The following is the proportion, or per centage, of alcohol or spirit in some of the most common wines and spirituous liquors. But such of my readers as may wish to gain more extensive information on the subject, I refer them to the first volume of the Journal of Science and the Arts, p. 290.
| Madeira | 24.42 to 19.24 | average | 22.77 |
| Sherry | 19.81 to 18.25 | average | 16.17 |
| Claret | 17.18 to 12.91 | average | 15.10 |
| Port | 25.83 to 19.96 | average | 22.99 |
| Champagne | 13.80 to 11.30 | average | 12.61 |
| Cider, highest average | 9.87 | lowest do. | 5.21 |
| Brandy | 53.39 |
| Rum | 53.68 |
| Gin | 54.32 |
| Whiskey (Scotch) | 54.32 |
| Whiskey (Irish) | 53.90 |
| Ale (Burton) | 8.88 |
| —— (Edinburgh) | 6.20 |
| —— (Dorchester) | 5.50 |
| London Porter (average) | 4.20 |
| Small Beer (average) | 1.28 |
The above proportional quantities of alcohol contained in the different kinds of wine are extracted from Mr. Brande’s experiments detailed in the work before mentioned; but as it appears that that gentleman made his experiments on samples of wine into which adventitious alcohol had been introduced, he seems in some instances to have assigned a greater degree of spirituosity to some wines than the subsequent analysis of Dr. Prout will justify, in the case of experiments made on genuine wines. To those who are desirous of informing themselves accurately on the subject, a reference to the Table at pages 363 and 364 of Dr. Henderson’s work on the History of Ancient and Modern Wines, in which the results of the experiments of Mr. Brande, Dr. Prout, and Mr. Zist, an able chemist residing at Mentz, are detailed, is recommended.
The quantity of astringent matter, or tannin, contained in wine, may readily be ascertained by dropping a solution of isinglass into it, when a gelatinous precipitate takes place in proportion to the tannin, whether it be Port, Claret, or Burgundy.
The adulteration and false strength of spirituous liquors, as brandy, rum, and malt spirit, are detected by diluting the suspected liquor with water, when the acrimony of the capsicum, or the grains of paradise, or pepper, may be easily discovered by the taste. Or by taking about a quart of the suspected liquor, and pouring it into a retort, or small still, and boiling it gently, until the whole of the spirituous part is evaporated, the residuum, if capsicum, grains of paradise, &c. have been present in the liquor, will retain a hot pungent taste. A ready way of detecting aqua-fortis, or oil of vitriol, in spirits, is, by dropping into a glass of the suspected liquor, a bit of chalk about the size of a pea, when the liquid, if spurious, will become like milk, but, if genuine, the chalk will lie at the bottom.
The adulteration of brandy with British molasses or sugar spirit, is ascertained by rubbing a portion of the suspected liquor between the palms of the hands, when the spirit, as it evaporates, leaves the disagreeable flavour which is peculiar to all British spirits. Or the liquor may be deprived of its alcohol, by heating a portion of it in a spoon over a candle till the vapour ceases to catch fire on the approach of a lighted taper. The residue thus obtained, if genuine brandy, possesses a vinous odour, resembling the flavour of brandy, whilst the residue produced from sophisticated brandy, has a peculiarly disagreeable smell, resembling gin, or the breath of habitual drunkards. The purity of spirits may also be easily ascertained by setting fire to a little of the suspected article in a spoon, when, if they be unadulterated, they will all burn away, without leaving any moisture behind. The presence of lead, or any of its preparations, in spirituous liquors, may be detected by the same method as has been stated in the case of wine. Where gin has been highly sweetened with sugar, by evaporating some of the suspected liquor in a spoon over a candle, the sugar will appear in the form of a gum-like substance when the spirit is volatilized.
The presence of lead as a component part of cider or perry, whether happening accidentally from the leaden bed of the press, or inserted intentionally for the purpose of neutralizing the super-abundant acid of the liquor, may be tested by putting a solution of molybdate of potash into the suspected liquor; when a white precipitate will take place, even though the lead should exist in the smallest possible quantity. It is needless here to enumerate the various tricks of “the knowing ones” for giving a factitious crust to wine bottles,[G] by means of Brazil wood and potash; or the colouring and eating away of wine corks,[H] to represent long residence in the neck of the bottle, though perhaps only driven in yesterday. Nor is the crusting even of the wine-casks, which is accomplished by means of crystals of the super-tartrate of potash, to be trusted to.
Those who wish to know the allowable secrets of the adulteration trade will find them fully explained in “The Private Gentleman or Importing Merchants’ Wine and Spirit Cellar Directory,” with many other “Secrets Worth Knowing” by cozeners; but it may be observed that the older port wine is, the less of the tartar, or super-tartrate of potash is contained in it, and the greater the deposition on the sides of the cask or bottle. But new wine may be put into old casks or old bottles. Therefore, to ascertain the quantity of the salt, take a pint of wine, and boil it down to one-half, into which drop a solution of muriate of platina, when a precipitate will take place, greater or less, in proportion to the quantity of salt contained in the wine.