Remember that list of allergic foods? Well its growing, all the time, and two of the latest foodstuffs which are being considered for inclusion are pine nuts and goats milk. Now I have featured a pine marten or three before, and there did not seem to be any cards that also showed any nuts, so here you have a goat, and even better it is dispensing of goat`s milk.
Now I always thought that when I was younger if you were intolerant to cow`s milk (which I am, but I`m more intolerant of the dairy industry,, and some of its crueller practises), you could drink goat`s milk instead. Turns out I was either wrong or things have changed, as the proteins in goat milk are akin to cow’s milk, so they are a no no for children who have cow milk allergy, unless it is very slight, or the child is unable, for whatever reason, to have human milk for the early stages of its life. And apparently sheep`s milk is also the same.
This card may well be named as Alcool de Menthe Piperita, but that is more usually known as Ricqles. So this card must predate the fame of that brand. Ricqlès is made from rather a strange sounding trio, of peppermint essential oil, water, and alcohol., a mix which, unsurprisingly, cools you down and perks you up - all at the same time.
As for "Piperita", it is Latin for peppermint, that strange hybrid, half way between watermint and spearmint.
It seems unlikely that E. Sauze, whose name is on this card, did more than retail Ricqles because we know that he and his brother were perfumers, in Paris, with a perfume manufactory in Colombes. And they were also the first French perfumers to discover the art of poster advertising.
It turns out I am right, for Ricqles was invented in 1838 by a Dutchman who was actually called Heyman de Ricqles, who was primarily a silk merchant with an interest in botany. And I can`t tell you how it is made because it is a closely guarded secret, to this day,...