The Best Method Of Making Common Country Gin

Take of singlings a sufficient quantity to fill the doubling still, put

therein ten or twelve pounds of juniper berries, with one shovel full of

ashes, and two ounces alum--put on the bead, and run her off, as is

done in making whiskey. This is the common mode of making country gin;

but is in this state little superior to whiskey, save as to smell and

flavor.



It is therefore in my mind, that the mode of c arifying, prescribed,

ought to be pursued in all distilleries, so far as necessary to make a

sufficient quantity of good spirit for any market convenient--the supply

of respectable neighbors, who may prefer giving a trifle more per

gallon, than for common stuff and for domestic use. And moreover, I

think the distiller will meet a generous price for such clarified, and

pure spirit, as he may send to a large mercantile town for sale--as

brewers and others, frequently desire such for mixing, brewing, making

brandies in the French and Spanish mode, and spirits after the Jamaica

custom. And after the establishment of a filtering tub or hopper,

prepared as before described, with holes, flannel or woollen cloth, and

plenty of maple charcoal, and burnt brick-dust, a distiller may always

find leisure to attend to the filtration; indeed it will be found as

simple and easy, as the process for making ley from ashes in the country

for soap. But I would suggest that spirit prepared and clarified in this

way, should be put into the sweetest and perfectly pure casks.



New barrels will most certainly impart color, and perhaps some taste,

which would injure the sale, if intended for a commercial town market,

and for brewing, or mixing with spirits, from which it is to receive its

flavor.



For my own use, I would put this spirit into a nice sweet cask, and to

each barrel I would add a pint of regularly, and well browned wheat, not

burned but roasted as much as coffee.



The taste of peach brandy may be imparted to it by a quantity of peach

stone kernels, dried, pounded and stirred into the cask; in this way,

those who are fond of the peach brandy flavor, may drink it without

becoming subject to the pernicious consequences that arise from the

constant use of peach brandy. Peach brandy, unless cleansed of its gross

and cloying properties, or is suffered to acquire some years of age, has

a cloying effect on the stomach, which it vitiates, by destroying the

effect of the salival and gastric juices, which have an effect on

aliment, similar to that of yeast on bread, and by its singular

properties prevents those juices from the performance of their usual

functions in the fermentation of the food taken into the

stomach--producing acid and acrimonious matter, which in warm climates

generates fevers and agues. Apple brandy has not quite a similar but

equally pernicious effect, which age generally removes--indeed, age

renders it a very fine liquor, and when diluted with water, makes a very

happy beverage, gives life and animation to the digesting powers, and

rarely leaves the stomach heavy, languid and cloyed. Then both those,

(indeed, all liquors,) ought to be avoided when new, by persons of

delicate habit, and those who do not exercise freely. A severe exercise

and rough life, generally enables the stomach to digest the most coarse

food, by liquor, however new.