Am, 
l.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1904. 
Aromatic  Elixir. 
161 
orange,  and  lose  their  individuality,  while  brightening  the  elixir. 
The  heavy  wines  impart  a  heavy  quality  to  the  elixir  which  is 
foreign  to  an  orange,  though  the  wines  themselves  are  not  prominent. 
My  own  preference  is  as  follows :  First,  the  muscatel,  and  this 
preference  has  been  shared  by  most  of  the  friends  whom  I  have 
asked  to  make  comparison.  Next,  the  tokay,  catawba  (no  real  dif- 
ference between  the  sweet  and  dry  varieties)  and  angelica.  These 
four  are  difficult  to  choose  between,  the  preference  depending  largely 
upon  the  order  in  which  they  are  examined.  In  fact,  they  are  all 
a  close  second  to  the  muscatel,  and  an  elixir  made  with  any  one  of 
these  five  light  wines  is  satisfactory. 
The  sherry  and  "  champagne  "  are  less  satisfactory.  They  do  not 
blend  as  well,  and  they  impart  the  heavier  quality.  If  the  two  quali- 
ties of  sherry  tried  can  be  taken  as  a  criterion,  the  quality  of  wine 
used  is  secondary  to  the  variety,  so  far  as  securing  a  bright  and 
smooth  flavor  is  concerned.  The  orange  softens  the  rawness  of  a 
new  wine,  and  the  quality  is  less  noticeable  in  the  blend. 
The  red  wines  would  not  be  chosen  unless  a  colored  elixir  is 
desired.  Like  the  sherry,  they  impart  a  heavy  flavor  and  do  not 
blend  perfectly.  The  malaga  blends  the  best  of  the  three,  but  its 
color  is  not  as  good,  having  a  marked  brownish  tinge.  Claret  pro- 
duces a  brilliant  red  elixir,  but  its  flavor  is  not  good.  It  is  the 
poorest  of  the  whole  list  in  this  regard.  Port  is  fairly  satisfactory  in 
both  color  and  flavor.  But  many  would  prefer  to  make  the  elixir 
with  a  white  wine  and  color  it  to  suit. 
An  elixir  made  with  tinctures  of  the  fresh  fruits  will,  without  wine, 
have  a  yellow  or  straw-tint,  and  the  addition  of  the  whitest  wine 
(which  is  never  white  or  colorless)  will,  of  course,  deepen  the  shade, 
making  an  amber  or  straw-colored  elixir.  Color  is  not  of  itself 
objectionable  so  long  as  it  is  fairly  uniform. 
The  following  formula  will  produce  an  elixir  corresponding  to  the 
official  aromatic  elixir  in  character  and  strength,  but  improved  in 
vigor  and  delicacy  : 
Tincture  of  fresh  orange  peel,  50  per  cent   15  c.c. 
Tincture  of  fresh  lemon  peel,  50  per  cent   3  c.c. 
Oil  of  coriander   0*25  c.c. 
White  wine   125  c.c. 
Deodorized  alcohol   230  c.c. 
Syrup  
Distilled  water,  sufficient  to  make 
1,000  c.c. 
375  c.c. 
