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A GENERAL GLOSSARY OF
USEFUL INFORMATION
Alcohol.
The name of Alcohol covers a very large number of compounds
of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but the member of the alcohol
family which is such an important component part of all wines,
beers and spirits is Ethyl Alcohol, or CjH.O, a colourless liquid
with a faint and pleasant ethereal smell. There is nothing in the
chemical composition of Ethyl Alcohol to warrant its description
as a poison or narcotic. Like other carbo-hydrates, it releases
heat and supplies energy for muscular work ; hence it is a food.
But it is a food with a specific action upon the nervous system,
an action which leads to perfectly normal functional changes,
causing a gentle inner mental stimulation when taken in moderate
quantities by normal subjects, but causing grave mental and
physical deterioration when taken to excess or by subjects with
undeveloped or impaired mental powers. The quantity of Ethyl
Alcohol present in wine is reckoned by degrees of absolute alcohol
in France and in most wine producing countries, but in England
it is reckoned in degrees of proof spirit, 100 of absolute being equal
to 175 Proof Spirit. The Ethyl Alcohol present in spirits is
measured in England according to Sikes' method in degrees over
or under "Proof", which represents diluted alcohol equal to
57.05 degrees of absolute alcohol by volume, or 49.85 degrees
by weight, at a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bees Wing.
Light film (crust) seen clinging to glass after drinking Aged
Wines or Liqueurs.
Bitters.
The name given to alcoholic tinctures of bitter roots and barks,
flavoured in various ways and possessing a tonic action on the
stomach. They are used mostly as Aperitifs, and also in cooking
for flavouring. In the U.S.A. the law distinguishes between ordinary
Commercial Bitters and Medicinal Bitters, which are not subject
to the regular alcohol Internal Revenue Tax and may be sold by
grocers, drug and department stores. During prohibition, the fact
that Dr. Siegerts Angostura Bitters happened to be recognised as a
medicinal bitter was most fortunate for the firm and the American
public. Probably the most used bitters are Orange Bitters, but
there are manv registered brands of bitters as well; such as besides
Angostura, "Bitter Secrestat" and "Amer Picon" in France,
"Abbott's Aged Bitters"prepared in Baltimore since 1865 by the
Abbott family,"Fernet Branca"and "Campari" from Italy, etc.
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