drink a dog's nose

L. & Honoré, E. Dagoty. French 19th C. Via Les Arts Decoratifs, Centre de documentation des mussees.
 thanks vintageprintable.com

"Dog's Nose, gin and beer. 'He is not certain whether he did not twice a week, for 20 years, taste dog's nose, which your committee find, upon inquiry, to be compounded of warm porter, moist sugar, gin, and nutmeg.'—Dickens: Pickwick"
The above quote was found in the 1910 book The Reader's Handbook of Famous Names in Fiction, Allusions, References, Proverbs, Plots, Stories, and Poems (whew) by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer.  You can find it on page 289.  Meanwhile, if you think you'd like to try a modern-day recipe for this odd but apparently fine beverage, you can use this fancy one.  Or this really plain one.  Don't overdo it - around 1850 a "dognose" was a whisky alcoholic.