part III
.—Oil lemon 3 drops Oil orange peel 3 drops Oil wormwood 2.5 drops Oil galanga 2 drops Oil ginger 1 drop Oil anise 15 drops Oil cascarilla 15 drops Oil bitter almond 12 drops Oil milfoil 10 drops Oil sassafras 7 drops Oil angelica 6 drops Oil hyssop 4 drops Oil cardamom 2 drops Oil hops 2 drops Oil juniper 1 drop Oil rosemary 1 drop
Mix A, B, and C.
NOTE.—This essence should stand 2 years before being used for liqueurs.
«Chartreuse.»—I.—Elixir végétal de la Grande Chartreuse.
Fresh balm mint herbs 64 parts Fresh hyssop herbs 64 parts Angelica herbs and root, fresh, together 32 parts Cinnamon 16 parts Saffron 4 parts Mace 4 parts
Subject the above ingredients to maceration for a week with alcohol (96 per cent), 1,000 parts, then squeeze off and distill the liquid obtained over a certain quantity of fresh herbs of balm and hyssop. After 125 parts of sugar have been added to the resultant liqueur, filter.
The genuine Chartreuse comes in three different colors, viz., green, white, and yellow. The coloration, however, is not artificial, but is determined by the addition of varying quantities of fresh herbs in the distillation. But since it would require long and tedious trials to produce the right color in a small manufacture, the yellow shade is best imparted by a little tincture of saffron, and the green one by the addition of a few drops of indigo solution.
II.—Eau des Carmes 3 1/2 ounces Alcohol 1 quart Distilled water 1 quart Sugar 1 1/2 pounds Tincture of saffron 1 ounce
Mix. Dissolve sugar in warm water, cool, strain, add remainder of ingredients, and filter. This is known as yellow Chartreuse. {770}
«Curaçao Liqueur.»—
A.—Oil lemon, q. s. 10 drops Oil bitter almond, q. s. 5 drops Oil curaçoa orange 15 parts Oil sweet orange 1 part Oil bitter orange 1 part Cochineal 1 part French brandy 50 parts
B.—Alcohol 4,500 parts
C.—Sugar 3,500 parts Water (distilled) 4,000 parts
Mix A, B, and C. Filter. Color with caramel.
«May Bowl or May Wine.»—The principal ingredient of May bowl, or that which gives it its flavor and bouquet, is fresh _Waldmeisterkraut_ (_Asperula odorata_), the “woodruff” or “sweet grass,” “star grass,” and a dozen other aliases, of a plant growing wild all over Europe, both continental and insular, and cultivated by some gardeners in this country. It is accredited with being a diuretic, deobstruent and hepatic stimulant, of no mean order, though it has long been banished from the pharmacopœia.
In Baden and in Bavaria in preparing _Maitrank_ the practice was formerly to first make an essence—_Maitrankessenz_, for the preparation of which every housewife had a formula of her own. The following was that generally used in the south of Germany:
I.—Fresh, budding woodruff, cut fine 500 parts Alcohol, commercial (90 per cent) 1,000 parts
Digest together for 14 days, then filter and press off. Many add to this some flavoring oil. As coumarin has been found to be the principle to which the Waldmeister owes its odor, many add to the above Tonka bean, chopped fine, 1 part to the thousand. From about 12 to 15 drachms of this essence is added to make a gallon of the wine, which has about the following formula:
French brandy, say 4 drachms Oil of unripe oranges 80 drops Sugar 4 to 8 ounces Essence 12 drachms Wine to make 1 gallon
II.—Take enough good woodruff (_Waldmeister_) of fine aroma and flavor. Remove all parts that will not add to the excellence of the product, such as wilted, dead, or imperfect leaves, stems, etc., and wash the residue thoroughly in cold water, and with as little pressure as possible. Now choose a flask with a neck sufficiently wide to receive the stems without pressing or bruising them, and let the pieces fall into it. Pour in sufficient strong alcohol (96 per cent) to cover the herbs completely. In from 30 to 40 minutes the entire aroma is taken up by the alcohol, which takes on a beautiful green color, which, unfortunately, does not last, disappearing in a few days, but without affecting the aroma in the least. The alcohol should now be poured off, for if left to macerate longer, while it would gain in aroma, it will also take up a certain bitter principle that detracts from the delicacy of flavor and aroma. The extract is now poured on a fresh quantity of the herb, and continue proceeding in this manner until a sufficiently concentrated extract is obtained to give aroma to 100 times its weight of wine or cider.
III.—Fresh woodruff, in bloom or flower, is freed from the lower part of its stem and leaves, and also of all foreign or inert matter. The herb is then lightly stuck into a wide-mouth bottle, and covered with strong alcohol. After 30 minutes pour off the liquor on fresh woodruff. In another half hour the essence is ready, though it should not be used immediately. It should be kept at cellar heat (about 60° F.) for a few days, or until the green color vanishes. Any addition to the essence of aromatics, such as orange peel, lemons, spices, etc., is to be avoided. To prepare the Maitrank, add the essence to any good white wine, tasting and testing, until the flavor suits.
The following are other formulas for the drink:
IV.—Good white wine or cider 65 parts Alcohol, dilute 20 parts Sugar 10 parts Maitrankessenz 1