



DISTILLATION. 65 



pressed; but for white wines these are pressed immediately. They 

 tun the juice or must and leave half a foot for the wine to work. The 

 wine and husks sometimes stand two days for white, and a week for 

 claret wine before they tun it. To fine it, shavings of green beach are 

 put into it. If impurities remain, isinglass, powdered alabaster, roch- 

 alum or sulpher, &c. are added. Domestic wines may be made of 

 raisins, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, &c. with sugar and spirits. 

 Tokay wine is made in a volcanic district and is famous. Genuine 

 port is rarely met with in this country. The briskest wines keep 

 the poorest. Mercgout or mother drop, is the virgin wine running from 

 the top of the vats before the grapes are trodden. Draught wine is 

 made of husks left of grapes by throwing water on them and pressing 

 them again. 



The goodness of wine consists in its being net, dry, clear, brisk, with- 

 out taste of the vessel, with a clear steady color, strong, but not heady, 

 a body without sourness, and in keeping without growing hard. But 

 the vocabulary of terms and shades of quality are quite unnecessary 

 here. Cider will be noticed under apples, perry under pears, and oth- 

 er drinks under appropriate heads. 



DISTILLATION Rum is obtained by the distillation of the juice of 



the sugar cane, or molasses. It contains much alcohol and a gross 

 essential oil. This is called in the United States New England rum, 

 being mostly distilled there, and is largely exported. Jamaica proof, 

 or low wines, is the same but stronger, so that oil will sink in it. 



Brandy is a distillation of wines or of coarse fermented grape juice. 

 The still is filled with the liquor and a slight heat applied till the sixth 

 part passes over, or till what runs into the receiver is not inflammable. 

 It is colorless ; the dealers give it its color ; and its peculiar taste is 

 given by the addition of an essential oil. Brandies are principally 

 prepared in France. That shipped from Cognac and called Cognac 

 brandy is most esteemed. They are prepared in numerous ways with 

 strong liquors, sugar, spices, flowers, fruits, &c. Olive oil, or tallow, 

 will sink in the best brandy. Burnt sugar is added to give mellow- 

 ness, color and flavor. When first used, brandy was greatly extolled 

 as a medicine, a sovereign remedy and elixir of life. 



Spirit of wine is colorless and very inflammable. It is obtained chief- 

 ly from fermented malt liquor called wash, but formerly from wines. 

 In its purest state it is alcohol, and is one of the lightest liquids known ; 

 a pint weighing, or it should weigh, 13J oz. ; 95 parts being of alco- 

 hol and 5 water. It is much used in medicines and the arts. 



Proof spirit is colorless and inflammable. A pint should weigh 15 oz. 

 55 parts being of alcohol and 45 water. Brandy was considered proof 

 spirit ; but this is now made by the addition of water to spirits of wine. 

 It is used in the arts and in medicine. 



Gin, or Geneva, is a compound made of juniper berries or oil of 

 6* 



