1939 The Gentleman's Companion volume II Beeing an Exotic Drinking Book

THE EXOTIC DRINKING BOOK

up tight-and leave a little air space in the keg. . . . Rack off in four to six months, and bottle.

CORDIALS, or LIQUEURS, to GRACE any CELLAR & COMPOUNDED by the AMATEUR HIMSELF PLEASE LET us explain on this page that there are many, many superb liqueurs which cannot under any stretch of imagination be assembled in the home by amateur mixers, no matter how sincere and diligent. In the first place the very best of these fragrant potions are fustfruits of varying secrets, guarded for generations-hundreds of years, even -which presumes knowledge of certain herbs or ingredients which guarantee their celebrated flavour. Also age is a definite factor, both in the character of ingredients, and subsequent mellowing of the cordials themselves. This factor too is a discouragement in our im– patient era! In other words, we do not claim to be able to make benedictine, chartreuse, and like immortals for all of these reasons. But we very definitely do claim knowledge of certain ~ecrets gathered in Europe, mainly, whereby several delightful liqueurs may be made by the ama– teur-some of which are not at all availabk in the open market today; and furthermore their accomplishment insures tariff impossible under our existing ad valorem import duties which our lawmakers impose on foreign spirits whether or not they compete at all with American industries they rush to "protect" long after the industries themselves are out of their swaddling clothes. We therefore offer this dozen or so of receipts, formulae, for making cordials that won't require infinite patience, aging of product, or in– gredients too expensive or foreign for practical employment. A BRANDY of ROSES, which WE H AVE CALLED "RosE LIQUEUR BRANDY, au VICOMTE de MAUDUIT" This fragrant and delicate bit.of genius has already been entered on these pages, being a Brandy as well as a liqueur, and we suggest turn- · ing to Page 155, for the formula. . 163.