Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-07-20
Over Six Thousand Foreign DecoctiOns
Shipped to America.
SOMEGOOD, SOMEBAD,sOME AWFUL.
Nearly all Take Out the Cobwebs and Bring
Quick Answers.
DRINKS FOR CAST IRON STOMAoHS
WRITTEN FOR THE p1spATcH.l ]

besides their m uscle, work-power and INTEL
lfgence. For these strangers of to-day are
voters in the next decade and representa-
tives 20 years hence. AS nearly all are
adults and a large majority males, their
political influence is far greater than that of
an equal number Of the native population.
Of the hundred thousand natives. who make
up people of third rate city ardly one
nth are voters. OF hundred thousand
immigrants seven-tenths are potential elect
ors.
1t will be Ia cause of dismay to the aver
age Prohibitionist, therefore, to learn that
more than 95 per cent Of this foreign influx
drink, love drinking and have been brought
up to believe that malt liquors and wines
are necessary to human health and happi-
ness. 1t may occasion greater surprise to
know that al least so per cent have never
heard OF the doctrine of total abstinence,
| and that when the same is proclaimed to
them they regard it either as mild form f
insanity or religious dogma closely akin
to heathenism.
STICK TO THEIR FIRST LOVE.
So strong are these habits of their native
lands that while nearly all our immigrants
| do in Rome as the Romans do, and become
users of the brewings and strong liquors of
the United States, all of them keep up a
sneaking fondness for the stimulants with
| which they are first acquainted. The result
| is huge importation of all sorts of queer
and outlandish stimulants from every part
| of the globe as well as the erection OF estab-
lishments in the New. World, which turn
out skillful limitations of the imported arti-
cles. In nearly every American city to-day
are places where the brewing, fermenting
and distilling practiced in every part of the
| globe can be witnessed by the sight-seers
and the student. In every port OF entry
| from New York to San Francisco can be
found samples of not hundreds, but thou
sands, of foreign alcoholic beverages.
Few Americans have any idea of the
variety and wealth of this field. Uncle
Sam runs to extremes. To-day he calls for
| bourbon, ale and claret; tomorrow he wants
| only rye, beer and champagne. The aver
age wine card of hotel, restaurant and
| saloon alike seldom has more than 100 en-
tries. Yet in the literature upon the sub
| ject, and more especially in the official
records of the Custom House, there are more
| than 5000 different brands of legally recog-
| nized intoxicants 1t would be impossible
in the limits of newspaper article to give
an extended account of these quenchers of
thirst. A brief resume of few may, how
ever, be ofinterest to the reader.
DRINKS FROM MEXICO.
Our next door neighbor, Mexico. sends us
limited quantity of pulque and mescal.
The former is sweetish sour beer resembling
milk and water in appearance, which is
made from cactus similar to the Towering
aloe of our hot houses. There is nothing
pleasant about it at the first taste. The
Mexicans say that one must drink it 20
| times before he appreciates it. From the
pulque, mescal is distilled. 1t is rank
| and corrosive liquor, alongside of which
Jersey lightning is as soft as cream. 1t is
| popular with the Indians and half-breeds,
vino employ it apparently as substitute
for suicide. The native aguadiente of Mex
leo rarely crosses the Rio Grande. It is q
coarse and poorly rectifed whisky.
Central and South America produce q
large number of intoxicants, each of which
is from time to time brought into the United
States. Some are horrible to nostril and
palate alike. Of these representative fluid
is casasha or white sugar cane rum. 1t
bears the same relation to Jamaica and
Santa Cruz that the poorest Irish potheen or
potato spiri: does to rye or bourbon. Large
amounts of casasha are made illicitly by
prices. In the interior of Porto Rico,
Jamaica and Brazil it can be purchased at
anywhere from 1 to cents glassful. And
no little glass, mark you, but good old
fashioned tumbler holding over q half pint.
LIQUORS FROM THE TROPICS.
Far different from this mephitic compound
are the liquors and cordials made in the
Latin-Amercan countries from the count
less leaves, barks, flowers and fruits of the
tropics. Among the more notable are those
whose bases are the banana, pineapple, lime,
lemon, orange, chocolate, cocoanut, date,
tamarind, tg, lily and lemon verbena. To
increase the variety, the makers will COM
bine two or more favors to produce novel
flavor. This now and then will be half
familiar to the American taste, as, for ex-
ample, chocolate and vanilla or banana and
orange Nearly all, however, are utterly
strange and all are delicious. Generally
they are trihe too sweet for the masculine
taste, containing so much sugar as to be
cloying. But for women and invalids, or
for pousse-cafe, sherbet or punch they are
simply invaluable. They have the further
advantage of being quite inexpensive.
From Europe comes an inexhaustible
stream of odd drinks. In Hamburg and
Bremen are score of manufacturers whose
sole business is adulterating or rather imi-
tating every known stimulant, whose value
allows fair profit upon the work. Cham
pagne, Cognac and Otard, Madeira, Chateau
Laftte, Steinburger Cabinet and Clos
Vougest are so skillfullv initiated as to de-
ceive anyone not an expert. Besides this,
there is another branch of their villainous
profession which consists in manufacturing
the drugs and chemicals wherewith dis
honest dealers and hotel keepers can trans
mute raw spirits into four-star brandy or
the thinnest California vintage into world
famous wine of the Rhine or Moselle.
PoIsoNs FROM ACROSS THE SEA.
While the trade is prohibited SO far as
home consumption is concerned, the COM
mercial policy of the Government gives it
full swing to the rest of the world. As
result huge invoices of bogus wines and
strong LIQUORS, essential oils and favoring
ethers are continually being forwarded
from Emperor Williams Tyre and Sidon
to every port of entry in the United States.
The business done in this line with Yankee
land already exceeds $500, 900 annually and
Is still on the increase.
Our Scandinavian citizens keep alive the
love and pleasures of home by importing
red caraway liquor, Norwegian beer, Danish
corn whisky and Swedish punch. The first
is a curious combination of alcohol, water,
caraway seed, rose leaves and anise. 1t
tastes something like Kuemmel. but is
harsher, more pungent and penetrating. 1t
is an acquired taste on the part OF those who
like it; as never yet saw person who tried
it the first time who did not express strong
desire to kill the man who gave it to him:
the beers OF Norseland are remarkably good.
They seem to be classified with shavlngs of
fir, spruce and larcb, as they have sug-
gestion, If not preceptible subfiavor OF