1868 The complete Practical Distiller

THE COxMPLETE PRACTICAL DISTILLER.

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DISTILLATION OF COMMON GIN. Take of ordinary malt spirits 10 gallons ; oil of tur- pentine, 2 ounces; juniper-berries, 1 pound; sweet-fennel and caraway seeds, of each 4 handfuls ; bay-salt, 3 hand- Draw off by a gentle fire till the feints begin to rise, and make up your goods to the strength required say, 10 gallons of spirit will make about 15 gallons of common gin. fuls.

SPIRIT OF POTATOES.

In selecting potatoes for distillation, those that are the most farinaceous when boiled, and the most agreeable to the palate, must always be preferred to any others. The most favourable season for distilling potatoes is from the month of October, when they are harvested, to the month of March, when they begin to germinate. The latter cir- cumstance has great influence on their quality ; it causes their proportion of fecula to decrease, and renders their spirituous produce much less in quantity. As the distil- lation of potatoes more especially takes place in the winter and in the latter part of the year, the frost which comes almost regularly at that time might injure the quality of the potatoes, if proper precaution was not taken to protect them against its influence.