(b)Dried blackberries16oz.Or fresh blackberries4pints.Powdered blackberry root12oz.Powdered mace1½oz.Powdered cassia9dr.Powdered allspice and cloves, of each5dr.Sugar60oz.Brandy2pints.Port wine1½pints.Alcohol1pint.Waterq.s.
Soak the berries, if dry, in q.s. of water, and express, and repeat until 6½ pints of juice are obtained. If the berries are fresh, express the juice, and mix water with residue, to wash out all juice; then add water to make it measure 6½ pints. Mix the spirit with the 6½ pints of juice; moisten the powders with this mixture, and pack in a percolator. Allow it to drain, and pour on water until percolate measures 10 pints; then add the sugar, dissolve and, if necessary, filter.
Brandy Shrub.—1 gal. brandy, 1 pint orange juice, 1 pint lemon juice, peel of 2 oranges and 1 lemon; digest for 24 hours, strain, add 4 lb. white sugar dissolved in 5 pints water; in a fortnight decant the clear liquid.
Cacao.—Infuse 1 lb. Caraccas cacao nuts, cut small, add ½ oz. vanilla in 1 gal. brandy for 8 days; strain, and add 3 qt. thick syrup.
Caraway.—From the essential oil or the seed (1 fl. dr. of the oil = ¼ lb. seed), using 2½ lb. sugar per gal., and adding a little cassia oil and essence of lemon or orange.
Cedrat.—(a) 1 pint spirit of citron, 1 qt. spirit of cedrat, 3 qt. proof spirit, 16 lb. white sugar dissolved in 2 gal. pure soft water.
(b) ¼ oz. cedrat essence, 1 gal. pure proof spirit; dissolve; add 3 pints water; agitate well; distil 3 qt., and add equal measure of clarified syrup.
Celery Cordial.—To 1 lb. essence of celery, add 1 gal. pure spirit and 1 gal. syrup of white sugar.
Chartreuse.—Macerate 64 parts by weight, each, of the fresh herb of sweet balm and hyssop, 32 parts of fresh root of angelica, 16 of cannella, and 4 each of Spanish saffron and mace, in 1000 parts of alcohol, for 8 days. Then distil it on to a certain quantity (which varies according to the colour desired) of fresh balm and hyssop; after a time these are expressed, the liquor sweetened with 125 parts of sugar, and filtered.
Cherry-bounce.—(a) This is a very wholesome cordial, and may, with great benefit, be taken by persons affected with cough of long standing, or those suffering with lung complaint. Take 5 gal. cherry juice, 2 gal. syrup of white sugar. And dissolve in 1 gal. pure spirit, ½ oz. oil of bitter almonds, ¼ oz. oil of cloves, ¼ oz. oil of cinnamon. Mix all together.
(b) To 15 gal. cherry juice, add 15 gal. 80 per cent. spirit; 30 gal. Catalonia or Marseilles wine; 1½ oz. essence of noyeau; 3 oz. mace infused in 1 qt. 95 per cent. alcohol; ½ lb. cinnamon infused in ½ gal. water; ¼ lb. cloves ground and infused in 1 qt. water. Put all the above ingredients in a clean barrel and add 60 gal. sugar syrup 25° B. Stir up the ingredients well, and filter after 4 or 5 days. If the colour is not deep enough, add a little sugar colouring. The above recipe is to make 120 gal., but amuch smaller quantity may be made by reducing the quantity of each ingredient and observing the same proportion in all.
(c) To 12 gal. cherry juice, add 30 gal. 80 per cent. spirit; 30 gal. Catalonia or Marseilles wine; 3 oz. essence of noyeau; ½ lb. cinnamon ground and infused in ½ gal. water; ½ lb. cloves ground and infused in ½ gal. water; 1½ oz. mace infused in 1 pint 95 per cent. alcohol. Mix all the above ingredients in a clean barrel, and add 60 gal. sugar syrup 13° B. Stir up all the ingredients well together, and filter after 4 or 5 days. Make the colour a little darker with sugar colouring, and to give a good shade add a little orchil.
Cherry Brandy.—(a) 1 lb. essence of cherry, ¼ lb. essence of pineapple, ¼ oz. oil of cinnamon, ¼ oz. oil of cloves, 4 bar. pure rectified spirits, 2 gal. cherry juice.
