The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-04-17
UNFAMILIAR INTOxICANTS.
Potent Liquors With Queer Tastes and
Names

Piliiltl man acquired was drunkenness.
Scientists tell US that man and q GER
tain microbe are the only living organ
isms that take naturally to alcohol.
OF course there are exceptions Indi-
vidual domestic animale-dogs, dom
keys, horses and elephants-will occa-
sionally acquire taste for intoxicants,
but, as rule, animals will not touch
them. But, as Byron says, Man, be-
ing reasonable, must get drunk" The
word reasonable here should be reason
ing, for without a more or less highly
developed power of reasoning neither
man nor any other animal can get
drunk, for the simple reason that in
toxicants do not grow, but have to be
made. The alcoholic liquors with which
we in England are familiar are not very
many. In fact, the lower classes, as a
rule, only indulge in beer, gin, rum,
brandy and whiskey. OF port and 9TH
er wines they know little more than the
names, If they know those. But there
are many intoxicants made in this
country which are hardly ever seen out
side the localities where they are man
ufactured For example, there is the
grand old drink of the Vikings-mead.
1t is made from honey, fermented, and,
though it does not taste as If it We're Of
any particular strength, 1t is stronger
than the oldest ale and the unsuspect-
ing ilnbiber will find himself quite sud-
denly laid out after couple of ordlna-
ry glasses. This liquor is made plenti-
fully in Huntingdonshire and in some
parts of Wales as we'll as in other
trin P1Y+ ha
not. He even believes that it is drink
like sack which nobody now knows
how to make. Yet, barring it's intoxi-
eating effects to those not used to it, it
is one of the most wholesome and pala-
table alcoholic beverages in existence.
Another drink not much known in
England, but common in the United
States, which conceals the most intox-
icating qualities beneath a mild taste,
name and appearance. is what in the
States is known as hard cider. One
gets it, though rarely, in Somerset
shire. A glass Of ii will upset a strong
man who Is not used to It, In some
parts of the country a most fiery and
potent spirit is made from pluns. 1T is
and sold surreptitlously,
and can be made either from ordinary
cultivated plums or from tns WIG
green sage, winch IN Huntingdonshire
is caileu a crack. Ihls spirit IS wa
Ter Whlte, ana the TASTE Ior ~ ls an az
CURED one Tor 70 tne uninltlateo u re-
sembles methylated spirit. Ihere are
many varieties or peer mace IN ENG
land which are only locally known and
appreciated. Heather peer IS pne Oh
THESE. LII is gettlng uncommon now, as
the oloer people VINO know tne recipe
are gradually aging OUT ana the
generation are oontent with the
Ordinary peer OF the Vlllage> nm arsen-
lcated or otherwise. II
Many OF the Ola Ehghsh drinks sur
vive IN out OF the way villages. Ihey
are unattalnapie TO the Ordinary traV-
eller, one reason Tor TINS pelng that, I
unless he be a PEDESTRIAN tourist ne /
VIII never propaoiy strike the places
Where these Ola prSws are inaoe' anu,
even II ne shoula' they are not soio at
INNS though they may De maze tnere
Tor private consumption ohiy' Ineir
chief manufacturers are Ola housekeep-
ers 10 small Farmers anu cottasers' so
that 1T is only by ilVlng IN village ana
the lnnapltants that one may
get 10 know OIL tnese drinks. MOO
row. an Ola llquor, practlcaily oosoiete
these three hundred years, is SUN maze
IN certain villages OF Derpyshlfe. IL 10
q species OF ale' exceedingly sinootn
and faVored with spices. announcer olo
English peer IS 'praKet, Whlcn IS maue
from ale, pepper ana money. rms IS
rink which was exceedingly popular IN
me fourteen hundreas. LII can pe BOT
N certain parts OF Hampshire ana
Dorsetshlre. Aleperry' IS sun announcer
which may yet pc Iouno, thougn sell y
ION. It's necessary lngredlents are oio
Deer, spices, sugar ana pread. But oiu
Deer has now become rarity.
Some terribly potent liquors can De /
distilled from the innocent looking pa
mana. Also from the mix Oh the Co
,oanut. They are fond OF the latter III
he West Indies, though, OF course the
thief drink there is rum. Inc drinks OF
he old world are as many ana as va
led as those OF the new. Inc Japanese
make an excellent one from the pluns