1919 Home made beverages

Ciders

Sparkling Cider Sparkling cider is a brilliant, refreshing and very agree- able beverage, which will keep for a long time, and, by some connoisseurs, is preferred to champagne. Pure ciders are very rich in sugar, and they often yield a great deal of alcohol which quickly flies to the head of the consumer, as grape champagne does. Those who require a good, healthful, refreshing drink should always use the milder ciders. In making Normandy cider, which is the most sparkling, the cider is allowed to stand for 3, 4, 5 or 6 weeks, during which fermentation proceeds. The time varies accord- ing to the nature of the apples and also to the tempera- ture of the store. When it is very warm the first fermen- tation is usually completed in 7 days. Before bottling, the liquid must be fined, and this is best performed with catechu dissolved in cold cider; 60 grains catechu per hectoliter of cider is sufficient. This is well rum- maged up in the vats with a stick and then the cider is left to settle for a few days. The cider at this stage is still sweet, and it is a point of considerable nicety not to carry the first fermentation too far. Very strong bottles should obviously be employed, such, for example, as champagne bottles, and the corks should be wired down. The bottles should not be quite filled, so as to allow more freedom for the carbonic-acid gas which forms. When the bottles have been filled, corked and wired down, they should be placed in a good cellar, which should be dry, or else the cider will taste of the cork. The bottles should not be laid for 4 or 5 weeks, or breakage will ensue. When they are being laid they should be placed on laths of wood or on dry sand; they should never be stowed on cold or damp floors. Some makers of Normandy "champagne" have re- course to various dodges in order to increase the "gasi- ness" of their wares, especially if these latter are of poor quality; but these can generally be recognized. A fine bouquet is given to the best ciders by pouring into each 10 143