The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-20

east to express all the common sorts Of in
toXlcants, and more especially rice wine,
rice beer, rice whiskey, and other dis
tlllates of that class.
A popular form of sam-shui is rice wine,
which is cheap and insiped when fresh,
ana very liable TO turn sour. When well
oarrelled aud put away in cellar or loft
1t improves slowly for two years, rapidly
for three years, and then slowly again for
two, when 1t reaches Its best form. 1t is
now crystal clear, aromatic and about as
vlneous as old Burton or an Amontillado
sherry This kind is very difficult to OBJ
tam IN the open market, the cost, risk
and trouble of keeping it making it too
expensive for nineny-nine buyers out of a
hundred.
1t is highly esteemed by mandarins,
merchants and other people of wealth
who make point to keep a number of
casks or jars of it for their personal use,
and for the entertainment of dis
tinguished guests.
From the Monaghan millet, known as
kOa hang, is distilled LIQUOR of the same
name. 1t bears strong relation and a
family resemblance to the rye, wheat and
bourbon whiskys of America, the John
BarleycOrn of Scotland, and the korn
brantrln of Denmark. II is plain, raw
whisky, uncolOred, and unsweetened. II
is employed as a beverage seldom in
South China, but quite largely in the
northern parts.
Its chief use is in the fabrication of
liqueurs and medicines. These are made
by digesting in a koa lang all sorts of
fruits herbs, leaves, roots, flowers, grass,
and drugs In the official list complied
by authority of the government there are
over thousand enumerated. As q mat.
ter OF Tact it may be questioned il 500 of
these are ever employed except by doc
tors. The medical fraternity prescribe
many medicinal liqueurs. They CORE,
spond closely to such preparations as
beef, iron, and wine, - wine of pepsin -
and maltese and beef extract" and are
for similar ailments
The seventy-tive articles named are
those used in a vast ma ,ority Of instances.
They are employed in combinations, so
that the resulting stimulants are about as
complex as Trappistine or Eau de vie de
Danzig. Every one of a thousand max
ers will have his own formula, and will
turn out liqueur different from the rest.
OF the liqueur made using koa lang as
the blse, ung ka-peh or wa-chia-p i is the
best known 1t is thick, oily and yellow,
about half way in appearance between
yellow charteuse and benedictine 1t
owes much of its color and flavor to tur-
meric a popular East Indian root, which
is familiar TO the American palate in the
form Of an ingredient of curry powder
and curry paste. The taste of wa-chia- pi
is swedish, aromatic and cloying 1t is
not attractive the first two or three times
it is used, but il is said to grow upon a
person with practice Beyond its gusta-
tory virtue the Chinese set great store by
it as tonic, stomachic and appetizer.
They employ it in many forms of gastritis
and choleraic disorder. and regard it as a
specific for stomach ache.
Other liqueurs made from koa lang
are moo qua, of which the leading ingre-
dent is melon; meu-kwai-loo, or rose
dew ying-tOa, or cherry wine. There
are hundreds of others of similar charac-
teristics.
From rice beer is extracted an ardent
spirit similar TO koa lang, but trifie
lighter in strength and flavor. 1t is dis
titled and reCtltied so as to produce four
standard grades Of rice brandy The
highest is san ching, or thrice rectified /;
shang-ching or twice rectifed; liao-fan,
or twice distilled, and suey jim. All of
these are used for rotations, but not TO
any great extent until sweetened and fla
vored
From san ching the native distiller ex-
tracts an impure alcohol or French spirit
known as fun chin. 1t is the strongest
product of the still in the East. It's chief
uses are for making medicines, medicinal
extracts, and tinctures, and also as basis
for a series of cordials which are in
vogue throughout the empire, but are
particularly popular in the great city and
province of Quaug Tung (Canton). These
are made by mixing fun chin with wine
derived from rice, sweetened and
moderately favored. The general name
for these cOrdials is no-majow. According
to the color is the prefix beh-no-mi.chin
(white), heh-no-mi-chln (black) hung-no-
mi-chin rcd. They are sweet, oily,
clear, and mild favored. Age improves
their quality the same as with wine.
They are put up in little round jars Of
brown earthenware, and are found in
every part of the world where there are
Chinese.
Another class Of inebriating compounds
are made by digesting the koa lang or
fun chin, such fresh fruits as grapes,
cherries pears, peacaes. sweet grass
roots, pineapples and mulberries, and
then diluting the extract with sweetened
water This makes very pleasant bev-
erage in nearly every instance. IL comes
very close in two cases 10 our own. viz
branded cherries and branded peaches.
Still another class is made by ferment-
ing fruit juices or crushed fruit mixed
with considerable water. That from
pears or cherries is the best, and is quite
agreeable 10 the taste.
The flower wine made by sleeping
leaves or petals in spirits long time and
then diluting and sweetening the result
ant fluid is snare and a delusion. IL
sounds pretty and reads pretty, but does
not appeal with the same success TO an
American palate and stomach. Gcranium
wine is almost equal 10 ipecac in its prac-
teal working, and rosebud wine is not
far away. Bay leaf wine is horrible
trayesty on bay rum, and orange flower
wine suggests the cough remedies put up
by village druggists.
II will be easily seen from these brief
remarks what an immense field is open 70
the tippler IN the Orient. There are over
1000 distinct liquids which are vehicles
for the subtle spirit Of WINE. But Of all
these not one Is equal in finish. beauty,
purity and delight 10 the great vintage Of
France, Germany Austria, Italy, Spain
and Portugal.
Rise In DO worl' all voh kin" said Uncle