The Still-Room

by Mrs. Charles Roundell; Harry Roberts

To make Absinthe.—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of one gallon of rectified spirit, half a gallon of water, two pounds of wormwood tops, and eight grains each of dittany leaves, aniseed, calamus root, and angelica root. Add another half-gallon of water, and distil off six quarts at a moderate heat. Add a pint of syrup containing one pound of sugar.

A PERFORATED WATER-BATH.

To make Aniseed Cordial.—Proceed as for clove cordial, substituting half a pound of bruised aniseed and two ounces each of fennel and coriander seeds for the cloves and allspice, and drawing off only six quarts.

A PORTABLE COPPER STILL.

To make Benedictine.—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, two ounces of cardamoms, an ounce each of balm, peppermint, genepi, and angelica root, half an ounce of calamus, a dram of cinnamon, and half a dram each of cloves and nutmeg. Distil off a gallon, and add syrup (made by dissolving eight pounds of sugar in three quarts of water) and three quarts of water.

To make Green Chartreuse.—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, an ounce and a half of lemon-peel, an ounce of balm, half an ounce each of dried peppermint, mountain wormwood, and dried hyssop flowers, three drams of angelica root, a dram of calamus root, half a dram each of cloves, cinnamon, and mace, and a quarter of a dram of cardamoms. Distil off one gallon, and add syrup (made by heating five pounds of sugar in two quarts of water) and a pint of water, colouring the liqueur with a spirituous infusion of spinach or parsley.

To make Cinnamon Cordial.—Proceed as for clove cordial, substituting half a pound of cinnamon or cassia bark for the cloves and allspice, and distilling at a somewhat lower temperature.

To make Clove Cordial.—Digest for a week, in a closed vessel kept moderately warm, a mixture of one gallon of rectified spirits, one gallon of water, one ounce of bruised cloves, and one dram of allspice. Place the mixture in the still, and draw off six and a half quarts at a moderate heat. Sweeten with syrup (made by heating five pounds of sugar with two quarts of water, and skimming), and colour with cochineal.