Udolpho Wolfe. Elucidations of Imposition in the Imitation and Adulteration of Holland and English Gin. New York: John A. Gray, 1857.
Temperance advocates succeeded in cutting American antebellum alcohol consumption from about seven gallons per capita to about three. Consumption rebounded during the Civil War, and liquor remained a desirable (and easy) commodity to imitate and adulterate. In his Elucidations, Udolpho Wolfe, one of the largest liquor importers of the second half of the century, discusses how spurious versions of his luxury brand of aromatic gin entered the country, aided in large part by a “systematic” network that produced counterfeit bottles and labels, and the fraudulent reuse of genuine casks and customs certificates.
A Treatise on the Manufacture, Imitation, Adulteration, and Reduction of Foreign Wines, Brandies, Gins, Rums, etc. etc. Philadelphia: Published for the Author, 1870.
The anonymously-published Treatise details the many ways liquor producers could adulterate alcoholic beverages using “non-poisonous” substances in order to compete with importers who were doing the same thing. His recipe for “Reduced Gins” included adding turpentine and a derivative of nitric acid. The book is open to recipes for “Imitations of Whisky,” which list creosote (a tar distillate) as one important ingredient.
