OP: The Liqueur Compounder's Handbook of Recipes for the Manufacture of Liqueurs, Alcoholic Cordials and Compounded Spirits

W. J. Bush & Co., Ltd., London, 1921. Hardcover. Good Plus. Eighth edition, revised and enlarged.

W. J. Bush distillers, established in mid-19th century England, presents here an indispensable manual for the industrial manufacture of liqueurs. Recipes are given in imperial, metric, and American units, all of which are based around the initial syrup quantity at 40 American gallons.

Recipes—absinthe to Swedish punch—include several anisettes, bitters, and brandies, as well as many more specialized varieties like crème de girofles, crème de thé, huile de roses, and lovage liqueur. A handful of wines, vermouths, and whiskies round it out.

This eighth edition is an update to the 1910 seventh with small improvements to the formulae and, importantly, to work in accordance with the period’s Inland Revenue Regulation, which dictates, “all liqueurs sold for consumption in the United Kingdom must not exceed the alcoholic strength of 30 under proof.” While the authors acknowledge that most liqueurs are manufactured at this strength to begin with, they have made amendments to the few recipes which exceed the prescribed strength.

This copy shows wear to the green cloth boards and a discoloration to the front where previously there had been tape. The first three leaves bear the ownership stamp of F. L. Bassett of Baghdad, dated 1926. Gilt edges. Slight loosening to the binding, but sound. Scarce.