1906 A Bachelor's Cupboard

A BACHELOR'S CUPBOARD Correct Wines for all Occasions Chrlsti, Spanish wines such as Malaga, Swiss cham- pagne, or the old wines of any country preferred. CAFE With the coffee come the liqueurs, in which there is as wide a range as in biscuits. Char- treuse, Benedictine, Curagao, cremes of various flavors, brandies, *' Forbidden Fruit," Amer Pigon, and two score more may be chosen from at discretion. •In France, Amer Pigon or plain cognac burned on sugar are most commonly used — ^when, of course, absinthe is not substituted. In smart houses the custom of serving liqueurs with coffee in the drawing-room after dinner is almost inva- riable, but in small establishments the coffee is often served at table w^ith the cognac or liqueurs. Frequently brandy is served alone, and is passed on a silver tray in a special decanter with silver top and a silver match- box lying beside it. For occasions other than dinner, the serving of wine is entirely a matter of taste. With little suppers where there are such dishes as terrapin, a very fine quality of Madeira is delectable, as it is with any rich dish served in this fashion. The finest Hungarian Tokay served with sweet biscuit is the correct wine to serve after an evening of cards, where it is not desirable to serve any- thing more substantial. It is a fad w^ith some people to pour old wines di- rectly from the bottle, that the guests may appreciate what they are drinking. This is not advisable, as wines old in bottle always form a great deal of de-

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