for gin and beer drunk hot with nutmeg, sugar, etc., a play on the -old name _lamb’s wool_. The anecdote of Goldsmith drinking _flannel_ in a -night-house with George Parker, Ned Shuter, and the demure, grave-looking -gentleman, is well known. - -[Illustration: MINT JULEP.] - -The _julep_ is especially popular in the Southern States, and is -said to have been introduced into England by Captain Marryatt. That -romance-writing seaman in his work on _America_, says: “I must descant a -little upon the _mint julep_, as it is, with the thermometer at 100°, one -of the most delightful and insinuating potations that ever was invented, -and may be drunk with equal satisfaction when the thermometer is as low -as 70°. There are many varieties, such as those composed of _Claret_, -_Madeira_, etc., but the ingredients of the real _mint julep_ are as -follows. I learned how to make them, and succeeded pretty well.” Then -follows the receipt:— - -“Put into a tumbler about a dozen sprigs of the tender shoots of mint, -upon them put a spoonful of white sugar, and equal proportions of peach -and common brandy so as to fill it up one-third, or perhaps a little -less. Then take rasped or pounded ice and fill up the tumbler. Epicures -rub the lips of the tumbler with a piece of fresh pine apple, and the -tumbler itself is very often incrusted outside with stalactites of ice. -As the ice melts, you drink.” - -“I once,” says the marine author of this receipt, of which the reader -has _ipsissima verba_, “I once overheard two ladies talking in the next -room to me, and one of them said, ‘Well, if I have a weakness for any one -thing, it is for a _mint julep_!’” - -This weakness of the American lady was, in the opinion of the -Metropolitan Hotel barman in New York, very amiable, and proved, not only -her good taste, but her good sense. - -In _mulls_, which may be made of any kind of wine, the essential feature -is the boiling. Sugar and spice, of which the nursery song tells us -little girls are manufactured, are also invariably used in _mulls_. We -give a rhymed receipt for mulled wine, not for the sake of the poetry, -which is indifferent, but for that of the cookery, which is not bad. - - “First, my dear madam, you must take - Nine eggs, which carefully you’ll break, - Into a bowl you’ll drop the white, - The yolks into another by it.” - -Here the poet was evidently hard pressed for a rhyme. - - “Let Betsy beat the whites with switch, - Till they appear quite frothed and rich; - Another hand the yolks must beat - With sugar, which will make them sweet.” - -An ordinary effect of sugar. Poet probably hard pressed as before. - - “Three or four spoonfuls maybe’ll do, - Though some perhaps would take but two. - Into a skillet next you’ll pour - A bottle of good wine, or more; - Put half a pint of water, too, - Or it may prove too strong for you.” - -This is personal, nay more, it might to some good people be offensive, as -indicating deficiency of cerebral power or endurance. - - “And while the eggs by two are beating, - The wine and water may be heating; - But when it comes to boiling heat, - The yolks and whites together beat - With half a pint of water more, - Mixing them well, then gently pour - Into the skillet with the wine, - And stir it briskly all the time.” - -Poet again hard pressed. - - “Then pour it off into a pitcher, - Grate nutmeg in to make it richer, - Then drink it hot, for he’s a fool - Who lets such precious liquor cool.” - -Of _nectar_ we have no information worth the reader’s acceptance. It -appears to be applied indifferently to any dulcet drink. - -_Negus_ may be made of any sweet wine, but is commonly composed of Port. -“It is,” says Jerry Thomas, “a most refreshing and elegant beverage, -particularly for those who do not take punch or grog after supper.” - -_Egg-nogg_, of which other _noggs_ seem to be the lineal descendants, -though a beverage of American origin, has “a popularity that is -cosmopolitan. In the South of the United States it is almost -indispensable at Christmas time, and at the North it is a favourite at -all seasons.” In Scotland the beverage is called “_auld man’s milk_.” -The presence of the egg constitutes the _differentia_ in this drink. -Every well-ordered bar has a tin egg-nogg “_shaker_,” which is a great -aid in mixing. The historian will be glad to learn that it was General -Harrison’s favourite beverage, and the consumptive and debilitated person -that it is full of nourishment. - -[Illustration: “A CROWN BOWL OF PUNCH.”] - -_Punch_[98] is remarkable for its variety. It is considered necessary by -the adept to rub the sugar on the rind of the citron or lemon, to extract -properly what the experienced drinker calls “the ambrosial essence.” The -extraction of the ambrosial essence, and the making the mixture sweet -and strong, using tea instead of water, and thoroughly amalgamating all -the compounds, so that the taste of neither the bitter, the sweet, the -spirit, nor the element shall be perceptible one over the other, is the -grand secret of making _punch_. And to this, as to other learning, there -is no royal road. It must, alas! be laboriously acquired by practice. -Many are the mysteries of its concoction. For instance, it is essential -in making _hot punch_ that you put in the spirits before the water; in -_cold punch_ the other way. The precise portions of spirit and water, or -even of the acidity and sweetness, can have no general rule. To attempt -offering one would only mislead. A certain inspiration must animate the -artist. It has been asserted that no two persons make this drink alike. -This remark is admirable, and might probably be applied not only to -punch, but to every drink that has yet been composed. - -It has been said that of _punches_ there are at least threescore. -Here follow a few of the many varieties: _Brandy_, _Sherry_, _Gin_, -_Whiskey_, _Port_, _Sauterne_, _Claret_, _Missisippi_, _Vanilla_, _Pine -Apple_, _Orgeat_, _Curaçoa_, _Roman_, _Glasgow_, _Milk_, and _Regent’s_, -brewed by George IV.; _St. Charles’_, _Louisiana_, _Sugar House_, _La -Patria_, _Spread Eagle_, _Imperial_, _Rochester_, and _Rocky Mountain_; -_Non-Such_, _Philadelphia_, _Fish-House_, _Canadian_, _Tip-Top_, _Bimbo_, -_Nuremburgh_, _Ruby_, _Royal_, _Century Club_, _Duke of Norfolk_, _Uncle -Toby_, and _Gothic_. - -People have immortalised themselves by the invention of _punches_ to -which a grateful country has attached their names. Of these famous ones -are General Ford, for many years commanding engineer at Dover; Dr. -Shelton Mackenzie, of Glasgow; D’Orsay; and M. Grassot, the eminent -French comedian of the Palais Royal, who communicated his receipt to Mr. -Howard Paul, the equally eminent entertainer, when performing in Paris. - -Last, though not least, the military have thus distinguished themselves -by the _National Guard_, the _7th Regiment_ Punch, the _69th Regiment_ -Punch, the _32nd Regiment_ or _Victoria_ Punch, and the _Light Guard_ -Punch. - -The _sangaree_, originally a West Indian drink, is as unsatisfactory in -its explanation as in its etymology. It seems, indeed, to be little more -than spirit and water, with sugar and nutmeg to taste. It very nearly -approaches, if it is not identical with, _toddy_.[99] - -_Shrubs_[100] are unsatisfactory, like _sangarees_. They seem to have no -distinctive or differentiating feature. The most common kinds are _Rum_, -_Brandy_, _Cherry_, and _Currant_. - -_Slings_ are very closely related to _toddies_. Their difference is, -indeed, infinitesimal, so far as we are able to learn.[101] - -Of the _smash_, even Jerry Thomas speaks slightingly. He says, “This -beverage is simply a _julep_ on a small plan.” It, however, can boast -of three species—_gin_, _brandy_, and _whiskey_, and for all a small -bar-glass must be used. It is usual, though not apparently essential, -to lay two small pieces of orange on the top, and to ornament with the -berries of the season. - -_Toddy_ is the Hindustani _tári tádi_, or juice of the palmyra and -cocoa-nut. _Tar_ is the Hindustani word for a palm. It is the name given -by Europeans to the sweet liquors produced by puncturing the spathes or -stems of certain palms. In the West Indies _toddy_ is obtained from the -trunk of the _Attalea cohune_, a native of the Isthmus of Panama. In -South-Eastern Asia the palms from which it is collected are the _gomuti_, -_cocoa-nut_, _palmyra_, _date_, and the _kittul_ (_Caryota urens_). When -newly drawn the liquor is clear, and in taste resembles malt. In a very -short time it becomes turbid, whitish, and sub-acid, quickly running into -the various stages of fermentation, and acquiring an intoxicating quality. - -In our use of the word, _toddy_ seems to mean nothing more than spirit -and water sweetened, with the occasional addition of lemon peel. _Whiskey -toddy_ is the common and favourite species, though there are also -_apple_, _gin_, and _brandy toddies_. _Toddy_ differs from grog in being -always made with boiling water, but this distinction is not universally -maintained, nor, indeed, used by the best authors. _Whiskey_ is probably -the “vulgar” kind alluded to by Anstey in his _Pleader’s Guide_, Lect. 7. - - “First count’s for that with divers jugs, - To wit, twelve pots, twelve cups, twelve mugs, - Of certain vulgar drink called _toddy_, - Said Gull did sluice said Gudgeon’s body.” - -The names of American drinks form an amusing study. Passing over the -well known sleepers, sifters, flosters, knickerbockers, ching-chings, -Alabama fog-cutters and thunderbolt cocktails, the lightning smashes and -eye-openers of Connecticut, the corpse revivers, the Mother Shiptons -and the Maiden’s Prayers, we propose to give a list of some of the most -remarkable titles, with receipts added, to satisfy the appetite of any -who care to compound them. - -_A Yard of Flannel._ - -_A yard of flannel_, otherwise called _egg flip_.—Boil a quart of ale in -a tinned saucepan. Beat up yolks of four with the whites of two eggs. -Add four tablespoonfuls of brown sugar and a _soupçon_ of nutmeg. Pour -on this by degrees the hot ale, taking care to prevent mixture from -curdling. Pour back and forward repeatedly, raising the hand as high as -possible. This produces the frothing and smoothness essential to the -goodness of the drink. It is called _a yard of flannel_ from its fleecy -appearance. - -_White Tiger’s Milk_ - -(à la Thomas Dunn English, Esq.). - -Half a gill apple jack, ½ gill peach brandy, ½ teaspoonful aromatic -tincture,[102] white of an egg well beaten. Sweeten with white sugar to -taste. Pour the mixture into 1 quart of milk, stir well, and sprinkle -with nutmeg. This receipt will make a quart of the compound. - -_Bottled Velvet_ - -(à la Sir John Bayley). - -A bottle of Moselle, ½ a pint of sherry, small quantity of lemon peel, 2 -tablespoonfuls of sugar. Well mix, add a sprig of verbena, strain, and -ice. - -_Stone Fence._ - -One wine glass of whiskey (Bourbon), 2 small lumps of ice. Use large -bar-glass, and fill up with sweet cider. - -_Sleeper._ - -To a gill of old rum add 1 ounce of sugar, 2 yolks of eggs, and the juice -of half a lemon. Boil ½ a pint of water with 6 cloves, 6 coriander seeds, -and a bit of cinnamon. Whisk all together, and strain into a tumbler. - -_Rumfustian._ - -Whisk yolks of a dozen eggs, and put into a quart of beer and a pint of -gin. Put a bottle of sherry into a saucepan, with a stick of cinnamon, a -grated nutmeg, a dozen lumps of sugar, and the thin rind of a lemon. When -the wine boils, pour it on gin and beer, and drink hot. - -_Bimbo Punch._ - -Steep in 1 quart cognac brandy 6 lemons, cut in thin slices, for six -hours. Then remove lemon without squeezing. Dissolve 1 pound loaf sugar -in 1 quart boiling water, and add this hot solution to the cognac. Let it -cool. - -_Bishop._ - -Stick an orange full of cloves, and roast it. When brown, cut it in -quarters, and pour over it 1 quart of hot port. Add sugar to taste, and -let mixture simmer for half an hour. - -_Archbishop._ - -The same as _Bishop_, with substitution of best claret for port. - -_Cardinal._ - -The same as _Archbishop_, with substitution of champagne for claret. - -_Pope._ - -The same as _Cardinal_, with substitution of Burgundy for champagne. - -_Locomotive._ - -Put 2 yolks of eggs into a goblet with 1 oz. of honey, a little essence -of cloves, and a liqueur glass of Curaçoa; add 1 pint of high Burgundy -made hot, whisk together, and serve hot in glasses. - -_Pousse l’Amour._ - -Fill a small wineglass half full of maraschino, then put in yolk of 1 -egg; in this pour vanilla cordial, and dash the surface with cognac. - -_Blue Blazer_ - -(use two large silver-plated mugs with handles). - -One wine glass Scotch whiskey, 1 ditto boiling water. Mix whiskey and -water in one mug; ignite, and, while blazing, pour from one mug to the -other. Sweeten to taste, and serve in a bar tumbler, with a piece of -lemon peel. _Blue Blazer_ is really nothing more than ordinary whiskey -and water. - -_Black Stripe._ - -Into a small bar-glass pour 1 wine glass of Santa Cruz rum and 1 -tablespoonful of molasses; cool with shaved ice, or fill up with boiling -water, according to season. Grate nutmeg on top. This is ordinary rum and -water. - -The following appeared in _Moonshine_, and may fitly conclude our chapter -on American drinks, for which the verdant English youth has paid to the -cunning dispenser so many nimble ninepences:— - - “Thou art thirsty, Amaryllis; say to what dost thou incline? - Wilt thou toy with amber bubbles at the _Fons Burtonis_ brink? - Shall I crown the crystal goblet with the flashing _Rhenish_ wine? - Or it may be thou would’st wish for an _American long drink_? - Shall I brew a _Flash of Lightning_ or a _Bourbon Whiskey-skin_? - Or a _Saratoga Brace-up_? Sweetest, you have but to say. - Nay, perhaps a _Bottle Cocktail_ would your kind approval win? - Or a _Santa Cruz Rum Daisy_ will be something in your way? - I can recommend a _Morning-Glory Cocktail_ to your taste - And a _Corker_ or a _Nerver_ there are few who will despise; - _Tom and Jerry_ offers pleasures it were folly rank to waste; - In a _Nectar_ for the dog-days sweet Elysian rapture lies. - Be not silent, Amaryllis, name your poison, whatsoe’er - You’ve a mind for, be it _Thunder_, _Locomotive_, or _Egg Nogg_. - I have all ingredients handy, and I reckon I’m all there - When the question’s on the _tapis_ as to what shall be the grog.” - -[Illustration: AN AMERICAN BAR-TENDER.] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -BEERS. - - Definition—Different Modes of Manufacture—Antiquity—Osiris, - the Inventor—Adam’s Ale—Egyptian—Scandinavian—Adulterations. - AFRICA: Pitto, Ballo, Bouza. AMERICA: Persimon, Chica, Vinho - de Batatas. BAVARIA: Schenk and Lager. BELGIUM: Lambic, Faro. - BORNEO: Ava or Cava. CHINA: Samtchoo. - - -The dictionary definition, or rather description, of Beer is “an -alcoholic liquor made from any farinaceous grain, but generally from -barley.” This barley clause is, of course, not true in all countries, -nor is beer always made from a farinaceous grain. For the rest, the -description is all that could be desired. After the barley is malted -and grained, its fermentable substance is extracted by hot water. To -this extract or infusion hops, or some other plant of an agreeable -bitterness, are added, and it is afterwards boiled for some time, both -to concentrate it and to obtain all the useful matters from the hops. -The liquor is subsequently allowed to ferment in vats. The time allowed -for fermentation depends upon the quality and kind of beer. After it has -become clear it is stored for drink. - -This ordinary popular description of beer will be probably sufficient to -satisfy the general reader. But we must add to it a second explanation of -beer, which is applied to a fermented extract, not from any farinaceous -grain, but from the roots and other parts of various plants, as ginger, -spruce-sap, beet, molasses, and many more. The scientific inquirer -may learn the mysteries of malting and brewing, which are very nearly -distinct trades, in the many treatises on beer-making which have adorned -the literature of this and other countries. In these he may read as -much as he wills of the _steeping_ of the barley, its extension, its -absorption of water, and the time occupied in this process; of the -_couching_ and _sweating_, as it is called, a result of the partial -germination of the grain; of the _flooring_, or spreading out like -hay over a field; of the _kiln-drying_, or the introduction of the -half-germinated grain into a kiln with a perforated floor, with the -necessary and variable amount of heat beneath it. And if all this is -not enough, he may continue to read at full length of _cornings_ or -_cummings_, of _pale_ and _amber-coloured malt_, of _grinding the malt_, -of _washing the malt thus ground_, of _boiling the worts with hops_, -of _cooling the worts_, of _fermenting the worts_, and, finally, of -_clearing and storing_. - -Beer is probably a word of German, as ale, signifying the same thing, -is of Scandinavian origin. But the source of the German word is a moot -question of comparative philology. Those interested in this matter may -find abundant information in a note inserted by M. A. Schleicher in the -_Zeitschrift_ of Kuhn. We are led thereby to a Gothic form, _pius_, -which in its turn conducts us to the Lithuanian _pyvas_. _Pyvas_ or -_pivas_—since etymology is a science _dans laquelle les consonants font -peu de chose, et les voyelles rien de tout_—may be easily attached to the -secondary root _piv_ found in the Sanskrit _pivâmi._ In Indo-European -tongues, and in accordance with the dictum of Voltaire, p, b, v, are -interchangeable as labials. And so we come to the conclusion that -_pivas_, or its descendant _beer_, means nothing else but _drink_; or, -in other words, that this particular form of drink is _the_ drink _par -excellence_. And so we might rest content, were it not for the uneasy -scruples of a certain M. Pictet, who has introduced a Slavic origin. But -of etymology this taste will suffice. - -Twenty centuries before the Christian era, Osiris, according to some -authors, invented beer,[103] and according to others it has been at all -times a drink of the Hebrews. We have, indeed, heard of Adam’s ale, but -that term has been generally applied to a species of drink which would -hardly come under our present category. It is perhaps more probable that -the beverage of Osiris and the early Hebrews was a simple infusion of -barley without more. Pliny, however, Theophrastus, and Tacitus, speak of -beer as known from very early times to the people of the North, who were -prevented by their situation from the cultivation of wine.[104] - -The ancient beer of Egypt is compared by Diodorus Siculus to wine on -account of its strength and flavour. This Egyptian beer is indeed spoken -of by Herodotus as _barley wine_, a title which still survives in some of -the windows of our public-houses. At present beer is the habitual drink -of the English, German, Dutch, and Scandinavian races. A drink, better -called _barley water_ than _beer_, appears to have been the favourite -beverage of the Danes and Anglo-Saxons, our ancestors in the remote -past. Before Christianity had enlightened and corrected their views -about the delights of a future state, these benighted folk supposed that -the chief felicity enjoyed by the good—in those days synonymous with -the brave—after their death and transplantation into Odin’s paradise, -would be to drink in large goblets large quantities of ale. Perpetual -intoxication thus entered largely into their conception of celestial joy. - -Beer as we understand it—modified, that is, by the introduction of -the hop—was probably little known in England before the beginning of -the sixteenth century. The varieties of beer at the present time are -numerous. Some of them will be considered later on in detail. There -are, however, only three principal types of fabrication,—the Belgian, -Bavarian, and English. The beers of England, as of France, and for the -most part of Germany, become sour by the contact of air. This defect is -absent from Bavarian beers. - -So favourite a drink has, of course, been largely adulterated. Taste, -colour, and smell are frequently due to unscrupulous falsifications. -Bitterness is produced by strychnine, aloes, nux vomica, gentian, -quassia, centaury, pyrethrum, absinthe, and many other ingredients. -Colour is obtained by liquorice, chicory, and caramel; and flavour by -other additions, which perhaps it is better not to particularize. Water, -of course, is added to beer, as to most drinks, to enlarge the quantity -and therefore the price. Potatoes are frequently a substitute for grain. -Potash is introduced to give the much-desired “_head_,” chalk to diminish -acidity, and chloride of sodium, or common salt, for the sake of what is -called a _piquant_ flavour. It were well if these little eccentricities -of the beer vendors had here their confine; but the sacred hunger for -gold has added, alas! to these, virulent and narcotic poisons,[105] such -as belladonna and opium, henbane and picric or carbazotic acid. In the -city of London this kind of adulteration was formerly, it was fondly -imagined, to some extent prevented by some ancient guardians, known -as _ale-conners_, who had the right of entering all public-houses and -tasting their ales. - -Only the most important beers of different countries are given in the -following list, arranged alphabetically for convenience of reference:— - - -AFRICA. - -Captain Clapperton _(Expedition to Africa_, i., 133, 187) found at -Wow-wow, the metropolis of Borghoo, a kind of ale bearing the name of -_pitto_, obtained from the same grain as that used for the same purpose -in Dahomey, and by a process nearly similar to the brewing of beer in -England from malt, only that no hops were added, a defect which prevented -it keeping for any length of time. The people of the countries from the -Gambia to the Senegal use a kind of beer called _ballo_. At a village -called _Wezo_ there is a beer called _otèe_, a sort of ale made from -millet, of a very enlivening nature. Another sort of beer, called _gear_, -is found at Ragada. At _Whidah_ an excellent beer is made from two sorts -of maize. The Jews at Taffilet use beer of their own brewing. Isaacs -(_Travels in Africa_, ii., 319) says that the Zoola nation, between -Delagoa Bay and the Bay of Natal, has a description of beer, with which -the natives are wont to get drunk. This beer is made from a seed called -_loopoco_, something in size and colour like rape. It has powerful -fermenting properties, and forms a beverage of a light brown hue, potent -and stimulating. In Sofala a beer is made from rice and millet; also in -Abyssinia is to be found a drink of many names—_tallah_, or _selleh_, -or _donqua_, or _sona_—commonly brewed from wheat, millet or barley, -mixed with a bitter herb called _geso_. According to Bruce, Abyssinian -beer of an inferior kind is made from _tocusso_. This is really a variety -of _bouza_, which is also made from _teff_, the _poa abyssinica_ of -botanists. - - -AMERICA. - -_Persimon_ beer, from the fruit of the date plum (_Diospyros -Virginiana_), is drunk in North America. In South America, long before -the Spanish conquest, the Indians prepared and drank a beer obtained from -Indian corn, called _chica_ or maize beer. The process followed in making -_chica_ is very similar to that of beer brewing in Britain. The maize is -moistened with water, allowed partially to germinate and dried in the -sun. The maize malt so prepared is bruised, treated with warm water, -and allowed to ferment. The liquor is yellow, and has an acid taste -something like cider. It is in common demand on the west coast. In the -valleys of the Sierra the maize malt is subjected to human mastication, -not invariably by the young and beautiful girls, but by old ladies and -gentlemen who still retain, by the indulgence of nature, the requisite -dental arrangement. The saliva mixed with the chewed morsel is supposed -to produce a more excellent _chica_. Indeed, the result is so choice that -this kind is commonly called Peruvian nectar. _Chica_ can also be made -from barley, rice, peas, grapes, pine-apples, and manioc. The Brazilians -have a beer called _Vinho de Batatas_, from the Batata[106] root. -_Sora_, a Peruvian beer, was formerly forbidden by the Incas because of -its extremely intoxicating nature. - - -AUSTRIA. - -The most famous beer is perhaps the Pilsener, or white beer, from Pilsen -in Bohemia, the favourite drink in Vienna. Gratzer is brewed from wheat -malt. - - -BAVARIA. - -The peculiar flavour of the Bavarian ale is perhaps a result of -the very free use of pitch or resinous matters to protect the wood -of the fermenting tun, but it seems more probable that it is due -to the commixture of pine tops. _Schenk_ beer is draught beer, in -contradistinction to _Lager_, or store beer. The one is drunk in summer, -the other in winter. _Bock beer_[107] and _Salvator_, dark heavy kinds -of stout, are both well known. _Kaiserslautern_ is the name of a famous -brewage in Rhenish Bavaria. - - -BELGIUM. - -White beers, the result of a mixture of oats and wheat, called -_Walgbaert_ and _Happe_, were made in Brussels in the fifteenth century. -_Roetbier_ and _Zwartbier_ were, as their names tell us, red and black -beers. _Cuyte_ was at one time a favourite and aristocratic drink. It -has since fallen from its high estate. There are some forty kinds of -beer, at least, now manufactured in Brussels. The white beer of Louvain -in South Brabant is the most esteemed; but an Englishman has described -it as having the flavour of pitch, soapsuds and vinegar. The winter -brew is termed _Faro_, the summer _Lambic_. The _Faro_ is by some said -to be prepared from the strong _Lambic_ and a small beer called _Mars_. -All Belgium beers, according to the opinion of some experts, have a -certain stamp of vinosity. In addition to the _Lambic_ and _Faro_, which -are distinguished in this particular, may be mentioned the _Uitzet_ of -Flanders, the _Arge_, of Antwerp, and _Fortes-Saisons_ of the Walloons. -The white sparkling beers of Louvain are the best of summer beers, they -are succeeded by those of _Hougaerde_ and _Diest_. The brown beers of -_Malines_ and the _Saison_ of _Liege_ possess good reports. Latterly -the _Grisettes_ of _Gembloux_, the beer of _Dinant_, the _blonde_ of -_Buiche_, and the ale of _Oppuers_ have been creditably mentioned. - - -BORNEO. - -The aborigines[108] of Borneo, if we are to believe Commodore -Roggewein,[109] are the “basest, most cruel and perfidious people in -the world.” They are “honest, industrious, strongly affectionate and -self-denying,” if we are to credit the account of the Italian missionary, -Antonio Ventimiglia. When such diversity of opinion is manifested about -the people, some discordance might naturally be supposed to exhibit -itself in the matter of their potations. But this is not thus. The great -drink of the Beajus is allowed on all hands to be the _ava_ or _cava_, -prepared from the _piper methysticum_, or intoxicating pepper plant. This -is a shrub with thick roots, long heart-shaped leaves, and a clump or -spike of berries. The root is chewed only—it is satisfactory to learn—by -young girls with good teeth and dainty mouths.[110] Water or cocoa-nut -milk is poured on the masticated pulp, fermentation ensues, and the -_Beajus_ drink and become drunken. The mass of chewed matter is kneaded -with considerable dexterity by practised professionals. “Every tongue is -mute,” says Mariner—one of the crew of a vessel seized by the natives -in the commencement of this century,—“while this operation is going on; -every eye is upon them, watching every motion of their arms as they -describe the various curvilinear turns essential to success.” _Ava_ is -also drunk in Otaheite, in the Feejee islands, and those of the Marquesas -and of the South Seas. - - -CHINA. - -_Tar-asun_, extracted from barley or wheat, is the beer of China. It is -sweet, and commonly drunk warm, before distillation. The mixed liquor -from which it is prepared is called _tchoo_, or wine; after that, _sam_ -or _san_ is prefixed, to show its hot nature. _Samtchoo_—the word is -spelt in many ways—may, says Barrow (_Travels_, p. 304), be considered -the basis of the best _arrack_, itself a mere rectification of the above -spirit with the addition of molasses and the juice of the cocoa-nut tree. -_Bell’s Travels_, ii., 9. