Maraschino cherries -- Dyed with coal tar and flavored with peppermint.Maraschino cherries -- Flavored with extract of wild cherry and dyed with nitric
amyl.Confectioners' Paste -- Colored with coal tar.
When the man with a thirst and 15 cents stands on the outside of the bar and wants a luscious red cherry in his cocktail he will hereafter say to the mixiologist: "A little coal tar flavored with peppermint."
Again when the demure miss strays into the ice cream parlor and orders a dish of cream made tempting by a little bouquet of cherries, she will murmur to the waiter, "Those of wild cherry flavor and doctored with amyl." If she doesn't eat more than two or three of the cherries, she will not experience any disagreeable results, but if she goes over three there is every likelihood that she'll feel like summoning the doctor. Amyl will be the cause.
The inspectors of the staff of Dr. W. P. Cutler, city pure food inspector, were out yesterday selecting promiscuously bottled and canned goods from diver stores, among the lot the alleged Maraschino cherries, which were labeled as such and the confectioners' paste. Maraschino is a pure and exquisite preservent, and when added to cherries makes it tempting and sought after by high livers. It is a tasteful and soothing adjunct to mixed drinks, and large quantities of it are used. Therefore the temptation to adulterate and impose on gullible humanity.
City Chemist Cross made an analysis of the Maraschino cherries and brought forth the shams described.
"What are you going to do about it?" Dr. Cutler was asked.
"If the dealer from whose place these samples were taken has any more in stock he will have to paste on the label the word 'adulterated,' together with the names of the adulterations contained. The pure food law does not forbid the adulterating of food stuffs when the adulterant is not down right poisonous."
