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A TREATISE OX
Cordials are prepared by either infusing the aro–
matics in the spirit, and drawing off the essence by
distillation, which is then sweetened, or without dis–
tillation, by :flavoring the spirit with essential oiis, or
simple digestion on the ingredients, adding sugar or
syrup, as before.
Pure spirit is the basis used in making all kinds
of cordials, and for this purpose should be
perfectly
ftav07'kss;
or, if not entirely so, the cordial will be
inferior. The solid ingredients should be coarsely
pounded or bruised before digestion in the spirit,
and this should be done immediately before putting ·
them into the cask or vat ; as, after they are bruised:
they rapidly lose their aromatic properties by expo–
sure to the air. The practice of drying the ingredi–
ents before pounding them, adopted by some work–
men for the mere sake of lessening the labor, cannot
be too much avoided, as the least exposure to heat
tends
to
lessen their aromatic properties, which are
very volatile. The length of time the ingredients
should be digested in the spirit, should never be less
than three or four days, but a longer period
is
pre–
ferable when distillation is not employed.
In
either
case, the time allowed for digestion may be advan–
tageously extended
to
ten days or a fortnight, and
frequent agitation should be had recourse to. W11en
essential oils are employed to give the flavor, they
Digitized
by