ART. XIV.
How to double Apple Brandy.
Fill the doubling still with singlings, and add a quart of lime, (which will clear it) put fire under her and bring her to a run briskly—after she runs, lessen the fire and run her as slow as possible. Slow running will prevent any of the spirit from escaping, and make more and better brandy, than fast running.—Let the liquor filter thro a flannel cloth from the worm.
ART. XV.
How to prepare Peaches.
Peaches like apples ought to be equally ripe, in order to insure an equal and regular fermentation—for where ripe and unripe fruit are thrown into the same hogshead, and ordered for distillation in this way a disadvantage is sustained. I therefore recommend to farmers and distillers, when picking the peaches to assort them when putting them in hogsheads, all soft ripe peaches may go together, as also those which are hard and less ripe—this will enable a more regular fermentation, and though the hard and less ripe, will take a longer time, than the soft and ripe to ferment, and yield less, yet the disadvantage will not be so great, as if mixed.
They ought to be ground in a mill with metal nuts, that the stone and kernel may be well broken. The kernel when thus broken will give a finer flavor to the brandy, and increase the quantity.
When they are ground they must be placed in hogsheads and worked in the same way with apples, but distilled sooner or they will lose much more spirit by standing any time after fermentation than apples. It is therefore better to distil them a short time before they are done working than at any period after.