ALCOHOL FROM BANANAS 



131 



de canne, il y aurait peut-etre avantage a faire un pied 

 avec du jus de banane qui fermente spontanement et a 

 faire couler dans ce pied pendant qu'il est en fermentation, 

 la melasse etendue de la quantite d'eau convenable, en 

 prenant la precaution, bien connue des distillateurs, de 

 faire les additions du liquide fermentescible par inter - 

 mittence et avec lenteur." 



Banana Whisky. Experiments * conducted at the 

 Central Laboratory of Guatemala in association with the 

 director of a distillery at Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, led 

 to the production of a very good spirit, which is said to be 

 something like whisky, from bananas which were about 

 to be thrown away. Samples of this spirit w,ere sent to 

 the St. Louis Exposition that had only been in barrel for 

 six months, and were recognized to be of superior quality. 

 After analysis by the laboratory of the Department of 

 Agriculture in Washington, the producers were awarded 

 a gold medal. Alcohol ages so rapidly in tropical countries 

 that one year in the barrel is sufficient to make the product 

 very fine. Corn whisky must be kept in casks for several 

 years before being offered for consumption, and at least 

 five years to obtain the best qualities. Banana whisky 

 is ripe at the end of one year. The cost of manufacture 

 is said to be much less than that of ordinary whisky. The 

 * Journ. d'Agric. Trop. and Cuba Review. 