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - -ENGLAND. - - Love of the English for Beer—A National Drink—Private - Brewing—A French View of English Society—Sir John - Barleycorn—The “Black Jack” and “Leather Bottel”—“Toby - Philpot”—Burton-on-Trent—Bottled Beer—Brewers—The Village - Ale-house—Various Beers. - - “Back and syde goo bare, goo bare, - Both hande and foote goo colde; - But, Bellie, God send the good ale inowghe - Whether hyt be newe or old.” - - “Brynge us home good ale, syr, brynge us home good ale, - And for our der lady’s love, brynge us som good ale. - Brynge us home no beff, syr, for that is full of bonys, - But brynge us home goode ale y-nough, for that my love alone ys; - Brynge us home no wetyn brede, for yᵗ be ful of branne, - Nothyr of no ry brede, for yᵗ is of yᵉ same; - Brynge us home no porke, syr, for yᵗ is verie fatt, - Nothyr no barly brede, for neythir love I that; - Brynge us home no muton, for that is tough and lene, - Neyther no trypys, for thei be seldyn clene; - Brynge us home no veel, syr, that do I not desyr, - But brynge us home good ale y-nough to drynke by yᵉ fyer; - Brynge us home no syder, nor no palde[111] wyne, - For, and yᵘ do, thow shalt have Criste’s curse and mine.” - -The foregoing verses epitomise the praise of good beer. The first is from -one of the earliest known drinking songs in the English language—the -last is an old Wassail song—the Wassail bowl, which was of hot spiced -ale, with roasted apples bobbing therein,—a kindly way of welcome on New -Year’s Eve, of Saxon derivation as its name “Wes-hal,” _be of health_, or -_your health_, testifies. - -That the Anglo-Saxon took kindly to his beer, we have already seen; and -that that feeling exists at the present day is undoubted, for what says -the refrain of a comparatively modern drinking song? - - “I loves a drop of good beer—I does— - I’se partickler fond of my beer—I is— - And ⸺ their eyes, - If ever they tries - To rob a poor man of his beer.” - -Its popularity has never waned—and it has reached to such a height that -the brewing trade seems to be instituted for the propagation of Peers -of the realm—a fact which Dr. Johnson even could not have foreseen, -although, at the sale of Thrale’s brewery, he did say that they had not -met together to sell boilers and vats, but “the potentiality of growing -rich beyond the dream of avarice.” - -It was the national drink—for tea and coffee were not introduced into -England until the middle of the seventeenth century—and it is only of -very modern times that the “free breakfast table” fad of statesmanship -has made those beverages so popular, by bringing them within the means of -the very poorest. Beer was, perforce, drank morning, noon and night by -those, and they were the vast majority, who could not afford wine—and, -as a rule, after the Norman Conquest, when the Anglo-Saxons copied the -soberer customs of their conquerors, the English were not drunkards as a -nation; in fact, although almost all their jests hinge on drinking, there -is in most of them an underlying moral, which in print are as telling as -in this illustration, which, in deference to nasty Mrs. Grundy, has been -slightly toned down. Here is very cleverly satirised for reprobation the -phases of men under the influence of drink. How it transforms them into -beasts, some like lions, others like asses and calves, sensual as hogs, -greedy as goats, stupid as gulls. - -[Illustration] - -Every man brewed his own beer up to the seventeenth century, when we find -Pepys speaking of Cobb’s strong ales at Margate; and in the reign of -Queen Elizabeth the public brewing had begun at Burton, for an inquiry -was made by Walsingham to Sir Ralph Sadler, the governor of Tutbury -Castle, as to “What place neere Tutbury, beere may be provided for her -Majesty’s use?” and the answer was that it might be obtained at Burton, -three miles off. Good Queen Bess would, indeed, have fared badly without -her beer, for her breakfast beverages were always beer and wine. - -Yet every one was fairly sober. They were weaned on alcoholic liquors, -and, consequently, enjoyed them as foods, as they undoubtedly are, if -properly used. It is very well to “see our sen as others see us,” but -it is almost impossible to agree with Estienne Perlin, who published -his _Description des Royaulmes d’Angleterre et d’Escosse_, at Paris in -1558, in which he says that the English “sont fort grands yvrongnes.” -His description is, we feel, as untrustworthy as his English. “Car si -un Anglois vous veult traicter, vous dira en son langage, _vis dring a -quarta rim vim gasquim, vim hespaignol, vim malvoysi_, c’est a dire veulx -tu venir boire une quarte de vin du gascoigne, une autre d’espaigne, -& une autre de malvoisie, en beuvant & en mengeant vous diront plus de -cent fois _drind iou_, c’est a dire je m’en vois boyre a toy, & vous -leur responderes en leur langage _iplaigiu_, qui est a dire, je vous -plege. Si vous les remarcies vous leurs dires en leurs langages, _god -tanque artelay_, c’est a dire, je vous remercie de bon cœur. Eulx estans -yvres, vous jureront le sang et le mort que vous beures tout ce que vous -tenes dedans vostre tace, & vous diront ainsi, _bigod sol drind iou -agoud oin_.” It is much to be feared that the worthy Frenchman, if his -description is to be at all relied on, mixed with rather a fast lot. - -Ale was looked upon as a kindly creature, and our ancestors of the -seventeenth century had several ballads in praise of the “little -Barleycorn” and the indictment, as well as the “Bloody Murther,” of Sir -John Barleycorn. From this latter the peasant poet, Burns, plagiarised -right royally. There was also a very curious Chap book published in the -early part of the eighteenth century, entitled, - -“The whole TRIAL and INDICTMENT of _Sir_ JOHN BARLEY-CORN—_Kⁿᵗ_. - -A Person of Noble Birth and Extraction, and well known by Rich and Poor -throughout the Kingdom of _Great Britain_: Being accused of several -Misdemeanours, by him committed against His Majesty’s Liege People; by -killing some, wounding others, and bringing Thousands to Beggary, and -ruins many a poor Family. - -Here you have the Substance of the Evidence given in against him on -his Trial, with the Names of the Judges, Jury, and Witnesses. Also the -Comical Defence Sir _John_ makes for himself, and the Character given him -by some of his Neighbours, namely, _Hewson_ the Cobbler, an honest friend -of Sir John’s, who is entomb’d as a _Memorandum_, at the _Two Brewers_ in -_East Smithfield_. - -_Taken in Short Hand by_ Thomas Tosspott, _Foreman of the Jury_.” - -[Illustration] - -One of the witnesses, hight Mistress _Full-Pot_, the hostess, called in -his defence, thus winds up her evidence,— - -“Nay, I beseech you, give me leave to speak to you; if you put him to -Death, all _England_ is undone, for there is not such another in the -Land that can do as he can do, and hath done; for he can make a Cripple -to go, he can make a Coward to fight with a valiant Soldier, nay, he can -make a good Soldier feel neither Hunger or Cold. Besides, for Valour in -himself, there are few that can encounter with him, for he can pull down -the strongest Man in the World, and lay him fast asleep.” - -Of course, the jury found a verdict of _Not Guilty_. - -Beer has a large literature of its own, principally metrical, but -this has pretty well been collected in two books—_The Curiosities of -Ale and Beer_, by John Bickerdyke; and _In Praise of Ale_, by W. T. -Marchant—either of which would be a valuable addition to any one’s -library. Yet in neither of them is met with Ned Ward’s “_Dialogue between -Claret and Darby Ale_,” published 1691, in which each of the drinks speak -for themselves; and, of course, the arguments of ale are all potent over -his antagonist. Space will only allow of a very short extract. - - “_Darby._—I’m glad to know you, High and Mighty _Sir_; - Think you your pompous empty Name could stir - My Choler? No, your Title makes me fear - As much as if you’d been _Six Shilling Beer_. - - _Claret._—Thou _Son of Earth_, thou dull insipid thing, - To level me, who am of Liquors _King_, - With lean _Small Beer_, but that thou art not worth - My Anger, else I’de frown thee into Earth. - - _Darby._—I neither fear your Frown, nor court your Smile; - But, if I’m not mistaken all this while, - By other names than Claret you are known— - - _Claret._—You do not hear me, Sir, the Fact disown, - Some call me _Barcelona_, some _Navar_, - Some _Syracuse_, but at the Vintner’s Bar - _My_ name’s _Red Port_. But call me what they will, - _Claret_ I am, and will be Claret still,” etc., etc. - -[Illustration] - -Not content with praising the liquor ale, our ancestors fell to -eulogising the vessels used for its consumption, and the “Black Jack” and -“Leather Bottel” both came in for their meed of praise. Sketches of a -fine example of each are here given, taken from the national collection -in the British Museum. - -The Black Jack is a jug or pitcher, made of leather, which was sometimes -ornamented with a silver rim and a silver plate with the owner’s name or -coat of arms engraved thereon. Here is a short lyric, “In praise of the -Black Jack.”[112] - - “Be your liquor small, or as thick as mudd, - The cheating bottle cryes, good, good, good, - Whereat the master begins to storme, - Cause he said more than he could performe. - _And I wish that his heires may never want Sack,_ - _That first devis’d the bonny black Jack._ - - No Tankerd, Flaggon, Bottle nor Jugg - Are half so good, or so well can hold Tugg, - For when they are broke, or full of cracks, - Then they must fly to the brave black Jacks. - _And I wish_, etc. - - When the Bottle and Jack stands together, O fie on’t, - The Bottle looks just like a dwarfe to a Gyant; - Then had we not reason Jacks to chuse - For this’l make Boots, when the Bottle mends shoes. - _And I wish_, etc. - - And as for the bottle you never can fill it - Without a Tunnell, but you must spill it, - ’Tis as hard to get in, as it is to get out, - ’Tis not so with a Jack, for it runs like a Spout - _And I wish_, etc. - - And when we have drank out all our store, - The Jack goes for Barme to brew us some more; - And when our Stomacks with hunger have bled, - Then it marches for more to make us some bread. - _And I wish_, etc. - - I now will cease to speak of the Jack, - But hope his assistance I never shall lack, - And I hope that now every honest man, - Instead of Jack will y’clip him John. - _And I wish_, etc.” - -But the composer of “A Song in praise of the Leather Bottel” could rise -to the magnitude of his subject in a far superior manner than the -preceding poet, the refrain of his song being of a higher type. - - “And I wish in Heaven his Soul may dwell, - That first devised the Leather Bottel.” - -[Illustration] - -The uses of the Bottel were so manifest, and its material so superior to -any other, that it occupied a higher position. It was better than wood, -for it would not run, and was unbreakable. When a man and his wife fell -out, as will occasionally happen even in the best matrimonial existence, -the bottel could be thrown at each other, without great injury either to -human, or the bottel. It held no temptation to steal, as if it were of -silver; nor could it be broken, as if it were of glass—because, as the -song justly says,— - - “Then what do you say to these Glasses fine? - Yes, they shall have no Praise of mine; - For when a Company there are sat, - For to be merry, as we are met; - Then, if you chance to touch the Brim, - Down falls your Liquor, and all therein; - If your Table Cloath be never so fine, - There lies your Beer, your Ale or Wine; - It may be for a small Abuse, - A young Man may his Service lose; - But had it been in a Leather Bottel, - And the Stopple in, then all had been well.” - -The rhymester recapitulates the gratitude of all classes for this -extremely handy and unbreakable convenience, and winds up thus, somewhat -sadly— - - “Then when the Bottel doth grow old, - And will good Liquor no longer hold, - Out of its side you may take a Clout, - Will mend your Shooes when they’r worn out; - Else take it, and hang it upon a Pin, - It will serve to put many Trifles in, - As Hinges, Awls, and Candle-ends, - For young Beginners must have such things. - _Then I wish_, etc.” - -The next most popular English drinking vessel was the _greybeard_, or -as it was sometimes, but seldom, called the _Bellarmine_, from the -Cardinal of that name so famous for his controversial works. These jugs -were imported largely from the Low Countries, where the Cardinal’s name -was a reproach. These greybeards are of very common occurrence, being -frequently found in excavating on the sites of old houses. - -Two centuries after the greybeard, came the brown Staffordshire _Toby -Philpot_, an enormously stout old gentleman, whose arms and hands -encircle his enormous paunch, and his three-cornered hat forms a most -convenient lip, whence the ale can be poured. It owes its origin to -a once very popular drinking song, entitled “The Brown Jug,” which -is an imitation from the Latin of Hieronymus Amaltheus, by Francis -Fawkes, M.A., published in 1761, which is the date of the accompanying -illustration. - -[Illustration] - - “Dear Tom, this brown jug, which now foams with mild ale, - Out of which I now drink to sweet Nan of the Vale, - Was once Toby Philpot, a thirsty old soul, - As e’er cracked a bottle, or fathom’d a bowl; - In bousing about, ’twas his pride to excel, - And amongst jolly topers he bore off the bell. - - It chanced as in dog-days he sat at his ease, - In his flower-woven arbour, as gay as you please, - With his friend and a pipe, puffing sorrow away, - And with honest Old Stingo sat soaking his clay, - His breath-doors of life on a sudden were shut, - And he died full big as a Dorchester Butt. - - His body, when long in the ground it had lain, - And time into clay had dissolved it again, - A potter found out, in its covert so snug, - And with part of Fat Toby he form’d this brown jug; - Now sacred to friendship, to mirth, and mild ale— - So here’s to my lovely sweet Nan of the Vale.” - -Burton-on-Trent may be termed the Metropolis of English Beer, and there, -veritably, “Beer is King.” This pre-eminence is attributed to the quality -of the water, which seems peculiarly fitted for brewing purposes, and the -fact that the large brewers there located use none but the finest malt -and hops procurable. There is an old saying, that wherever an Englishman -has trodden, and where has he not? there may be found an empty beer -bottle. And, truly, he does carry the taste for his natural beverage -wherever he goes, and the export trade is enormous, every ship wanting -freight, filling up with bottled beer, as a safe thing. Fuller, in his -_Worthies of England_ (ed. 1662, p. 115), gives his account of the origin -of bottled beer. Speaking of Alexander Nowell, who was made Dean of St. -Paul’s as soon as Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, he mentions his -fondness for fishing, and says, “Without offence it may be remembred, -that leaving a _Bottle_ of _Ale_ (when fishing) in the _Grasse_; he -found it some dayes after, no _Bottle_, but a _Gun_, such the sound at -the opening therof. And this is believed (Casualty is _Mother_ of more -_Inventions_ than _Industry_) the original of _bottled-ale_ in _England_.” - -The London brewer had to be content, before Sir Hugh Myddleton brought -the New River to the Metropolis, with the water obtained from the Thames, -for Artesian wells were not, and other well water must, from the crowded -state of the City, have been highly charged with organic matter. But -their trade was so important that they were incorporated into a Gild, -and the Brewers’ Company is now in existence, having their Hall in Addle -Street, Wood Street. The City still maintains the importance of beer as -a beverage by keeping an Ale Conner, whose duty is to taste ales, and -see that the price charged is not excessive. Their oath of office may be -found in the _Liber Albus_, published at the instance of the Government. - -[Illustration: VILLAGE INN.] - -[Illustration: VILLAGE INN.] - -The names of our great English brewers are too well known among the -English people to need recapitulation—and space is too scarce to describe -their premises. The London draymen have always been noted as a race of -tall stalwart men, and brewers generally have taken a pride in getting -the largest and strongest horses for their work. These two draymen are -of the time of George I., and the weight they are carrying contrasts -favourably with the satire of a huge dray horse dragging a four and a -half gallon cask. On one notable occasion brewers’ draymen have gone -beyond their last. When General Haynau visited Barclay’s Brewery, they -rose in indignation against him and chased him from the place, because it -was alleged that the General had caused a lady to be flogged! - -[Illustration] - -The Village Ale-house is, or was, the village club, and certainly is -a welcome place of rest for the wayfarer. They are always clean, and -frequently quaint, although now-a-days it would be hard to find, as -Rowlandson did, a turnspit dog on duty. - -[Illustration] - -The names of ales are legion; but some are worthy of a passing notice -on account of their strength, such as some of the College Ales, those -brewed at the birth of an heir—to be drank at his coming of age, Ten -Guinea Ale, etc., and there are any quantity of pseudo beers—_i.e._ -those not made from malt and hops, China Ale, Radish Ale, ale made from -beet or mangel wurzel, and heather beer, which latter is of so great -antiquity that its method of manufacture is said to have been lost with -the extirpation of the Picts, although some say it was brewed by the -Danes. It is probable that the flowers and tops of the heath were used -as a substitute for hops, as, previous to the introduction of the latter -plant, broom, wormwood and other bitter herbs were used. - - J. A. - -[Illustration: _After Rowlandson._] - - - FRANCE: Cerevisia; Double Bière; Adulteration. GERMANY: Mum; - Beer Factories; Faust. INDIA: Pachwai, Piworree. JAPAN: Saki; - Kæmpfer. RUSSIA: Kvas; Vodki; Pivo. SWEDEN: Spruce. TARTARY: - Baksoum. - - -FRANCE. - -In France beer was originally known as _cervoise_ from the Low Latin -_cerevisia_. There are two sorts, white and red; the latter has more -hops. When much grain enters into the composition it is called _double -bière_. Its qualities vary here as elsewhere, according to the grain -employed in its manufacture, the malt, and the fermentation. It has been -commonly adulterated with _ledum palustre_ or wild rosemary, a strong -narcotic. Allusions to beer are comparatively infrequent in French works. -The details of its manufacture, which present no remarkable points of -variation, may be found in any French work on brewing. - -[Illustration: _After A. L. Mayer._] - - -GERMANY. - -Of the many beers of this country, perhaps the most deserving of notice -here is the _Mum_ of Brunswick, well known and appreciated for its -excellence. The process observed in its manufacture has been, it is said, -always kept a mystery,[113] and to prevent discovery, the men who brewed -it were hired for life. The origin of the word _Mum_ is obscure. The -German _Mumme_, a strong ale producing silence[114] from intoxication; -the Danish word for a mask, because it exhibits the parties drinking -it with a new face; and _Christian Mummer_ of Brunswick, the supposed -inventor of the drink, have been by turns suggested. The varied kinds of -_Schenk_, or winter beer, and _Lager_, or summer beer, are fairly well -known. The Leipzig Goose and the Berlin white beer are refreshing drinks -in summer. An excellent description of _Bierbrauerei_ apparatus is given -in Brockhaus’ _Conversations Lexikon_, Band iii. The most important beer -factories are in Munich,[115] Erlangen, Zirndorf, Nürnberg, and Vienna. - -German beer is far less potent than that of England, but want of -strength is made up by the quantity taken. From the time of Goethe, -and long before, Germans were great consumers of beer, and the scene -in his “Faust,” of students in Auerbach’s Cellar, was typical of his -time. Now-a-days there is no degeneracy in the German beer drinker, and -a Viennese “Saufender Renommist” will drink his thirty half-pints of -_Märzen_ at a sitting. German beers are now readily attainable at any -German restaurant in London. - - -INDIA. - -The Hill-tribes of India commonly consume _Pachwai_, prepared from rice -and other grain in Bengal. In Nepaul a beer named _Phaur_, made from rice -or wheat, is brewed much in the same manner as English ale, which it is -said strongly to resemble. It is in considerable repute and, according -to Hamilton,[116] wheat and barley are in Nepaul reared for the express -purpose of making the beer and other drinks similar to it. In the West -Indies the negroes make a fermented drink resembling beer from _cassava_, -which in Barbadoes is termed _piworree_,[117] and in other places -_ouycou_. - -This plant, the _manioc_ or _mandioc_ of America, grows to the size of -a small tree, and produces roots like our parsnips.[118] _Ouycou_ is -sometimes brewed very strong. It is considered nourishing and refreshing, -as indeed most drinks which gratify the palate seem to be considered. -Molasses and yams are used in its preparation. The liquor is red. -_Piworree_ or _paiwari_ is also made by the Indians in Honduras, as in -Brazil, from cassava. Cassava bread carbonised superficially is placed in -hot water until fermentation arises. To promote this, feminine chewing is -found efficacious. The taste, says Simmonds, is said to resemble that of -ale, but is not “quite so agreeable—this may easily be believed.” _Cela -dépend_, as in the case of the _chica_ of the sierras of South America. - - -JAPAN. - -Kæmpfer, in his _History of Japan_, i., 121, tells us that in the -manufacture of _Sacke_ or _Saki_,[119] a strong and wholesome beer -produced from rice, the Japanese are not excelled by any other people. -This beer, a very ancient drink, is white when fresh, but becomes brown, -if it remains long in the cask. It is manufactured to the highest -degree of excellence in Osacca, and thence exported to other countries. -The beer’s name is said to be derived from that of this city, being -the genitive case of the word, with the initial letter omitted. It is -wholesome and pleasant, but should be drunk moderately warm.[120] There -are many varieties of _saki_, distinguished by different names. - - -RUSSIA. - -_Quass_, or _Kvas_, a word signifying _sour_, an ancient Scythian -beverage, is the ordinary household beer of Russia. A variety of it -called _Kisslyschtschy_ is variably described as exceedingly pleasant, -and as an abominable small beer, something like sweet wort or treacle -beer, almost as vile as the _Vodki_ or Russian gin. These matters of -course depend on individual taste. The Russian _pivo_, also in common -use, is said to resemble German beer, but German beers are many and -diverse. - - -SWEDEN. - -Swedish beer is made at Stockholm. _Spruce_ beer is much in use. This -drink is said to have originated from a decoction of the tops of the -spruce fir. In Norway and Denmark as well as in Sweden this liquor -is made from boiling the leaves, rind and branches of pines. But the -_Spruce_ beer of Great Britain and Ireland—either white or brown, -according as sugar or molasses is employed in the making—is an essence -or fluid extract procured by boiling the shoots, tops, bark and cones of -the Scotch fir (_pinus sylvestris_). _Spruce beer_ is supposed to be of -much medicinal value as an antiscorbutic. Samuel Morewood presents us -with a gratifying reflection on this matter. While, he says, _Spruce_ -is beneficial to the health of man, it has not, by its “consequence -depreciated his character, or lowered him in his moral dignity.” - - -TARTARY. - -The beer to be met with in Tartary is for the most part of an indifferent -quality. That brewed from barley and millet by the Turkestans, -termed _baksoum_, more resembles water boiled with rice than beer. -They, however, admire it, and affirm that it is an invaluable remedy -for dysentery. The reader will have already perceived that it is a -cosmopolitan practice to pamper the appetite under the pretence of -preserving the health. _Baksoum_ is acid in taste, of no scent, a feeble -intoxicant, and cannot be kept for any length of time. - -[Illustration] - - - - -_Non-Alcoholic Drinks._ - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -TEA. - -I. - - Popularity of Tea as a Drink—Consumption in England, and - comparative Use all over the World—Legend of its Origin—Date - of its Use—Growth of the Plant—Different Kinds of Tea—Great - Falling off in the Exports from China—Ceylon Tea—High Prices - of—Statistics—Analysis of Tea. - - -Of all non-alcoholic beverages, Tea claims the pre-eminence, being drank -by nearly, if not quite, half the population of the world, and common -alike to all climes and all nations. - -In China it is the national beverage, and it is used not only as an -ordinary drink, but it is the chief factor in visits of ceremony, -and in hospitality. Japan, too, is a large consumer, and its houses -of entertainment are “Tea” houses. In the wilds of Thibet its use is -universal, and so it is on the steppes of Tartary, where, however, it -is made as nauseous and repulsive a drink as possible. In Russia, it is -the traveller’s comfort, and every post house is bound by law to have -its _samovar_ hot and boiling, ready for the wayfarer. In Australia, New -Zealand, and Tasmania, the “billy” of tea is familiar, and forms the only -drink of the shepherd, the stockman, and the digger. All the British -colonies and possessions are devotees to the “cup which cheers, but not -inebriates.” Great Britain herself is a great tea drinker, whether it be -the “five o’clock tea,” which has developed into a cult, with vestments -peculiar thereto; the poor seamstress, stitching for hard life, who takes -it to keep herself awake for her task; or the labourer, who takes his -tin bottle with him to the field. In fact, go where you will, in every -civilized portion of the world (except Greece, where the consumption is -merely nominal), and you will find drinkers of tea. - -Great Britain is the centre of the tea trade of the world, and in 1889 -she imported a total quantity of 222,147,661 lbs., the declared value of -which was £9,987,967. Of this she took for her own consumption, and paid -duty thereon, 185,628,491 lbs, which, at 6_d._ per lb. duty, produced -a revenue of £4,640,704. Wisely or not, Mr. Goschen, in the Budget for -1890, reduced the duty to 4_d._ per lb. - -In spite of this enormous quantity of tea drank in Great Britain, she -does not rank as the largest consumer per head, which, leaving out -China, Japan, Thibet, and Tartary, where statistics are unknown, is as -follows:—[121] - - Australian Colonies, - New Zealand, - Tasmania, - Great Britain, - Newfoundland, - Canada, - Bermuda, - United States, - Holland, - Cape Colony, - Natal, - Russia, - Denmark, - Uruguay, - Argentine Republic, - B. Honduras, - Barbadoes, - Trinidad, - Antigua, - British Guiana, - Persia, - Portugal, - Bahamas, - Switzerland, - Norway, - Germany, - Grenada, - Morocco, - St. Vincent, - Jamaica, - Belgium, - Sweden, - France, - Roumania, - Austria-Hungary, - Bulgaria, - Spain, - Turkey (no returns), - Italy (ditto), - Greece (nominal), - Mauritius, 1888, 106,589 lbs. - Sierra Leone, 1888, 6,008 lbs. - -The tea shrub grows wild in Assam, and in other parts between the limits -of N. Latitude 15° to 40°, and this zone is most favourable to its growth -in its cultivated form, although of late years Ceylon, which is nearer -the equator, has made enormous strides in the production of tea. Up to -the present time, however, China has furnished the largest quantity, and -for centuries has enjoyed the monopoly of its production; a monopoly now -broken down, and every day vanishing, mainly owing to the roguery of its -manufacturers and the folly of its growers. - -Of course such a plant could have had no common origin, and no reader -need be surprised at its story. The legend runs that Prince Darma, or -Djarma, the third son of King Kosjusvo, went, very many centuries ago, -from India to China, where he abode, and became celebrated for his -piety. Like the _fakirs_ of India, he showed his religious tendencies -in a morbid manner—living only under heaven’s canopy, fasting for -weeks together, and eliminating sleep altogether from his daily wants. -Tradition says that this state of things continued for years, until, one -day, weary nature asserted her pre-eminence, and Darma slept. Imagine -his holy horror on his awakening! Something of the same kind must have -possessed Cranmer when he stretched forth his right hand in the flames -of his funereal pyre, with the heart-wrung exclamation, “This hand -hath offended.” So with Darma; filled with pious horror, his first -thought was, how to expiate his offence, and his peccant eyelids were, -consequently, cut off and thrown upon the ground. Next day, returning -to the spot where he had involuntarily sinned, he saw two shrubs, of a -kind never before beheld in China. He tasted them, found them aromatic, -and, moreover, possessing the quality of imparting wakefulness to their -consumer. The discovery and miracle became noised abroad, and hence the -popularity of tea in China. - -But, apart from this legend, the Chinese themselves have no certain -record of the introduction of tea into their country. They believe that -it was in use in the third century, and in the latter end of the fourth -century, Wangmung, a minister of the Tsin dynasty, made it fashionable -and much increased its consumption. In all probability it was chewed at -that time, for a decoction of it does not appear to have been drank -until the time of the Suy dynasty, when the Emperor Wass-te, suffering -from headache, was cured by drinking an infusion of tea leaves, by the -advice of a Buddhist priest. In the early seventh century this manner of -using the shrub was general, and it has maintained its popularity unto -the present time, making itself friends wherever it is introduced. - -The tea-plant somewhat resembles the Camellia Japonica, and Linnæus, -imagining that the black and green teas came from different shrubs, named -them _Thea bohea_ and _Thea viridis_. Fortune has definitely settled that -both green and black tea are made off the same plants, and it is now -taken that there is but one tea-plant, the _Thea Sinensis_, of which, -however, there are several varieties, induced by climate, soil, etc. - -Tea-plants are grown from seeds, and are made bushy by pinching off the -leading shoots. They are planted in rows, each plant being three or four -feet distant from the other, and the leaves are stripped in the fourth -or fifth year of its growth, and are plucked until the tenth or twelfth, -when the plant is grubbed up. May and June are the general months of -picking, which is done mostly by women; but the time varies according to -the district. - -The young and early leaves give the finest and most delicate teas, but -the flavour very much depends upon the drying and roasting; but still -some soils and climates have a great deal to do with the taste, the -finest tea in China growing between the 27th and 31st parallels of -latitude. - -[Illustration: THEA SINENSIS.] - -The Trade names of teas imported from China to England are: -_Black_—Congou, Souchong, Ning Yong and Oolong, Flowery and Orange Pekoe. -The latter, and Caper, being artificially scented, are, therefore, -carefully eschewed by _cognoscenti_. _Green_—Twankay, Hyson Skin, -Hyson, Young Hyson, Imperial, and Gunpowder. Black tea has the rougher -taste, and produces the darkest infusion. Green tea, however, has the -greater effect upon the nerves, and if taken strong, acts as a narcotic, -producing, with some people, tremblings and headaches, and on small -animals even causing paralysis. It is, therefore, generally mixed with -black in small proportion, say ¼ lb. to 1 lb. black tea. There is also -what is called _brick tea_, which is consumed in the North of China, -Tartary, and Thibet, but which we never see in England. This choice tea -is made from the stalks and refuse and decayed twigs, mixed with the -serum of sheep and ox blood, which, when it is pressed into moulds, -hardens it. - -The Russians are said to get the finest tea that comes out of -China—called Caravan Tea—which is made into large bales, covered with -lead. This goes to Russia entirely overland, and to this fact some -attribute its superior and delicate flavour. - -The tea trade of China is rapidly going from her, and she has but -herself, and the shortsighted knavery of her growers and manufacturers, -to thank for it. According to a Tea Circular,[122] the following are the -imports and deliveries of China tea from 1st to 30th June:— - - 1888. 