14 / 154
14
A TREATISE ON
last products being mixed together, whereby a spirit
2 or 3 per cent. above hydrometer proof is obtained,
possessing the peculiar fine aroma that distin•
guishes pure Holland gin. The product varies
from 18 to 21 gallons per quarter of grain; this
large quantity being partly due to the employ–
ment of the spent mash of the preceding fer–
mentation, an addition which contributes at the
same time to improve the flavor." (Ure's Diet. of
Arts.)
It will be seen from the preceding extract, that
the superior flavor of gin depends more on the pecu–
liar mode of its manufacture, than on the quantity
of juniper berries employed; 2 lbs. of that substance,
when new, being equivalent to less than 5 drachms
of the essential oil, and when old to about 2 drachms,
a quantity wholly insufficient. to flavor 100 gallons
of the spirit. Besides, as we have before noted, the
flavor of gin differs considerably from that of juni–
per, the latter being merely employed as a modify–
ing ingredient. Most of the Dutch distillel'S add a
little
pure
ml
of
turpentine,
and a handful or two of
hops, to the spirits, along with the juniper berries,
before rectification. The former substance has a
pale yellowish·brown color, a very fragrant and
agreeable smell, which tends materially to impart
that fine aroma for which the best gins are so much
Digitized
by