1883 The Bar-Tenders' Guide or How to Mix all kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks (1976 edition)

ci.:.nlTy istij awn. In the year Iboi ino export of brandy from France to the United States was of the declared valno of 81,3;tf,563, of which a part, valued at SI,210,&51, wasshipped from this district, chiefly from the town of Cognac. The conclusion is iucvltable at the outset that the production of genuine brandy from thcwhito wine of the couiiti y haasahstantiaily ceased on account of tho failure of tlio vine Tiie production of wine has fallen to less than one- third of its former avernge, and in the Cognacregion it has censed. TJie pro duction of gcnulno brandy has diniinishcd in much larger proportion since the 50,000,000 gallons of wine reported for 18S1,include the red wines not used for distillation, and the high priceof tho.small quantity remaining tit formaking brandy prevents its gcner.al use for that purpose. Produc i-jn having ceased three yearsngo, the only genuine brandy sent to the United Stsites is drawn from theetocks accumulated in loriuur years. These accumulations are still quite important, amounting, it is claimed, to over two million gallons. But less than a third of tho shipments to tho United States are made by houses that liavo refused to renew their supplies by purchasing or concocting the new brandy, which is in the majority of cases necessarily falsified. A ycry large part of the brandy we receivefrom Francois this falsified article, and in my opinion not more than one-third of It can be regarded as above suspicion. Not a week passes without shipments to New York or Boston of brandy which is delivered in the cask, all expenses paid on board the steamer at Havre or Bor deaux, for less than a genuine article costs hero. During the present quarter, for instance, many shiiimonfs have been made at " ® prices, tho hectoli ter, or twenty-two gallons, while no brandy, even the so-called 18S1, Is sold at less than c. o prices by the rural proprietors. ,' In case of prices like the above ihcro is not the le.ast room for doubt, nil tho dLsinterested authoritlcfl whom I have consulted here being unanimoiwly of tho opinion that an article furnished on such terms can not contain a drop of genuine brandy. In fact, I do not understand tho mcniiants to sustain a diflcront view. They only say that their American customers demand an article at agiven priceand that they furnish it a-s required Tlie greater part of tho shipments, however, espceially from Cognac, are at prices calculated to inspire confidence. Hut uniiappijy this fi-.st i.squite insutfideut. for wiihlu tho last three years tho brandy trade has undergone a complete transformation. Even tho merehants who honestly desire to purchase a pure article, and who profess to have done so, can not be sure that they are not deceived. As is probably well known, these merchants do not generally distill brandy They buy it of tho proprietors of the vineyards, e.ichone of whomhas a stilh Now these latter have become extremely skillful m the manipulation of the alcohol and the drugs of which tho brandy of to-day is made, as 1 iiave .e.arnod from conversations with the mayors and cures of the rural eonimiinos. « The designation under which the merchandise is deliFere