Wine Made from Old Boots
By Christian Statesman
WHAT next will this adulterous generation do? How is an old soaker to get a drink of clear spirits? Why, a New York wine importer tells a private friend that the only way to get any pure wine is to straddle a barrel, ride it to the vineyard, watch the grapes squeezed into it, then ride it home again. It has become, too, one of the industries of large cities to gather up old boots and shoes and convert these old corn-covers into wine. Being no longer fit for mud and stables, they are just fit for fools to drink the juice of. They are boiled in pure spirits and allowed to stand for a few weeks, the product far surpassing the Jamaica rum made with essences, burnt sugar and spirits. A gentleman who doubted the truth of this story stopped recently at a low grog shop in the neighborhood of the factory and inquired if they had any rum from old shoes. "No," said the barkeeper, "we don't keep it much now; the druggists, who want a clear article, all sell it, and the price has gone up. But we have had it, and can get some if you want it."—Christian Statesman.