The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-27
SOME QUEER BEVERAGES
MANY STRANGE INTOXICANTS IN
PORTED INTO UNITED STATES.
Mysterious Varieties of Booze
Brought to America to Satisfy
Our Foreign Residents.

| III the OF alcOnlic liquors
| the United States expended more than
| fifteen million dollars last year. being
much greater sum than ever before in the
| history of the government. This increase
| is not due to the fact that We are an in
temperate people. but our increasing popu-
| lation has brought with them the thirst for
| the drinks of the countries of their nativ-
ity. and hence the large imports of all
| kinds Of queer and outlandish stimulants.
| In every port of entry from New York to
San Francisco can be found samples of
| thousands of foreign alcoholic beverages.
| Few Americans have any idea of the
variety and wealth of this field. there be-
| ing more than seven thousand different
brands of legally recognized intoxicants,
| they coming from almost every country
| under the sun, but France and the United
Kingdom supplying by far the larger guam
! titles, the formers drinkables costing us
S6S5O,0OO. and the latter S3,214,OOO, while
Germany got s2,S45 600; Spain follows with
s67S,Ol4; Italy, s411,3e2 Canada, $397.44S;
Austria Hungary, s9250l5; Japan, s246,4S7;
Belgium, $2OO,2O7; Portugal $l46,537; Neither
| lands. $11S.S55. The British West Indies
comes next with s6O,312, and then the other
countries drop until the British East Indies
| is reached with 81, the Philippines showing
Sl2, and Hawaii is taken off the list as not
being longer included in the returns of
| foreign trade.
! Americans pay out this money for all
kinds of connections and there can be no
doubt after an examination of the records
that the United States handles more kinds
| or intoxicating liquors than does any nation
on the face OF the globe. The fluid reaches
| mere IN all KINDS of bottles and packages
Of in no
put the gentle glass and casks have about
driven the goat and sheep skin out of the
| market. The wet goods OF Judea and its
nelghboring territory are Jerusalem wine.
brandy. honey wine. Passover wine. and
samplers" give 1t as their opinion that it
is of powerful poor quality, and has little
even a drop or two "for the stomach's
sake. Jerusalem wine is thick, muddy,
ana has flavor suggestive of Tokay and
MuseateL The good people there have
evidently not had the advantage of study
| ing viticulture as taught by Commissioner
of Agriculture Wilson. The rabbis and
their fiocks may use the Jerusalem wines,
but they will never become popular with
native Americans until there is a decided
| Improvement in make.
FROM RUSSIA AND MEXICO.
Vodka or voldky comes in great quanti-
ties from Russia, but about the same kind
of drink can be enjoyed at any time by
drinking the deadly spirit used in alcohol
lamps. 1t may suit the Muscovite for the
dead of winter. but in climate like ours
it will never become popular Vodka is
| about in the same class as some of the wet
goods imported from Mexico-pulque and
| mescal. The former is a sweetish sour
beer and Is made from a cactus and is any,
thing but pleasant to the taste. 1t is a sort
OF liquid limbUrger cheese, with a dozen
| or two ancient eggs thrown in. Mescal is
| distilled from the pulque and is a rank and
corrosive liquor, the drinking of which
would cause man to fall in love with his
| things. 1t is prime favorite drink with
| Mexicans, Indians and half-breeds who
| employ 1t apparently as a substitute for
| suicide.
Intoxicants that are horrible to both nos
| tril ana palate are imported from Central
and South America Casasha, or white cane
| rum, is several degrees more dangerous
than anything ever produced in Jersey.
In the interior OF Porto Rico, Jamaica and
Brazil 1t Is cheap and plentiful as noun
| Carolina.
An immense array of curious stimulants
come from the far East-China, Japan and
| Java. The Orientals never have learned to
make any effervescent beverages, but out
side Of this they know as much about fer
menting and dlstilling as the Americans.
and utilized almost every vegetable from
which fluid can be procured. A parallel
| would exist If we made whisky from rice,
4
melons. cantaloupes and pumpkins. The
government classes the Eastern liquors into
wines, strong liquors and cordials" None
are very bad TO taste and yet some are
exceedingly attraotive-just about on an
average with the fluids sold over American
| bars
EUROPEAN DRINKS.
From European countries come an inex-
haustible stream of odd and strange drinks,
and it is known fact among the govern
ment's experts that a large number of
these imports are limitations Hamburg and
Bremen manufacturers being adopts in
adultel ating and initiating. The finest
brands are counterfeited so perfectly that
even experts are frequently deceived.
There is big money in initiating valuable
wines, and much attention has been given
to this line Of industry where the brands
are sufficient to justify it. Cheap wines are
not counterfeited to any extent. Every port
of entry in the United States receives bogus
wines, strong liquors, essential oils and
1avoring extracts from the shrewd manip-
ulators; but at the same time a lot of pow
er1ul appetlzipg genuine fluid comes along
from the same places.
The Latin American countries send us
some charming drinks, but in most cases
they are regarded as a trife too sweet for
the masculine taste-iacking a get-full-
quick foundation, so much sought after by
most men who wet their whistles at the
ming ia these splendidly Favored drinks
| For women and invalids they are all right
but for the FOUNDERS, no. Their laringina
| or orange peel gin, is credited with all sorts
| or medicinal virtues, and is the most popu-
lar drink which comes from there All
their. drinks are mild, but with the redeem
ing feature OF being inexpensive
| Scandinavian citizens keep alive the love
| and pleasure OF home by drinking red cara
way liquor, Norwegian beer Danish corn
whisky and Swedish punch. The first IS
combination of alcohol. water. caraway
| seed. rose leaves land anse. 1t is pungent
and penetrating and does its work in fast
mail time. The beer is good with strong
| body, but the Danish corn whisky reeks
with fusel oil and emits sickening vapor
The Swedish punch is a sweet and odor-
less mixture and could be adopted by the
| white ribboners.
rack, saki. sam. sui, ung-kapie, norman
dhal0-are some of the worst from the far
East. and there are long lists of all kinds
of other stuffs which come to our ports
| to cause family disturbances and assist
| some OF the water ground. The variety,
as well as the quantity, increase every year
the amount last year going more than
| I,W0,No than for the previous year. while
the quantity reached more than that
| amount in gallons. This long list of in
| toxicants passes through the custom house,
and in the laboratory of the government :
| chemist. and then passes on to be used by
| the people of the United States.