FRUIT- WINES. 359 



and acid having been brought to the right proportion, the juice is 

 allowed to ferment. 



Currant-wine is frequently prepared as a sweet liqueur-wine, 

 the following directions being much used for the purpose : Juice 

 100 parts, water 200, sugar 100. According to an analysis by 

 Fresenius, the wine thus prepared showed after two years the 

 following composition : 



Alcohol ....... 



Free acid ....... 



Sugar ....... 



Water 



100.00 



According to another receipt, 17^ Ibs. of thoroughly ripe cur- 

 rants freed from the stems are bruised in a wooden vessel Avith 

 the addition of 3J quarts of water. The paste thus obtained is 

 gradually brought into a bag of coarse linen, which is laid upon 

 an oblique board, and pressed out by means of a rolling-pin. 

 The press-residues are returned to the wooden vessel and, after 

 adding 7 quarts of water, thoroughly worked with a pestle, and 

 then again pressed in the above manner. The juice thus ob- 

 tained is brought into a barrel having a capacity of 34J quarts, 

 a solution of 12 Ibs. of sugar in 14 quarts of water is then added, 

 and finally sufficient water to fill up the barrel to within 3 inches 

 of the bung. After covering the bung-hole with a piece of 

 gauze, the whole is allowed to ferment in a room having a tem- 

 perature of from 59 to 64 F. When the principal fermenta- 

 tion is over the barrel is entirely filled with water and closed 

 with a cotton bung. The wine is then allowed to further fer- 

 ment for 6 months in a cellar having a temperature of from 54 

 to 59 F., when it is drawn off into another barrel or into bottles. 

 By adding to the fermenting juice ^ Ib. of comminuted raisin 

 stems a product closely resembling Tokay-wine is obtained. 



A very strong beverage is obtained by adding to the expressed 

 juice of currants twice the quantity of water and stirring in 2 

 tablespoonfuls of yeast. Allow the juice to ferment for 2 days, 

 then strain it through a hair-sieve, and after adding 1 Ib. of sugar 

 for every quart, allow it to ferment. When fermentation is nearly 

 finished add French brandy in the proportion of 1 quart to 40 



