Connecticut western news., 1906-08-30
LIQUERs OVER A CENTURY OLD.
Most Ancient is Benedictine Which
 Dates from Sixth Century.

Most Ancient Is Benedictine Which Dates from Sixth Century.
 The sweet, perfumed alcoholic beverages called cordials, which are so generally used, are almost entirely of Continental origin. Some of them have history extending over cen turtles, and yet the secret of their manufacture has been so we'll con- cealed that the monastic commu- ties in which they were first pro- duced still continue In absolute pos session of the recipe and enjoy the proceeds of their monopoly.
 The most ancient of liquors Is Benedictine, which Is said to date from 665 AID. But 1t was not till 15OO that Dom Bernado Vincelli, a monk resident In the Abbey of Fe- camp, who had a profound knowl- edge of the plants and herbs used in the preparation of medicinal cordials succeeded in making a cordial which preserves the name and fame of the order. It Is said that the monks, when weary from their studies, re- stored their strength by taking the simple cordial. The new distillery at Fecamp Is a palatial building, which present progress. In the laboratory there are gigantic tun-shaped vsts, containing 10000 gallons of the liquer, and in underground cellars Is stored the produce of the distilla- ton of the plants.
 Chartreuse Is named after the ori- ignal Carthusian monastery founded in the eleventh century in a wild, romantic valley forming a portion of the French department of Isere. This liquer has a large sale, both the green and yellow being popular. It Is distilled from various herbs which are supposed to possess peculiar stimulating and aromatic properties. Its repute has been maintained by monks despite the enormous difficult ties which they have encountered from time to time. The order is sup posed to have been considerably en- riched by the revenue from this country. The monastery which con- tains the distillery has long been a famous resort for visitors.
 Perhaps the next in popularity is Curacoa, which received its name from one of the West Indies (Dutch) where are grown the oranges from the dried peel of which the lquer is made. Most of the liquer is imported from Holland, the center of it's manufacture. The orange peel. after being carefully dried. is macerated with water, and afterward distilled with spirits and water. When taken from the still 1t is sweetened with sugar, and to make 1t a little more palatble a little Jamaica rum Is add ed. Those who have experimented say that a very good imitation can be made with the fresh peel of bitter oranges and whisky.
 A highly favored liquer is mara schino. made from bruised cherries, both the wild and cultivated varie- ties being used. Kirschwasser Is rap Idly becoming popular as a choice liquer. It is distilled from the bruised cherries, and the stoned ker- nels taken from the cherries are gathered when they are quite ripe and, having been stemmed, are then pounded in a wooden vessel, but so carefully that the stones are not broken. In this condition they are left to ferment. As soon as fermen- tation begins they are stirred two or three times a day Later the stones are broken and the kernels thrown in with the fruit. Kumel. an- other sweetened spirit imported from Germany and Russia, gets its name from the German word for the herb cumin, with which 1t Is favored, though caraway seeds are used for the same purpose.
 Anise seed cordial, which Is often taken as a stomachic, Is not a dis titled spirit but Is made by flavoring a weak spirit with anise seed. corian- der and sweet fennel seed. Corian- der has an agreeable aromatic smell and a swedish aromatic taste. It Is the essential ingredient of the cor dial, which Is sweetened with clari- fed syrup or refined sugar. Glove cordial Is more useful In the house hold than as an ordinary Hquer. Col- burnt sugar, Peppermint, or creme de menthe, is a popular hquer made of the ordinary sweetened gin, fiav- ored with the essential oil of pepper mint, which Is previously rubbed up with refined sugar.