This section is from the "Encyclopedia Of Practical Receipts And Processes" book, by William B. Dick. Also available from Amazon: Dick's encyclopedia of practical receipts and processes.
930. Corking. Little can be said with regard to the corkingofbot-tles, beyond stating the fact that common, cheap corks, are always dear; the best corks
Fig.1. are soft, vel vety, and free from large pores; if squeezed they become more elastic and fit more closely. If good corks are used, of sufficiently large size to be extracted without the corkscrew, they may be employed many times in succession, especially if they are soaked in boiling water, which restores them to their original shape, and renews their elasticity. The most common mode of fastening down corks is with the gingerbeer knot, which is thus made. First the loop is formed as in Fig. 1, then that part of the string which passes across the loop is placed Fig. 2. on the top of the cork, and the loop itself passed down around the neck of the bottle, and by pulling the ends of the cord is made tight beneath the rim; the
Fig. 3.
ends of the string are finally brought up, and tied either in a double knot or in a bow on the. top of the cork. "When ginger-beer is made at home it will be found most advantageous to use the best corks, and to tie them down with a bow, when both corks and strings may be made use of repeatedly. For effervescent wines, such as champagne, gooseberry, etc., which require to be kept a longer time, and
Fig, 5.
Fig. 4 are more valuable, a securer knot is desirable, which may be made thus: A loop, as in Fig. 2, is first formed, and the lower end is then turned upwards and carried behind the loop as shown in Fig. 3; it is then pulled through the loop as in Fig. 4, and in this state is put over the neck of the bottle; the part a being on one side, and the two parts of the loop on the other; on pulling the two ends the whole becomes tight round the neck, and the ends, which should be quite opposite, are to be brought up over the cork, twice twisted, as in Fig. 5, and then tied in a single knot.
931. Distillation of Whiskey and New England Bum. The process of distillation commences with the fermentation of grain or molasses by the presence of yeast, and this is called mashing, or preparing the mash. Strictly speaking, indeed, the spirits are not produced by distillation: that is done by the previous step of fermentation, and distillation merely separates the spirits from the mixture in which they already exist. The object of fermentation is to convert the starchy principle of the grain into sugar, or to saccharify it. After being agitated for 2 or 3 hours, the saccharine infusion, called wort, is drawn off from the grains and cooled. To this wort is now added a certain quantity of yeast or leaven, which induces the vinous fermentation, and resolves the saccharine matter into alcohol and carbonic acid, accompanied by a rise of temperature. The alcoholic mixture which results is called the wash, and is now ready for distillation.
 
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