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Jntro£turtion to !iquor.s anh Jllatafiag.
THE manufacture of these alcoholic beverages is
done, firstly, by distillation, by which method the finest
liquors are obtained; secondly, by extraction, and
thirdly, by simply mixing volatile extracts of plants to
cognac spirits, etc. They all contain larger or smaller
quantities of dissolved sugar, and various aromatic or
spicy ingredients.
Distillation is more complicated and troublesome
than the two other methods, but it secures products of
far higher fineness and value ; yet the requirement of
the apparatus necessary for manufacturing them
renders the application too difficult in a household ;
furthermore, a profound knowledge of chemistry, great
practice and dexterity are required ; therefore, this
manufacturing is better left to large establishments.
The best and most exquisite liquors of this kind are im–
ported from Dantzic, Breslau, Berlin, Stettin, Ham–
burg, Mannheim, Vienna, Trieste, Amsterdam, Italy,
Bordeaux, Paris, and the West Indies. The recipes to
manufacture the most famous among them are mostly
kept secret; moreover, the foreign ratafias may not
easily be imitated because many of the herbs and fruits
required for the purpose are not growing in this
country.
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