(b) Mash 16 lb. of black cherries with their stones; 5 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol. Macerate for 2 weeks; press; then add 10 lb. sugar, dissolved in 3⅜ gal. water. Filter.
Cherry Cordial.—Good French brandy, 1 qt.; juice of cherries, 1 qt.; best white sugar, finely powdered, 2 lb. Add the sugar to the juice and stir until it is thoroughly dissolved; add the brandy, and filter through blotting-paper.
Cherry Ratafia.—8 lb. Morella cherries with kernels bruised, 1 gal. brandy or proof spirit, 2 lb. sugar; as currant.
Cinnamon.—Usually made from cassia bark or oil (1 oz. oil = 8 lb. bark or buds), with 2 lb. sugar per gal., adding 5 or 6 drops each of essence of lemon and orange peel, with a spoonful of essence of cardamoms per gal. About 1 fl. dr. of the cassia oil suffices for 2½ gal. Colour with burnt sugar.
Cinnamon Brandy.—1 lb. essence of cinnamon, ½ lb. essence of cherry, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 4 bar. pure spirits.
Citron.—From the oil or peel, with 3 lb. sugar per gal.
Citronelle.—(a) 2 oz. fresh orange peel, 4 oz. fresh lemon peel, ½ dr. cloves, 1 dr. coriander seed, 1 dr. cinnamon, 4 pints proof spirit; digest for 10 days, add 1 qt. water, and distil to ½ gal.; add 2 lb. white sugar dissolved in 1 qt. water.
(b) 1 dr. essence of lemon, ½ dr. essence of orange, 10 drops clove oil, 10 drops cassia oil, 20 drops coriander oil, 5 pints spirit 58 o.p.; agitate till dissolved; add 3 pints distilled or soft water; well mix, filter through paper, if necessary; finally add q.s. dissolved sugar.
Clairet.—1 oz. aniseed, 1 oz. fennel seed, 1 oz. coriander seed, 1 oz. caraway seed, 1 oz. dill seed, 1 oz. candy-carrot seed, ½ gal. proof spirit; digest for a week, strain, and add 1 lb. loaf sugar dissolved in water.
Clove.—1 oz. bruised cloves (or 1 fl. dr. essential oil), 3 gal. proof spirit: when distilling, add some salt, and use a quick fire; sweeten with fully 3 lb. sugar per gal.; and colour with poppy flowers or burnt sugar; add 1 dr. bruised pimento or 5 drops of the oil per oz. of cloves.
Clove Brandy.—1 lb. essence of cloves, ½ lb. essence of cherry, ¼ lb. essence of ginger, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 4 bar. pure spirit.
Clove-pink Ratafia.—4 lb. clove pinks without the white buds, 15 gr. cinnamon, 15 gr. cloves, 1 gal. proof spirit; macerate 10 days, express tincture, filter, and add 2½ lb. white sugar.
Cocoa Ratafia.—1 lb. Caraccas cacao, ½ lb. W. Indian, both bruised and roasted; 1 gal. proof spirit; digest 14 days, filter, and add 2½ lb. white sugar, ½ dr. tincture of vanilla; decant in a month, and bottle.
Coffee Ratafia.—1 lb. roasted and ground coffee, 1 gal. brandy or proof spirit, 2 lb. sugar dissolved in 1 qt. water.
Coriander.—As cloves, adding a few sliced oranges.
Cream Ratafia.-¼ pint noyeau cream, ¼ pint sherry, ½ pint capillaire, 1 pint fresh cream; beaten together.
Crême de Macarons.—(a) 1 dr. cloves, 1 dr. cinnamon, 1 dr. mace, all bruised, 7 oz. bitter almonds, blanched and beaten to a pulp, 1 gal. spirit 17 u.p.; digest for a week, filter, and add 6 lb. white sugar dissolved in 2 qt. pure water.
(b) 2 gal. clean spirit 24 u.p., ¾ lb. bitter almonds, 1½ dr. cloves, 1½ dr. cinnamon, 1½ dr. mace, in coarse powders; infuse 10 days, filter, and add 8 lb. white sugar dissolved in 1 gal. pure water; tint with infusion or tincture of litmus and cochineal. The almonds may be reduced to half.
