The adulteration of brandy with British molasses or sugar spirit, is ascertained by rubbing a portion of the suspected liquor between the palms of the hands, when the spirit, as it evaporates, leaves the disagreeable flavour which is peculiar to all British spirits. Or the liquor may be deprived of its alcohol, by heating a portion of it in a spoon over a candle till the vapour ceases to catch fire on the approach of a lighted taper. The residue thus obtained, if genuine brandy, possesses a vinous odour, resembling the flavour of brandy, whilst the residue produced from sophisticated brandy, has a peculiarly disagreeable smell, resembling gin, or the breath of habitual drunkards. The purity of spirits may also be easily ascertained by setting fire to a little of the suspected article in a spoon, when, if they be unadulterated, they will all burn away, without leaving any moisture behind. The presence of lead, or any of its preparations, in spirituous liquors, may be detected by the same method as has been stated in the case of wine. Where gin has been highly sweetened with sugar, by evaporating some of the suspected liquor in a spoon over a candle, the sugar will appear in the form of a gum-like substance when the spirit is volatilized. The presence of lead as a component part of cider or perry, whether happening accidentally from the leaden bed of the press, or inserted intentionally for the purpose of neutralizing the super-abundant acid of the liquor, may be tested by putting a solution of molybdate of potash into the suspected liquor; when a white precipitate will take place, even though the lead should exist in the smallest possible quantity. It is needless here to enumerate the various tricks of “the knowing ones” for giving a factitious crust to wine bottles,[G] by means of Brazil wood and potash; or the colouring and eating away of wine corks,[H] to represent long residence in the neck of the bottle, though perhaps only driven in yesterday. Nor is the crusting even of the wine-casks, which is accomplished by means of crystals of the super-tartrate of potash, to be trusted to. Those who wish to know the _allowable secrets_ of the adulteration trade will find them fully explained in “_The Private Gentleman or Importing Merchants’ Wine and Spirit Cellar Directory_,” with many other “Secrets Worth Knowing” by cozeners; but it may be observed that the older port wine is, the less of the tartar, or super-tartrate of potash is contained in it, and the greater the deposition on the sides of the cask or bottle. But new wine may be put into old casks or old bottles. Therefore, to ascertain the quantity of the salt, take a pint of wine, and boil it down to one-half, into which drop a solution of muriate of platina, when a precipitate will take place, greater or less, in proportion to the quantity of salt contained in the wine. FOOTNOTES: