Rare 1871 English first edition of Pierre Duplais' seminal "Traité de la Fabrication des Liqueurs et de la Distillation des Alcools" is the authoritative French distillation guide. It went through seven editions from 1855 to 1900 and is the basis of our understanding of 19th century French distillation techniques. A single English edition was published in Philadelphia in 1871, translated by M. McKennie. The special section on absinthe is of particular importance - this is our most accurate and comprehensive guide to the recipes and techniques used by late 19th century absinthe distillers and is informally regarded as the "bible" of those seeking to duplicate their recipes today. McKennie's translation appears to have been issued in a very small print run and surviving copies are extremely scarce.