Take a pottle, or more, of stone-lime, and put it into the cask; on this pour some water, and stop it up directly, shaking it well about.

Another Way.

Take a long linen rag, and dip it in melted brimstone; light it at the end, and let it hang pendant with the upper part of the rag fastened to the wooden bung; this is a most quick and sure way, and will not only sweeten, but help to fine the drink.

Another.

Or, to make your cask more pleasant, you may use the vintners way thus: Take four ounces of stone brimstone, one ounce of burnt allum, and two ounces of brandy; melt all these in an earthen pan over hot coals, and dip therein a piece of new canvas, and instantly sprinkle thereon the powders of nutmegs, cloves, coriander, and anise seeds; this canvas set on fire, and let it burn hanging in the cask fastened at the end with the wooden bung, so that no smoke comes out.

For a musky Cask.

Boil some pepper in water, and fill the cask with it scalding hot.

To prepare a new Vessel to keep Malt-liquors in.

A new vessel is most improperly used by some ignorant people for strong drink, after only once or twice scalding with water; which is so wrong, that such beer or ale will not fail of tasting thereof for half, if not a whole year afterwards. To prevent this inconvenience, when your brewing is over, put up some water scalding hot, and let it run through the grains; then boil it and fill up the cask, stop it well, and let it stand till it is cold; do this twice; then take the grounds of strong drink and boil in it green walnut-leaves and new hay or wheat-straw, and put all into the cask, that it be full, and stop it close: After this, use it for small beer half a year together, and then it will be thoroughly sweet and fit for strong drinks.

Wine-casks.

These are the cheapest of all others to furnish a person readily with, as being many of them good casks for malt-liquors, because the sack and white-wine sorts are already seasoned to-hand, and will greatly improve beers and ales that are put in them: But beware of the Rheinish wine casks for strong drinks; for its wood is so tinctured with this sharp wine, that it will hardly ever be free of it; and therefore such cask is best used for small beer: the claret cask will a great deal sooner be brought into a serviceable state for holding strong drink, if it is two or three times scalded with grounds of barrels, and afterwards used for small beer for some time. But to cure a claret-cask of its colour and taste, put a peck of stone-lime into a hoghead, and pour upon it three pails of water; bung immediately with a wood or cork-bung, and shake it well about a quarter of an hour, and let it stand a day and night, and it will bring off the red colour, and alter the taste of the cask very much.