237 / 252
Glossary
CURA~AO-Often
mispronounced "Curacoa," especially by
Englishmen. A liquor made by distilling spirits with orange
peel and certain spices. Manufactured originally in Hol–
land. Name derived from that of a Dutch island off the
north coast of South America. Voltage,
55.
DUBONNET-A proprietary French bitters or tonic, one of
whose ingredients was sai.d to be quinine.
GIN- Originally a dr.ink distilled from malt or other grain
and afterwards rectified with and flavored with juniper ber–
ries. Manufactured in Holland, under the name of Hol–
lands, Schiedam, and Schnapps. For the effect of Schnapps,
see Washington Irving's tale of that sterling New Yorker
of pre-war times,
Rip Van Winkle.
Also manufactured in
England under various names, notably: Gordon, Booth's,
Old Tom, Nicholson, Plymouth, House, of Lords, etc.
Among the lower classes of London, "gin' is alcohol, fla–
vored with oil of turpentine and common salt. The term
is often used generically for "bad liquor."
In
some parts of
the Cotton Belt, "gin" signifies a
~everage
whose effects
are momentarily synonymous with those produced by the
saws of a cotton gin-'from which it is
not
derived. The
actual derivation is from the Dutch
jenever,
itself coming
from the old French
wordjenevre,
meaning juniper. Gin was
sometimes called "Geneva," or "Geneva Water," and as–
cribed to Swiss invention; but it is interesting to note that
the country of which Geneva is the capital has lately leg–
islated itself away from association with strong drink. Volt–
age, 54·3·
SLOE GIN-Not to be confused with the real gin, and it
should be noted that as compared with real gin, its effects
are described by its first name, differently spelled. Sloe Gin
is a sort of cordial made by distillation from a small, plum–
like, astringent fruit, or a distillation flavored with the
same.
[ 237]