Crême de Naphe.—7 qt. spirit 60 u.p. containing 3½ lb. sugar per gal., 1 qt. orange-flower water.
Crême des Barbades.—As citronelle, adding orange juice and 1 lb. more sugar per gal.
Crême d’Orange.—3 doz. sliced oranges, 2 gal. rectified spirit; digest 14 days; add 28 lb. loaf sugar, previously dissolved in 4½ gal. water; 1½ fl. oz. tincture of saffron, 2 qt. orange-flower water.
Curaçao.—(a) This liqueur derives its name from the Curaçao peel, as it is nothing else but a tincture of the Curaçao orange peel, sweetened and flavoured with more essential oils. Macerate 5 lb. green Curaçao orange peel in 6 gal. pure spirits, adding about ¼ lb. red sanders wood for obtaining at the same time the reddish brown colour; after a week’s digestion, strain off, and dissolve ¼ oz. oil of bitter almonds, ¼ oz. oil of cinnamon in the above tincture, and then add 1 gal. white-sugar syrup; when all ingredients are mixed, filter and fill in bottles, and after standing a few weeks it will produce a delightful cordial.
(b) Spirit 56 u.p., containing 3½ lb. sugar per gal., flavoured with a tincture made by digesting the “oleo-saccharum,” prepared from 9 Seville oranges, 1 dr. cinnamon and ¾ dr. mace in 1 pint rectified spirit; colour by digesting 1 oz. powdered Brazil wood for 10 days, and mellow with burnt sugar.
(c) 2 lb. Curaçao orange peel, ½ lb. Ceylon cinnamon. Let them soak in water; boil them for 5 minutes with the juice of 32 oranges and 14 gal. white plain syrup; then add 6 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol; strain, filter; colour dark yellow with sugar colouring.
(d) 2 oz. each essence of bitter oranges and neroli; ¼ oz. essence of cinnamon; 3 dr. mace infused in alcohol. Dissolve the above essences in 1 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol, then put in a clean barrel 13 gal. 85 per cent. alcohol, 26 gal. sugar syrup 30° B., and add 1 gal. perfumed spirit. Colour with saffron or turmeric.
Curaçao Cordial.—Oil of orange, very fresh, 1 dr.; oil of cinnamon, 1 drop; oil of juniper berries, 2 drops; oil of coriander seed, 2 drops; deodorised alcohol, 3 pints; simple syrup, 2 pints; water, sufficient to complete 1 gal. Mix the alcohol with an equal volume of water, and add the mixture slowly to the essential oils previously rubbed in a mortar with carbonate of magnesia or phosphate of lime. Transfer the whole to a bottle, and set it aside with occasional agitation, for 2 or 3 days. Then add the simple syrup, the remainder of the water, and filter through paper. This gives thewhite cordial; for thered, infuse in the alcoholic menstruum about 2 dr. of cudbear.
Currant Ratafia.—1 qt. black currant juice, 1 dr. cinnamon, ½ dr. cloves, ½ dr. peach kernels, 1 gal. brandy, 3 lb. white sugar; digest for fortnight, and strain through flannel.
Dorée.-½ oz. cinnamon, ½ oz. bitter orange peel; ½ oz. Peruvian bark, ¼ oz. hay saffron, 3 qt. brandy, 3 qt. Malaga wine; digest for a week, strain, and add 2 lb. lump sugar.
Dry Ratafia.—5 pints gooseberry juice, 1 pint cherry juice, 1 pint strawberry juice, 1 pint raspberry juice, 6 qt. proof spirit, 7 lb. sugar; macerate.
Elixir Vitæ.—Macerate for 10 days, in 5 gal. pure spirits, 1 oz. zedoary root, 1 oz. ginger root, ½ oz. gentian root, ½ oz. agaric, ¼ oz. rhubarb root. Strain off the clear tincture, and add 2½ gal. water and ½ gal. syrup.
Extract BishoporGlow-wine.—1 lb. tincture of Curaçao peel, ¼ lb. tincture of orangebuds. Dissolve in the same 5 drops of the oil of nutmegs, 10 drops of the oil of cloves, 20 drops of the oil of cinnamon. Mix them together, and add about ½ gal. sugar syrup.
