Obs.  The  oil  referred  to  in  the  last  formula
is  obtained  by  distillation  from  the  lees  of
wine,  either  dried  and  made  up  into  cakes,  or
in  their  wet  state,  mixed  with  about  7  or  8
times  their  weight  of  water.  This  oil  should
be  kept  dissolved  in  alcohol,  as  it  is  otherwise
apt  to  lose  its  flavour.  Brandy  from  any  part
of  the  world  may  be  very  closely  imitated  by
distilling  the  oil  from  the  lees  of  the  wines
produced  in  that  particular  district.  Where
black  tea  is  cheap,  as  in  the  United  States
of  America,  it  is  very  commonly  employed  to
impart  the  roughness  of  bi-andy  to  the  coloured
spirit,  and  the  subsequent  addition  of  a  little
'  fliivouring '  greatly  improves  it.  A  really
good  article  of  cider-spirit  thus  treated  forms
a  passable  '  mock  brandy.'  In  conclusion,  we
may  remark  that,  as  the  strength  and  quality
of  ingredients  frequently  vary,  and  success
depends  greatly  on  skill  in  manipulation,
much  must  be  left  to  the  experience,  judg-
ment, and  discretion  of  the  operator.  In  all
cases  he  must  recollect  that  a  certain  degree
of  '  age '  is  absolutely  necessary  to  give  a  high
character  to  any  spirit.  Indeed,  to  age  in  the
one  case,  and  its  absence  in  the  other,  may  be
referred  the  reasons  why  French  brandy  and
British  brandy,  apart  from  mere  shades  of
flavour,  so  materially  dilfer.
The  production  of  a  flavoured  British  spirit
closely  resembling  French  brandy  is  a  subject
well  worthy  of  the  attention  of  the  ingenious
chemist,  rectifier,  and  cellarman,  as  a  matter
of  profit;  and  of  the  amateur,  as  affording  an
interesting  field  for  useful  and  amusing  ex-
periment.
