The third edition of a work concerning the operations of infusion, distillation, composition, and filtration used in the preparation of spirits, flavors, perfumes, and essential oils. The work also discusses the physiological effects of overindulgence in alcoholic beverages, comparing sensations of intoxication to the harmony of musical notes.

Polycarpe Poncelet (c. 1720-1780) was a French monk and agronomist with an interest in chemistry. In 1755 he began to apply the rules of harmonic proportion of sounds to tastes. He develops the basis of "tasty music" in the first edition of this book, Chimie du Gout et de l'Odorat (1755). By the publication of this third edition in 1774, the work had been “completely changed, considerably augmented, and enriched with new processes" according to the title page. His work in the natural sciences eventually led him to the study of the biology and physics of thunder.

The title pages of volumes one and two, as well as the work's plates, have been digitized.