Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-01-07
NATURAL DRINKS,


Popular Beverages Taken as Thirst
On ;nchers or Butoxicants.
N some localities cider is popular
and cheap; the percentage of alcohol
in cider ranges from tive and half to
nine, The production of cider varies
in France considerably year by year,
and sometimes it falls as low as 4,UUO,-
01o or 5,0OO,0O0 hecto-litres, while in
other years it reaches l7,0OO,OO0 or
lS,nOH,H00. 1t is principally consumed
LEGALLY in the country districts, and
very little is exported. The best cider
is said to he made in the Province of
Normandy. where it was introduced
many ages since by the AIoors, but cider
is made i'll no fewer than fifty-four de-
partmcnts. About 15O,O0) barrels of
cider and perry are annually made in
the western counties of England, the
sweet in Hereford and the rough in
Devon, and good deal is also made in
North America. In the Dominion of
Canada about l,OOO,0O0 gallons of
cider are drunk yearly. In Chill, after
making cider and wine from their APP
piles, they extract from the refuse II
white and finely favored spirit, and by
another process they procure Il sweet
treaclc, or, rs they term it, honey.
When properly fcrmented and prepared
the black mulberry Yields pleasant
viuOus liquor. In the cider counties of
England mulberries are sometimes
mixed with apples to form beverage
known as mulberry cider. The fisher
men of Newfoundland, Labrador and
the Gulf of st. Lawrence drink large
quantities of spruce beer. 1t is consid-
cred an admirable corrective of their
diet, which consists principally of fat
pork and salt fish. The process of MAX
ing it is simple. A few black spruce
branches are chopped into small pieces
and put into a pot containing six or
eight gallons of water and DO led for
several hours. The liquor is then
strained and put into cask that will
contain eighteen gallons. Molasses is
added in the proportion of one gallon
to eighteen gallons; pint of the
grounds of the last brewing and few
hops, if at hand, are also put i'll and the
cask, filled up with cold water, is left
to ferment. In twentv-four hours it
becomes fit for use. Spirits are fire.
quently mixed with spruce beer to
make the drink called "callibogus." In
New Zealand drink somewhat resem-
bling spruce is made from the twigs of
DacIydi,tm taritoliltne and was used
by Captain Cook.
From the sap of the birch tree some
of the tribes of Northern Russia pre-
pare their ordinary drink, "birkeawas-
ser" from which they also make vine
gar, and in some districts they boil it
into a sweet syrup, which serves them
instead of sugar. For those who are
too poor to drink beer or mead, this
northern wine is the only potive drink.
A drink delightfully."- acid and refresh
ing is made in Brazil from the pulp of
the capsule which envelopes the seed
of CacdO tho 'JrOnlG. The saccharine
liquid extracted from the unexpended
flowers of the Ita palm of British
Guiana is said to afford liquor resem-
bling champagne in its briskness. The
sap of the Sontar palm is obtained from
the stems OF the punches of fruit when
cut. This liquor is drunk either fresh
or after it has undergone a light fer
mentation. 1t bears also the name
of towak or palm wine.-Ameyi-
can 4"dHSh