1889. 1890. - 6,697,000 lbs. 508,000 lbs. 452,000 lbs. - -a truly fearful falling off. English people got tired of the flavourless -stuff sent from China, and India and Ceylon having perfected the -manufacture (which at first start of the industry of tea growing in those -parts was not good), send us delicious tea, of a much higher market value -than that of China. - -Ceylon tea, especially, has enormously won the favour of the English -tea-drinking community in a very few years, as the following short -statistics, taken from a Tea Circular,[123] will show,— - - The total value of all the Ceylon tea in bond in 1880 was £5,024. - - Ditto ditto ditto 1888 ” £1,555,095. - ---------- - - The duty on above, at 6_d._ per lb., was respectively £2,871. - - £464,664. - ---------- - -showing that not only had the quantity imported enormously increased, but -so had the quality, as shown by the enhanced market value. One instance, -although an exceptional one, will show what Ceylon can produce in the way -of tea. On 13th January, 1890, was sold at the London Commercial Tea Sale -Rooms, a consignment of tea from the Gallebodde Estate, Ceylon, which -experts described as the finest tea ever grown. This unique tea was of -the brightest gold colour, resembling grains of gold. Its sale excited -the keenest competition, and it was eventually knocked down for £4 7_s._ -per lb., but it was resold a few days afterwards to a wholesale firm at -the enormous price of £5 10_s._ per lb. - -“Much excitement prevailed yesterday in the London Commercial Tea Sale -Rooms, Mincing Lane, on the offering of a small lot of Ceylon tea, from -the Gartmore Estate. This tea is composed almost entirely of small -‘golden tips,’ which are the extreme ends of the small succulent shoots -of the plant. Competition was of a very keen description, the tea being -ultimately knocked down to the Mazawattee Ceylon Tea Company at the -unprecedented price of £10 2_s._ 6_d._ per pound.”—_Standard_, March -11th, 1891.[124] - -Another circular of the same firm of tea brokers gives a list of 132 tea -gardens in Ceylon. - -Indian tea is fast helping to supersede China tea, and another Tea -Circular[125] points out that, “Towards the 190 million lbs. probably -required for home use during the coming year, India and Ceylon together -will contribute fully 150 millions.” It also gives the following:— - - “LONDON STATISTICS FOR YEAR ENDING 31ST MAY.” - - 1888. 1889. 1890. - Import, Indian 86,371,000 94,954,000 101,052,000 - Ceylon 14,705,000 26,390,000 34,246,000 - China 117,185,000 98,695,000 90,097,000 - Java 2,989,000 4,170,000 3,107,000 - ------------ ---------- ----------- - Total 221,250,000 224,209,000 228,502,000 - - Delivery, Indian 85,619,000 91,368,000 101,168,000 - Ceylon 12,578,000 23,830,000 31,947,000 - China 116,870,000 105,668,000 87,652,900 - Java 3,133,100 3,862,000 3,280,000 - ----------- ----------- ----------- - 218,200,000 224,728,000 224,047,000 - - Of which— - Home Consumpt. 183,000,000 185,250,000 187,940,000 - Export 35,200,000 39,500,000 36,107,000 - -There are three active substances in tea, which we should do well to -notice: Volatile Oil, Theine, and Tannin. - -The volatile oil can be distilled by ordinary process, and it contains -the aroma and flavour of tea in perfection. Its action on the human body -is not thoroughly known, with the exception that it is injurious in a -greater or less degree. The Chinese are well aware of the fact, and -will rarely use tea until it is a year old, thus allowing some of it to -evaporate, and it is probably owing to this oil that tea-tasters (who -taste as much by smell as by palate) are subject to attacks of headache -and giddiness. - -Theine is the principle which gives to tea its power of lessening the -waste of the tissues in the human body, and, when separated from the -decoction, it forms an alkaloid having no smell, a slightly bitter taste, -and is composed of colourless crystals. It is also an active agent in -Maté or Paraguay tea, in coffee (when it is called caffeine, although -identical in substance), in Guarana, which is used as coffee in Brazil, -and in the Kola Nut of Africa. - -The third product, tannin, gives roughness of flavour to the tea, and is -particularly developed by allowing the infusion to stand a long time. It -is harmless; at least, its combination in tea has never been found to be -hurtful; Its presence is at once shown by dropping some tea on the clean -blade of a knife, when it will produce a black stain—the tannin derived -from oxgalls, and a solution of iron, forming the ink with which we write. - -That Chinese tea has been, and is, largely adulterated, is an -indisputable fact, and in those bygone days, when all our supply came -from China, it had to be borne. Now, at all events, the Indian and Ceylon -teas are pure, and can be taken without the slightest fear. The green -teas used to be most adulterated, but the black teas could also tell -their tale of fraud. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -TEA. - -II. - - Introduction of Tea into Europe—Early Authorities - thereon—“Tay”—Its Introduction into England—Excise Duty - thereon—Thomas Garway’s Advertisement. - - -When tea was first introduced into Europe is still an unsettled question, -and the earliest mention that the writers can find (that is, to verify) -is in a volume of Travels by Father Giovanni Pietro Maffei,[126] -published 1588 (book vi., p. 109). Speaking of his travels in China, he -says: “Quanquam è vitibus more nostro non exprimunt merum, uvas quodam -condimenti genere in hyemem adservare, mos est; cœterum ex herba quadam -expressus liquor admodum salutaris, nomine Chia, calidus hauritur, ut -apud Japonios: Cujus maxime beneficio, pituitam, gravedinem, lippitudinem -nesciunt; vitam bene longam, sine ullo ferme languore traducunt, oleis -alicubi carent.” “Although they do not extract wine from the vines as we -do, but have a custom of preserving the grapes as a kind of condiment for -the winter, they yet press out of a certain herb, a liquor which is very -healthy, which is called Chia, and they drink it hot, as do the Japanese. -And the use of this causes them not to know the meaning of phlegm, -heaviness of the head, or running of the eyes, but they live a long and -happy life, without pain, or infirmity of any sort.” - -Another early mention of it is in a book by Giovanni Botero,[127] which -was translated into English by Robert Peterson, “of Lincolne’s Inne, -Gent.” He says (p. 75), “They haue also an herbe, out of which they -presse a delicate iuyce, which serues them for drincke instead of wyne. -It also preserues their health, and frees them from all those euills, -that the immoderat vse of wyne doth breed vnto us.” - -Early in the seventeenth century tea was becoming known in Europe, mainly -through the instrumentality of the Dutch East India Company, and we learn -much about it in the writings of Father Alexandre de Rhodes, who, after -thirty-five years’ travel, gave the benefit of his experiences to the -public. He left Rome in October, 1618, and thus writes about “De l’Vsage -du Tay, qui est fort ordinaire en la Chine.”[128] He says, “One of the -things which, in my opinion, contributes most to the great health of this -people, who often attain to extreme old age, is _Tay_, the use of which -is very common throughout the East, and which is beginning to be known -in France, by means of the Dutch, who bring it from China, and sell it -at Paris at 30 francs the pound, which they have bought in that country -for 8 or 10 sols, and yet I perceive that it is very old, and spoilt. -Thus it is that we brave Frenchmen suffer strangers to enrich themselves -in the East India trade, whence they might draw the fairest treasures of -the world, if they had but the courage to undertake it as well as their -neighbours, who have less means of being successful than they have. - -“_Tay_ is a leaf as large as that of our pomegranate, and it grows on -shrubs similar to the myrtle: it does not exist elsewhere throughout the -world, but in two provinces of China, where it grows. The chief is that -of Nanquin, whence comes the best _Tay_, which they call _Chà_; the other -is the province of Chin Chean. The gathering of this leaf in both these -provinces is made with as much care as we exercise in our vintage, and -its abundance is so great, that they have enough to supply the rest of -China, Japan, Tonquin, Cochin China, and several other kingdoms, where -the use of tea is so common, that those who drink it but three times a -day are most moderate, many taking it ten or twelve times, or, in other -words, at all hours of the day. - -“When the leaf is gathered, it is well dried in an oven, after which it -is put in tin boxes, which are tightly closed, because if the air gets to -it, it is spoiled, and has no strength, the same as wine that is exposed -to the air. I leave you to judge if Messieurs the Hollanders take care of -that when they sell it in France. To know whether the _Tay_ is good, you -must see that it is very green, bitter, and so dry as to be easily broken -with the fingers. If it passes these tests, it is good; otherwise, be -assured it is not worth much. - -“This is how the Chinese treat the _Tay_ when they take it. Some water is -boiled in a very clean pot, and when it boils it is taken off the fire, -and this leaf is put therein, according to the quantity of water: that -is to say, the weight of a crown of _Tay_ to a large glass of water. -They cover the pot well, and, when the leaves sink to the bottom of the -water, then is the time to drink it, for then it is that the _Tay_ has -communicated its virtue to the water, and made it of a reddish colour. -They drink it as hot as they can, for it is good for nothing if it gets -cold. The same leaves which remain at the bottom of the pot will serve a -second time, but then they boil them with the water. - -“The Japanese take _Tay_ differently, for they make it into powder, which -they throw into boiling water, and swallow the whole. I know not whether -this method of making it is more wholesome than the former; I always use -it thus, and find that it is common among the Chinese. Both mix a little -sugar with the _Tay_ to correct the bitterness, which, however, does not -seem disagreeable to me. - -“There are three chief virtues in _Tay_. The first is to cure and prevent -headache; for my part, when I had a headache, by taking _Tay_, I felt so -comforted, that it seemed to draw all my pain away, for the principal -force in _Tay_ is to expel those gross vapours that mount to the head, -and inconvenience us. If it is taken after supper, it generally hinders -sleep; yet there are some in whom it causes sleep, because by only -expelling the grossest vapours, it leaves those which induce sleep. For -myself, I have experienced it often enough, when I have been obliged to -sit up all night hearing the confessions of my native Christians, which -frequently happened; I had only to take _Tay_ at the hour when I should -have been going to sleep, and I could go all night without wishing for -sleep, and next morning I was as fresh as if I had had my usual slumber. -I could do this once a week without being incommoded. Once I tried to -continue this wakefulness for six consecutive nights, but on the sixth I -was quite knocked up. - -“_Tay_ is not only good for the head; it has a marvellous effect -in comforting the stomach, and aiding the digestion, so that it is -ordinarily drank after dinner, but not generally after supper, if sleep -is required. The third thing that _Tay_ does is to purge the reins of -gout and gravel, and it is, perhaps, the true reason why these maladies -are unknown in these countries, as I have said before.” - -One thing is very certain. Tea would not have been in use any length of -time in France before it would be drank, as a novelty, in England, and -by the year 1660 it had become in such general use that it was made a -vehicle for taxation, as we see by the 12 Chas. II., c. 23: “For every -gallon of Chocolate, Sherbet, and Tea, made and sold, to be paid by -the Makers thereof, Eightpence,” and men were appointed to visit the -coffee-houses twice daily to see the quantity brewed. - -But this was so inconvenient, that in 1688, after giving this scheme -a good trial, the Act was repealed by 1 Will. & Mary, c. 40, and the -duties on coffee, chocolate, and tea (for this latter 1_s._ per lb.) were -charged and collected at the Custom House, because “It hath been found by -experience, that the collecting of the duty arising to your Majesties by -virtue of several Acts of Parliament, by way of excise, upon the liquors -of Coffee, Chocolate and Tea, is not only very troublesome and unequal -upon the retailers of those liquors, but requireth such attendance of -officers, as makes the neat receipt very inconsiderable.” - -In the British Museum is a broadside folio advertisement, supposed to -be about A.D. 1600, of a tobacconist, one Thomas Garway, who kept a -coffee-house in Exchange Alley, known up till late years, when it has -disappeared in the universal rage for improvements, as Garraway’s Coffee -House. It is as follows:— - -“An Exact Description of the Growth, Quality, and Vertues of the Leaf -TEA, by _Thomas Garway_ in _Exchange Alley_, near the _Royal Exchange_ in -_London_, and Seller and Retailer of TEA and COFFEE. - -“TEA is generally brought from _China_, and groweth there upon little -Shrubs or Bushes, the Branches whereof are well garnished with white -Flowers that are yellow within, of the bigness and fashion of sweet -Brier, but smell unlike, bearing thin green leaves about the bigness -of _Scordium_, _Mirtle_, or _Sumack_, and is judged to be a kind of -_Sumack_: This Plant hath been reported to grow wild only, but doth not, -for they plant it in their Gardens about four foot distance, and it -groweth about four foot high, and of the Seeds they maintain and increase -their Stock. Of all places in _China_ this Plant groweth in greatest -plenty in the Province of _Xemsi_, Latitude 36 degrees, bordering upon -the West of the Province of _Honam_, and in the Province of _Namking_, -near the City of _Lucheu_; there is likewise of the growth of _Sinam_, -_Cochin China_, the Island _de Ladrones_ and _Japan_, and is called -_Cha_. Of this famous Leaf there are divers sorts (though all of one -shape) some much better than the other, the upper Leaves excelling the -other in fineness, a property almost in all Plants, which Leaves they -gather every day, and drying them in the shade, or in Iron pans over a -gentle fire till the humidity be exhausted, then put up close in Leaden -pots, preserve them for their Drink _Tea_, which is used at Meals, and -upon all Visits and Entertainments in private Families, and in the -Palaces of Grandees. And it is averred by a Padre of _Macao_, native of -_Japan_, that the best _Tea_ ought not to be gathered but by Virgins who -are destined to this work, and such _Quæ non dum Menstrua patiuntur; -gemmæ quæ nascuntur in summitatæ arbuscula, servantur Imperitorie̅, ac -præcipuis ejus Dynastis: quæ autem infra nascuntur, ad latera, populo -conceduntur_. The said Leaf is of such known vertues, that those very -Nations so famous for Antiquity, Knowledge, and Wisdom, do frequently -sell it amongst themselves for twice its weight in Silver, and the high -estimation of the Drink made therewith, hath occasioned an inquiry into -the nature thereof among the most intelligent persons of all Nations that -have travelled in those parts, who, after exact Tryal and Experience -by all Wayes imaginable, have commended it to the use of their several -Countries, for its Vertues and Operations, particularly as followeth, -_viz._:— - -“_The Quality is moderately hot, proper for Winter or Summer._ - -“_The Drink is declared to be most wholesome, preserving in perfect -health untill extreme Old Age._ - -“_The particular Vertues are these_:— - -“It maketh the Body clean and lusty. - -“It helpeth the Head-ach, giddiness and heaviness thereof. - -“It removeth the Obstructions of the Spleen. - -“It is very good against the Stone and Gravel, cleansing the Kidneys and -Vriters, being drank with Virgin’s Honey instead of Sugar. - -“It taketh away the difficulty of breathing, opening Obstructions. - -“It is good against Lipitude distillations, and cleareth the Sight. - -“It removeth Lassitude, and cleanseth and purifieth adult Humors and a -hot Liver. - -“It is good against Crudities, strengthening the weakness of the -Ventricle or Stomack, causing good Appetite and Digestion, and -particularly for Men of a Corpulent Body, and such as are great eaters of -Flesh. - -“It vanquisheth heavy Dreams, easeth the Brain, and strengtheneth the -Memory. - -“It overcometh superfluous Sleep, and prevents Sleepiness in general, -a draught of the Infusion being taken, so that, without trouble, whole -nights may be spent in Study without hurt to the Body, in that it -moderately heateth and bindeth the mouth of the Stomach. - -“It prevents and cures Agues, Surfets and Feavers, by infusing a fit -quantity of the Leaf, thereby provoking a most gentle Vomit and breathing -of the Pores, and hath been given with wonderful success. - -“It (being prepared and drank with Milk and Water) strengtheneth the -inward parts, and prevents Consumptions, and powerfully asswageth the -pains of the Bowels, or griping of the Guts, or Looseness. - -“It is good for Colds, Dropsies, and Scurveys, if properly infused, -purging the Blood by Sweat and Urine, and expelleth Infection. - -“It drives away all pains in the Collick proceeding from Wind, and -purgeth safely the Gall. - -“And that the Vertues and Excellencies of this Leaf, and Drink, are -many and great, it is evident and manifest by the high esteem and use -of it (especially of late years) among the Physitians and Knowing men -in _France_, _Italy_, _Holland_, and other parts of Christendom; and in -_England_ it hath been sold in the Leaf for six pounds, and some times -for ten pounds the pound weight, and, in respect of its former scarceness -and dearness, it hath been only used as a _Regalia_ in high Treatments -and Entertainments, and Presents made thereof to Princes and Grandees -till the year 1657. The said _Thomas Garway_ did purchase a quantity -thereof, and first publickly sold the said _Tea_ in Leaf and Drink, made -according to the directions of the most knowing Merchants and Travellers -into those Eastern Countries; And upon knowledge and experience of the -said _Garway’s_ continued care and industry in obtaining the best _Tea_, -and making Drink thereof, very many Noblemen, Physitians, Merchants and -Gentlemen of Quality have ever since sent to him for the said Leaf, and -daily resort to his House in _Exchange Alley_ aforesaid, to drink the -Drink thereof. - -“And that Ignorance nor Envy have no ground or power to report or -suggest that what is here asserted of the Vertues and Excellences of -this pretious Leaf and Drink hath more of design than truth, for the -justification of himself and satisfaction of others, he hath here -innumerated several Authors, who, in their Learned Works, have expressly -written and asserted the same, and much more, in honour of this noble -Leaf and Drink, _viz._, _Bontius_, _Riccius_, _Jarricus_, _Almeyda_, -_Horstius_, _Alvarez Semeda_, _Martinious_ in his _China Atlas_, and -_Alexander de Rhodes_ in his Voyage and Missions, in a large discourse of -the ordering of this Leaf, and the many Vertues of the Drink, printed at -_Paris_ 1653 part 10. Chap. 13. - -“And to the end that all Persons of Eminency and Quality, Gentlemen and -others who have occasion for _Tea_ in Leaf, may be supplyed, These are to -give notice that the said _Thomas Garway_ hath _Tea_ to sell from sixteen -to fifty Shillings the pound. - -“And whereas several Persons using _Coffee_, have been accustomed to buy -the powder thereof by the pound, or in lesser, or greater quantities, -which, if kept two dayes looseth much of its first Goodness. And, -forasmuch as the Berries after drying may be kept, if need require for -some Moneths; Therefore all persons living remote from _London_, and -have occasion for the said powder, are advised to buy the said _Coffee_ -Berries ready dryed, which being in a Morter beaten, or in a Mill ground -to powder, as they use it, will so often be brisk, fresh, and fragrant, -and in its full vigour and strength as if new prepared, to the great -satisfaction of the Drinkers thereof, as hath been experienced by many -in this City. Which Commodity of the best sort, the said _Thomas Garway_ -hath alwayes ready dryed to be sold at reasonable Rates. - -“Also such as will have _Coffee_ in powder, or the Berries undryed, -or _Chocolata_, may by the said _Thomas Garway_ be supplied to their -content: With such further Instructions and perfect Directions how to use -_Tea_, _Coffee_ and _Chocolata_, as is, or may be needful, and so as to -be efficatious and operative, according to their several Vertues. - -“FINIS. - -“ADVERTISEMENT. That _Nicholas Brook_, living at the Sign of the -_Frying-pan_ in St. _Tulies_ Street against the Church, is the only known -man for the making of Mills for grinding of _Coffee_ powder; which Mills -are by him sold from 40 to 45 shillings the Mill.” - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -TEA. - -III. - - Pepys and Tea—First English Poem on Tea—Price of Tea temp. - Queen Anne—Scandal over the Tea Cup—Jonas Hanway and Dr. - Johnson on Tea—Love of the latter for this Beverage—How to make - Good Tea. - - -By Garway’s Advertisement we get at one fact, that the use of tea had -not been brought into popular use before 1657: a fact which is borne out -by that old _quid nunc_ Pepys, who would surely have noticed it, as, -indeed, he did as soon as it was brought under his ken. He mentions it in -his diary under date 25th Sept., 1661, as being then a novelty, at all -events to him. “I did send for a Cup of Tee, a China Drink of which I -never drank before.” And again, 28th June, 1667, “Home, and there find my -wife making of Tee, a drink which Mr. Pelling the Potticary tells her is -good for her cold and defluxions.” So that even then it was not a common -drink with people well to do, as we know Pepys was. The old English -custom of drinking beer at breakfast died very hard—nay, it is not yet -dead—surviving in farm houses in many places in the country, notably in -Somersetshire; and when tea became cheap enough to be drank by the middle -classes, those beneath them in the social scale indulged in sage tea, -and infusions of other home grown herbs. - -As it increased in popularity, the poets got hold of it, and numerous -were the laudatory verses in Latin respecting its virtues. But, as far as -can be found, the earliest English poem about it was by Waller, as under:— - - “OF TEA. - - COMMENDED BY HER MAJESTY.[129] - - “Venus her Myrtle, Phœbus has his bays; - Tea both excels, which she vouchsafes to praise. - The best of queens,[130] and best of herbs, we owe - To that bold nation[130] which the way did shew - To the fair region where the Sun does rise, - Whose rich productions we so justly prize. - The Muses’ friend, Tea does our fancy aid, - Repress those vapours which the head invade, - And keeps that palace of the soul serene, - Fit on her birthday to salute the Queen.” - -As years went on, its popularity became greater, and it is satisfactory -to find by the following extract from Lord Clarendon’s diary, 10th Feb., -1688, that the tea imported was good, and that it was treated properly. -“Le Père Couplet supped with me; he is a man of very good conversation. -After supper we had tea, which he said was as good as any he had drank -in China. The Chinese, who came over with him and Mr. Fraser, supped -likewise with us.” - -With time, the consumption of tea increased, and its price was much -lower; but still, taking the money value in the time of Queen Anne, in -relation to our own it was excessively dear, and its value fluctuated -much. Black tea varied in 1704 from 12_s._ to 16_s._ per pound; in 1706, -14_s._ to 16_s._; in 1707, which seems to have been an exceptionally dear -year, 16_s._, 20_s._, 22_s._, 24_s._, 30_s._, and 32_s._ In 1709 it was -from 14_s._ to 28_s._; and in 1710, 12_s._ to 28_s._ Green tea in 1705 -was 13_s._ 6_d._; in 1707, 20_s._, 22_s._, 26_s._; in 1709, 10_s._ to -15_s._; and in 1710, 10_s._ to 16_s._ The difference between new and old -is given once; the new tea is 14_s._, and the old 12_s._ and 10_s._ - -The margins in price are not only accounted for by difference in age, but -it was well known that old leaves were re-dried and used in the cheaper -sorts; indeed, there is a very curious advertisement in the advertising -portion of the _Tatler_, Aug. 26th, 1710: “Bohea Tea, made of the same -Materials that Foreign Bohea is made of, 16_s._ a Pound. Sold by R. Fary -only, at the Bell in Grace Church Street, Druggist. Note. The Natural -Pecko Tea will remain, after Infusion, of a light grey colour. All -other Bohea Tea, tho’ there be White in it will Change Colour, and is -artificial.” - -Tea was now “in Society,” and was made the medium of pleasant little -_réunions_. The accompanying illustration gives a Tea-party, temp. Queen -Anne, by which it appears that the cups had no handles at that time, and -were of veritable oriental porcelain, and that it was not considered a -breach of good manners to drink tea out of saucers. - -But even this Eden had its serpent, in the shape of scandal, from which -the tea table seemed no freer in the time of Good Queen Anne than our -own.