PREPARATION OF VINEGAR SPECIALTIES. 169 



leaves of the plant are macerated with vinegar, not only the vola- 

 tile oil is dissolved but also certain extractive substances peculiar 

 to this plant, and the taste of the vinegar is also changed ; the 

 product in this case being aromatized vinegar. 



By dissolving in vinegar oil of roses or rosewater (perfumed) 

 rose vinegar is obtained ; by treating raspberries with vinegar the 

 latter absorbs not only the odoriferous substances of the rasp- 

 berries, but also the non-odoriferous extractive substances, and the 

 product is aromatized vinegar. 



By skillful manipulation every volatile oil can be dissolved in 

 vinegar, and consequently as many different varieties of perfumed 

 vinegar can be prepared as there are volatile oils. In fact per- 

 fumers prepare a number of such varieties which contain one or 

 more volatile oils whose odors harmonize and are sold as volatile 

 spirit of vinegar, fumigating vinegar, etc. Such vinegars can be 

 prepared in various ways, the finest odors being, however, ob- 

 tained by distilling the fresh parts of the plants with water and 

 mixing the distillate, which actually represents a solution of the 

 volatile oil in water, with strong vinegar. The finest rose vinegar, 

 orange blossom vinegar, etc., are prepared in this manner. 



For this rather tedious process of preparing perfumed vinegar, 

 the one in which freshly prepared volatile oils are used may be 

 advantageously substituted. To be sure the volatile oils dissolve 

 only sparingly in vinegar, but sufficiently so to impart their char- 

 acteristic' odor to it. By using an excess of volatile oil it does 

 not dissolve, but distributes itself in fine drops throughout the 

 vinegar, rendering the latter opalescent, so that fining with tannin 

 and isinglass is necessary to make it bright again. 



This evil can be avoided by a simple manipulation which is 

 based upon the fact that a body dissolving with difficulty dissolves 

 the more readily the greater the surface it offers to the solvent. 



Prepare glass-powder as fine as the best wheat flour by heating 

 pieces of glass, throwing them into cold water, and pulverizing 

 and elutriating in a mortar. By the sudden cooling the glass 

 becomes so brittle that it can be readily converted into a fine 

 powder. Bring a suitable quantity of this powder into a porcelain 

 dish and drop volatile oil upon it with constant rubbing until it 

 is uniformly moistened. Pour the vinegar to be perfumed upon 



