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DRINKS.
343
within
two
inches of the
top
;
cork
well,
and
secure
the
cork
with
string
or
wire,
and
place
in
an
ice
chest
or
cellar
at
a
temperature
of
50°
Fahr.
or
less,
and
agitate
three
times
a
day.
At
the
expiration
of
three
or four
days,
at
the
latest,
the
Koumiss
is
ready
for
use,
and
ought
not
then
to
be
kept
longer
than
four
or
five
days.
It
should
be
drawn
with a
Champagne
syphon
tap,
so
that
the
carbonic
acid
may
be
retained,
and
the
contents
will
not
entirely
escape
on
opening
the
bottle."
Be
wary
in
opening
a
bottle
of
Koumiss,
or
you
may
be
thoroughly
drenched,
and
have
nothing
left
to
drink,
for
it
generates
a
large
quantity
of
carbonic
acid
gas,
so
much
so,
indeed,
that
extra
thick
bottles
should
be
used.
There
is
an
interesting
speculation
abroad,
that
the
milk
which
Jael
gave
Sisera
was
fermented,
and
highly
intoxicating,
which
rendered
him
in
a
condition
favour-
able
for
her
purpose.
The
Usbecks,
Mongols,
Kalmucks,
and
other
Tartars
not
only
made
milk
into
Koumiss,
but
distil
a
very
strong
spirit
from
it,
which
they
call
araka,
con-
jectured
by
some,
from
its
high
antiquity,
to
be
the
true
source
whence
the
I
nd'idin
Arrack
derives
its
name.
The
distillation
is
generally
effected
by means
of
two
earthen
pots
closely
stopped,
from
which'
the
liquor
slowly
runs
through
a
small
wooden
pipe
into
a
receiver,
which
is
usually
covered
with
a
coatings
of
wet
clay.
The
spirit,
at
first,
is
weak,
but
after
two
or
three
times
distilling,
it
becomes
exceedingly
intoxicat-
ing.
Dr.
Edward
Clarke,
in
his
Travels
in
Russia,