[131] “Thus they take a sip of Tea, then for a draught or two of -Scandal to digest it, next let it be Ratifia, or any other Favourite -Liquor, Scandal must be the after draught to make it sit easie on their -Stomach, till the half hour’s past, and they have disburthen’d themselves -of their Secrets, and take Coach for some other place, to collect new -matter for Defamation.” - -[Illustration] - -An anonymous poet of that time sings thus of the tea table:— - - “Here we see Scandal, (for our sex too base), - Seat in dread Empire in the Female Race, - ’Mong Beaus and Women, Fans and Mechlin Lace, - Chief seat of Slander, Ever there we see - Thick Scandal circulate with right Bohea. - There, source of black’ning Falsehood’s Mint of Lies, - Each Dame th’ Improvement of her Talent tries, - And at each Sip a Lady’s Honour dies; - Truth rare as Silence, or a Negro Swan, - Appears among those Daughters of the Fan.” - -Peter Motteux, in the same reign (1712), wrote “A Poem in Praise of Tea;” -but his theme may, after all, only have been taken to advertise his East -India Warehouse in Leadenhall Street. He says:— - - “From boist’rous Wine I fled to gentle Tea; - For, Calms compose us after Storms at Sea. - In vain wou’d Coffee boast an equal Good; - The Chrystal Stream transcends the flowing Mud. - Tea, ev’n the Ills from Coffee sprung, repairs, - Disclaims its Vices, and its Vertue shares. - To bless me with the Juice two Foes conspire, - The clearest Water with the purest Fire, - Wine’s Essence in a Lamp to Fewel turns, - Exhales its Soul, and for a Rival burns. - The Leaf is mov’d, and the diffusive Good, - Thus urg’d, resigns its Spirits in the Flood. - In curious Cups the liquid Blessing flows, - Cups fit alone the _Nectar_ to enclose. - Dissembled Groves and Nymphs by Tables plac’d, - Adorn the Sides, and tempt the Sight and Taste, - Yet more the gay, the lovely Colour courts, - The Flavour charms us, but the Taste transports,” etc., etc. - -As years went on, the poets still sung its praises; and the following -portion of “Tea Drinking” brings us down to 1752, by which time it was a -necessity in polite society:— - -[Illustration] - - “Sparkling with Youth’s gay Pride, like mirthful _May_ - In the Sedan enclos’d, by Slaves up-born; - See the Love-darting Dame, swing ’long the Way, - Or to present the Visit, or return. - - The sleek-comb’d Valet trimly trips before; - Loud, thro’ the gazing Croud, commanding Place; - With well-tim’d Raps he strikes the sounding Door, - Thunders in Taste, and rattles with a Grace. - - Along the Pavement grates the swift-slop’d Chair, - Back on its well-oil’d Hinges flies the Gate; - Behind the high held Hoop, up-springs the Fair, - Rustling in rich Array, and silken State. - - The how d’ye ended, the Contest of Place, - And all the fashionable flutt’ring Toils, - Down, curtsying, sink the Laughter loving Race, - And undisturb’d one Moment, Silence smiles. - - Behold! the Beau-complexion’d Porcelain, - As Bell turn’d Tulips variegated show, - In order set among the tittering Train, - Replete with Spoils which from _Cathaya_ flow. - - The leading Fair the Word harmonious gives, - _Betty_ around attends with bending Knee; - Each white-arm Fair, the painted Cup receives - Pours the rich Cream, or stirs the sweetened Tea,” etc., etc. - -But, although some wrote in praise of it, there was a class of people who -were opposed to its use, and one of them was the celebrated Jonas Hanway, -of umbrella fame. Possessed of a competence, he had nothing particular -to do, so he turned philanthrope. He took up the cause of the Marine -Society, he was a Governor of the Foundling Hospital, and he founded a -Magdalen Hospital, which is now at Streatham. These things, however, -did not fully occupy his time, and he scribbled _de omnibus rebis_: -among other things, about Tea, against which he had a great aversion. In -1757 he wrote “AN ESSAY ON TEA, considered as pernicious to _Health_, -obstructing _Industry_, and impoverishing the _Nation_; also an Account -of its _Growth_, and great _Consumption_ in these _Kingdoms_.” - -Judged from our present standpoint, it was a farrago of rubbish and false -arguments, and he recommends “Herbs of our own growth in lieu of Tea.” -He gives a list of plants which he thinks useful for the purpose:—Ground -Ivy, plain, or with a few drops of lemon Balm, or lemon Balm alone, or -mixed with Sage, and Lavender flowers; Lavender itself; the fresh tops of -Thyme; Mint; the flowery tops of Rosemary, by themselves, or mixed with -Lavender; Penny royal and Lavender; Horehound; Trefoil flowers; Sorrel; -Angelica; Sage; Cowslips; and recommends a drink, which he occasionally -used himself, made of Ground Ivy and stick Liquorice. - -[Illustration: A Tea Garden: _George Morland_.] - -This roused the ire of no less a person than Dr. Samuel Johnson, who, as -“a hardened and shameless tea drinker; who has for many years diluted -his meals with only the infusion of this fascinating plant; whose kettle -has scarcely time to cool; who with tea amuses the evening, with tea -solaces the midnights, and with tea welcomes the morning,”[132] could -not sit still, and have his favourite beverage abused. So he wrote a -review of Hanway’s Essay, and demolished it. Johnson certainly was an -immoderate and enthusiastic tea drinker, and somewhat a tyrant over it, -as Mrs. Piozzi rather ruefully relates. “By this pathetic manner, which -no one ever possessed in so eminent a degree, he used to shock me from -quitting his company, till I hurt my own health not a little by sitting -up with him, when I was myself far from well; nor was it an easy matter -to oblige him even by compliance, for he always maintained that no one -forebore their own gratifications for the sake of pleasing another; and -if one _did_ sit up, it was, probably, to amuse one’s self. Some right, -however, he certainly had to say so, as he made his company exceedingly -entertaining, when he had once forced one, by his vehement lamentations -and piercing reproofs, not to leave the room, but to sit quietly, and -make tea for him, as I often did in London till four o’clock in the -morning.” - -When dining one day with William Scott (afterwards Lord Stowell), Johnson -told a little story of Garrick and his tea drinking. “I remember drinking -tea with him long ago, when Peg Woffington made it, and he grumbled -at her for making it too strong.” But the names of worthy and eminent -tea drinkers are legion, and its virtues are so patent that even our -Legislators have a room set apart in the Houses of Parliament for the -discussion of it and other matters. - -One or two words only, before concluding the subject of tea, and those -are to show how to make a good cup of tea. - -[Illustration] - -The teapot should be thoroughly warmed, and the tea put into it before -the addition of the water, which should _just have come to the boil_, and -not have been boiling for any length of time. After standing about three -minutes it should be ready for drinking. No second water should be used. -A sufficiently large teapot, or teapots, should be provided, and if the -quantity required exceeds the supply, then fresh tea should be made. - -Tea drinking has been stigmatised by some as slow poisoning; and in one -of Hood’s works we are treated to a pictorial representation of “Sloe -poison.” - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -MATÉ. - - Its Use in South America—Districts where Grown—Its - Manufacture—Early Notice of—The _Maté_ Cup and - _Bombilla_—Method of Drinking—Its Rapid Deterioration. - - -Yerba Maté, or Paraguay Tea, which is made from the leaves of the _Ilex -Paraguayensis_, or Brazilian Holly, takes the place of _Thea Sinensis_ in -nearly the whole of South America, where it has been used by the Indians -from time immemorial, and by their conquerors and settlers since the -seventeenth century. - -It grows abundantly in Paraguay, Corrientes, Chaco, and the south of -Brazil, forming woods called _yerbales_. One of the principal centres -of the Maté industry is the Villa Real, a small town above Asuncion, on -the Paraguay River; another is the Villa de San Xavier in the district -between the rivers Uruguay and Parana. If let alone, it grows into a tree -some fifteen or twenty feet high; but the plants from which the Maté is -collected are moderate-sized shrubs, with numerous stems from one root. -The leaves are from four to five inches long, and the finest Maté is made -from the smallest shrubs. One bush will furnish three different kinds -of tea, which are called _caa-cuys_, _caa-miri_, and _caa-guaza_—_caa_ -meaning leaf. _Caa-cuys_ is made from the half expanded buds; but, -although fine in flavour, it has the misfortune of not keeping, and, -consequently, is all consumed in Paraguay. _Caa-miri_ is prepared in the -same way as the Jesuit padres made it, the leaves being carefully picked, -and the nerves stripped before roasting them; and the _Caa-guaza_, which -is the commonest, is prepared as follows:— - -[Illustration] - -A Maté _yerbal_, or plantation, having been found, and a sum paid to -Government for the collection of its leaves, a party of from twenty-five -to thirty Indians settle down there with the intention of passing some -five or six months. They make themselves as comfortable as circumstances -will permit, by building wigwams covered with palm or banana leaves. -Their next care is to beat, with mallets, a good hard and smooth earthen -floor, about six feet square, which is called a _tatacua_. Over this is -built an arch of poles, on which is spread the boughs of the _Ilex_, and -under which a lively fire is kindled, that the leaves may be thoroughly -dried without being scorched. This result being effected, the fire is -swept off the hearth, and the dried branches being spread thereon, the -leaves are beaten off with sticks, which operation reduces them to a -coarse powder. Sometimes they are pounded in mortars, made by digging -holes in the ground, well rammed; but now-a-days the Maté is generally -treated in a more scientific and cleanly manner, the leaves being heated, -as tea in China, in large iron pans set in brick work. The dried leaves -are then taken to the Maté mill, which may be worked by water power, or -by mules, the wooden stampers being worked by teeth placed spirally round -the circumference of a revolving cylinder. A good-sized mill will turn -out three tons of Maté in a day. The crushed leaves are then tightly -packed in bags of damp bullock’s hide, sewn up and left to dry, when they -become as hard as stones. These sacks generally weigh from 200 to 220 -lbs., and this quantity is considered a good day’s work for a peon. The -collectors suffer terribly during this six months of forest life, and the -severe labour of collecting, in those tropical forests, is especially -fatal to the unfortunate peons. - -Its use is as universal as tea in China. The method of taking it has not -varied for centuries; and a description of it in 1713[133] is as good as -if written to-day. - -[Illustration] - -“During the day, they make much use of the Herb of _Paraguay_, which -some call St. Bartholomew’s Herb, who, they pretend, came into that -Province, where he made it wholesome and beneficial, whereas, before, -it was venomous. Being only brought dry, and almost in Powder, I cannot -describe it. Instead of drinking the Tincture, or Infusion, apart, as we -drink Tea, they put the Herb into a cup or bowl, made of a Calabash or -Gourd, tipped with silver, which they call _Maté_; they add sugar, and -pour on it the hot water, which they drink immediately, without giving -it time to infuse, because it turns as black as ink. To avoid drinking -the Herb which swims at the top, they make use of a silver pipe, at the -end whereof is a bowl, full of little holes, so that the liquor sucked -in at the other end is clear from the Herb. They drink round from the -same pipe, pouring hot water on the Herb as it is drank off. Instead of -a pipe, which they call _Bombilla_; some part the Herb with a silver -separation, called _Apartador_, full of little holes. The reluctance -which the French have shown to drink after all sorts of people, in a -country where so many are diseased, has occasioned the inventing of the -use of little glass pipes, which they began to use at _Lima_. That liquor -is, in my opinion, better than Tea; it has a flavour of the Herb, which -is agreeable enough; the people of the country are so used to it, that -even the poorest use it once a day, when they rise in the morning.” - -[Illustration] - -Frezier gives us an illustration of _Maté_ drinking, in which we see a -lady using the _bombilla_, although the _Maté_ cup has an _apartador_. -The silver kettle for supplying hot water is fed with charcoal at the -side, and somewhat resembles the Russian _Samovar_. - -We give a modern _Maté_ cup and _bombilla_; but this, which is made -wholly of silver, is only intended for one person’s use. - -Sometimes the _Maté_ cups are made of the gourds of the Cuca (_Crescentia -Cujete_) or Cabaço (_Cucurbita lagenaria_) silver mounted. Indeed, the -cup itself is the _Maté_, which gives the name to the herb, meaning, in -the language of the Incas, a _calabash_. The decoction is drank with a -little brown sugar or lemon added, never with milk, and if not drank very -quickly will turn quite black. - -It loses in flavour and aroma by keeping, so that in England it cannot -possibly be drunk in perfection, which, of course, can only be done -on the spot where it is produced. Its virtues are much vaunted. It is -supposed to give nervous vigour, and to enable the system to resist -fatigue; but this can scarcely account for the enormous quantity drunk, -although to persons unused to it, when taken in large doses it is both -purgative and emetic. - -Like Chinese tea, it has a volatile oil, which gives it its peculiar -aroma; it also contains nearly 2 per cent. of theine, and about 16 per -cent. of an astringent acid, resembling tannin, which causes the infusion -to turn black after a slight exposure to the air. - -There is another variety of _Maté_, called _Gongonha_, which is drunk in -Brazil, which is prepared from two other species of holly, the _Ilex -Gongonha_ and the _Ilex Theezans_. In Chili a tea is made from the leaves -of the _Psoralea glandulosa_, and in Central America an infusion of the -leaves of the _Capraria bifolia_ is drunk. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -CUCA. - - Where Grown—Sustaining Power of Cuca—Early Mention of it, and - Methods of Preparing and Using it—Cowley on Cuca—Its Modern - Manufacture and Cost—Its Medicinal Properties—Cocaine and its - Dangers. - - -Cuca or Coca (_Erythroxylon Coca_) is now used as a drink, the leaves, -hitherto, having been masticated. It has very valuable medicinal -qualities, one of the chief being the ability to sustain fatigue by -those who use it. It grows in the valleys of the eastern slope of the -Andes, in Bolivia, and Peru; wild in many places, but that in use is -generally cultivated. It has been known ever since the Conquest of Peru, -notices of it being very early; and, considering the length of time this -knowledge has obtained, it is marvellous that it is only of very late -years that our scientific men have interested themselves in its medicinal -properties, and that an infusion of its leaves has not come into common -use. - -[Illustration] - -The earliest mention to be found of it in English is in a[134] -translation (1577) of a book written by Dr. Monades of Seville. - - “OF THE COCA. - - “I was desirous to see that hearbe so celebrated of the - Indians, so many yeares past, which they doe call the _Coca_, - which they doe sow and till with muche care and diligence, - for because they doe use it for their pleasures, which we - will speake of. The _Coca_ is an hearbe of the height of a - yerd, little more or lesse, he carrieth his Leaves like to - _Arraihau_, somewhat greater, and in that Leafe there is marked - another Leafe of the like forme, with a line very thinne, they - are softe, and of Coulour a light greene, they carrie the seede - in clusters, and it commeth to be so redde when it is ripe, - as the Seede of _Arraihau_, when it is ripe. And it is of the - same greatnesse, when the hearbe is seasoned, that it is to - be gathered, it is knowen in the seede, that it is ripe, and - of some rednes like to a blackekishe coulour, and the hearbe - beyng gathered, they put them into Canes, and other thinges, - that they may drie, that it maie be kepte and caried to other - partes. For that they carrie them from some high Mountaines, - to others, as Marchaundise to be soulde, and they barter and - chaunge them for Mantelles, and Cattell, and Salte, and other - thinges whiche doe runne like to money amongest us, they doe - put the seede into _Almaciga_,[135] and from that thei do take - them up, and set them in another place, into Earth that is wel - laboured or tilled, and made as it is convenient for to put - them, by their lines and order, as we doe put here a Garden of - Beanes, or of Peason. - - “The use of it amongest the Indians is a thing generall, for - many thinges, for when they doe travail by the waie, for neede - and for their content when they are in their houses, thei use - it in this forme. Thei take Cokles or Oisters in their shelles, - and they doe burne them and grinde them, and after they are - burned they remaine like Lyme, very small grounde, and they - take of the Leves of the _Coca_, and they chawe them in their - Mouthes, and, as they go chawyng, they goe mingling with it - of that pouder made of the shelles in such sorte, that they - make it like to a Paste taking lesse of the Pouder then of - the Hearbe, and of this Paste they make certaine small Bawles - rounde, and they put them to drie, and when they will use of - them, they take a little Ball in their mouthe, and they chawe - hym; passing hym from one parte to another, procuring to - conserue him all that they can, and that beyng doen, they doe - retaurne to take another, and so they goe, using of it all the - tyme that they have neede, whiche is when they travaill by the - waie, and especially if it be by waies where is no meate, or - lacke of water. For the use of these little Bawles doe take - the hunger and thurste from them, and they say that they dooe - receive substaunce, as though that they did eate. At other - times thei use of them for their pleasure, although that they - labour not by the waie, and thei do use the same _Coca_ alone, - chawing it and bringing it in their mouthes, from one side to - another, untill there be no vertue remainyng in it, and then - they take another.” - -Garcia Lasso de la Vega, who wrote his _Commentarios Reales_ in 1609, -gives a fine description of Cuca—which is taken from his translator, Sir -Paul Rycaut. - - “_Of the pretious Leafe called_ Cuca.” - - “But above all we must not omit to discourse at large of the - Herb which the _Indians_ call _Cuca_, and the _Spaniards_, - _Coca_, being that which is, and hath been a considerable - part of the Riches of _Peru_, and such as hath yielded great - benefit to the Merchants. And, indeed, the _Indians_ did justly - esteem it for the rare Virtues and Qualities of it, which the - _Spaniards_ have not onely approved, but have also discovered - several other specifick and medicinal Qualities belonging to - it. _Blas Valera_, who was a very curious Person, and one who - had resided many years in _Peru_, and came from thence thirty - years after my departure, hath wrote Very largely of the many - Virtues of this Herb, and such as he hath found out by his - own experience. His words are these, ‘The _Cuca_ is a small, - tender Tree or Bind, about the height and biggness of a Vine; - it produceth not many Branches, but is full of delicate Leaves, - of about the breadth and length of a Man’s Thumb; it is of - an excellent smell, and very fragrant; the _Spaniards_ and - _Indians_ do both give them the name of _Cuca_; the which is - so much esteemed by the _Indians_, that they prefer it before - Gold, or Silver, or Pretious Stones. They plant and manure them - with great art and diligence, and gather them with great care, - pulling them leaf by leaf, and then lay them to dry in the Sun, - and so the Indians eat them dry. - - “‘The Virtue and Benefit of this _Cuca_ is plainly observable - in labouring Men, who, having eaten it are much refreshed, - and often labour a whole day in the strength of it, without - any other nourishment. The _Cuca_ moreover preserves the - Body from many infirmities; and our Physicians make use of - it, being dried and beaten to powder, to ease and assuage - the Inflammation, or swelling of any Wound; it is good to - strengthen bones which have been broken, and expell colds from - the Body, and to prevent them; it is good also to cleanse great - Wounds of Worms, and heal them; nor is the Virtue of it less, - being taken inwardly, than it is by outward applications. - Besides all which Virtues, it yields a great benefit to the - Bishop and Canons and other Dependents on the Cathedral Church - of _Cozco_, the Tithes of the Leaves of _Cuca_ being their - greatest Revenue; it is also a great commodity amongst the - Merchants; notwithstanding all which good Qualities of the - _Cuca_, there are many, who being ignorant of its Virtues - have wrote against it; for no other reason, than because the - Gentiles, in ancient times, did, by their Diviners and Wizards - offer this _Cuca_ to their Gods in Sacrifice; and, therefore, - having been abused to Idolatry, they conclude that it ought - for ever to be esteemed abominable and prophane. This Argument - might be available, if it had been the custome to offer this - Herb onely to the Devil, but, in regard that both ancient - and modern Idolaters have made their Corn, and Fruits, and - whatsoever grows above or beneath the earth, their Drinks and - Water, their Wool and Clothing, their Flocks and Herds, and - all things else, the matter and subject of their Sacrifices; - we may argue from the same foundation, that all those things - are defiled and rendred as abominable and unclean as the - _Cuca_; but to the clean, all things being clean, let us teach - them to abhor and forsake their superstitious and idolatrous - Worships, and let us, using our Christian Liberty, receive - those Blessings with moderation and thanksgiving.’ - - “Thus far are the Words of _Blas Valera_. To which we shall add - thus much farther, that this little Tree is about the height - of a Man, in the planting of which they cast the seed in its - green shell, and when it grows up, they then hoa and open the - Earth for it, as they do for Vines, supporting the tender twigs - with stakes; and in planting, they take great care that the - tender roots be laid streight in the Earth, for with the least - doubling they dry and wither; they take likewise the Leaf of - every sprig by itself, and, holding it between their fingers, - they cut it with great care till they come to the Bud, but do - not touch it, for then the whole branch will wither; both the - outside and inside of this Leaf in the greenness and shape of - it, is like the _Arbuteus_, onely the Leaves are so thin, that - three or four of them, being doubled, are not so thick as that - of the _Arbuteus_.... - - “When they gather the Leaves they dry them in the Sun; but - care is to be taken that they are not over-dried, for then - they lose much of their Virtue, and, being very thin, soon - turn to powder; nor will they bear much moisture; for they - soon grow musty and rotten; but they lay them up in Baskets of - slit Canes, of which many fine ones are made in the _Antis_. - With the Leaves of those big Canes, which are about the third - of a yard long, they cover the top of the Baskets, to keep - Moisture from the Leaves, which is very prejudicial to them; - and to consider the great pains and care which is taken to - nourish this _Cuca_, and the provisions of all things which - are made for it, we ought rather to render thanks to God for - his abundant blessings in the variety of his Creatures, than - to believe or conclude that what we write is fabulous or - incredible; if these fruits were to be planted or nourished in - other Countries, the charge and labour of them would be more - than the benefit. - - “The Herb is gathered every four Months, that is three times - a year, and in the manuring of it care is taken to weed it - often; for the Country being hot and moist, the Weeds grow - apace, and the Herb sometimes increases so fast, that the - season for gathering of it advances fifteen days; so that - sometimes they have four Harvests for it in a year; the which, - a certain covetous Tithe-gatherer observing, in my time, farmed - the Tithes of all the principal and rich Inheritances and - Possessions about _Cozco_, and, taking care to keep them clear - and clean from Weeds, he so improved his Revenue, that the year - following, the Farmer of the Tithes made two thirds more than - what had been made in the preceding years; which caused a Law - Suit between the Farmer and the Proprietor, but what the Issue - was of it, I that was then but a Boy, did not much remark. - - “Amongst many other Virtues of this _Cuca_, they say it - corroborates the Gums, and fortifies the Teeth, and that it - gives strength and vigour to any person that labours and toils, - onely by carrying it in his mouth. I remember a Story which I - heard in my own Countrey. That a certain Gentleman, both by - Bloud and Vertue, called _Rodrigo Pantoia_, journeying once - from _Cozco_ to _Rimac_,[136] met with a poor _Spaniard_ (for - there are some poor there, as well as here), travelling on - foot, carrying a little Girl of about two years of age in his - Armes; and being an acquaintance of this _Pantoia_, he asked - him how he came to give himself the trouble of carrying that - burthen; to which the person that was on foot, replied, that he - was poor, and had not money to hire an _Indian_ to carry it. - - “In this discourse with him, _Pantoia_ observed that his mouth - was full of the _Cuca_; and it being, at that time, that - the _Spaniards_ abhorred all things which the _Indians_ did - eat or drink, because they had been abused to Idolatry, and - particularly they hated the _Cuca_, as a base and stinking - Weed, which gave cause to _Pantoia_ to ask him farther, why - he, being a _Spaniards_, did use those things which the - _Spaniards_ hated; for his necessities could never be so great - as to compell him to Meats or Customs unlawfull. To which the - Souldier replied, that though he abhorred it as much as the - _Spaniards_, yet necessity forced him to imitate the _Indians_ - therein; for that without it he could never be able to travell - and carry his Burthen, for that holding it in his mouth, he - found such refreshment and strength, that he was able to - carry his Load, and perform his Journey with chearfulness. - _Pantoia_ wondring at this Report, related to many others, who, - afterwards, making the same experiment thereof, found that - the _Indians_ made use of it rather for their refreshment and - necessity, than for any pleasure in the taste, which in itself - is not very pleasant or agreeable.” - -A plant having such manifold and beneficent properties must needs have -a supernatural origin, and the Indians had a belief that the goddess -Varischa first introduced the Cuca plant into Peru, and taught the -inhabitants the use thereof. Abraham Cowley sang thereof in his Latin -poems, “Sex libri plantarum,” and use is made here of the translation -by Nahum Tate, of the fifth book, published in 1700. The Indian Bacchus -challenge the other deities to judge between the fruits of the two worlds. - - ... - “But _Bacchus_ much more sportive than the rest, - Fills up a Bowl with Juice from Grapestones drein’d, - And puts it in _Omelichilus_ hand; - Take off this Draught, said he, if thou art wise, - ’Twill purge thy Cannibal Stomach’s Crudities. - He, unaccustomed to the acid Juice - Storm’d, and with blows had answer’d the Abuse, - But fear’d t’engage the _European_ Guest, - Whose Strength and Courage had subdu’d the _East_. - He therefore chooses a less dang’rous fray, - And summons all his Country’s Plants away: - Forthwith in decent Order they appear, - And various Fruits on various Branches wear; - Like _Amazons_ they stand in painted Arms, - _Coca_ alone appears with little Charms; - Yet led the Van, our scoffing _Venus_ scorn’d - The shrublike Tree, and with no Fruit adorn’d. - The _Indian_ Plants, said she, are like to speed - In this Dispute of the most sterile Breed, - Who choose a _Dwarf_ and _Eunuch_ for their Head. - Our Gods laugh’d out aloud at what she said. - _Pachamama_ defends her darling Tree, - And said the wanton Goddess was too free, - You only know the fruitfulness of Lust, - And therefore here your Judgement is unjust, - Your skill in other offsprings we may trust, - With those Chast Tribes that no distinction know - Of Sex, your Province nothing has to do. - Of all the Plants that any Soil does bear, - This Tree in Fruits the Richest does appear, - It bears the best, and bears ’em all the year. - Ev’n now with Fruits ’tis stor’d—why laugh you yet? - Behold how thick with Leaves it is beset, - Each Leaf is Fruit, and such substantial Fare - No Fruit beside to Rival it will dare. - Mov’d with his Countries Roming Fate (whose Coil - Must for her Treasures be expos’d to toil) - Our _Varicocha_ first this _Coca_ sent, - Endow’d with Leaves of wondrous Nourishment, - Whose Juice succ’d in, and to the Stomach ta’en, - Long Hunger and long Labour can sustain; - From which our faint and weary Bodies find - More Succour, more they cheat the drooping Mind - Than can your _Bacchus_ and your Ceres join’d. - Three Leaves supply for six days march afford, - The _Quitoita_ with this Provision stor’d - Can pass the vast and cloudy _Andes_ o’er— - The dreadful _Andes_ plac’d ’twixt Winter’s store - Of Winds, Rain, Snow, and that more humble Earth, - That gives the small but valiant _Coca_ Birth; - This Champion that makes war-like _Venus_ Mirth. - Nor _Coca_ only useful art at home, - A famous Merchandize thou art become; - A thousand _Paci_ and _Vicugni_ groan - Yearly beneath thy Loads, and for thy sake alone - The spacious World’s to us by Commerce known.” - -Dr. Von Tschudi says that the Coca plant is regarded by the Peruvian -Indian, as something sacred and mysterious, and it sustained an important -part in religion of the Incas. In all ceremonies, whether religious or -warlike, it was introduced, for producing smoke at the great offerings, -or as the sacrifice itself. During divine worship the priests chewed -Coca leaves, and, unless they were supplied with them, it was believed -that the favour of the gods could not be propitiated. It was also -deemed necessary that the supplicator for divine grace should approach -the priests with an _Acullico_ in his mouth. It was believed that any -business undertaken without the benediction of Coca leaves could not -prosper; and to the shrub itself worship was rendered. - -During an interval of more than 300 years, Christianity has not been -able to subdue the deep-rooted idolatry; for everywhere are found traces -of belief in the mysterious power of this plant. The excavators in the -mines of Cerro de Pasco throw masticated Coca on hard veins of metal, in -the belief that it softens the ore and renders it more easy to work. The -origin of this custom is easily explained, when it is recollected that -in the time of the Incas it was believed that the _Coyas_, or deities of -metals, rendered the mountains impenetrable, if they were not propitiated -by the odour of Coca. The Indians, even at the present time,[137] -put Coca leaves into the mouths of dead persons, to secure to them a -favourable reception on their entrance into another world; and when a -Peruvian Indian, on a journey, falls in with a mummy, he, with timid -reverence, presents to it some Coca leaves as his pious offering. - -Markham[138] also says, “The reliance on the extraordinary virtues of -the Coca leaf, amongst the Peruvian Indians, is so strong, that, in the -Huanaco province, they believe that, if a dying man can taste a leaf -placed on his tongue, it is a sure sign of his future happiness.” - -He also gives an account of the modern cultivation of the plant. Sowing -is commenced in December and January, when the rains begin, which -continue until April. The seeds are spread on the surface of the soil in -a small nursery or raising ground called _almaciga_, over which there is -generally a thatch roof (_huascichi_). At the end of about a fortnight -they come up; the young plants being continually watered, and protected -from the sun by the _huascichi_. The following year they are transplanted -to a soil specially prepared by thorough weeding, and breaking up the -clods very fine by hand; often in terraces only affording room for a -single row of plants, up the side of the mountains, which are kept up by -small stone walls. The plants are generally placed in square holes called -_aspi_, a foot deep, with stones on the sides to prevent the earth from -falling in. Three or four are planted in each hole, and grow up together. - -In Caravaya and Bolivia the soil in which the Coca grows is composed of a -blackish clay, formed from the decomposition of the schists, which form -the principal geological features of the mountains. On level ground the -plants are placed in furrows called _nachos_, separated by little walls -of earth, _umachas_, at the foot of each of which a row of plants is -placed; but this is a modern innovation, the terrace cultivation being -the most ancient. At the end of eighteen months the plants yield their -first harvest, and continue to yield for upwards of forty years. The -first harvest is called _quita calzon_, and the leaves are then picked -very carefully, one by one, to avoid disturbing the roots of the young -tender plants. The following harvests are called _mitta_ (“time” or -“season”), and take place three and even four times in the year. The most -abundant harvest takes place in March, immediately after the rains; the -worst, at the end of June, called the _Mitta de San Juan_. The third, -called _Mitta de Santos_, is in October or November. With plenty of -watering, forty days suffice to cover the plants with leaves afresh. It -is necessary to weed the ground very carefully, especially while the -plants are young, and the harvest is gathered by women and children. - -The green leaves, called _matu_, are deposited in a piece of cloth which -each picker carries, and are then spread out in the drying yard, called -_matu-caucha_, and carefully dried in the sun. The dried leaf is called -_Coca_. The drying yard is formed of slate flags, called _pizarra_; -and when the leaves are thoroughly dry, they are sewn up in _cestos_, -or sacks, made of banana leaves, of 20 lbs. each, strengthened by an -exterior covering of _bayeta_, or cloth.