Extract Punch.-½ oz. essence of Jamaica rum, 1 oz. tartaric acid, 1 gal. sugar syrup, 2 gal. pure spirits, 10 drops oil of lemon. Dissolve the oil of lemon and essence of rum in the spirits, and the tartaric acid in a little water, before adding all together.
Four-fruit Ratafia.—30 lb. cherries, 15 lb. gooseberries, 8 lb. raspberries, 7 lb. black currants; express the juice, and add 6 oz. sugar to each pint, with 6 gr. cinnamon, 3 gr. mace, and 3 gr. cloves.
Ginger Brandy.—1 lb. essence of ginger, 20 drops oil of bergamot, ¼ lb. tartaric acid, 1 gal. elderberry juice, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 4 bar. pure spirits.
Ginger Cordial.—To 1 qt. essence of ginger add 1 gal. pure spirit and 1 gal. white-sugar syrup.
Gold Cordial.—1 lb. sliced angelica root, ½ lb. raisins, 2 oz. coriander seeds, 1½ oz. caraway seeds, 1½ oz. cassia, ½ oz. cloves, 4 oz. figs, 4 oz. sliced licorice-root, 3 gal. proof spirit, 1 gal. water; digest 2 days, and distil 3 gal. by gentle heat; add 9 lb. sugar dissolved in 1 qt. rose water and 1 qt. clean soft water; colour by steeping 1¼ oz. hay saffron.
Grenoble Ratafia.—(a) 2 lb. small wild black cherries, with kernels bruised, 1 gal. proof spirit, 3 lb. white sugar, a few gr. citron peel; as Juniper.
(b) 1 qt. cherries with bruised stones, 2 qt. rectified spirit; mix; digest for 48 hours, express the liquor, heat to boiling in a close vessel; when cold add enough sugar or capillaire, with a little noyeau, syrup of bay laurel and galangal, to flavour; decant in 3 months, and bottle.
Hop Cordial.—The following is recommended as a palatable preparation, not inferior to many of the so-called “Hop Bitters.”
Hops2 oz.Stillingia2 oz.Dandelion2 oz.Orange peel2 oz.Gentian2 oz.Alcohol, water, of each77 fl. oz.Camomile2 oz.Syrup, simple12 fl. oz.
Exhaust the solids, with the alcohol and water, and add the syrup.
Huile de Venus.—2½ oz. wild carrot flowers, 3 lb. sugar per gal. spirit; coloured by cochineal powder.
Juniper Ratafia.-¼ lb. juniper berries, each pricked with a fork, 40 gr. caraway seed, 40 gr. coriander seed, 1 gal. finest malt spirit 22 u.p., 2 lb. white sugar; digest a week, strain with expression.
Kirschwasser.—Dissolve 1 oz. oil of bitter almonds in 3 gal. pure spirits, and add 1 gal. white-sugar syrup.
Kümmel.—1 lb. essence of caraway, ¼ oz. oil of anise, ¼ oz. oil of fennel, 20 drops oil of neroli, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 2 bar. pure spirits.
Lemon Cordial.—2 oz. fresh lemon peel, 2 oz. dried lemon peel, 1 oz. fresh orange peel, digested in 1 gal. proof spirit for a week; strain with expression, add enough soft water to reduce to desired strength.
Lime-juice Cordial.—4 oz. glucose, 1 pint syrup, 1 pint lime juice, 36 oz. water; tincture of lemon peel and triple orange-flower water, each sufficient to flavour.
Liquodilla.—3 sliced oranges and 3 sliced lemons, with 2½ lb. sugar per gal.
Lovage.—1 oz. fresh lovage roots per gal., ¼ oz. each fresh roots of celery and fennel; also sometimes a little fresh valerian root and oil of savin before distillation.
Malliorca d’Espagne.—40 gal. 55 per cent. alcohol, 5 oz. essence green anise-seed and 5 oz. essence of star anise dissolved in 95 per cent. alcohol, ½ dr. ether (to give the cordial age). Stir and filter.
Mandarin Delight.—1 gal. spirit 22 u.p., ½ gal. pure soft water, 4½ lb. white sugar,crushed small, ½ oz. Chinese aniseed, ½ oz. ambrette, ¼ oz. safflower; digested together in a stone jar of double the capacity and agitated every day for a fortnight.
