1868 The complete Practical Distiller

THE COMPLETE PRACTICAL DISTILLER.

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infemalh. Its effects, (vith the redistillation, bring the ardent spirit to that state in which it abounds with nox- ious qualities, and, though it is freed of the feints, has a great effect upon its wholesomeness. This lafh infernalis is made by adding lime to pearl- ash, potash, or any other vegetable alkaline salt, dissolved in water ; then drawing the clear fluid, and evaporating it till a dry mass remains. The acid used in the prepa- ration of counterfeit brandy is commonly called " spirit of nitre,'' or aqua-fortisj which, when combined with the rectified spirit, raises a flavour and taste much resembling those of brandy ; but if a certain proportion of water be mixed with such brandy, a separation of the ardent spirit and acid immediately follows. The noxious effects of these on the health of those who drink this kind of brandy are frequently lamentable in the extreme, for it makes a com- plete wreck of their mental and physical powers ; all of which blame is to be attached to those who adulterate the brandy for the purpose of becoming rich, though in doing BO they make dreadful havoc of human beings, and those, too, who most of all others contribute to their success in business, for they consume it, being led astray by an evil passion. But in regard to the effects of deleterious substances on the human system, I have spoken at length in another work, written by me, entitled '^ Detection of Fraud and Protection of Health,'' published in Philadelphia in 1852, to which the reader is respectfully referred.