[139] They are also packed in -_tambores_ of 50 lbs. each, pressed tightly down. Dr. Poeppig (writing in -1827-32) reckoned the profits of a Coca farm to be forty-five per cent. - -The harvest is greatest in a hot moist situation; but the leaf generally -considered the best flavoured by consumers, grows in drier parts, on the -sides of hills. The greatest care is required in the drying; for too much -sun causes the leaves to dry up and lose their flavour, while, if packed -up moist, they become fetid. They are generally exposed to the sun in -thin layers. - -The approximate annual produce of Coca in Peru is about 15,000,000 lbs., -the average yield being about 800 lbs. an acre. More than 10,000,000 lbs. -are produced annually in Bolivia, according to Dr. Booth of La Paz; so -that the annual yield of Coca throughout South America, including Peru, -Bolivia, Ecuador, and Pasto, may be estimated at more than 30,000,000 -lbs. At Tacna, the _tambor_ of 50 lbs. is worth 9 to 12 dollars, the -fluctuations in price being caused by the perishable nature of the -article, which cannot be kept in stock for any length of time. The -average duration of Coca in a sound state, on the coast, is about five -months, after which time it is said to lose flavour, and is rejected by -the Indians as worthless. - -Cuca leaves can be bought in London, but up to the present time it has -not come into much use as a beverage, yet it is supplied in Roots’ Cuca -Cocoa, which is a combination of Cuca leaves, and the Cocoa bean. - -There is no doubt whatever in Cuca possessing the qualities ascribed -to it, and its application in medicine for many “ills that man is heir -to,” is being diligently pursued by physicians all over the civilized -world, with very beneficial results, and it is a valuable addition to -our pharmacopœia. Johnston, in _The Chemistry of Common Life_,[140] -speaking of the general effects of the Coca leaf, says that it “acts -differently according to the way in which it is used. When infused, and -drunk like tea, it produces a gentle excitement, followed by wakefulness; -and, if taken strong, retards the approach of hunger, prevents the usual -breathlessness in climbing hills, and, in large doses, dilates the pupil, -and renders the eye intolerant of light. It is seldom used in this way, -however, but is commonly chewed in the form of a ball or quid, which is -turned over and over in the mouth, as is done with tobacco. In this way -its action is more gradual and prolonged than when the infusion only is -taken. It is also very different in its character, because the constant -chewing, the continued action of the saliva, and the influence of the -lime or ashes chewed along with it, extract from the leaf certain other -active constituents which water alone does not dissolve, when it is -infused after the manner of tea.” - -It contains at least three different constituents; an odoriferous -substance, a bitter principle, and a kind of tannic acid. When Cuca -is imported into this country the leaves are coated with a resinous -substance, like hops have, slightly soluble in water, but wholly in -ether—which, on evaporation, leaves a brownish resin, which is powerfully -odorous. This scent vanishes if it is exposed to the air for any length -of time, and thus is lost one of the most important ingredients of good -Cuca—rendering the leaf useless by keeping. - -It contains a crystalline bitter principle which can be separated from it -by alcohol. Like _Theine_, it is an alkaloid, and is called _Cocaine_; -but it is not harmless, as, in many particulars, and in its physiological -action upon the system, it resembles _Atropine_, the alkaloid of the -deadly nightshade. - -It also has a tannic acid, which gives a deep brownish green colour -to the _per_ salts of iron. So we see in its constituents it closely -resembles the _Thea Sinensis_, only it is more powerful in its effects -on the human frame, and, consequently, ought not to be taken in the -same quantity as we now take tea, but it is invaluable in preventing, -or greatly diminishing, the ordinary and natural waste which usually -accompanies bodily exertion. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -KOLA. - - Whence Kola comes—Early Mention of—Early Trade in—Cure for - Drunkenness—The _Cattia edulis_—Substitutes for Tea. - - -Kola can scarcely be called a tea, because, as a drink, it is produced -from a nut, instead of a leaf, but it is put here because it contains -the alkaloid _Theine_. Its botanical name is _Sterculia acuminata_, and -it is a native of tropical West Africa, although now introduced into -the West Indies and Brazils. The earliest mention of it to be found, -is in “the Sieur Brüe’s Journey from Albreda, on the river Gambia, to -Kachao, by land, in the year 1700.” Shortly after his start from Gambia, -he was entertained by a Portuguese lady, and “after a short Compliment, -one of her Slaves, a young, handsome Girl, but very immodestly dressed, -presented the General a Pewter Basin full of _Kola_, a fruit much valued -by the _Portugueze_. It is bitter, and makes the Teeth and Spittle -yellow.” - -Barbot[141] gives a very bad illustration of the nut, and the following -description. “The _Cola_ is a sort of fruit, somewhat resembling a large -chestnut. The tree is very tall and large, on which this fruit grows, -in clusters, ten or twelve of them together; the outside of it is red, -with some mixture of blue; and the inside, when cut, violet colour and -brown. It comes once a year, is of a harsh, sharp taste, but quenches -the thirst, and makes water relish so well, that most of the _Blacks_ -carry it about them, wheresoever they go, frequently chewing, and -some eat it all day, but forbear at night, believing it hinders their -sleeping. The whole country abounds in this _Cola_, which yields the -natives considerable profit, selling it to their neighbours up in the -inland; who, as some _Blacks_ told me, sell it again to a sort of white -men, who repair to them at a certain time of the year, and take off -great quantities of it. These white men are suppos’d to be of _Morocco_ -or _Barbary_, for the _English_ of _Bence_ island assur’d me, there was -a great quantity carry’d yearly by land to _Tunis_ and _Tripoli_, in -_Barbary_.” - -So we see that, although a fair trade was done in Kola over 150 years -ago, it is only beginning to be known in Europe. - -In Congo it is called Makasso, and Guru in Soudan, and the seeds or nuts -are used in West and Central Africa to make a refreshing beverage, which -is somewhat allied to tea, and which has the same active principle as -cocoa, without so much fatty matter. It is refreshing, invigorating, -and has digestive properties. In the West Indies it is sometimes used -by the negroes to counteract the effects of intoxication. It grows in -pods, which contains several seeds, about the size of a horse chestnut. -At present it is only used as a tonic. Kola is said to be a cure for -drunkenness, and to sober an inebriate in an hour’s time; but woe be -to him if he returns to his evil courses for three or four days—his -punishment will be equal to sea-sickness. - -There is a new product, about which, at present, very little is known in -Europe. This is the _Cattia edulis_, which is said to be similar in its -properties to Maté, Cuca, and Kola, in maintaining animal strength for a -time, in the absence of food. It has been used by the natives of Arabia -and Abyssinia for centuries. The plant is a shrub with lanceolate leaves -of an olive-green colour, and it flourishes in Africa between 15° N. -and 30° S. latitude, but it is chiefly cultivated in Arabia, especially -in the province of Yemen. From Aden it is exported to the north-east of -Africa, and the coasts of Somali land. The leaves are either chewed or -infused like tea, and their sustaining virtues have recently been tested -by M. Leloups, a French therapeutist. He employed not only the infusion, -but the tincture, and an extract of the leaves, finding them all to -produce wakefulness and banish fatigue. No definite alkaloid has yet been -obtained from the leaves. - -In conclusion I may give the following list of substitutes for Chinese -Tea and Maté. - - Popular Name. Where collected Name of Plant. - and used. - - Arabian Tea. Arabia. { Cattia edulis. - Abyssinia. { Cattia Spinosa. - - Unnamed. China. Sageretia theezans. - - New Jersey Tea. N. America. Ceanothus Americanus. - - Unnamed. Chili. Psoralea glandulosa. - - Boer Tea. Cape of Good Hope. Cyclopia Vogelii. - - Sloe and Strawberry Tea. North Europe. { Prunus spinosa ⅓ - { Fragraria collina or - { F. resca ⅔. - - Long-life Tea. Bencoolen. { Glaphyria nitida - { (flowers). - - Tea Plants. } New Holland. { Leptospermum scoparium - Tasmanian Tea.} { and L. Thea. - { Melaleuca genistifolia, - { and M. scoparia. - - Unnamed. Chili. Myrtus ugni. - - Colony Tea. Cape of Good Hope. { Helichrysum - { serpyllifolium. - - Mountain Tea. N. America. Gualtheria procumbens. - - Labrador Tea.} N. America. { Ledum palustre and - James’s Tea. } { Ledum latifolium. - - - Toolsie Tea. India. Ocymum album. - - Oswego Tea. N. America. { Monarda didyma and - { M. purpurea. - - Unnamed. France. { Micromeria thea - { sinensis. - - Sage Tea. North Europe. Salvia officinalis. - - Ama tsja: Tea of Heaven. Japan. Hydrangea thunbergii. - - “Burr.” New Holland. Acæna sanguisorba. - - Santa Fé Tea. New Granada. Styrax alstonia. - - Unnamed. Central America. Capraria bifolia. - - Cape Barran Tea. New Holland. Correa alba. - - Capitão da matto. Brazil. Lautana pseudo thea. - - Faham or Bourbon Tea. Mauritius. Angrœcum fragrans. - - Brazilian Tea. Austria. { Stachytarpheta - { jamaicensis. - - Mexican Tea. Mexico and Columbia.{ Chenopodium - { ambrosoides. - - Apalachian Tea. N. America. { Viburnum Cassinoides, - { and Prinos glaber. - -A tea is also made of coffee leaves, and this infusion has been drunk for -an unknown time in the Eastern Archipelago, especially in the island of -Sumatra. It is said to be an agreeable beverage, and is preferred by the -natives to the berry. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -COFFEE. - - Its Growth and Birthplace—Where most Drank—Legends as to - its Origin—Its Gradual Spread—Introduction into Europe and - England—Pasqua Rosee’s Handbill—The English Coffee Houses—Their - Rules—A Poem about Coffee Houses. - - -Next to tea, Coffee is, perhaps, the infusion most drank, its use being -universal in Turkey, Egypt, Persia, and most Mahometan countries; and on -the continent of Europe, with the exception of Russia, it is a greater -favourite than tea. In Norway and Sweden it is especially drank, whilst -tea is comparatively disused. - -It is the seed of an evergreen shrub (_Coffea Arabica_) which grows from -six to twelve feet high, with a stem of from six to fifteen inches in -circumference. When the blossom falls off, there remains, in its room, -or rather, springs from each blossom, a small fruit, green at first, -but which becomes red when it ripens; it is not unlike a cherry, and is -very good to eat. Under the flesh of this cherry, instead of the stone, -is found the bean, or berry, which we call coffee, wrapped round in a -fine thin skin. The berry is then very soft, and of a disagreeable taste; -but as the cherry ripens, the berry in the inside grows harder, and -the dried-up fruit being the flesh or the pulp of it, which was before -eatable, becomes a shell or pod, of a deep brown colour. The berry is now -solid, and of a clear transparent green. Each shell contains one berry, -which splits into two equal parts. - -In Abyssinia coffee appears to have been used as a drink from time -immemorial. Abd-Alkader, a learned native of Medina, writing at the -beginning of the seventeenth century, gives us the history of its -introduction into Arabia. A certain Sheikh, notorious for his piety and -knowledge, named Jemal-Eddin, brought it from Persia to Aden. He was wont -to take it as a medicine relieving the headache, enlivening the heart, -and preventing drowsiness. This last attribute at once recommended it to -the various imams, muftis, and dervishes, who wished to remain awake for -the performance of religious exercises at night. The examples of these -holy persons had its usual influence upon the people, and coffee drinking -soon became a common custom. - -Not, however, without considerable opposition did this fashion come into -vogue; there were many long and animated disputes about the legitimacy -of drinking coffee. Its defenders alleged its medicinal virtues, its -opponents declared it to be like wine, of an inebriating nature—indeed, a -sort of wine itself; and went so far, in the heat of argument, as to say -that all who drank it would appear at the general resurrection with faces -blacker than the bottoms of their coffee-pots. - -An insult of this sort was surely sufficient to justify a prompt adoption -of the severest rejoinder by the other side, and, in replying, they -became poetic. Said one:— - - “It is a dear object of desire to the collector of knowledge; - It is the drink of the people of God, and in it is health, - It’s odour is Musk, it’s colour Ink: - The wise man and the good will sip it pure as milk in its innocence, - And differing from it but in blackness.” - -And another sang— - - “Courtesy is the coat of the customers in a Coffee-house. - The Coffee-house itself is as Paradise in its carpets, its company - and its tender delights. - When the waiter comes with the Coffee in its cup of porcelain, sorrow - disappears, and all anguish sinks under its dominion. - In its water we wash away our impurities, and burn out our solicitudes - in its fire. - The man who has looked only on its chafing dish will say, ‘Fie upon - the Wine and the Wine Vats.’” - -Coffee won the day. - -There is, however, another story of its introduction—how in the far-off -past a poor dervish, who lived in the deserts of Arabia, noticed that his -goats came home every evening in a state of hilarity. Unable to account -for this, he watched them, and found them feeding on the blossoms and -berries of a tree which he had never before noticed. He experimented upon -himself by eating them, and soon became as jocund as his goats, so much -so, that he was accused of having partaken of the accursed juice of the -grape. But he soon convinced his maligners that the source of his high -spirits was harmless, and they, tasting, became converts, and the berry -became of general use. - -From Abyssinia, the use of coffee spread to Persia and Arabia, thence to -Aden, Mecca, Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo and Constantinople, whence it found -its way to Venice in 1615. But it is hard to say exactly when its use was -introduced into England. Robert Burton mentions it in his _Anatomy of -Melancholy_, but not in the 1621 edition. He says,[142] “The Turks have a -drink called Coffee (for they use no wine), so named of a berry, as black -as soot, and as bitter (like that black drink which was in use among the -Lacedæmonians, and perhaps the same), which they sip still of, and sup -as warm as they can suffer; they spend much time in those coffee houses, -which are somewhat like our alehouses or taverns, and there they sit, -chatting and drinking, to drive away the time, and to be merry together, -because they find by experience that kind of drink, so used, helpeth -digestion, and procureth alacrity.” - -Anthony à Wood says that the first coffee-house was kept in 1650 in -Oxford, by Jacobs, a Jew; and it seems generally recognised that -the first coffee-house in London was opened in St. Michael’s Alley, -Cornhill, in 1652, by one Pasqua Rosee, a Greek, servant to Mr. Edwards, -a Turkey merchant. In “A Broadside against COFFEE, or the Marriage of the -Turk” (1672), he is thus mentioned:— - - “A Coachman was the first (here) _Coffee_ made, - And ever since the rest _drive on_ the trade; - _Me no good Engalash!_ and sure enough, - He plaid the Quack to salve his Stygian stuff; - _Ver boon for de stomach, de Cough, de Ptisick_, - And I believe him, for it looks like Physick.” - -Here is Rosee’s handbill:— - - “THE VERTUE OF THE COFFEE DRINK. - - “First publiquely made and sold in England, by _Pasqua Rosee_. - - “The grain or berry called _Coffee_, groweth upon little Trees, - only in the _Deserts of Arabia_. - - “It is brought from thence, and drunk generally throughout all - the Grand Seignior’s Dominions. - - “It is a simple innocent thing, composed into a Drink, by being - dryed in an Oven, and ground to Powder, and boiled up with - Spring water, and about half a pint of it to be drunk, fasting - an hour before, and not Eating an hour after, and to be taken - as hot as possibly can be endured; the which will never fetch - the skin off the mouth, or raise any Blisters, by reason of - that Heat. - - “The Turks drink at Meals and other times, is usually _Water_, - and their Dyet consists much of _Fruit_; the _Crudities_ - whereof are very much corrected by this Drink. - - “The quality of this Drink is Cold and Dry; and though it be a - Dryer, yet it neither _heats_, nor _inflames_ more than _hot - Posset_. - - “It so closeth the Orifice of the Stomack, and fortifies - the heat within, that it’s very good to help digestion; and - therefore of great use to be taken about 3 or 4 o’clock - afternoon, as well as in the morning. - - “It much quickens the _Spirits_, and makes the Heart - _Lightsome_. - - “It is good against sore Eys, and the better if you hold your - Head over it, and take in the Steem that way. - - “It suppresseth Fumes exceedingly, and therefore good against - the _Head-ach_, and will very much stop any _Defluxion of - Rheums_ that distil from the _Head_ upon the _Stomack_, and so - prevent and help _Consumptions_, and the _Cough of the Lungs_. - - “It is excellent to prevent and cure the _Dropsy_, _Gout_ and - _Scurvy_. - - “It is known by experience to be better than any other Drying - Drink for _People in years_, or _Children_ that have any - _running humors_ upon them, as _the King’s Evil_, etc. - - “It is very good to prevent _Mis-carryings in Child-bearing - Women_. - - “It is a most excellent remedy against the _Spleen_, - _Hypocondriack Winds_, or the like. - - “It will prevent _Drowsiness_, and make one fit for busines, - if one have occasion to _Watch_; and therefore you are not - to drink of it _after Supper_, unless you intend to be - _watchful_, for it will hinder sleep for three or four hours. - - “_It is observed that in Turkey, where this is generally drunk, - that they are not trobled with the Stone, Gout, Dropsie, or - Scurvey, and that their Skins are exceeding cleer and white._ - - “It is neither _Laxative_ nor _Restringente_. - - “Made and Sold in _St. Michael’s Alley_ in _Cornhill_, by - _Pasqua Rosee_, at the Signe of his own Head.” - -That it met with opposition at its introduction, we have already seen -in “A Broadside against Coffee;” but Hatton, in his “New View of -London,” 1708, gives a case of clear persecution. “I find it Recorded -that one _James Farr_, a barber, who kept the Coffee House which is now -the _Rainbow_, was, in the year 1657, presented by the Inquest of St. -Dunstan’s in the W. for Making and Selling a sort of Liquor, called -Coffee, as a great Nusance and Prejudice of the neighbourhood, etc. And -who would then have thought London would ever have had near 3000 such -Nusances, and that Coffee should have been, as now, so much Drank by the -best of Quality and Physicians.”[143] - -[Illustration] - -The coffee houses soon became popular, because they filled a social -want. There were no clubs, as we know them, although there were limited -social gatherings, under the name of club, held at stated periods—and the -coffee house provided a convenient place for gossip and news. Here were -served alcoholic drinks as well as coffee; here the newspapers might be -seen; here, also, men could indulge in a pipe, and its advantages are -well summed up by Misson,[144] who travelled in England in the reign -of William and Mary. “These Houses, which are very numerous in London, -are extreamly convenient. You have all Manner of News there; You have a -good Fire, which you may sit by as long as you please; You have a dish of -Coffee, you meet your Friends for the Transaction of Business, and all -for a Penny, if you don’t care to spend more.” - - “THE RULES AND ORDERS OF THE COFFEE-HOUSE.[145] - - “_Enter Sirs, freely, But first, if you please,_ - _Peruse our Civil-Orders, which are these._ - - “First, Gentry, Tradesmen, all are welcome hither, - And may, without Affront, sit down Together: - Pre-eminence of Place, none here should Mind, - But take the next fit Seat that he can find: - Nor need any, if Finer Persons come, - Rise up for to assigne to them his Room; - To limit Men’s Expence, we think not fair, - But let him forfeit Twelve pence that shall Swear; - He that shall any Quarrel here begin, - Shall give each Man a Dish t’ Atone the Sin; - And so shall he, whose Complements extend - So far to drink in COFFEE to his Friend; - Let Noise of loud Disputes be quite forborn, - No Maudlin Lovers here in Corners Mourn: - But all be Brisk, and Talk, but not too much; - On Sacred things, Let none presume to touch, - Nor Profane Scripture, or sawcily wrong - Affairs of State with an Irreverent Tongue: - Let mirth be Innocent, and each Man see, - That all his Jests without Reflection be; - To keep the House more Quiet, and from Blame, - We Banish hence Cards, Dice and every Game: - Nor can allow of Wagers, that Exceed - Five Shillings, which, oft-times, much Trouble Breed; - Let all that’s Lost or Forfeited be spent - In such Good Liquor as the House doth Vent, - And Customers endeavour to their Powers, - For to observe still seasonable Howers. - Lastly, Let each Man what he calls for _Pay_, - And so you’re welcome to come every Day.” - -To know of coffee-houses in their prime, we must turn to the pages of -Addison and Steele, to the _Guardian_, the _Spectator_, the _Tatler_, -etc., but they are well epitomised in the following poem, which bears -date 1667:— - - “NEWS FROM THE COFFEE-HOUSE. - - “In which is shewn their several sorts of Passions, - Containing Newes from all our Neighbour _Nations_. - - “A POEM. - - “You that delight in Wit and Mirth, - And long to hear such News, - As comes from all Parts of the _Earth_, - _Dutch_, _Danes_, and _Turks_, and _Jews_, - I’le send yee to a Rendezvouz, - Where it is smoaking new; - Go, hear it at a _Coffee-house_, - _It cannot but be true_. - - There Battles and Sea-Fights are Fought, - And bloudy Plots display’d; - They know more things than ’ere was thought - Or ever was betray’d: - No Money in the Minting House - Is halfe so Bright and New; - And, comming from a _Coffee-House_ - _It cannot but be true_. - - Before the _Navyes_ fall to Work, - They know who shall be Winner; - They there can tell ye what the _Turk_ - Last Sunday had to Dinner; - Who last did cut _Du Ruitter’s_ Corns, - Amongst his jovial Crew; - Or Who first gave the _Devil_ Horns. - _Which cannot but be true._ - - A _Fisherman_ did boldly tell, - And strongly did avouch, - He Caught a Shoal of Mackarel, - That Parley’d all in _Dutch_, - And cry’d out, _Yaw, yaw, yaw, Myne Here_; - But as the Draught they Drew, - They Struck for fear that _Monck_ was there, - _Which cannot but be true_. - - Another Swears by both his Ears, - _Mounsieur_ will cut our Throats; - The _French King_ will a Girdle bring, - Made of Flat-bottom’d Boats; - Shall compas _England_ round about, - Which must not be a few, - To give our _Englishmen_ the Rout; - _This sounds as if ’twere true_. - - There’s nothing done in all the World, - From _Monarch_ to the _Mouse_, - But every Day or Night ’tis hurl’d - Into the _Coffee-house_. - What _Lillie_ or what _Booker_ can - By Art, not bring about - At _Coffee-house_ you’l find a Man, - _Can quickly find it out_. - - They’l tell ye there, what Lady-ware, - Of late is grown too light; - What Wise-man shall from Favour Fall, - What Fool shall be a Knight; - They’l tell ye when our Fayling Trade - Shall Rise again, and Flourish, - Or when _Jack Adams_ shall be made - Church-Warden of the Parish. - - They know who shall in Times to come, - Be either made or undone, - From great _St. Peter’s-street_ in _Rome_, - To _Turnbull-street_ in _London_. - And likewise tell, in _Clerkenwell_, - What w⸺ hath greatest Gain, - And in that place, what Brazen-face - Doth wear a Golden Chain. - - At Sea their knowledge is so much, - They know all Rocks and Shelves, - They know all Councils of the _Dutch_, - More than they know Themselves. - Who ’tis shall get the best at last, - They perfectly can shew - At _Coffee-house_, when they are plac’d - _You’d scarce believe it true_. - - They know all that is Good, or Hurt, - To Dam ye, or to Save ye; - There is the _Colledge_ and the _Court_, - The _Country_, _Camp_, and _Navie_; - So great a _Vniversitie_ - I think there ne’re was any; - In which you may a Schoolar be - For spending of a Penny. - - A _Merchant’s Prentice_ there shall show - You all