AmAJp°rnr;iP9Srm-}  Aromatic  Elixir.  159 
often  fail  to  cover  well  the  taste  of  disagreeable  substances,  A 
strongly  flavored  elixir  will  not  be  as  generally  successful  in  conceal- 
ing unpleasant  tastes  as  a  milder  and  softer  quality  that  appears 
bright  and  pronounced.  What  is  now  desired  is  an  orange  elixir 
that  will  have  the  fresh  and  bright  qualities  of  fresh  oranges,  with 
just  sufficient  aromatics  to  bring  up  the  flavor  without  making  it 
spicy. 
The  first  failing  in  the  official  formula  lies  in  the  unreliability  of 
the  orange  and  lemon  oils  in  common  use.  That  these  are  very 
much  adulterated  is  well  known,  and  when  to  this  is  added  an  ex- 
treme sensitiveness  to  air  which  causes  a  destruction  of  the  flavor, 
even  in  the  elixir  itself,  the  difficulty  of  securing  the  desired  results 
are  the  more  marked.  A  pure  oil  changes  much  less  rapidly  and 
markedly  than  an  impure  in  the  elixir. 
The  best  means  of  securing  an  undoubtedly  pure  oil  is  to  use  the 
fresh  fruits.  Oranges  and  lemons  can  be  obtained  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  at  reasonable  prices,  in  their  season,  and  for  the  pharmacist 
a  tincture  of  the  fresh  peel  is  the  best  means  of  obtaining  the  flavor. 
This  plan  is  already  followed  in  many  pharmacies  with  much  satis- 
faction. The  usual  method  is  to  grate  off  the  outer  yellow  layer  of 
the  peel,  in  which  are  the  oil  cells,  and  macerate  the  gratings  in 
alcohol  for  an  indefinite  time.  In  the  writer's  experience,  it  is  im- 
possible to  grate  the  peel  without  tearing  off  some  of  the  inner, 
white  layer,  which  contains  the  bitter  principle,  and  which  spoils  the 
softer  orange  flavor.  The  exercise  of  care,  with  some  sacrifice  of 
the  oil  cells  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  will  reduce  this  danger  to  a  mini- 
mum, and  produce  a  tincture  which  will  be  very  satisfactory.  But 
if  the  peel  be  shaved  instead  of  grated,  taking  care  to  cut  only 
through  the  oil  cells,  and  not  include  any  of  the  white  portion,  the 
results  are  more  satisfactory  in  several  particulars.  Shaving  the 
peel  can  be  accomplished  more  quickly  and  easily  than  grating,  if 
the  following  plan  be  followed  :  The  fruit  is  peeled,  and  the  peel  cut 
into  strips  not  exceeding  half  an  inch  in  width.  These  are  laid  in 
turn  upon  a  board  or  other  flat  surface,  held  with  the  fingers  of  one 
hand,  and  the  yellow  layer  can  be  shaved  off  at  almost  a  stroke, 
with  a  sharp  knife.  When  one  has  become  accustomed  to  the  opera- 
tion it  can  be  done  rapidly,  and  with  no  danger  of  getting  the  bitter 
flavor.  If  a  large  number  of  oranges  are  to  be  treated  at  a  time, 
there  is  a  machine  in  the  market  which  is  not  expensive  and  is 
