SHBERRY.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1159, 17 March 1874, Page 2

SHBERRY.

A writer in the Timaru Herald ihuj enlightens us on the component parts of much of the " sherry" that is sold as genuine. " What funny things wo drink to be sure ! When a man says to his friend, " Have a glass of sherrj old fellow," he little thinks what ho is offering him. Sherry wine has generally as much to do with Xercs, or with wine, as a chesnut horse has to do with a horsc-chesnut; just about the samo in fact, a similar name, and » slight connection in some immaterial point, color, flavor or what not. Does any one for a moment suppose his fluo old crusted port comes from Oporto, or is it the juice of any grape, or aOj

I fruit at all ?' Refreshing innocence of youth! Hero is a genuine authentic analysis of a bult of sherry, taken from a AVmo Trade Circular, intended for the private benefit of the wine merchant, to sJtoto that ho is not cheated! —"40 gallons of fine potato spirit; 50 gallons of pure water; 4 gallons of capillaire; 10 gallous, to be liberal, of luscious wine or grape juice." This delightful mixture costs him about „£S for 110 gallons, and is retailed in Loudon at Is 3d a bottle, or £ll os for the hntt which cost £B. The imposition in point of price indeed, is the worst part of the business ; for the ingredients used are neither very unwholesome nor unpalatable, though thirty-eight per cent, of alcohol is rather stiff, even for ordinary "cold | without." Potato spirit if properly distilled and really fine, as stated, is no I worse than most of the stuff retailed in our hotels ; capillaire is a harmless syrup made from the root of an American maiden hair fern, and mixed with orange flower water ; if there is anything deleterious in the mixture at all, it is contained in the " luscious wine or grape juice," which is probably adulterated freely before it is sold to | the professional adulterator —" vecls within vecls," a3 Sam Weller said. An honest host will therefore say " Help yourself to another glass of cold grog and capillaire, with a few other little etceteras, and pass the bottle, there's a brick."