Maraschino.—(a) This is an Italian cordial, while the curaçao is a favourite in Holland. Maraschino derives its aroma from the oil of bitter almonds, blended with the oils of cinnamon and rosewater, &c. 10 gal. pure spirits, 1 oz. oil of bitter almonds, ½ oz. oil of cinnamon, ¼ oz. oil of cloves, ¼ oz. oil of vanilla, 5 drops oil of rose, 5 drops oil of neroli, 5 drops oil of bergamot. To this solution add 2 gal. white-sugar syrup, ¼ gal. rosewater, and ¼ gal. orange-flower water; mix together, filter, and fill in bottles.
(b) Dissolve in 1½ gal. 95 per cent. alcohol, 1½ oz. essence of maraschino, 1½ dr. essence of rose, ½ dr. essence of noyeau, 5 drops essence of cloves, and 8 drops essence of cinnamon; add ½ gal. orris root flavouring. Mix the above with 12 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol and 26 gal. syrup of 30° B. Stir thoroughly and filter.
(c) 4 oz. essence of noyeau; 1 oz. essence of rose; ½ oz. essence of neroli (genuine); 4 dr. of mace, infused in 95 per cent. alcohol; ¼ lb. cinnamon, infused in 1 qt. water; 2 oz. cloves, infused in 1 pint water; 2 lb. orris root (powdered), infused in 2 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol for 15 days. Dissolve the essences in 2 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol. Mix, put into a barrel 41 gal. 85 per cent. alcohol; add the aromas, in 4 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol, sugar syrup, 90 gal. at 32° B. Stir all the ingredients well together for at least ½ hour and let the mixture stand 2 weeks; then filter and put in the filter 2 or 3 sheets of filtering paper.
(d) 1¼ oz. essence of maraschino, 1½ dr. essence of rose, ½ dr. essence of noyeau, 8 drops essence of cinnamon, 5 drops essence of cloves, ½ lb. orris root (powdered), infused in ½ gal. 95 per cent. alcohol for 15 days. Dissolve the essences in 1 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol. Mix, put in a barrel 12 gal. 80 per cent. alcohol and add 2 gal. 95 per cent. perfumed alcohol (as described above); sugar syrup, 26 gal. at 25° B. Mix and filter.
(e) 3½ oz. essence of noyeau, 6 dr. essence of rose. Dissolve in ½ gal. 95 per cent. alcohol, and add 4 spoonfuls of magnesia, 1 gal. orange-flower water, ½ lb. cinnamon (bruised) infused in ½ gal. water, ¼ lb. cloves (bruised), infused in ¼ gal. water, 4 dr. mace infused in alcohol, 2 lb. orris root (powdered) infused in 2 gal. 95 per cent. alcohol for 15 days. Mix 41 gal. 80 per cent. alcohol, 90 gal. syrup at 25° B., and add 4 gal. perfumed spirits, as described above. Stir and filter as already directed.
Molucca Balm.-½ oz. cloves, 1 dr. mace, 1 gal. clean spirit 22 u.p.; infuse for a week in a well-closed jar, frequently shaking; colour with burnt sugar; to clear the liquor, add 4½ lb. loaf sugar dissolved in ½ gal. pure water.
Nectar Cordial.—1 oz. oil of bitter almonds, ½ oz. oil of orange, ½ oz. oil of cloves. Dissolve them in 1 gal. pure spirits, and add 1 gal. white-sugar syrup and 2 gal. of Teneriffe wine.
Noyeau.—This cordial is generally drunk by ladies, and requires to be very sweet. Take 1 oz. oil of bitter almonds, ½ oz. oil of orange, ¼ oz. oil of cinnamon. Dissolve in 2 gal. pure spirits, and add 1 gal. syrup of white sugar.
Noyeau Ratafia.—120 peach or apricot kernels, bruised, 2 qt. proof spirit or brandy, 1 lb. white sugar; digest for a week, press, filter.
Orange.—As lemon, using ½ lb. fresh orange peel per gal.
Orange Brandy.—2 oz. oil of orange, 10 drops oil of neroli, 1 lb. essence of orange, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 4 bar. pure spirits.
Orange Elixir.—(a) To 5 gal. pure spirits add ½ lb. orange peel, ¼ lb. calamus root, ¼ lb. hops. After macerating for one week, strain, and add 1 gal. sugar syrup, and colour with sugar colouring.
