210 PHARMACOPEIAL DRUGS 



dollars, while the second and third qualities range from 

 one dollar to a dollar and twenty cents per kilogram. 

 About two hundred thousand kilograms are produced 

 each year, of which 170,000 kilograms are exported. 

 Owing to the abundance of less costly resins, its field 

 as a varnish maker is much restricted, whilst its use as 

 a constituent of pharmaceutical preparations, such as 

 ointments, in which mastic was important during medi- 

 aeval times, is now practically obsolete. 



RAKI, RAKEE, OB "MASTIC." This is a popular, 

 mastic-flavored, alcoholic cordial liquor, much drunk 

 by the non-Moslem populations of some parts of Tur- 

 key, but not by the Mohammedans, who so far as I 

 could determine, use no alcoholics. It is made by dis- 

 tilling a mixture of mastic and anise with strong wine or 

 alcohol, the following being the formula of Mr. Agop 

 Alpiar: . 



Alcohol 35 per cent 1,000 Cc. 



Aniseed oil 2.5 Gm. 



Mastic 15 Gm. 



Potassium carbonate 3 Gm. 



Mix together and distill, slowly reserving the frac- 

 tions, as follows: 



No. 1 250 Cc. 



No. 2 350 Cc. 



No. 3 160 Cc. 



To No. 2, (350 Cc.), add 10 Gm. powdered sugar. 

 This is raki, or rakee, the drink being known also as 

 mastic. 



After this process, the drink is subsequently con- 

 tinuously made as follows: 



Mix No. 1, (250 Cc.) with No. 3, (160 Cc.), and add 

 water, 90 Cc.; alcohol (35%) 500 Cc.; aniseed oil 1.25 

 Gm.; gum mastic 7,5 Gm.; and potassium carbonate 

 3Gm, 



