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CORDIALS AND LIQUEURS
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of Dalmatia. The word implies bitterness, yet
the liquid is sweet enough to catch flies. " It is
a curious fact," says a modern writer, " in natural
history that the fair sex prefer a sweet liqueur to
the finest wine ; and they have such a tendency
to maraschino that Mr. Hayward has proposed
that whereas the toast most honoured among
men is Wine and Women, they should adopt as
their own return toast—Men and Maraschino."
The French make different imitations of the
true liqueur, one of them from peach-stones,
which they call " Marasquin de peches." And
in the true Maraschino of Zara there be a few
peach-stones mixed with those of the geans.
These are small and quite black, and are fer
mented first with honey, then with the leaves
and kernels of the fruit, and are last of all distilled
and sweetened with sugar.
One more cordial, to finish the chapter. The
recipe was given in theLady's Pictorial.^ by Mrs.
C. E. Humphry, the delightful and ever-welcome
"Madge" of Truth. I can vouch for the
efficacy of the potion.
Ginger Cordial.
Two quarts of Scotch whisky, three lemons sliced,
one ounce of ground ginger, half an ounce of carra-
way seeds, three pounds of lump-sugar, one ounce of
bitter almonds, three ounces of sweet almonds, one
pound of raisins. Put all into a crock, and stir every
day for three weeks. Then strain through three
folds of blotting-paper, or one fold of filtering-paper,
and bottle.
,'f^