(b) Dissolve in 3 gal. pure spirits, 1 oz. oil of orange, ¼ oz. oil of calamus, add 1 gal. white-sugar syrup, and colour the whole with sugar colouring.
Orange-flower Ratafia.—2 lb. fresh orange petals, 1 gal. proof spirit, 2½ lb. white sugar; as clove pink; 1 dr. neroli may replace the orange-flower.
Orange Gin.—The rinds of 8 Seville oranges and 8 large lemons, cut very thin, put into 1 gal. gin for 4 days. Then strain off the spirit from the rinds. Have ready 4 lb. loaf sugar boiled in 1 pint water, which must be thrown into the spirit boiling hot and well stirred, to cause it to mix well together. When cool, bottle.
Orgeat.—To milk of blanched sweet almonds, 2 lb., add 2 dr. oil of bitter almonds, 1 dr. oil of orange, 1 gal. white-sugar syrup, ½ gal. spirit.
Parfait Amour.—(a) Macerate in 10 gal. pure spirit, 2 oz. orris root, 4 oz. raisins, 2 oz. figs, for one week. Then dissolve ¼ oz. oil of lemon, 1 dr. oil of cinnamon, 1 dr. oil of juniper, 1 dr. oil of calamus, 1 dr. oil of cloves, 1 oz. oil of vanilla. Colour by sugar colouring, and add 4 gal. white-sugar syrup: it is then filtered through a woollen filtering-bag, and filled in bottles.
(b) 3 lb. sugar per gal., flavoured with yellow rind of 4 lemons, and a teaspoonful of essence of vanilla; coloured with cochineal.
Peach Brandy.—(a) 1 lb. essence of peach, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 1 oz. acetic ether, 1 oz. pineapple ether, 4 bar. pure spirits.
(b) Mash 18 lb. of peaches, with their stones; macerate them for 24 hours with 4¾ gal. of 95 per cent. alcohol and 4 gal. water. Strain, press, and filter; add 5 pints white plain syrup. Colour dark yellow with burnt sugar colouring.
(c) Take 4½ oz. powdered bitter almonds, 3¼ gal. 95 per cent. alcohol, 5¼ gal. water. Mix together, and macerate for 24 hours; then add a strained syrup, made of 3¾ lb. sugar, 1 pint peach jelly, 2¼ oz. preserved ginger, 1 lemon cut in slices, 1 dr. grated nutmegs, 1 dr. allspice in powder, and 5 pints of water boiled for 2 minutes. Mix the whole, and filter.
Peppermint.—5 oz. peppermint oil, 3 pints rectified spirits of wine, well agitated for some time in a corked bottle holding 4 pints; empty into a 100 gal. cask, pour in 36 gal. white and flavourless proof spirit, and agitate 10 minutes; add solution of 2¾ cwt. best double-refined lump sugar in 35 gal. pure filtered rain-water, and “rummage up” for 15 minutes; add sufficient clear rain-water to make up to 100 gal., containing 5 oz. alum in solution, and again shake for ¼ hour; then bung down and let repose a fortnight before broaching. If at all thick, add 2 oz. salt of tartar dissolved in 1 qt. hot water, and let stand a few days.
Peppermint Brandy.—To 40 gal. proof spirit add 4 oz. essence of peppermint, dissolved in 95 per cent. alcohol. Colour with ½ lb. powder of turmeric infused in 1 gal. spirit 95 per cent. Use this infusion in such quantity as to get the proper shade.
Peppermint Cordial.—To 1 oz. oil of peppermint dissolved in 1 gal. pure spirit, add 1 gal. syrup of white sugar.
Peppermint Liqueur.—1 lb. essence of peppermint, ¼ lb. sulphuric ether, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 2 bar. pure spirit.
Plum or Zwetschen Brandy.—(a) This favourite German liquor, also called Sligowitz, is prepared from 1 lb. plum essence, ½ lb. acetic ether, ½ lb. banana, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 4 gal. pure spirits.
(b) Another mode of preparing the sligowitz or plum brandy is from prunes, which are mashed together with the kernels, and exposed to fermentation, when it is again distilled, and produces a fine spirit.
