1892 Drinks of the world

DRINKS.

125

Claret for boys — port

mentioned his scale of liquors :

— brandy for heroes. 'Then,' said Mr. Burke,

for men

me have claret ;

I love to be a boy ;

to have the

' let

Johnson

careless gaiety of boyish days,'

should

'

1

:

would give me that ;

does

drink claret too, if it

but it

; it neither makes boys men, nor men boys.

not

You'll

before it has any effect upon you.' "

be drowned in it

But it was the spirit always drunk by gentlemen until well on in this century, as we see by Mr. Pick- wick, whose constant resource in all cases of difficulty, was a glass of brandy. Pale brandy was not so much drank as brown, which is now only taken, when very as a liqueur, although a brown brandy of very dubious quality is to be met with in some country public houses. Brandy, like every other spirit, de- velopes its ethers with age, gets mellower, and of exquisite flavour; and its popularity would undoubtedly be revived if the drinker were only sure he could get such brandy as the many starred brands of Hennessy and Martell, instead of that awful substitute so often given — British brandy, made of raw potato spirit. The soil of the Charente slope is particularly adapted to the growth of the vine, although, as in all vine- growing countries some districts, and even small patches of land, produce finer wine than others. The grapes are white, not much larger than good- sized currants, and the vines seldom bear fruit until four or five years from their planting, and are most vigorous at the age of from ten to thirty. Many bear well up to fifty and seventy, and some are fruitful at one hundred years or more. old,