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Introduction
to
Ctquors
cmb
Batafias.
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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