Provençal Ratafia.—1 lb. striped pinks, 1 qt. brandy or proof spirit, ¾ lb. white sugar, ¾ pint strawberry juice, 20 gr. saffron; as Clove-pink.
Quince Ratafia.—3 qt. quince juice, 3 dr. bitter almonds, 2 dr. cinnamon, 2 dr. coriander seeds, ½ dr. mace, 15 gr. cloves, all bruised; ½ gal. flavourless rectified spirit; digest for a week, filter, add 3½ lb. white sugar.
Railroad Liqueur.—To 5 gal. pure spirits add ¼ oz. oil of peppermint, ¼ oz. oil of absinthe, 10 drops oil of roses. Add to the solution 1 gal. white syrup, and colour the liqueur with blue orchil.
Raspberry Brandy.—1 lb. essence of raspberry, 1 lb. acetic acid, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 1 gal. raspberry juice, 4 bar. pure spirits.
Raspberry Cordial.—Take 5 gal. raspberry juice, 2 gal. white-sugar syrup, and 1 gal. pure spirits.
Quince, gooseberry, strawberry, black and red currant, peach, nut, and apple cordials, are all prepared in the same manner from their respective juices.
Red Ratafia.—3 qt. black cherry juice, 1 qt. strawberry juice, 1 qt. raspberry juice, 1 dr. cinnamon, 15 gr. mace, 15 gr. cloves, 2 gal. proof spirit or brandy, 7 lb. white sugar, macerate.
Roman Punch.—This very refreshing beverage is prepared from 1 oz. lemon juice or citric acid, ½ oz. essence of rum, dissolved in 1 gal. pure spirit, adding ½ gal. syrup of sugar. Mix all together, and filter.
Rose Cordial.—To ½ oz. otto of rose add ¼ oz. oil of bitter almonds. Dissolve in 1 gal. highest-proof alcohol, add 1 gal. syrup of white sugar, and colour by cochineal rose colour.
Rum Shrub.—34 gal. proof rum, 2 oz. orange oil, 2 oz. lemon oil, dissolved in 1 qt. rectified spirit, 300 lb. good lump sugar dissolved in 20 gal. water; mix well by “rummaging”; gradually and cautiously add enough Seville orange juice or solution of tartaric acid in water to produce pleasantly perceptible acidity; rummage for 15 minutes; add sufficient water to make up 100 gal.; again rummage for ½ hour; bung loosely, and let remain for about a fortnight, when it should be sufficiently “brilliant” for racking. It is much improved by adding 1 oz. each of bruised bitter almonds, cloves, and cassia, the peel of about 2 doz. oranges, and a “thread” of the essences of ambergris and vanilla.
Sarsaparilla Mead.—(a) Sarsaparilla root, contused, 1 lb.; sassafras, 8 oz.; aniseed, 2 oz.; ginger, 2 oz.; cloves, 1 oz. Boil for 15-20 minutes in 8 gal. water; strain and set the liquor aside for several hours to become clear. Then decant, and transfer to a 10 gal. soda-water fountain, adding to it molasses, 3 qt.; honey, 3 pints. Complete with water the 10 gal., and charge with carbonic acid gas. (b) Another way is to add to the completed mixture 1 qt. brewer’s yeast, and when the fermentation is about half completed, to bottle the mead in ordinary soda-water bottles.
Shrub.—1 pint Seville orange juice, 3 pints rum or brandy, 2 lb. white sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, strain the mixture through a jelly-bag and bottle it.
Sighs of Love.—(a) Proof spirit, flavoured with equal parts otto of roses and capillaire.
(b) 6 lb. sugar, enough pure water to make 4 gal. syrup; add 1 pint eau-de-rose, 7 pints proof spirit; colour pale pink by powdered cochineal; 1 drop essence of ambergris or vanilla improves it.
Sloe Gin.—(a) To 1 gal. gin in a 2 gallon jar put 3 qt. sloes, ½ oz. bitter almonds, 2½ lb. loaf sugar, or the same quantity of sugar candy, if preferred. Let it be well shaken twice a week for 3 months. Then strain and bottle it, and well seal the corks. It will keep for years, and improve whilst in bottle. (b) Pick the sloes free of stalks, and let them be quite dry. Fill wine or other bottles, that are wide enough at the mouth to admit the fruit, with them. Next put in as much white pounded sugar as you can, then fill up with gin and cork. Shake well every few days for 14 days. Leave for 6 months, then strain off through a piece of muslin into clean bottles.
