No one who has been up the Caledonian Canal in one of the comfortable MacBrayne steamers will forget the brief stay at Fort William, and the wonderful glass of old liqueur, ‘ Dew of Ben Nevis,’ at the famous ‘ Long John ’ Distillery of Mr. D. P. MacDonald. To most ‘ southrons ’ it is a reve- lation of what a really fine Highland whisky becomes with perfect maturity. For those whose taste3 incline towards a blend, the ‘One Star,’ ‘Three Stars,’ and ‘Strathdon ’ blends of Messrs. Wm. Williams and Sons, of Aberdeen, the largest blenders of only Highland whiskies, commend themselves all over the world. Coarse whisky may be im- proved by those who happen to possess it by melting a little barley- sugar and adding the syrup to the spirit. Wines. — At the present time poet and shekky are by far the best value for money to be had, and not the least merit of these two wines is their remaining unspoilt in a decanter. The fashion in port is in favour of a light colour, and consequently the wine is now kept longer in the cask than formerly, and in addition generally allowed to remain for the greater period of its existence in Oporto, as the higher temperature there hastens the process of lightening the colour. It is more than probable this class of port is the most wholesome, and the fact probably also explains how port, once regarded as the arch enemy of all sufferers from gout or rheumatism, is now numbered among their valuable friends. Bottled port should, of course, be kept in an even and rather high temperature ; should, however, it be necessary to use it when it is chilled, the best plan is to add hot water to it, say nearly two wine- glassfuls to the bottle. Experienced port-drinkers have often been led to believe they were drinking another and superior wine by this inno- cent proceeding. Everyone is aware that port makes a capital winter drink with hot water and sugar, without going to the extent of pre- 120 ENGLISH AND FRENCH COOKEHT. ( paring ‘ negus but when it is intended to use the wine for this pur- pose, it should be selected accordingly. All wines, though good enough in themselves, do not take kindly to water, and some ports kick at it frightfully. Messrs. Pownceby and Co., of Oxford Street, and the Strand, make a feature of fine old ports matured in the wood, among their stock being wines \Vhieh have attained the extreme age of 40 and 50 years in cask. Sherry. — One would recommend sherry, if only for its universality. It is good alone, with hot water, with cold water, or with aerated waters, and it is frequently welcome in the kitchen. People should not be afraid to buy cheap sherry ; there is plenty of good, sound wine to be had wonderfully cheap, owing to its not being in fashion. Tales concerning the iniquities of plastering and fortifying are distortions of simple processes attendant on the protracted and delicate rearing of this wine. Among the many excellent shippers may be named Messrs. Capdepon, of Xeres, which is one of the very oldest firms there.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

No one who has been up the Caledonian Canal in one of the comfortable MacBrayne steamers will forget the brief stay at Fort William, and the wonderful glass of old liqueur, ‘ Dew of Ben Nevis,’ at the famous ‘ Long John ’ Distillery of Mr. D. P. MacDonald. To most ‘ southrons ’ it is a revelation of what a really fine Highland whisky becomes with perfect maturity. For those whose tastes incline towards a blend, the ‘One Star,’ ‘Three Stars,’ and ‘Strathdon ’ blends of Messrs. Wm. Williams and Sons, of Aberdeen, the largest blenders of only Highland whiskies, commend themselves all over the world. Coarse whisky may be improved by those who happen to possess it by melting a little barleysugar and adding the syrup to the spirit. Wines. — At the present time port and sherry are by far the best value for money to be had, and not the least merit of these two wines is their remaining unspoilt in a decanter. The fashion in port is in favour of a light colour, and consequently the wine is now kept longer in the cask than formerly, and in addition generally allowed to remain for the greater period of its existence in Oporto, as the higher temperature there hastens the process of lightening the colour. It is more than probable this class of port is the most wholesome, and the fact probably also explains how port, once regarded as the arch enemy of all sufferers from gout or rheumatism, is now numbered among their valuable friends. Bottled port should, of course, be kept in an even and rather high temperature ; should, however, it be necessary to use it when it is chilled, the best plan is to add hot water to it, say nearly two wineglassfuls to the bottle. Experienced port-drinkers have often been led to believe they were drinking another and superior wine by this innocent proceeding. Everyone is aware that port makes a capital winter drink with hot water and sugar, without going to the extent of pre- ( paring ‘ negus but when it is intended to use the wine for this purpose, it should be selected accordingly. All wines, though good enough in themselves, do not take kindly to water, and some ports kick at it frightfully. Messrs. Pownceby and Co., of Oxford Street, and the Strand, make a feature of fine old ports matured in the wood, among their stock being wines which have attained the extreme age of 40 and 50 years in cask. Sherry. — One would recommend sherry, if only for its universality. It is good alone, with hot water, with cold water, or with aerated waters, and it is frequently welcome in the kitchen. People should not be afraid to buy cheap sherry ; there is plenty of good, sound wine to be had wonderfully cheap, owing to its not being in fashion. Tales concerning the iniquities of plastering and fortifying are distortions of simple processes attendant on the protracted and delicate rearing of this wine. Among the many excellent shippers may be named Messrs. Capdepon, of Xeres, which is one of the very oldest firms there.

English and French cookery