and every thing, - What hath been done, and is to do, - ’Twix _Holland_ and the _King_; - What _Articles_ of _Peace_ will bee - He can precisely show, - What will be good for _Them_ or _Wee_, - He perfectly doth know. - - Here Men do talk of every Thing, - With large and liberal Lungs, - Like Women at a Gossiping, - With double tyre of Tongues; - They’l give a Broad-side presently, - Soon as you are in view, - With Stories that you’l wonder at, - Which they will swear are true. - - The Drinking there of _Chockolat_, - Can make a _Fool_ a _Sophie_, - ’Tis thought the _Turkish Mahomet_ - Was first Inspir’d with Coffee: - By which his Powers did Over-flow - The Land of _Palestine_; - Then let us to the _Coffee-house_ go, - ’Tis Cheaper farr than Wine. - - You shall know there, what Fashions are; - How Perrywiggs are Curl’d; - And for a Penny you shall heare - All Novells in the World. - Both Old and Young, and Great and Small, - And Rich and Poore, you’ll see; - Therefore let’s to the _Coffee_ all, - Come All away with Mee. _Finis._” - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - Different Sorts of Coffee—Its Enemies—Its Composition and - Treatment—Methods of Making—Adulterations—Liberian Coffee—Date - Coffee and other Substitutes. - -There are about twenty-two species of coffee, seven of them belonging to -Asia, and fifteen to Africa, where it grows in districts widely apart, -as in Angola and on the shores of the Victoria Nyanza; yet, although -it is so widely disseminated, and comes from so many different places, -it is getting commercially dearer without any present prospect of any -reduction. Its value in the market is as follows—the first being the -highest, and the last the lowest in price. Mocha, Jamaica, Ceylon, -Honduras, Mysore, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Brazil, New Grenada, and divers -East Indian growths; and its consumption per head in Europe, ranks thus: -Holland, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, France, -Austria, Greece, Great Britain, Italy and Russia. - -Unfortunately the coffee plant has its enemies, in the shape of two -fungi which have devastated the plantations of Ceylon and Mysore, one -the _Hemileia Vastata_, and the other the _Pellicularia Kolerota_, -whilst an insect called the coffee bug (_Lecanium Coffeæ_) causes great -destruction, as does also the coffee, or Golunda rat. Indeed, these -enemies so prevailed in Ceylon as to render coffee growing not only -unprofitable, but almost impossible, so the planters took to growing tea, -with the good results which we have seen. - -Raw coffee has very little scent, and a bitter taste, and no one would -credit it with the delicious aroma which is developed—like the tea -leaf—by roasting, an operation which increases the bulk of the berry, -whilst diminishing its weight. Its commercial value is in proportion to -its aroma; and it is found that, by keeping the raw berry, a chemical -change takes place, which very much improves inferior qualities. But -this aroma is extremely volatile, and ground coffee should be kept in -scrupulously air-tight cases. Indeed, so fugitive is it, that coffee to -be drank in perfection should be made from berries roasted freshly every -day, as is frequently done in France. - -Raw coffee contains an astringent acid, which does not stain iron black, -like that of tea, but green; and it also embodies Theine, or, as it is -called when applied to coffee, _Caffeine_. This alkaloid does not exist -in large quantities as in tea, _i.e._, the drinker of an equal number -of cups of both beverages would have less of the alkaloid if coffee was -drunk. - -The berries, when roasted, and their flavour developed, are ground—coarse -or fine according to taste, and are then ready to be made into a drink. -It is here, in conjunction with the use of stale, and consequently, -tasteless coffee, that we, in England, go to grief. Of coffee-making -machines there are numbers; but if pure coffee is used, they might as -well be dispensed with, whilst they are almost necessary if the coffee -is adulterated. Another thing that our English housekeepers do not -understand is, that coffee, in order to be productive of a good result, -should be used large-handedly and generously, and not according to the -time-honoured, grandmotherly, but parsimonious method applied to tea, -of a teaspoonful for each person and one for the pot. The allowance of -freshly ground coffee should be from 1½ to 2 oz. per pint of water, and -any less does not make coffee, but only “water bewitched.” - -With this quantity excellent coffee can be made without the aid of any -machine. Warm the coffee pot, or jug, put in the coffee, and then add -the water, which, as with tea, should just have come to the boil, and -after standing a little time, the coffee is fit to drink. If the coffee -is boiled, the extremely volatile aroma is dissipated, and its exquisite -flavour lost. - -But a good way of making coffee is to make it over night. Put the coffee -in a jug, and pour cold water on it. The lighter particles soon get -soaked and fall to the bottom. In the morning it has only to be warmed -until it just boils, when it should be strained and served at once. This -only applies to _pure_ coffee. - -There are too many adulterants used, and what “French Coffee” and “Coffee -as in France” is made of, the Lord and their manufacturers only know. -The chief of these offenders in England is the root of the succory, -chicory, or wild endive (_Cichorium Intybus_), which, originally wild, -is now extensively cultivated in England; whilst on the Continent it is -very largely grown in France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland, and both -home-grown and foreign chicory are largely in our market, the latter -fetching the higher price. It does not taste like coffee, nor has it -any aroma; but, when roasted, it gives a dark colour to water, and a -bitter taste, as if a great deal of coffee had been used; and for this -purpose it must have been first used in the old coffee-houses. But it is -a question whether you buy pure roasted and ground chicory. In Germany it -is adulterated largely with turnips and carrots, whilst Venetian red is -used to give it a colour. - -Notice has already been made of the different kinds of coffee, but not -the West African species—the Liberian coffee (_Coffea Liberica_)—which -has not, as yet, come into common use in England. There are many -substitutes for coffee, one of which developed a few years since into -a large commercial undertaking, but eventually collapsed. It was -Date Coffee, made out of date stones roasted and ground. Among other -substances used in lieu of coffee, are the roasted seeds of the yellow -water-lily (_Iris pseudocorus_); the seeds of a _Goumelia_, called in -Turkey _Keuguel_; roasted acorns and beans, chick peas, rye and other -grains, nuts, almonds, and dandelion roots (_Leontodon taraxacum_), -whilst in Africa many berries are used in its stead. - - J. A. - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -COCOA. - - Where Cocoa is Grown—Its Manufacture—Its Use Abroad - and in England—Cocoa as a Drink—Chocolate, Edible and - Otherwise—Substitutes for Cocoa. - - -Linnæus was so fond of the drink made from the seeds of this plant that -he gave it the name of _Cacao Theobroma_, or “Food of the Gods.” - -As a drink it cannot be classed among the infusions, like tea, nor is it -roasted and ground to powder like coffee; but the seeds are crushed and -mealed in a mill, and from this oily meal is made the thin gruel which we -drink as cocoa. - -It seems to have been originally a native of Mexico, and is now -cultivated there, in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Brazil, Peru, -Ecuador, New Granada, Venezuela, Guiana, and most of the West India -Islands. Commercially the different sorts rank in value as follow: -Trinidad, Caraccas, Grenada, Guayaquil, Surinam, Bahia, Ceylon, and -British West Indies. - -It grows, as we see in the illustration, somewhat like a melon, which -contains some fifty or more seeds, in rows embedded in a spongy -substance, from which the seeds are cleansed and then dried in the sun, -when it becomes brittle and of a dark colour internally, eating like an -oily nut, but with a decidedly bitter and somewhat astringent taste. -To render it fit for food, it is gently roasted to develop the aroma, -allowed to cool, deprived of its husk, and then crushed into small -fragments called cocoa nibs, which is the purest form in which it is -used, but also the one which entails the greatest trouble in making a -drink therefrom. The granulated, rock, flake, and soluble cocoas are -made by the beans being ground into a paste in a rolling mill; starch, -flour, sugar, and other ingredients being used, according to the taste of -different manufacturers. - -It was used by the Mexicans and Peruvians before their conquest by the -Spaniards, and formed an article of barter among them. Columbus brought a -knowledge of it to Europe; but those were not the days of non-alcoholic -drinks, and it was some time before it came into vogue. Naturally, first -of all in Spain, and to this day Spain is the greatest European consumer -of cocoa in some shape or other. It was introduced into England about the -same time as tea and coffee, but the chocolate houses, pure and simple, -as such, were very few compared to the coffee houses. It was taxed as a -drink by the same Acts as tea, and paid the same duty. In the eighteenth -century it became a fashionable morning drink, especially for ladies, and -is perpetually alluded to by the essayists; but it was so expensive as to -be only a drink for the upper classes. - -[Illustration: CHOCOLATE DRINKING.] - -Cocoa as a drink is far more nutritious than either tea or coffee, and -like those two substances it has a volatile oil which gives the delicious -aroma, and an active principle resembling Theine or Caffeine—but not -identical with them—called _Theobromine_. It has no tannic acid, but it -has what the other two do not possess, it has a peculiar fatty matter, -known as cocoa butter, which sometimes amounts to half the contents of -the seed. It is this excess of fat which renders it liable to disagree -with some susceptible stomachs, but the mixture of farinaceous matter and -sugar tend in a great measure to obviate this inconvenience. - -In another method of manufacture it is known as Chocolate, which is -simply the cocoa bean ground and flavoured with sugar, vanilla, almonds, -cinnamon, or what not, according to taste. It is in a dry form the most -popular of sweetmeats, although the adulterations practised by low class -firms, in order to sell a cheap article, are many, owing to its high -price; yet the goods of first-rate firms like Menier, Fry, Cadbury, and -others, may be taken without suspicion, and are—good!!! - -There are pseudo cocoas, as there are pseudo coffees and teas. The -Guarana, or Brazilian Cocoa (_Paullina sorbilis_); a ground nut, the -_Arachis hypogeia_, used in South Carolina, Angola, and elsewhere; -the _Cyperus esculentus_, or earth chestnut, in Spain, are the chief -substitutes; but it is needless to say that none compare with the -THEOBROMA. Alas! that it should be adulterated. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -AËRATED DRINKS. - - Ginger Beer—Old and New Methods of - Manufacture—Lemonade—Chemicals in Non-Alcoholic Drinks—Fruit - Syrups—Non-Alcoholic Cordials and Liquors—Natural Mineral - Waters—Their Constituents—Artificial Aërated Waters—Their - Introduction into England—Manufacture. - - -Popular among non-intoxicant drinks is the homely Ginger Beer, so dearly -beloved of thirsty holiday makers and small children; dear also to the -boating man in connection with good ale, as “Shandy-gaff.” And the stone -bottle, in which it used generally to be encased, is familiar to every -reader. We say, advisedly, _used_, because now-a-days it is also put up -in glass bottles; nay, it is sold in casks, like beer, to the publicans -and others. The probability is that, in the old days, its somewhat murky -colour would not bear inspection through bright glass. The old ginger -beer, whose flavour cannot be approached by the modern decoctions, was -made of Jamaica ginger macerated in water, with the addition of lemon -juice and sugar. It was allowed to ferment, and possessed decided traces -of alcohol. It was made after this fashion:— - -Take 1 ounce of best Jamaica ginger, and crush thoroughly with a hammer -or suitable crushing machine; boil gently for about an hour in about -a quart of water, then add 1 lb. of best loaf sugar, and make up to a -gallon with hot water; stir until all is dissolved. Add a small quantity -of the soluble essence of lemon, and gum extract, the quantity to be -regulated to taste of the maker. Then stir in ¼ ounce of tartaric acid, -and, if required for quick fermentation, a very small quantity of yeast. -The beer should fine down perfectly clear, and should then be bottled. In -from one to three weeks time it is ready for drinking, and should keep -good about six months. - -This was the old fashion—now for the new.[146] - - Plain Syrup, from 56° to 60° T.[147] 3 quarts - Boiling Water 1 quart - Oil of Lemon 24 minims - Acetic Acid 4 fluid ounces - Ginger Tincture (21, 22, or 23), Q.S.[148] - - Use 1 to 1½ ounce of the flavoured spirit to each bottle. - -First incorporate the lemon oil with 1 quart of the thick syrup. (If the -oil contains a large proportion of insoluble matter, it may be well to -use rather less than 1 quart of syrup in the first place.) Then add the -boiling water, and, after that, the remaining syrup; taking care to keep -the mixture constantly agitated during the process. - -Lastly, add the acid, and ginger tincture according to taste, or the -requirements of the public analyst. - -By adding boiling _syrup_ instead of boiling water to the mixture of -plain syrup and oil of lemon, and subsequently adding the required -quantity of cold water, the whole operation will be brought more -thoroughly under control, and a larger proportion of oil may be employed -without waste. With some samples of the oil, it may be necessary to heat -a larger portion of the syrup; but the oil should always be mixed with -_cold_, _thick_ syrup in the first place, unless a perfectly _close_, -_air-tight vessel_ is provided for mixing; in this case, hot, thick syrup -may be poured on the oil, cold water being subsequently added to give the -requisite density. - -When it is required to incorporate a maximum quantity of lemon oil with -the syrup, it should first be whisked into the _whole_ of the thick syrup -_cold_; the flavoured syrup should then be carefully heated by means of a -steam jacket, or other convenient arrangement, until the suspended oil is -reduced to a state of solution. The syrup will then be transparent. Let -it be cooled again as quickly as possible. - - _Gingerade._ - - Plain Syrup, 42° T.[149] 1 gallon - Ginger Tincture (No. 21 or 22) 4 fluid ounces - Acetic Acid 4 ” - Bitter Orange Tincture, Q.S. - - Use 1 to 1½ ounce of flavoured syrup to each bottle. - -Ginger Ale is a beverage supposed to beguile the artless teetotaller into -an idea that he is doing something naughty, or at all events, placing -himself on the very verge of tampering with the accursed thing “Beer.” -Hence its name, but what a difference in the two drinks! Here are two -receipts for making - - _Ginger Ale._ - - Plain Syrup, 42° T. 1 gallon - Comp. Ginger Tincture (No. 23) 4 fluid ounces - Acetic Acid 4 ” - Sugar Colouring ½ ” - -Or - - Plain Syrup, 42° T. 1 gallon - Ginger Tincture (No. 21 or 22) 4 fluid ounces - Capsicum Tincture (No. 24) 1 ” - Sugar Colouring ½ ” - - Use 1 to 1½ ounce of flavoured syrup to each bottle. - -If desired, the _bouquet_ may be enriched by the use of one or more of -the following ingredients:— - - Essence of Vanilla 3 drams (180 minims) per gallon - Butyric Ether 4 minims ” - Otto of Roses ⅓ ” ” - -Half an ounce of Spanish liquorice to the gallon will considerably -improve the flavour. - - _Lemonade._ - - Plain Syrup, 42° T. 1 gallon - Lemon Tincture (No. 19) 4 fluid ounces - Acetic Acid 4 to 5 ” - - Use 1½ ounce of flavoured syrup to each bottle. - -When lemonade is required specially for medicinal purposes, and is sold -expressly as a genuine fruit preparation, citric acid should be employed -instead of acetic. In that case dissolve 1 lb. of citric acid in a pint -of boiling water, and use 4 fluid ounces of the clear solution to each -gallon of syrup. - -Some manufacturers have attained a high reputation for their lemonade by -adding a small quantity of _Neroli_[150] to the ordinary syrup. This, if -judiciously used, will doubtless be deemed an improvement by connoisseurs -generally, provided they are kept in ignorance of the substance employed; -but a still greater improvement is produced by adding about 1 fluid ounce -of good _orange flower water_ to each gallon of syrup. - -In the next beverage we are perilously tempting the fiend Alcohol, -although it ranks as a Temperance drink. - - _Champagne Cyder._ - - Plain Syrup, 42° T. 1 gallon - Butyrate of Ethyl[151] 4 minims - Acetate of Amyl[152] 4 ” - Nitrate of Amyl 2 ” - Acetic Acid 4 or 5 fluid ounces - Sugar Colouring 1 ” - - Use 1 to 1½ fluid ounces of this syrup to each bottle. - -But here is a direction which plainly shows the cloven hoof. - -“The Ethyl and Amyl compounds are conveniently used by mixing them -separately in the first place with nine times their bulk of Alcohol, or -strong rectified spirit, adding these mixtures to the Acetic Acid, and -this in turn to the syrup.” - -At every turn, in all these drinks, are chemicals used. Do you want the -flavour of the luscious Jargonelle pear? hey, presto! There it is for -you in a spirituous solution of Acetate of Amyl, made by distilling -potato spirit with Oil of Vitrol and Acetate of Potash, at least this -gives a fine fruity flavour, but to bring out the true Jargonelle taste -it must be mixed with six times its bulk of spirits of wine (_Mem. for -Teetotallers_). The taste of apples can be counterfeited by mixing -Amylic Ether (potato ether) and Valerianic Acid, which latter is made -by substituting Bichromate of Potash for Acetate of Potash, and largely -added Alcohol. The delicious aroma of the Pine-apple is made from Butyric -Acid, mixed with ordinary ether, and dissolved in Alcohol. Indeed with -compounds of the Ethyls, Methyls, and Amyls, all the bouquets contained -in wines or spirits can be obtained.[153] - -Does your chemical compound look flat and dull when poured out? lo! -you can produce a “head,” or froth, made out of isinglass, gum arabic, -gelatine, white of egg, Irish moss, or soapwort. The latter gives an -excellent head; but as these frothing mixtures detract from the keeping -of the chemical drink, yet another chemical has to be used as an -antiseptic, and Salicylic Acid, made from Carbolic Acid, is recommended. -Do you want to colour your decoctions? There is a wide range of tints -for you to choose from, from the harmless burnt sugar to the Acetate of -Rosaniline, or Aniline Magenta, of which 1/30th of a grain will colour a -bottleful, a beautiful red. - -For the fruit syrups, fruits are very often used, but of course not -necessarily. Even milk is not sacred from the chemist. Here are two -recipes for making Cream Syrup:— - - No. 1. - - Fresh Cream ½ pint - Fresh Milk ½ ” - Powdered Sugar 1 pound - -Another formula:— - - No. 2. - - Oil of Sweet Almonds 2 ounces - Powdered Gum Arabic 2 ” - Water 4 ” - -Make an emulsion, and add simple syrup to make up 2 pints, and there you -are, thoroughly independent of the cow! - -In these syrupy mixtures the Americans run riot, and a few years since -many shops, notably druggists, sold strange and curious frothing -mixtures; but there was no call for them in the winter, and they died -out as suddenly as they were introduced. The following is a fair list -of syrups, some of which, however, are decidedly exciseable. Ambrosia, -Apple, Apricot, Banana, Blackberry, Brandy, Capillaire, Cherry, -Chocolate, Citron, Clove, Coffee, Cream, Curaçoa, Currant (black or red), -Ginger, Grape, Groseille, Gum, Lemon, Limes, Mulberry, Nectar, Nectarine, -Noyeau, Orange (bitter), Orange (sweet), Orange (Tangerine), Orgeat, -Peach, Pear, Peppermint, Pine-apple, Plum, Quince, Raspberry, Roses, -Sarsaparilla, Sherbet, Strawberry, Vanilla, Violets. - -And here is a list of Non-Alcoholic Cordials and Liqueurs -(non-exciseable), it is said; but if so, they must be fearfully and -wonderfully made. Anisette, Bitters, Caraway, Cherry Brandy, Clove, -Curaçoa, Elderette, Fettle, Ginger Brandy, Ginger Cordial, Ginger Gin, -Ginger Punch, Gingerette, Lemon Punch, Lime Fruit, Nectar Punch, Noyeau, -Orange Bitters, Orange Gin, Peppermint, Pepper Punch, Pick-me-up, -Raspberry, Raspberry Punch, Rum Punch, Rum Shrub, Sarsaparilla, Shrub, -Spiced Ale, Strawberry, Tangerine, Tonic, Winter Punch. - -But enough of these chemical concoctions of man; let us go to Nature, and -see what she turns out of her laboratory. Most marvellous combinations -of Minerals, Acids, Gases, and Water. Among the Minerals may be named -Alumina, Arsenic, Barium, Boron, Bromine, Cæsium, Calcium, Copper, -Fluorine, Iodine, Iron, Lithium, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, -Potassium, Rubidium, Silicon, Sodium, Strontium, Sulphur, Zinc, etc. -And of Gases we have Ammonia, Carbonic Acid, Hydrogen, Hydro-Sulphuric, -Nitrogen, and Oxygen. These materials are mixed in very varying -amounts, and from very valuable medical agencies, from the purgative -Friedrichshall, to the nauseous Harrogate. But all are not nasty: some -are just sufficiently alkaline to be tasty, and, having a briskness -imparted to them either naturally, or otherwise, by carbonic acid, make -pleasant drinks for table. - -These simple waters are abundant on the Continent. In Germany we have -the well-known Apollinaris, Selters, Landskro, Brückenau, Roisdorf, -Gieshübel, and Heppingen, whilst in France there are those of St. -Galmier, Chateldon, and Pougues, besides some in Italy and many in -America. - -These, especially the medical waters, are imported into England; but -mineral waters are largely manufactured. By mineral waters I do not mean -the aërated waters we drink under the names of Soda, and Seltzer, but the -medicinal waters. - -The effervescing, or aërated waters, which are now so much used all over -the civilized world, were first made on a large commercial scale by the -firm of J. Schweppe, of Geneva (a name very well known in England, in -connection with the manufacture), in 1789; and ten years afterwards, his -partner, Mr. N. Paul (whose name yet survives in the firm Paul & Burrows, -St. George’s Road, S.E.), established an Aërated Water Factory in -England. It is somewhat curious how the names last in this trade, for in -1799 a Mr. Thwaites established a factory in Dublin, and the firm still -remains as A. & R. Thwaites & Co. - -Since its introduction, aërated water has much improved, especially -the universal soda water, which is simply ordinary water charged with -carbonic acid gas. Vastly improved machinery has been introduced, -cleanliness and purity of materials are specially looked after, and -the bottles and vessels for holding it wonderfully improved. We have -not, in England, taken so kindly to the syphon as they have abroad; but -the cork in the bottle has been nearly entirely done away with, and we -are no longer compelled to pay for, if we could not drink, the large -bottle, which at one time bid fair to be perennial; but which has almost -succumbed to its younger brother the “Small” Soda. Year by year, through -competition and vastly increased consumption, aërated waters are getting -cheaper, and consequently more used. - -The ordinary soda water of commerce contains no soda,—it is made by the -absorption, under pressure, of carbonic acid gas, which is generally -obtained from chalk or whitening, and sulphuric acid, which makes as good -a gas for commercial purposes as if it were produced from the purest -Carrara marble. - -The number of chemical teetotal drinks is legion. They are all calculated -according to their concocter’s reports, to make the drinker healthier -and wiser; nay, even to provide him with extra brain power, as did the -vaunted Zoedone, which contained phosphates and iron. They have their -little day, and another nostrum takes their place. It has, hitherto, -always been so, and probably will continue, only intensified, to the end -of time. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -MILK. - - First Food of all Mammals—Skim and Butter Milk—Chemicals used - in its Preservation—Condensed Milk—Syllabubs—Koumiss—Its Early - Use—When first utilized in Medical Treatment—Koumiss from Cows’ - Milk—Methods of Manufacture—Intoxicating Drinks made from Milk. - - -Milk is the first liquid food taken by man, in common with all mammals, -after his birth; and this liquid is so happily ordered, as to contain all -the elements of food necessary for him, at this period of his existence. -The new-born mammal naturally, and directly after its birth, seeks the -fountain of its nourishment, and even that most helpless of all created -beings, a baby, is soon taught where to seek its food. - -But we have to consider milk as a beverage, more than as a food, and, -as a drink, it is comparatively a failure, as to most people it is -indigestible, if taken in any quantity. It may, however, be taken with -comparative impunity as skim milk, _i.e._ when deprived to a very large -extent of its fat, and of a hot day, for a perfect thirst quencher, -let us commend slightly acidulated butter milk. Milk has very great -disadvantages as a beverage: first, that it will not keep good any time, -unless chemicalized by salicylic acid, borax, liquor potassæ, or some -other bedevilment, except as condensed milk, which is milk with much of -its water evaporated, and sugar added. This, however good it may be as -a substitute for fresh cow’s milk, where such is not attainable, can -hardly be called a drink. Secondly, milk, in common with all fatty animal -substances, has a tendency to absorb any odour which may come in contact -with it, and is a ready vehicle for the seeds of disease, especially the -microbes of fever or cholera. - -It is singular that milk has not been made into more _drinks_. Of modern -times we have soda and milk, or aërated milk and water, and in the -pastoral times of the last century, the times of Corydon and Phyllis, -Chloe and Strephon, it was _de rigueur_ to indulge in “syllabubs” -whenever the nearest approach to rurality, in the shape of a grass field, -and a cow, presented itself. Whoever tastes a syllabub now? Ask fifty -people—forty-nine at least, will answer that they have never partaken -of the delicacy, and the vast majority will be totally ignorant even of -its composition. It was made of milk, milked from the cow into a bowl -containing mashed fruit, such as gooseberries, and sugar, or else, wine -or beer. The great thing was to make it froth, as we may see in the -following recipe for an Ale Syllabub, which our forefathers considered as -the _ne plus ultra_ of a syllabub. - - “No Syllabubs made at the milking pail, - But what are composed of a pot of good ale.” - -“Place in a large bowl, a quart of strong ale or beer, grate into this -a little nutmeg, and sweeten with sugar: milk the cow rapidly into the -bowl, forcing the milk as strongly as possible into the ale, and against -the sides of the vessel, to raise a good froth. Let it stand an hour, and -it will be fit for use. The proportion of milk, or of sugar, will depend -upon the taste of the drinker, who will, after a trial or two, be able -to make a delightful beverage. Cider may be used instead of malt liquor -for those who object to the alcoholic strength of the ale, or a bottle of -wine.” - -The Dutch, who are naturally a pastoral people, make a syllabub of milk, -sugar, etc., which they call _Slemp_; but this rustic delicacy has died -out owing to the universal use of tea and coffee. Curds and whey used to -be much drank, and white wine whey is not to be despised when one has a -very heavy cold—but, of course, it can only be drank by the wicked and -intemperate; good people confining themselves to hot milk, or treacle -posset, either of which served the purpose nearly as well. So, also, the -unregenerate have the solace of rum and milk in the early morning. - -We have now exhausted all the milk drinks we know of, except “Koumiss,” -which, although as old as the hills, is of very modern introduction -into civilization, and comes to us heralded by a fanfare of medical -trumpets as a _panacea_ for many evils which the human body has to bear, -especially consumption; but Koumiss is decidedly alcoholic. - -[Illustration] - -As a drink made from mare’s milk, it has been known for centuries to the -Tartars, Khurgese, and Calmucks of the Russian Steppes, and Central and -South Western Asia. Perhaps the first mention of it may be found in the -_Ipatof Annals_, published at St. Petersburg, 1871. “In 1182, Prince Igor -Seversky was taken prisoner by the Polovtsky, and the captors got so -drunk upon Koumiss that they allowed their prisoner to escape.” The old -monk and traveller Gulielmus de Rubruquis, who travelled in Tartary in -the middle of the thirteenth century, says: “The same evening, the guide -who had conducted us, gave