[76] One of the most important liqueur manufactories is that of Marie Brizard and Roger of Bordeaux. In 1755 Marie Brizard, in the Quartier S. Pierre, a lady of much devotion and charity, devoted a large portion of her time, in imitation of the monks, to the concoction of medicinal cordials. Of these, her Anisette, so called from its chief ingredient, soon attained a wide reputation. Roger married the niece of this lady, and the firm is now known under their joint names. They manufacture many other liqueurs, but are still chiefly famous for the old medicinal cordial.
[77] الاكسير, alacsir, from ξηρόν, dry.
[78] Here is the etymological process for the linguistic student: Ligusticum; Lat., levisticum; Fr., luvesche, leveshe, livèche; O. Eng., livish, lovage. The Italian has the form libistico, and the Portuguese levistico.
[79] A technical term.
[80] So called because said to be prepared from the maidenhair fern, Adiantum capillus Veneris; “but,” says Pereira, (Materia Medica), “the liqueur sold in the shops under this name is nothing but clarified syrup flavoured with orange-flower water.”
[81] These colours by which soi-disant connoisseurs profess to determine the excellence of the liqueur, are in most cases merely adscititious. Rules are given for their manufacture. Rose, for instance, is the outcome of cochineal or sanders wood steeped for a fortnight in spirits of wine. Blue, of indigo and sulphuric acid. Yellow, of saffron. Pink, of cudbear, a corruption of the name of the chemist, Dr. Cuthbert Gordon, who first employed this lichen; and green, of blue and yellow mixed.
[82] A pharmaceutical term for volatile oil of orange flowers. Said to be derived from an Italian princess, Néroli, who invented it.
[83] From Arabic خلنج Khulanj, “a tree from which wooden bowls are made,” Richardson. A dried rhizome brought from China, an aromatic stimulant of the nature of ginger. The drug is mostly produced by Alpinia officinarum.
[84] Also called Luft-Wasser.
[85] Only an Italian, we are told, can make this liqueur. The composition is a dark secret, but, we are also told, it originated in Austria, and is a mixture of tea, wine and milk in unknown quantities.