Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-11-13
FIERY APpLE JACk.
Mach eft M0do Ihis Taar-sslosaS
Aecsani Of Now is is Made ana
what II DOmo with "a.

what II Done with f.
The hooks at the office OF the eollec.
tor of United States Internal Revenue
10 this city. show that the yield otspplt
brandy in Kent aud Sussex counties
has been unusually large this year.
The manufacturing season Is about
over but all the returns are not yet In.
The process OF making apple brandy
Is a simple one. The apples are ground
by horse or hand power. The mill and
force being elevated above the watts, the
Juice runs from the pumacs through
oonduits into the vats. There no
pumping is required. The cider is
left In the vats until it reaches Ger
tain stage Of fermentation, which Is
called "getting ripe" 1t requires
great skill on part OF the distillsr to
know Just when this critical msment
arrives. Delay in removing the alco
hol by distillation when the cider 10
ripe is fatal to the yield Of apple jack,
and the distiller has only stock oil
vinegar on hand as the rosnlt. The
"still" Is q large copper kettle, air
tight, surmounted by q coil OF pipe
shat passes through q tank Of cold wa
ter. Beneath the kettle slow fire Is
kept going, so that an even tempers
ture 10 maintained. From the vats tho
older is let into the kettle, where the
steady heat converts itinto vapor. This
passes through the cold coil pipe above,
which eoDdenses II and 1t Is discharged
into rscsptacles, the pure appls-jack.
IL 10 much above proof, however, Snd
defes even the iron clad stomach Of the
Sussex county granger. From the
cider that casts Of this fiery compound
still other yields are obtained, SIMPLY
by increasing tbs heat beneath the
co. psr kettle.
When apple.Jack comes from the
still /! Ia white. II is reduced to the
proper strength, and it is unfit to use
uatil It isa year old. Even then 1t
biseth so like the serpent tha. Only the
toughest drinkers can tarry lo1g uith
ii. 1t improves with age, and after q
few years takes ona pale yellow hue.
There are tricks known to the distil-
Ter and desler ny which the appearances
Of old apple. Jack is given to new, and
the profit on its sale greatly increased.
Dried peaches, burned to crisp and
added to the liquor give it this golden
glow of years. Sugar skillfully burn
cd will have the same effect. Butthere
is nothing that will take the sting out
Of the beverage bat genuine age.
Apple brandy Is worth $l.50 at the
still on an average. As the liquor in
creases In age 1t shrinks largely and
becomes more precious every year.
At Its best the liquor brings from "a
to So q gallen, although there are hun
dreds OF EallOns now stored in farmers'
cellars throughout Sussex county that
will readily fetch 90 gallon. Apple.
jack Is the favorits tippis in Kent and
Sus7ex counties and the natives look
with surprise at the stranger who says
he doesen't like this beverages. A pc.
culiarity Of the drink Is the facility of
making its way at once to tie head Of
the novice that hampers with it and the
reluctance with which it takes it,
leave. A gill Of apple-jack will climb
10 the head Of man that isn't used to
it in less than ten seconds. His face
gets red and feels as II 1t was sunburn
ed. When he shuts his eyes he sees
q hundred torohlight professions charg-
ing at him ten abreast. He may sleep
all night and all day, but when he
wakes up he will find himself drunker
than when he laid down. For three
days his head will buzz as II swarm
Of bees had been hived in it. and he
will be ready to swear that no State
but the one that produced John N.
Clayton could possibly have discovered
apple. jack.