Page:Completeconfectioner Glasse 1800.djvu/383

 Another interesting observation that has been made on spices, is, that whether they have been put in digestion or not; whether the phlegms or faints have rose before the spirits, or the spirits before the phlegms; the spirits you have draw from those sorts of ingredients are hardly impregnated with the smell and taste of them, and it has always been found necessary to mix along with those spirits a certain portion of the phlegms, in more or less quantities, to give them the taste and perfume of the spices, because it is the phlegms, not the spirits, which contain more of that taste and flagrancy, This observation is absolute necessary, and may perhaps prove satisfactory to a curious reader.

As the word digestion has often been made use of in this essay, we shall explain what is meant by it, its utility, and even the necessity it is of in many circumstances.

Matters are said to be in digestion when you have them to soak in a proper dissolvent over a very mild heat to soften them. This preparation is necessary for many sorts of ingredients in distillery. It procures the spirits a more facile issue from the matters where they are contained.

The digestions which are made without any heat at all, are those which are more generally used, and the least; because those which are made over the fire, or by means of hot matters, such as dung, &c. in which the vessel is placed, always take away some of the goodness, quality, and merit of the goods, as they cannot but mote