us some _Cosmos_. After I had drunk thereof, -I sweat most extremely from the dread and novelty, because I never drank -of it before. Notwithstanding I thought it very savoury as indeed it -was.” And in another place, he thus refers to it: “Then they taste it, -and being pretty sharp, they drink it; for it biteth a man’s tongue -like wine of _raspes_,[154] when it is drunk. After a man has taken a -draught thereof, it leaveth behind it a taste like that of almond milk, -and maketh one’s inside feel very comfortable; and it also intoxicateth -weak heads.” Ser Marco Polo speaks of it. “Their drink is mare’s milk, -prepared in such a way, you would take it for a white wine; and a right -good drink it is, called by them _Kemiz_.” - -It remained as a traveller’s curiosity until 1784, when Dr. John Grieve, -a surgeon, one of the many Scotchmen who have from time to time entered -the Russian service, wrote to the Royal Society of Edinburgh (who -published his communication in their “Transactions,” Vol. I., 1788). “An -account of the Method of making a Wine, called by the Tartars Koumiss, -with observations on its use in Medicine,” and, especially, he thought -that, “with the superaddition of a fermented spirit, it might be of -essential service in all those disorders where the body is defective -either in nourishment or strength.” And he further proved the benefit of -the milk-wine on three patients, two consumptive, and one syphilitic, -sending them to the Steppes among the Tartars, whence they returned -stout, and in perfect health. From time to time, until the middle of this -century, phthisical patients were sent to Tartary to undergo this milk -cure; but life among these nomad tribes, with its filth and privations, -was hardly congenial to a sick man, so that although some returned cured, -others came back only to die. - -But, in 1858, Dr. Postnikof started an establishment for the cure of -diseases by fermented mare’s milk, at Samàra, in Eastern Russia, and a -similar establishment, about forty-five miles distant, was started by the -late Dr. Tchembulatof, both of which have been extremely well patronised, -as their places were well ordered, and the Koumiss was prepared in a -cleanly manner. So successful were they, that the Russian Government, -in 1870, started a place of their own for the cure of sick soldiers -belonging to the Kazan district. Here are beds for 100 soldiers and 20 -officers. - -The curative effect of fermented mare’s milk set people thinking -whether the milk of cows, which is much more easy to procure, would not -answer the same purpose. It was tried, and a new drink was given to the -civilized world, as also a new name, which was coined expressly for -it—GALAZYENE, from γάλα, milk, and ζῦμη, a ferment. It can be obtained in -London from the large dairies. - -Dr. Polubensky gives the following formula for fermenting cow’s milk. - -“An oak churn, such as is used for churning butter, has a bottle of -fermented cow’s or mare’s milk, five days old, poured into it in the -morning. A tumbler and a half of warm milk (of a temperature of about 90° -Fahr.), in which half an ounce of cane, still better milk, sugar has been -dissolved, and a bottle of skimmed cow’s milk, are then added. - -“The addition of the sugar is made for the purpose of remedying the small -amount of lactine in cow’s milk; the water is added to make the milk, -which is rich in casein, thinner, and thus to facilitate its agitation -and emulsion. Skim milk is used because it contains less fat, an excess -of which interferes with fermentation. The mixture is then beaten up -during half an hour, to prevent the curdling of the casein, and is -then laid aside for three hours. (This is effected at an ordinary room -temperature of 60° Fahr.) - -“After the lapse of three hours, when the surface of the mixture is -covered with a film (of casein and fat in a non-emulsioned condition), it -is again agitated for half an hour, and another bottle of skim milk—with -or without warm water, according to the thickness of the milk—is added; -the whole mass is again churned for an hour and a half, or longer, until -the casein is well divided, and small bubbles appear on the surface of -the fluid. Then the mixture, having stood for half an hour, has a fresh -bottle of milk added to it, and the stirring is again renewed, with short -intervals, until the Koumiss is ready, which usually happens by 10 -o’clock p.m., if its preparation was commenced at 8 a.m. - -“The approaching completion of the Koumiss is known by a thick froth, -which sometimes rises very high, forming on its surface; while the full -completion of fermentation is recognised by a falling of the froth, -and by certain signs detectable by the ear and hand; the process of -churning becomes easier, and the splash of the drops during agitation -presents a clearer and more metallic sound. The Koumiss is then poured -into Champagne bottles, well corked, and left for the night at a room -temperature of from 60° to 70° Fahr. Towards morning, the Koumiss is -quite fit for use. Left in bottle till the next day, it becomes stronger, -but is still drinkable; while, if placed in a cold room, it may be used -even on the fifth day. - -“In order that the preparation of Koumiss may be carried on successfully, -it will be necessary to put aside two bottles of the Koumiss first -prepared, and to keep them for three or four days, so as always to have a -bottle of four days old Koumiss in store for fermenting new portions of -milk, and of replacing the used bottles by new ones.” - -This seems to be rather a long method of making Koumiss, compared to that -given by Dr. Wolff of Philadelphia, which is excessively simple. - -“Take of grape sugar ½ oz.; dissolve in 4 ozs. of water. In about 2 ozs. -of milk dissolve 20 grains of compressed yeast, or else well washed and -pressed out brewer’s yeast. Mix the two in a quart Champagne bottle, -which is to be filled with good cow’s milk to within two inches of -the top; cork well, and secure the cork with string or wire, and place -in an ice chest or cellar at a temperature of 50° Fahr. or less, and -agitate three times a day. At the expiration of three or four days, at -the latest, the Koumiss is ready for use, and ought not then to be kept -longer than four or five days. It should be drawn with a Champagne syphon -tap, so that the carbonic acid may be retained, and the contents will not -entirely escape on opening the bottle.” - -Be wary in opening a bottle of Koumiss, or you may be thoroughly -drenched, and have nothing left to drink, for it generates a large -quantity of carbonic acid gas, so much so, indeed, that extra thick -bottles should be used. - -There is an interesting speculation abroad, that the milk which Jael gave -Sisera was fermented, and highly intoxicating, which rendered him in a -condition favourable for her purpose. - -The Usbecks, Mongols, Kalmucks, and other Tartars not only make milk -into Koumiss, but distil a very strong spirit from it, which they call -_araka_, conjectured by some, from its high antiquity, to be the true -source whence the Indian _Arrack_ derives its name. The distillation -is generally effected by means of two earthen pots closely stopped, -from which the liquor slowly runs through a small wooden pipe into a -receiver, which is usually covered with a coating of wet clay. The -spirit, at first, is weak, but after two or three times distilling, it -becomes exceedingly intoxicating. Dr. Edward Clarke, in his _Travels in -Russia, Turkey, and Asia_, saw this process performed by means of a -still constructed of mud, or very coarse clay, having for the neck of the -retort a piece of cane. - - J. A. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] - - - - -ADDITIONAL DRINKS. - - Jewish Prayers respecting various Drinks—Women’s - Tears—Dew—Oil—Sea Water—Blood—Vegetable Water—Ganges - Water—Vinegar—Ptisana—Toast Water—Bragget—Ballston Water—Warm - Water—Asses’ Milk—Ghee—Milk Beer—Kumyss—Syra—Lamb Wine—Rice - Wine—Garapa—Fenkål—Brandy and Port—Methylated Spirit. - - -In the Jewish prayers there is an especial, exclusive and extensive -blessing upon wine, which runs in the following wise:— - -“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, universal King, for the vine, and for -the fruit of the vine, and for the produce of the field, and for the -land of delight and goodness and amplitude which Thou hast been pleased -to give as an inheritance to thy people Israel, to eat of its fruit, and -to be satisfied with its goodness.” Then follow petitions for the divine -mercy upon those who say the blessing, upon Israel, God’s people, and -upon God’s city, Jerusalem, and upon Zion, the dwelling-place of His -glory, and upon His altar, and upon His temple. - -The blessing concludes with a prayer for speedy transportation into the -holy city: “Bring us up into the midst thereof eftsoons, even in these -present days, that we may bless Thee in purity and holiness. For Thou art -good, and the Giver of good to all. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, for the -land and for the fruit of the vine.” - -This beautiful prayer,[155] of which only the roughest sketch has been -given here, has been said by pious Hebrews at every meal in which wine -has been drunk from time immemorial. But upon wine alone has this honour -been conferred. Those who drink _Shecar_, or water, or any other beverage -except wine, say before their draught thus much only: “Blessed art Thou, -O Lord our God, universal King, by whose word all things were made;” and -after it, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, universal King, the Creator -of many souls, and their needs, for all which Thou hast created, to -keep alive the soul of every living thing. Blessed art Thou who livest -everlastingly.” - -But these two prayers have no especial and necessary relation to drinks. -They are also used where aught is eaten which has not grown originally -and directly out of the earth, as, for example, the flesh of some beasts, -and birds, and fishes, and cheese, milk, butter, and honey. - -In the present work particular attention has been given, in the case -of alcoholic drinks, to wines, spirits, liqueurs, and beers, and in -the case of non-alcoholic, to mineral waters, tea, coffee, and other -beverages usually considered non-intoxicant; but under both these widely -extended categories a large number of drinks must enter of which no -mention whatever has been made in the preceding pages. It remains for -us, therefore, to consider in the present chapter the most interesting -and important of these drinks which have been hitherto excluded. Of -the curious and, in many cases, repulsive liquids which have from time -to time been taken, either to assuage the pangs of human thirst, or to -gratify the taste of the human palate in health or in disease, the reader -who has not devoted some little time and attention to the investigation -of this subject will probably have but a very faint conception. To go no -farther back on the pathway of time than to the age of John Taylor, the -water poet, we find so strange a drink as women’s tears. - -But at a date far earlier than that of the water poet, the date of the -Babylonian Talmud, in _Machshirin_, vi. 64, there are seven liquids -comprehended under the generic term _drink_ (Lev. xi. 34, and therefore -liable to ceremonial defilement), dew, water, wine, oil, blood, milk, -and honey. Upon every one of these seven liquids something curious and -interesting might be written. - -About these drinks a question arises in the Talmud, whether under water -are included such beverages as mulberry water, pomegranate water, and -other waters of fruits which have a _shem livoui_, or compound name. -Rambam the great Eagle, more commonly known as Maimonides, seems to -exclude these drinks from the general category. By honey is to be -understood the honey of bees; the honey of hornets is not to be numbered -in the list. In the _Tosephoth_ of _Shabbath_ it is asked, How do we know -that blood is a drink? Because it is said (Num. xxiii. 24), And drink the -blood of the slain. How do we know that wine is a drink? Because it is -said (Deut. xxxii. 14), And thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape. -How do we know that honey is a drink? Because it is said (Deut. xxxii. -13), But He made him to suck honey out of the rock. How do we know that -oil is a drink? Because it is said (Isa. xxv. 6), A feast of fat things. -How do we know that milk is a drink? Because it is said (Judges iv. 19), -And she opened a bottle of milk and gave him drink. How do we know that -dew is a drink? Because it is said (Judges vi. 38), And wringed the dew -out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. There is a curious addition, -reminding us of Taylor, the water poet. How do we know that the tears of -the eye are a drink? Because it is said (Ps. lxxx. 5), And givest them -tears to drink in great measure. How do we know that the water of the -nose is a drink? Because—but the reader has had probably enough of the -Rabbinical lucubrations. - -A chapter of this book might, were not space a consideration, be devoted -to water, which Thales[156] declared to be the first principle of things, -and, according to Seneca,[157] _valentissimum elementum_. Iced, it was -inveighed[158] against by the Stoic philosopher, as injurious to the -stomach. The desire for it was said to proceed from a pampered appetite. -Pliny[159] speaks of a wine made from sea water, but considers it, with -Celsus, a bad stomachic. In later times sea water has been converted into -fresh. - -Bory de St. Vincent,[160] in his _Essais sur les Isles Fortunées_, an -entertaining description of the archipelago of the Canaries, says that in -Fer, one of the Canary Islands, a nearly total privation of running water -was compensated by an extraordinary tree. Bacon (_Nov. Scient. Org._, -412), the Father Taillandier (_Lettr. Edit._, vii., 280), Corneille -(_Grand Dict._, under _Fer_) may be consulted about this tree, called -the holy one. Gonzalez d’Oviedo (ii., 9) says it distils water through -its trunk, branches, and leaves, which resemble so many fountains. The -“exaggerator Jakson,” says Bory de St. Vincent, being at Fer in 1618, saw -this tree dried up during the day, but at night yielding enough water -to supply the thirst of 8,000 inhabitants and 100,000 other animals. -According to this authority, it was distributed from time immemorial all -over the island by pipes of lead. It is nothing to “Jakson” that lead was -not known from time immemorial. Viana (_Cant._, i.) speaks of the sacred -tree as a sort of celestial pump.[161] Another author says the holy tree -was called _Garoe_, and that its fruit resembled an acorn, that its -leaves were evergreen, and like those of a laurel. During an east wind -the water harvest was the most abundant. - -This celebrated vegetable product was unfortunately destroyed by a -hurricane in 1625. But even about this date authors disagree. While Nunez -de la Pena is an authority for that given, Nieremberg assures us the -catastrophe occurred in 1629. Another date mentioned is 1612. - -The view of Bory de St. Vincent is that this holy tree was nothing -more than the _Laurus Indica_ of Linnæus, which is indigenous to the -mountain summits of the Canary Islands. His concluding remark is pregnant -with common sense: _Si les auteurs que nous ont parlé du Garoé ont dit -qu’il était seul de son espèce dans l’île, c’est qu’ils n’étaient pas -botanistes, et qu’ils n’avaient pas réfléchi que cet arbre ayant un -fruit, devait se reproduire, comme tous les autres végétaux._ - -The water of rivers is often clarified in a peculiar manner before -drinking. For instance, that of the Ganges is said to be improved by -rubbing certain nuts on the edges of the vessel in which it is kept,[162] -though how this may be it is as difficult to understand, as how the -turtle is affected by a touch of his carapace, or the Dean and Chapter—to -borrow Sydney Smith’s illustration—of St. Paul’s by stroking the cupola -of that cathedral. The Nile water is also said to be purified by treating -the vessel which holds it in a similar manner to that which holds the -water of the Ganges, with bitter almonds. The bitter waters of Marah were -made sweet in a far different fashion. - -The _Melo-cacti_ of South America have earned for themselves the name of -“springs of the desert,” owing to their liquor-preserving properties. An -ingenious drink is that of the natives of Siberia, a drink prepared of -an intoxicating mushroom,[163] in a peculiar and economical manner, by -natural distillation. - -Vinegar appears as a beverage in a few countries only, and then for -special purposes. The Roman soldiers received it as a refreshing drink on -their marches, and even in the time of Constantine their rations included -vinegar on one day and wine on the other. After all, this vinegar may -have been nothing more than what many of us drink at present under the -title of wine. That “excellent claret,” for instance, “fit for any -gentleman’s table,” which may be had at 1_s._ 6_d._ a bottle, may be very -like the vinegar of the Roman soldier. Roman reapers used it mixed with -water, we are told by Theocritus (Idyl x.), and before that time Ruth was -directed to dip her morsel in the vinegar when she gleaned in the field -of Boaz. - -_Ptisana_, mentioned by Celsus (iii., 7), appears to have been a mixture -of rice or barley water and vinegar. - -Toast-water is a drink which may be held by some unworthy of mention, -but they may change their minds after reading what Mr. James Sedgwick, -apothecary at Stratford-le-Bow, had to say on this subject in the year -1725. The burning of a crust and putting it hissing hot into water has, -according to this gentleman, several good advantages. By it, the “raw -coldness from nitrous particles are (sic) taken off and moderated, and it -becomes more palatable, besides which, from the sudden hissing opposition -of temperament, an elevation is made of the heterogeal particles, a -motion, an interchanging position is obtained: These Principles during -their intercourses will be imbibed and sucked into the bread in order, -according to their respective distance and gravities, whereby the liquor -will become more pure and almost uncompounded, less foreign than it was -under its natural acception.” And yet though all these securities are -taken to blunt the “frigorific mischiefs” of the water in general, yet -in many constitutions and at particular seasons it is not to be trusted -without some “substantial warmth to give and maintain a glowing, e’er it -dilutes and disperses.” He goes on to say that it is better to add wine -to the water, “to prevent the contingent hazards from the limpid element.” - -_Braket_ or _Bragget_ or _Bragwort_, was a drink made of the wort of ale, -honey, and spices.[164] Her mouth, says Chaucer, speaking of Alison, the -carpenter’s pretty wife in the _Mother’s Tale_, - - “was swete as _braket_ or the meth, - Or hord of apples, laid in hay or heth.” - -And in Beaumont and Fletcher’s _Little Thief, or the Night-Walker_, Jack -Wildbrain speaks with contempt of - - “One that knows not neck-beef from a pheasant, - Nor cannot relish _braggat_ from ambrosia.” - -The opponents of alcoholic drinks are often met by the objection -that some of the drinks recommended by themselves are alcoholic, as -indeed they often are. Even water appears to possess, in some cases, -an intoxicating property. Pliny (_Nat. Hist._, ii., cvi.) speaks of a -_Lyncestis aqua_,[165] of a certain acidity, which makes men drunken. -The celebrated _Ballston_ waters in the State of New York, are said to -be affected with qualities “highly exhilarating,” sometimes producing -vertigo, which has been followed by drowsiness; in other words, they who -drink them exhibit the usual symptoms of drunkenness. - -Timothy Dwight, in his _Travels in New England and New York_, says that -these waters are considered by the farmers of the neighbourhood as an -excellent beverage, and are sent for from a considerable distance for -drink to labourers during haymaking and harvesting, a time well known -to be full of desire on the part of country people employed in these -agricultural pursuits, for alcoholic refreshment. “They supersede,” says -Dwight, “in a great measure the use of any ardent spirits.” But since -the result of drinking these waters seems precisely the same, as far as -regards inebriation, as that of drinking beer or other alcoholic liquor, -it is questionable whether any advantage is gained by this supersession. - -The properties of the _Saratoga_ water, situated some seven miles from -that of _Ballston_, are also of a very remarkable nature. They abound to -such an extent in a species of gas, that we are told a very nice sort of -breakfast bread is baked from them instead of yeast. - -The Romans considered warm water an agreeable drink at the conclusion of -the chief repast of the day. This may explain why Julius Cæsar was always -taken ill after dinner. - -Many drinks are derived from animals, either wholly as milk and blood, or -from animals and vegetables in common, as oil. - -It is said that there are people here in England who like—so strange is -the diversity of tastes—a draught of oil from the liver of a cod as much -as an Esquimaux approves of a draught of the oil of a porpoise or a seal. - -Of milk a large catalogue of drinks can be reckoned. First, there are -the different kinds of milk of different animals, as the milk of asses, -of women, of goats, of cows, of sheep, of reindeer, of camels, of sows, -and of mares. Then it may be swallowed as it is drawn, or in the form of -whey, or curdled. _Ghee_[166] is a common favourite throughout all India. -It is a stale butter clarified by boiling and straining, and then set -to cool, when it remains in a semi-liquid or oily state, and is used in -cooking, or is drunk by the natives. - -In milk-beer, milk is substituted for water. _Kef_ is a kind of -effervescing fermented milk, much resembling _Koumiss_ (or rather -_Kumyss_), of which the best is probably to be obtained in Samàra. -_Youourt_[167] is a favourite drink at Constantinople, made of milk -curdled after a peculiar fashion. _Syra_, a form allied with the German -_Säure_, is a sour whey, used for drink like small beer in Norway and -Iceland. _Aizen_ and _Leban_ are both sorts of _Kumyss_, one of the -Tartars, the other of the Arabs. The latter have also an intoxicating -liquor _Sabzi_, made of _Bhang_, a species of hemp. The green leaf from -which the drink derives its name is pounded and diluted with sugared -water. - -Even the warm blood of living animals has been considered suitable for -a drink. In the book of Ser Marco Polo the Venetian, concerning the -marvels of the East, we are told, the Tartar will sustain himself in an -economical manner, by opening a vein in the neck of the horse upon which -he rides, and having taken a sufficient drink will close the aperture, -and ride on as before. Carpini says much the same of the Mongols. This -appears indeed to have been a time-honoured institution. - -Dionysius Periegetes, in the nineteenth chapter of his _Description of -the World_, treating of Scythia and other ancient nations situated in -what is now known as Great Tartary, says of the Massagetæ that they have -no eating of bread nor any native wine, but - - ἵππων - Αἵματι μίσγοντες λευκὸν γάλα δαῖτα τίθεντο. - - “Or with horses blood, - And white milk mingled set their banquets forth,” - - _Orbis Desc._, 578. - -And Sidonius, to the same effect, - - “_solitosque cruentum_ - _Lac potare Getas, et pocula tingere venas._” - - _Parag. ad Avitum._ - -Another strange variety of drink is made by the Peruvians. The ordinary -_chica_ is mixed with the bloody garments of a slain warrior. Temple -(_Travels_, ii., 311). - -According to Lobo, the Abyssinians esteem the gall one of the most -delicious parts of a beast, and drink glasses of it, as epicures with us -drink _Château Lafitte_. Pearce (_Adventures in Abyssinia_, i., 95) says -that they also drink blood warm from the animal with an extraordinary -relish. - -The Mantchoos, the conquerors of China, prepare a wine of a peculiar -mixture from the flesh of lambs, either by fermenting it reduced to a -kind of paste with the milk of their domestic animals, or by bruising it -to a pulp with rice. When properly matured, it is put into jars and drawn -as occasion requires. It is said to be strong and nutritious, and the -most voluptuous orgies of the Tartars are the result of an intoxication -from _lamb wine_. Abbé Rickard, _History of Tonquin_. - -The only wine in Sumatra, according to Marco Polo, was derived from -a certain tree, the _sacred wine_-tree as it might be called, in -comparison with the _sacred water_-tree, afterwards known as _Areng -Saccharifera_, from the Javanese name, called by the Malays _Gomuti_ and -by the Portuguese _Saguer_. It has some resemblance to a date palm, to -which Polo compares it, but is much coarser and more ragged, _incompta -et adspectu tristis_, dishevelled and of a melancholy aspect, as it -is described by Rumphius. A branch of this tree was cut, a large pot -attached, and in a day and a night the pot was filled with excellent -wine, both white and red, which, says the Venetian, cures dropsy and -tisick and spleen. - -The Chinese _Rice Wine_ and its manufacture is described in Amyot’s -_Memoires_, v., 468. A yeast is employed, with which is often mixed a -flour prepared from fragrant herbs, almonds, pine seeds, dried fruits, -etc. Rubruquis says the liquor is not distinguishable, except by smell, -from the best wine of Auxerre, a wine so famous in the middle ages that -the historian friar Salimbene went to that town for the express purpose -of drinking it. Ysbrand Ides compares it to Rhenish, John Bell to Canary, -and a modern traveller, quoted by Davis, “in colour and a little in taste -to Madeira.” Marco Polo says, “it is a very hot stuff,” making one drunk -sooner than any other beverage. - -From the walnut, which is cultivated to great extent in the Crimea, a -sweet clear liquor is extracted in the spring, at the time the sap is -rising in the tree. The trunk of the walnut is pierced and a spigot -placed in the incision. The fluid obtained soon coagulates into a -substance used as sugar. It does not, however, appear that the juice -has been converted to any inebriating purpose. Not only, however, from -the walnut can a good drink be extracted, but also from the birch, the -willow, the poplar and the sycamore. - -A sort of birch wine is made in Normandy. - -An excellent drink, resembling brandy, has been distilled, it is said, -from water melons in the southern provinces of Russia, where consequently -much attention is paid to the culture of this vegetable, producing in -some cases water melons of thirty pounds in weight. - -In the Sandwich Islands a drink is distilled from the root of the -_Dracæna_, something like the beet of this country. The root of the -_Dracæna_ gives a saccharine juice resembling molasses. From this, -with the addition of some ginger, a kind of tea is made, also a spirit -called by the natives _Ywera_. Their manufacture of this drink is -remarkable for its complexity, involving certain mystic operations with -an old pot, a leaky canoe, a calabash, and a rusty gun-barrel. It is -unnecessary to give a detailed account of the process. We yearn in vain -for that absence of entanglement which distinguishes the religion of the -Iroquois, who have no other worship than the annual sacrifice of a dog to -_Taulonghyaawangooa_, which being interpreted is the “supporter of the -Heavens.” At this sacrifice they eat the dog. - -_Sbitena_, or Sbetin, is the name of a delightful drink sold in the -streets of _St. Petersburg_ to the populace. In Granville’s _St. -Petersburg_ (ii., 422) a mention is made of this beverage. It is composed -of honey and hot water and pepper and boiling milk. - -A drink called _Omeire_ is prepared in the South-West of Africa by the -aid of some dirty gourds and milk vigorously shaken therein at stated -intervals. - -In Nubia the crumb of strongly leavened bread made from _dhurra_ is mixed -with water and set on the fire. It is afterwards allowed to ferment for -two days, strained through a cloth, a lady’s garment by choice, and -drunk. It is called _Ombulbul_, or the mother of the nightingale, because -it makes the drinker sing like that bird. _Pulque_ is a vinous beverage -made in Mexico by fermenting the juice of the _agave_. Its distinctive -peculiarity is its odour, which has been compared by an experimentalist -to that of putrid meat. - -There are four drinks in Madagascar: _Toak_, made from honey and water; -_Araffer_, from a tree called _Sater_, resembling a small cocoa-nut; -_Toupare_, from boiled cane, a liquid so corrosive as in a short time to -penetrate an egg shell; and _Vontaca_, from the juice of the so-called -Bengal quince. The last soon produces intoxication, against which another -curious drink is mentioned as a remedy by Ovalle, to wit, the sweat of a -horse infused in wine. - -The aborigines of Australia (Dawson’s _Present State of Australia_, p. -60) are inordinately fond of a beverage known by them under the name of -_bull_. The recipe for this, as given by Mr. Dawson, runs thus: Get an -old sugar bag, steal it if you cannot get it by any other means, and cut -it into small pieces. Prepare a large kettle of boiling water, throw into -it as many of these pieces of bag as it will hold, and let it simmer for -half a day. An excellent _bull_ will be the result. This _bull_, says -Dawson, they are extremely fond of, and will drink it till they are blown -out like an ox with clover, and can contain no more. - -Poncet speaks of booza as the usual liquor of the Abyssinians, “vastly -thick and very ill tasted,” produced from a day’s soaking of a roasted -berry. - -The negroes of Brazil affect a mixture of black sugar and water without -fermentation, called _Garapa_, to which heat is sometimes added by the -leaves of the _Acajou_ tree. - -Snow melted and impregnated with the flavour of smoke from the fire upon -which it is placed is the common drink of the Lapp. Occasionally he gets -a decoction of the herb _angelica_ in milk. The maritime Lapp drinks with -gusto the oil squeezed from the entrails of fish. Women, it is said, -will take a pint and a half of this so-called _tran_ at a meal. But the -favourite drink is composed of water and meal flavoured with a quantity -of tallow, and, if circumstances will permit, the blood of the reindeer. - -_Taidge_ or _Tedge_ or _Tedj_ is a kind of honey wine or hydromel, said -by Father Poncet[168] to be a delicious liquor, pure, clarified, and -of the colour of Spanish white wine. The process of its manufacture is -simple. Wild honey is mixed with water, and set in a jar, with a little -sprouted barley, some _biccalo_ or _taddoo_ bark, and a few _geso_ or -_guécho_ leaves. A superior kind is made by adding _kuloh_ berries. This -is called _barilla_. The taste of _tedj_ has been described as that of -small beer and musty lemonade. The women commonly strain it through their -shifts. - -_Besdon_ is made like _tedj_, with honey, and is highly valued in some -parts of Africa. _Ladakh_ beer has the merit of portability. It is made -of parched barley, rice, and the root of an aromatic plant, and pressed -into a cake. A piece of this is broken off and cast into water. It -resembles in taste sour gruel. - -_Pombe_ is a liquid brewed of fruit, furnishing a common sort of cider -known well in Eastern Africa. - -In Tonquin[169] on the annual renewal of allegiance, they drink chicken’s -blood mixed with arrack. They make a sort of cider from _miengou_, a -fruit like a pomegranate. An extract of wheat, rye, or millet is mixed -with _peka_, consisting of rice flour, garlic, aniseed, and liquorice. -After fermentation it is distilled and becomes the celebrated _Samchou_. - -In Sweden, with the _smör-gås_, or fore taste[170] at a side-table a -glass of _fenkål_, sometimes very good, sometimes very bad, is given -to him who is about to dine. It is made from fennel—a form perhaps of -_fœniculum_—growing wild and abundant, as at Marathon[171] the celebrated -deme on the east coast of Attica, the field of the famous battle. - -In addition to strange compounds known in various parts of this country, -such as Gin and Lime Juice, Whiskey or Rum and Milk, Brandy and Port, a -drink said to have originated in Lancashire, Dog’s Nose, Shandy Gaff, -etc., etc., may be mentioned Ethyl or Methylated Spirits, a beverage -which, like ether in Ireland, has of late years advanced considerably in -public estimation. It has the two advantages of being cheap and heady. -An Act of 1880 imposed penalties on any retail tradesman selling it for -the purpose of drink. A better method perhaps to prevent its being poured -down the throats of Her Majesty’s liege subjects would be to take steps -to ensure its being mixed before sold with a strong emetic. The palate -can be trained, but the stomach is far less docile. - -[Illustration] - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] These essences and colours are no new thing. Addison spoke of them -nearly two hundred years ago in his “Trial of the Wine Brewers” in the -_Tatler_. Tom Tintoret and Harry Sippet have left a large family behind -them. - -[2] See tailpiece, where a servant is coming to the assistance of her -mistress. - -[3] Jablonski is our authority for supposing it primarily an Egyptian -drink. A _zythum_ and a _dizythum_ seem to have existed, corresponding, -let us say, to our _Single_ and _Double X_. - -This _zythum_ is nearly allied to the _sacera_ of Palestine, the _cesia_ -of Spain, the _cervisia_ of Gaul, the _sebaia_ of Dalmatia, and the -_curmi_ or _camum_ of Germany. According to Rabbi Joseph, this beer -was made ⅓ barley, ⅓ _Crocus Sylvestris_, ⅓ salt. He adds, “He that is -bound, it looseth; and he who is loose, it binds; and it is dangerous for -pregnant women.” - -[4] Information on this subject is given by Sir Edward Barry, -_Observations on the Wines of the Ancients_; Henderson, _History of -Ancient and Modern Wines_; and Becker’s _Charicles_. - -[5] This is probably the murrhina of Plautus (_Pseudol._ ii. 4, 50) - -[6] This drink must not be confounded with ὑδρόμελι, honey and water, our -mead, or ὑδρόμήλον, our cider. - -[7] Pliny, _Nat. Hist._ xiv. 19, etc. - -[8] Line 964, etc. - -[9] Line 4044, etc. - -[10] Line 1387, etc. - -[11] Line 1432, etc. - -[12] Line 135, etc. - -[13] _Hist. Account of the Cathedral Church of York_, Lond., 1715, p. 7. - -[14] That division of the ancient kingdom of Northumberland, which was -bounded by the river Humber southwards, and to the north by the Tyne. - -[15] A liquor made of honey, wine, and spice. - -[16] Honey, diluted with the juice of mulberries. - -[17] In this sense it is apparently used in Gen. ix. 24: “Noah awoke from -his _wine_.” - -[18] From an Arabic word for antimony, applied to the eyes, the name -is said to have been transferred to rectified spirits (C₂H₆O). It is a -liquid formed by fermentation of aqueous sugar solutions. _Spirit of -Wine_ contains about 90 per cent. of alcohol. 55 parts of alcohol and -45 of water form _proof spirit_. Of alcohol, spirits contain 40-50 per -cent.; wines, 7-25; ale and porter, 6-8; small beer, 1-2. - -[19] Who would believe this from the specimens tasted in England? Yet we -are assured the statement is perfectly true. - -[20] Patterson’s _Travels in Caffraria_, p. 92. - -[21] One of these inspired Longfellow, who thinks (poetically) the -richest wine is that of the West, which grows by the beautiful river, -whose sweet perfume fills the apartment, with a benison on the giver:— - - “Very good in its way is the Verzenay, - Or the Sillery, soft and creamy; - But Catawba wine has a taste more divine, - More dulcet, delicious, and dreamy.” - -A dreamy taste is something startling even in poetical description. - -[22] Chili has lately taken Paris medals for its wines; it also produces -a light and wholesome beer. - -[23] The _rébêche_ is principally sold to people manufacturing cheap -Champagnes; by mixing with other wines of very light complexion, they -give them body, and make a stuff which can be produced at a very low -price. - -[24] _De Proprietatibus Rerum._ Argent. 1485, lib. xix. cap. 56. - -[25] Blount’s _Fragmenta Antiquitatis_. Sec. “Grand Serjeantry,” No. IV. - -[26] _The Wines of the World, Characterized and Classed_, 1875, pp. 16, -17. - -[27] This wine is said to profit much by a quiescent state of the air -afforded by the town wall. - -[28] A wine at Homburg, called _Erlacher_, at about one mark a bottle, -is, says Dr. Charnock, frequently superior to the ordinary _Niersteiner_. - -[29] “Hock,” says one of those wine circulars, which weary alike the -postman and the public, “is the English name for the noble vintages of -the Rhine, which afford models of what wine ought to be. Their purity is -attested by their durability. They are almost imperishable. They increase -appetite, they exhilarate without producing languor, and they purify -the blood. The Germans say good Hock keeps off the doctor. Southey says -it deserves to be called the Liquor of Life. And so Pindar would have -called it, if he had ever tasted it.” Nothing surely can be added to this -description of its virtues. - -[30] Thus unfortunately translated, “Rhine wine is good, Neckar pleasant, -Frankfort bad, Moselle innocent.” But Moselle, we have been told, is very -far from “innocent.” _Unnosel_ is without bouquet. _Tranken_ means not -bad but drinkable, and _lecker_ is rather lickerish than good. A sample -of the same carelessness occurs on the next page, where _ein weinfask -von anderhalb ahm ein pipe_ is intended to express _ein Weinfass von -anderthalb Ohm, eine Pipe_. It is a pity that an excellent work, to which -we, as many writers on wine like ourselves, have been deeply indebted, -should be marred by these irregularities. - -[31] Colonel Leake described the ordinary country wine as a villainous -compound of lime, resin, spirits of wine, and grapes, without body or -flavour. Nor were things better in the days of old. Dugald Dalgetty, a -German Ensign, writing from Athens in 1687, says, “Would that I could -exchange a cask of Athenian wine for a cask of German beer!” The _vin du -pays_ is impregnated with resin or turpentine now as formerly, whence, -according to Plutarch, the Thyrsus of Bacchus is adorned with a pine -cone. Pliny says it favours the preservation of the drink. - -[32] The island owes this name to its patron saint Irene, martyred here -A.D. 304. - -[33] The value attached to this wine is one example among many of the -caprice of fashion. The _Muscadine_ of Syracuse or the _Lagrima_ of -Malaga is equal to it in richness, and few people would prefer it to -other wines, did they dare to contradict the decision of fashion in its -favour, and to have a taste of their own. - -[34] So called from its green colour. It is said to have been a favourite -wine of Frederick the Great. It is held now in slighter esteem. - -[35] Called _Est Est_ from the writing under the bust of the valet of the -bibulous German bishop Defoucris, who drank himself to death, upon which -his valet composed his epitaph. - - _‘Est est,’ propter minium ‘est,’._ - _Dominus meus mortuus est._ - -Reverence for antiquity is our sole excuse for the reproduction of these -wretched lines. _Monte Pulciano_ has also the credit of having killed a -Churchman. Other wines doubtless have had the same honour. - -[36] “Let no man,” says the Talmud, “send his neighbour wine with oil -upon its surface.”—_Chulin_, fol. 94, col. 1. - -[37] Malmsey wine is also a product of Funchal, in Madeira. The first -so-called wine was shipped for Francis I. of France. The word is probably -a corruption of _Malvasia_ or _Monemvasia_ (μόνη ἐμβασία, or single -entrance), a Greek island from which the grape may have been brought by -the Florentine Acciajoli in 1515. - -[38] Rota wines are mostly coloured, or _Tintos_, whence our English -sacramental drink. They are all simmered—at their best in youth, and -their worst in age. - -[39] Supposed by some to be the old English Sack. The reader interested -may consult Hakluyt, Nicols, Hewell’s Dictionary, and Venner’s _Via -Recta_. - -[40] The etymology is uncertain. Some derive it from the town near -Seville, others from the Spanish word for an apple, and others again from -that for a camomile flower. - -[41] _Valley of Rocks_, indicating the soil on which it is grown. - -[42] It is frequently damaged by the carelessness of the _vinatero_, or -wine-seller, to such an extent that the proverb _Pregonar vino y vender -vinagre_ becomes, like wisdom, justified of her children. - -[43] So called from the grape common in most parts of Spain. - -[44] The fine old Amoroso, of which a small stock is still remaining. - -[45] So called from the battle of Birs, in the reign of Louis XI., in -which 1,600 Swiss opposed 30,000 French, and only sixteen of the former -survived. The fallen succumbed, we are told, less to the power of the foe -than to the fatigue of the fighting. - -[46] It is supposed by the erudite divine, Adam Clarke, to be probably -borrowed from the Hebrew word שֵׁכָר, Greek σίκερα, which, according to -St. Jerome (_Epist. ad Nepotianum de vita Clericorum, et in Isai. xxvii. -1_), means any intoxicating liquor, whether of honey, corn, apples, -dates, or other fruits. - -[47] In a treatise of the Talmud, _Abodah Zarah_, fol. 40, col. 2, cider -is called “wine of apples.” - -[48] Walker: _Hist. Essay on Gardening_, p. 166. _Anthologia Hibernica_, -i. 194. - -[49] The extra dry old lauded or pale cremant, or the extra reserve -Cuvée, 1884 vintage. - -[50] For further information, see Crocker, Marshall, Knight, and -especially Stopes. - -[51] The French name, _Eau de Vie_, having the same meaning. - -[52] “The Vertuose boke of Distyllacyon of the Waters of all maner of -Herbes, with the fygures of the styllatoryes, Fyrst made and compyled by -the thyrte yeres study and labour of the most con̅ynge and famous master -of phisyke, Master Iherom bruynswyke. And now newly Translated out of -Duyche into Englysshe,” etc. Lond., 1572. - -[53] Lethargy. - -[54] Belching. - -[55] Pleurisy. - -[56] A Spanish Wine. - -[57] ? Orrice. - -[58] Stir. - -[59] Phial. - -[60] _Adam and Eve stript of their furbelows_, 1710 (?) - -[61] Act III., s. 3. - -[62] _My Life and Recollections_, Vol. I., p. 59. - -[63] Now called Athol brose. - -[64] Of the word gill-house a recent editor of Pope observes that it is -doubtful whether it is to be understood as a house where gill, or beer -impregnated with ground-ivy, was sold, or whether as an inferior tavern, -where beer was sold by the measure known as a gill. - -[65] There are two other prints connected with this event, all published -at the same time. One is “The Funeral Procession of Madame Geneva, Sept. -29, 1736.” The other is a Memorial, “To the Mortal Memory of Madame -Geneva, who died Sept. 29, 1736. Her weeping Servants and loving Friends, -consecrate this Tomb.” - -[66] Whose premises were burnt down during the Lord George Gordon riots. -Dickens immortalized Langdale in _Barnaby Rudge_. The distillery is still -in existence at the same place. - -[67] A whistling shop was a sly grog-shop. No spirits were allowed in -the Fleet prison, but of course they were introduced, and could be got -at some places. The method of telling who could be trusted, was for the -customers to whistle—hence the term. - -[68] _Alcoholic Drinks_, 1884, p. 67. - -[69] Scott’s _Ivanhoe_, cap. iii. - -[70] _Morat_ is a composition of honey and mulberries, from which latter -its name is derived. - -[71] According to their first institution the Jesuits were not priests. -This was conceded to them afterwards by Paul V. Their primitive principal -occupation was the assistance of the sick and the distillation of -salutiferous waters, whence they were known as “_padri dell’ acquavite_,” -or Fathers of brandies. - -[72] A liqueur made with the flower of citron. - -[73] _Ad majorem Dei gloriam._ - -[74] Roret’s “_Manuel du distillateur-liquoriste_.” - -[75] _Gui-Patin Lettres_, ii. 425. - -[76] One of the most important liqueur manufactories is that of Marie -Brizard and Roger of Bordeaux. In 1755 Marie Brizard, in the Quartier -S. Pierre, a lady of much devotion and charity, devoted a large portion -of her time, in imitation of the monks, to the concoction of medicinal -cordials. Of these, her _Anisette_, so called from its chief ingredient, -soon attained a wide reputation. Roger married the niece of this lady, -and the firm is now known under their joint names. They manufacture -many other liqueurs, but are still chiefly famous for the old medicinal -cordial. - -[77] الاكسير, _alacsir_, from ξηρόν, dry. - -[78] Here is the etymological process for the linguistic student: -_Ligusticum_; Lat., _levisticum_; Fr., _luvesche_, _leveshe_, _livèche_; -O. Eng., _livish_, _lovage_. The Italian has the form _libistico_, and -the Portuguese _levistico_. - -[79] A technical term. - -[80] So called because said to be prepared from the maidenhair fern, -_Adiantum capillus Veneris_; “but,” says Pereira, (_Materia Medica_), -“the liqueur sold in the shops under this name is nothing but clarified -syrup flavoured with orange-flower water.” - -[81] These colours by which _soi-disant_ connoisseurs profess to -determine the excellence of the liqueur, are in most cases merely -adscititious. Rules are given for their manufacture. Rose, for instance, -is the outcome of cochineal or sanders wood steeped for a fortnight in -spirits of wine. Blue, of indigo and sulphuric acid. Yellow, of saffron. -Pink, of cudbear, a corruption of the name of the chemist, Dr. _Cuthbert_ -Gordon, who first employed this lichen; and green, of blue and yellow -mixed. - -[82] A pharmaceutical term for volatile oil of orange flowers. Said to be -derived from an Italian princess, Néroli, who invented it. - -[83] From Arabic خلنج _Khulanj_, “a tree from which wooden bowls are -made,” Richardson. A dried rhizome brought from China, an aromatic -stimulant of the nature of ginger. The drug is mostly produced by -_Alpinia officinarum_. - -[84] Also called Luft-Wasser. - -[85] Only an Italian, we are told, can make this liqueur. The composition -is a dark secret, but, we are also told, it originated in Austria, and is -a mixture of tea, wine and milk in unknown quantities. - -[86] Said, on account of its carminative properties, to be derived from -the three words _vesse_, _pet_, and _rot_, which it is not incumbent upon -us to translate. - -[87] Merely a corruption of _Usquebaugh_. - -[88] So called from the inventor. Said to be useful in stomachic -affections. - -[89] _Sic_, aimable (?) - -[90] So called because made with _guignes_, Sp. _guindas_; dark red, very -sweet cherries, smaller than the _bigarreaux_. The _Guignolet d’Angers_ -is especially famous. - -[91] This is composed of fennel, celery, coriander, and angelica. - -[92] Sometimes written _Karoy_. _Carum carve_, L., from the Greek κάρον, -an umbelliferous plant of which the root by culture becomes edible. The -fruit is analogous to that of anise. - -[93] Also written more correctly _d’Hendaye_; white, yellow, and green, -according to its alcoholic strength. - -[94] _Cassis_ would appear to be the name of a _ville_ -(_Bouches-du-Rhone_) which has a commerce of wine and fruit. - -[95] _Stolberg’s Travels_, i., 146. - -[96] Germ. _Wermuth_, absinthe or wormwood, plant of genus -_Artemisia_—perhaps originally connected with _warm_, on account of the -warmth it produces in the stomach. This bitter, though commonly quoted -under liqueurs, should be classed with _Quinine Wine_, _Angostura_, -_Khoosh_, etc., _Juglandine_, made in France from the walnut, _Malakoff_ -made in Silesia, the _Shaddock_ and _Quassia_ bitters of the West Indies, -and the _Schapps_ bitter of Switzerland. - -[97] The dictionary explanations of these terms are commonly -unsatisfactory. The experience of the bar-tender is more than the -learning of the lexicographer. _Cobbler_, indeed, is well explained as -compounded of wine, sugar, lemon, and sucked up through a straw; but -of _cocktail_ we only learn that it is a compounded drink much used in -America. The etymologies given are generally satisfactory. _Julep_ is -from گلاب rose water. _Mull_ from _mulled_, erroneously taken as a past -participle. According to Wedgwood, _mulled_ is a form of _mould_, and -_mulled_ ale is funeral ale, _potatio funerosa_. _Nogg_ is from _noggin_, -signifying a pot, and then the strong beer which it contains. _Negus_ is -commonly known to have been the invention of Col. Francis Negus in the -reign of Anne. _Punch_ is of course from the Hindustani پانچ, signifying -5, from its five original ingredients, to wit, _aqua vitæ_, _rose water_, -_sugar_, _arrack_, and _citron juice_. A very unsatisfactory derivation -of _Sangaree_ is from the Spanish _sangria_, the incision of a vein. -_Shrub_ is clearly the Arabic شرب or syrup. _Smash_, explained curtly as -“iced brandy and water.” (_Slang_) is probably from the smashing of the -ice; while _sling_ seems evidently to be from the German _schlingen_, to -swallow. - -[98] The verdict of François Guislier du Verger, the master-distiller in -the art of chemistry at Paris, in his _Traité des Liqueurs_, in 1728, is -altogether unfavourable to what he calls _Le Ponge_. “It is,” he says, -“an English liqueur, and a man must be English to drink it; for I think -it cannot be to the taste of any other nation in the world. It upsets -the stomach, provokes the bile, and violently affects the head. How, -indeed, can it be otherwise, seeing that it is composed of white wine, -Eau de vie, citrons, a little sugar, and bread crumbs.” And then follows -the observation: “If water were put instead of Eau de vie, with an equal -quantity of wine, a citron, and four ounces of sugar, a liqueur suitable -to every one would be the result, a liqueur which would do as much good -as the other does harm.” - -[99] Such at least is the signification of _sangaree_ as far as American -drinks are concerned. But _Sang-gris_ is said by Bescherelle to be a -mixture of tea in wine amongst the sailors of the North. Perhaps the name -is taken from the colour. It recalls David Garrick’s “Why, the tea is -as red as blood.” In the West Indies it is made of Madeira, water, lime -juice, and sugar. Spices are sometimes added. Pinckard’s “West Indies,” -i. 469. - -[100] _Shrub_ is called _santa_ in Jamaica. It is made in the West Indies -with rum, syrup, and orange-peel. - -[101] The Slang Dictionary, however, defines _Sling_ as a drink peculiar -to Americans, generally composed of gin, soda-water, ice, and slices of -lemon. At some houses (understand public) in London _gin slings_ may be -obtained. Francatelli has an exquisite note on _Gin Sling_, which he -directs to be sucked through a straw. “I fear that very genteel persons -will be exceedingly shocked at my words; but when I tell them that the -very act of imbibition through a straw prevents the gluttonous absorption -of large and baneful quantities of drink, they will, I make no doubt, -accept the vulgar precept for the sake of its protection against sudden -inebriety.” - -[102] Aromatic tincture: Ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, each 1 oz.; -valerian, ½ oz.; alcohol, 2 quarts. Macerate for fourteen days and filter -through unsized paper. - -[103] Those who wish to investigate the antiquity of beer may find ample -matter to supply their desire in a work commonly attributed to Archdeacon -Rolleston, entitled, “Οινος Κριθινος, _a dissertation concerning the -origin and antiquity of barley wine_.” Oxford, 1750. - -[104] Much has been written on the comparative merits of wine and -beer. Perhaps as good a remark as any on this subject was made by a -modern tradesman who, wishing to sell both, explained that, while -strongly advocating the introduction of wine, he did not at all intend -to depreciate the merits of our national beverage, beer. Where, he -continued, plenty of out-door exercise is taken, and little intellectual -effort is demanded, good beer is perhaps the most wholesome of all -drinks; and therefore he advised the “labouring man,” who could not -probably afford to buy wine, to drink beer, while others, who might be -supposed able to afford wine, were warned that they could not drink beer -with impunity. - -[105] The world has little altered since the time of Martial (i. 19). - - “_scelus est jugulare Falernum,_ - _Et dare Campano toxica sæva mero._” - -[106] This is the sweet potato, introduced into Europe before the common -potato. - -[107] For an interesting account of this, vid., Dr., Charnock’s _Verba -Nominalia_. - -[108] _Beajus_, which in Malay signifies a wild man. - -[109] Roggewein’s _Voyage Round the World_. - -[110] According to Kotzebue, old women chew, as in the South American -_chica_—let us hope this cannot be correct—and little girls spit on it to -thin the paste. Kotzebue’s _New Voyage Round the World_, vol. ii., p. 170. - -[111] From the old French _Pallir_, to become vapid, lose spirit. Washy -stuff. - -[112] See second part of _Westminster Drollery_, 1672. - -[113] General Monk’s receipt is given in the _Harleian Miscellany_, i., -524. London, 1744. - -[114] “Mum’s the word,” etc. - -[115] _Der Bierbrauer_, Prag., 1874. - -[116] Hamilton’s _Account of Nepaul_. - -[117] Pinckard’s _Notes_, p. 429. - -[118] Robertson’s _History of America_, ii., 7. - -[119] This is the beverage in general use. Titsingh’s _Japan_. Some -writers have connected it with our “_sack_.” - -[120] When cold, it is said to produce _serki_, a species of fatal colic. - -[121] For this list we are indebted to the courtesy of Messrs. Gow, -Wilson & Stanton, 13, Rood Lane, London, E.C. - -[122] Messrs. William, James & Henry Thompson, 38, Mincing Lane London. - -[123] Messrs. Gow, Wilson & Stanton. - -[124] In September, 1890, a small parcel of Flowering Pekoe fetched, at -public sale, 36_s._ per lb., and this price has been largely exceeded on -former occasions. - -“A parcel of tea from the Oriental Bank Estates Company’s Havilland -Estate in Ceylon was sold at auction in Mincing Lane yesterday for £17 -per lb., or over one guinea an ounce.”—_Standard_, May 6th, 1891. - -“A small lot of Golden Tip Ceylon tea from the Gartmore Estate was sold -by auction in Mincing Lane yesterday to the Mazawattee Ceylon Tea Company -at £25 _10s._ per lb.”—_Standard_, May 8th, 1891. - -[125] Messrs. Wm. Jas. and Hy. Thompson. - -[126] _Joannis Petri Maffeii Bergomatis, e Societate Jesu, Historiarum -Indicarum_, etc. _Florentiæ_, 1588. - -[127] _Delle Cause della grandezza delle Città_, etc., del Giovanni -Botero. _Milano_, ed. 1596, p. 61. - -[128] _Divers Voyages et Missions du P. Alexandre de Rhodes, en la Chine, -& autres Royaumes de l’Orient_, etc. _Paris_, 1653, p. 49. - -[129] Catharine of Braganza, wife of Charles II. - -[130] Portugal. - -[131] The Works of Thomas Brown, ed. 1708, vol. iii., p. 86. - -[132] His friend Tyers parodied the last phrase as “_te_ inviente die, -_te_ decedente.” - -[133] _Relation du voyage de la Mer du Sud, aux côtes du Chily, et -du Pérou, fait pendant les années 1712, 13, 14_, par Amédée François -Frezier. _Paris_, 1716, 4ᵒ. - -[134] _Joyfull Newes out of the newe founde Worlde_, etc. Englished, by -Jhon Frampton, _Marchaunt_, 1577, fol 101 b. - -[135] Garden beds in which seeds are planted. - -[136] Lima. - -[137] Tschudi travelled in Peru, 1838-1842. - -[138] _Travels in Peru_, by C. R. Markham, 1862, p. 237. - -[139] In 1861, the cesto of Coca sold at 8 dollars in Sandia. In Huanaco -it was 5 dollars the aroba of 25 lbs. - -[140] Ed. 1879, p. 363. - -[141] _A Description of the Coasts of North and South Guinea, etc., by -John Barbot, etc. Now first printed from his original MS., 1732._ - -[142] Part 2, Section 5.—Mem. 1, Sub. 5. - -[143] For a list of 500 Coffee Houses, see Appendix to _Social Life in -the Reign of Queen Anne_, by John Ashton. - -[144] _Memoirs and Observations in his Travels over England_, etc. - -[145] _A Brief Description of the excellent Vertues of that Sober and -Wholesome Drink called Coffee._ 1674, s. sh. fol. - -[146] _The Mineral Water Maker’s Manual for 1866_, from which many -receipts are taken with thanks. - -[147] Twaddell’s Hydrometer. From 11 to 12 lbs. sugar to the gallon -should give something near this specific gravity. - -[148] A sufficient quantity. - -[149] About 8½ lbs. loaf sugar to the gallon of water should produce this -S. G. - -[150] An extract made from orange flowers. - -[151] Or Butyric Ether, known as Essence of Pine-apple. - -[152] Jargonelle Ether. - -[153] Beware, however, of one compound ether, which gives the taste of -cinnamon, and is, Ethyl Perchlorate. This mixture is _explosive_!!! - -[154] Raspberries. - -[155] The form of this thanksgiving is very nearly akin to that said on -the occasion of eating any of the five kinds of cooked food from which -the _challah_ is due. - -[156] Arist., _Metaph._, i., 3. - -[157] Seneca, _Nat. Quæst._, iii., 13. - -[158] _Ibid._, iv., 13. - -[159] Pliny, _Nat. Hist._, xxiii., 24. - -[160] p. 220. - -[161] Other authorities concerning this remarkable drinking fountain are -Nieremberg (_Occult. Philos._, ii., 350), Clavijo, Cairasio, and Dapper. - -[162] _Harper’s New Monthly Magazine_, xi., p. 499. - -[163] The mushroom used by the Chukchees is described by Lansdell, -_Through Siberia_, ii., 269, as “spotted like a leopard, and surmounted -by a small hood—the fly agaric, which here has the top scarlet, flecked -with white points. It sells for three or four reindeer.” So powerful -is the fungus that the native who eats it remains drunk for several -days. Half a dozen persons may be successively intoxicated by a single -mushroom, but every one in a less degree than his predecessor. Goldsmith, -_Chinese Philosopher_. - -[164] Another description is, “Ale mixed with pepper and honey.” - -[165] - - Quem quicunque parum moderato gutture traxit, - Haud aliter turbat quam si mera vina bibisset. - - —Ovid, _Metam._, xv., 329. - -[166] The Hindustani گهي. - -[167] A corruption of the Turkish يوغرت _Yughurt_. - -[168] Lockman’s _Travels of the Jesuits_, i., 218. - -[169] P. Alex. de Rhodes, _Voyages et Missions_. P. de Marini, _On the -Kingdom of Tonquin_. - -[170] A word which, according to the _Glossarium Suiogothicum_, -originally meant simply bread and butter. It now comprehends anchovies -and other antepasts. - -[171] So called probably from its being overgrown with fennel (μαραθρῶν -in Strabo, 160). - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DRINKS OF THE WORLD *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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