1872 Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks (Mixellany)

Essences, 8fc. 153 Essence of Lemon-Grass Oil. —Lemon-grass oil, \ fluid drachm, put into 2 oz. of pure spirit. Nutmeg is the shelled seed of the Myristica wioschata, a tree which grows principally in the Isles of Banda. The nutmeg-tree is like a pear- tree in shape and form, with a laurel-like leaf, which, when bruised, emits an aromatic perfume. The flowers are small, and have no smell. The fruit is similar to a walnut in form, but morefleshy, and full of juice. The external pulp dries up to a crust of a deep red colour, that, on opening at one side, discloses a membranous coat of a beautiful red tint, known to us as mace, which lies immediately over the thin and brittle shell of the nutmeg. The young nutmegs are preserved in vinegar and sugar. A nutmeg-tree will yield three crops annually, the tree bearing fruit and blossoms at the same time. Essence of Nutmeg. —Grate a nutmeg; put it in a phial; fill up with spirit; digest and strain ; or add J drachm oil of nutmeg to 1 oz. of spirits of wine. Orange (Citrus aurantium), of which there are two species, the sweet and bitter. It is the best known and wholesomest of all subacid fruits ; it