Pueblo chieftain., 1921-09-04
SECRETS0F THE 4HO0TCH' MAKER
OPEN BOOK TO U. S, CHEMISTS
Experts Carefully Analyze All Contraband and Have Plenty
Of Seezed Paraphanalia to Examine and Learn
Secrets From

put in. The Manufacturing bootleggcr
making an artificial whisky of grain
alcohol and water uses caramel made
of burnt sugar to color his product.
Tho Marsh reaction shows ii the col
or of the whisky sample is genuine or
artificial. A quantity of amyI alcohol
slightly acidfied with phosphoric acid
is mixed with the liquid to be tested
Amyl alcohol being lighter than ethyl
alcohol, as ordinary grain alcohol is
called by tho chemists, rises to the top
OF tho mixture. If the whisky is
genuine the color will mix with the
amyl alcohol and rise to the top of
tho mixture. If the color is due to
caramel it will stay in the bottom of
the mixture. Test is made for wood
alcohol IL there is any suspicion of
its presence.
Mr.. Edison said that 30 per cent of
the liquor seized by the prohibition
agents and brought to the laboratory
to he tested is synthetic whisky made
Of alcohol and water and little color
or Just plain "hootch.'
We can usually tell whether the
stuff is genuine or not by just smell
ing of it," he explained. THE synthetic
stuff has a distinct smell of raw alco
hol which is not present in genuine
whisky no matter how bad it may be.
Lately VIC have tested a number of
samples of synthetic gin. 1t is made
Of alcohol and water with little oil
OF juniper to give tho characteristic
gin flavor. But tho juniper flavor is
ranker than genuine gin and i don't
think any one gets much pleasure from
drinking such stuff. The bootleggers
usually put in too much OF the oil of
juniper.
There is some artificial wine seized
by tho prohibition agents. 1t is usual
ly made from alcohol and water flavor
cd with fruit juice of somS kind. The
home made wine that is submitted for
test is very poor stuff. Usually there
has been insufficient fermentation of
the grapes after they are pressed and
sometimes putrefaction has started.
Such wine will contain about : to .
per cent of alcohol
Most whiskies contain 10 to 20 per
cont alcohol Scotch whisky has less
alcohol than tho other whiskics. We
have found small quantities of crco-
sotc In some OF the artificial Scotch
WHISTLES that have been seized. The
crecsoto is put in to initiate the pcat-
smoke flavor of the genuine article.
The ma king of home made grape
juice IL dangerous from the stand
point Of tho Nolstead act unless pre-
cautions arc taken TO prevent fcrmcn-
tstion and the consequent production
OF alcohol. Tho best way is to steri-
over them or by boiling the juice
Thcrc'is n wild yeast present on tho
grapes and floating in the air a,
grape picking time and II is the wild
yeast that starts tho fermentation"
The government chemists have even
tested chinese wine or ngkapy to dc
tcrminc for the government IL It was
suitable for human consumption. \
large quantity Of tho vino consigned
for Chinese merchants here was held
up by the customs officials on tho
ground that n srncllcd so bad 1t vas
not III for human consumption. Tho
govornmcnts chemists found tho wine
was made from rico spirits and n de-
coction OF herbs. They said 1t was all
right for Chinese medicinal purposes so
II WAS allowed to be brought in.