Strawberry Cordial.—Take any quantity of thoroughly ripe strawberries, pour over as much proof spirit as will cover them; allow to stand for 24 hours; drain off and replace with the same quantity of fresh proof spirit; allow to stand another 24 hours; now drain off and replace with water; add fine sugar or syrup in the proportion of 3 lb. to every gallon of the mixed liqueur; also, a gill of orange-flower water. Filter and bottle.
Tears of the Widow of Malabar.—As molucca balm, using ½ oz. mixed cloves, 1 dr. shredded mace, and 1 teaspoonful essence of vanilla for flavouring; also ¼ pint orange-flower water. Slightly colour with burnt sugar.
Tent.—1 qt. port wine, 1 qt. plain spirit 22 u.p., 1 pint sherry, 1 pint soft water, ¼ pint orange-flower water, ¼ pint lemon juice, 2 drops essence of ambergris, 2 lb. sugar.
Tolu Ratafia.—1 oz. tolu balsam, 1 qt. rectified spirit, dissolve; add 3 pints water; filter, and further add 1½ lb. white sugar.
Vermouth.—Take of Peruvian bark ½ oz.; lemon peel, angelica root, balm leaves, lesser centaury, of each 3 dr.; juniper berries, coriander seeds, cinnamon, mace, of each 1½ dr.; wormwood, 1 dr.; syrup of bitter orange peel, 4 oz.; spirits of wine, 3 oz.; dry white wine, 3 gal.; macerate for some days and filter.
Violet Ratafia.—3 oz. orris powder, 4 oz. litmus, 2 gal. rectified spirit; digest 10 days, strain, add 12 lb. white sugar dissolved in 1 gal. soft water.
Walnut Ratafia.—60 young walnuts with soft shells, pricked; 2 qt. brandy, 15 gr. mace, 15 gr. cinnamon, 15 gr. cloves; digest for 8 weeks; press, filter, add 1 lb. white sugar; keep for some months.
Wormwood Liqueur.—1 lb. essence of wormwood, 1 oz. oil of tansy, 1 oz. oil of calamus, 2 oz. oil of orris, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 3 bar. pure spirits.
Wine, and Miscellaneous Drinks.—Fruits intended for making wine must be perfectly ripe and sound, and gathered in dry weather. The most convenient sized cask is 10 gal. All utensils must always be scoured and scalded, and set out of doors to sweeten the day before being used. The tub in which the liquor is put to settle should have a tap within 3 in. of the bottom, so that the wine may be drawn, instead of poured off, without disturbing the lees or sediment; which must not on any account be put into the cask until it has been filtered well. The sieves and flannel strainers should be kept perfectly sweet, and exposed to the fresh air, and nothing of brass or copper used.
Never add the yeast for fermentation until the liquor is cool enough to receive it: 85° F. is about the proper temperature. Stir the liquor well occasionally, and cover the vessel close in cold weather. When liquor is working in a cask, it must be kept quite full to allow it to work out, or the wine will not be clear; keep a tile over the bung-hole that the froth may escape, or put the bung on lightly. Fermentation will be accelerated by mixing the yeast with 2 qt. of the liquor in a jar for 10 minutes, and then adding it to the whole quantity.
Wines made from raspberries, mulberries, elderberries, blackberries, and all such fruits as produce much sediment, should always be filtered through flannel bags into the cask, as this saves much trouble in fining and racking. Wines never “feed” on the lees, but, on the contrary, fret; and if not made strong, frequently go sour.
When the liquor is ready for putting into the cask, draw it off as long only as it runs clear; then filter the lees more than once, if necessary, and fill completely. Put any overplus into bottles, with a small quantity of brandy, as a reserve for filling up in future. When brandy is to be added, take out 3 qt. of the wine, pour in the spirit, and then fill up. Never add water to wines when casked; should there by accident be a deficiency of the liquor, add foreign wine mixed with brandy.
Racking off is best performed by drawing the wine off into a clean vessel as long as it runs perfectly clear, then put in a cork, and turn the lees out in a separate tub, and filter it well. Next return all that is bright into the same cask; add what is recommended, and stop it up again securely. This should be done in cool weather, or early in the morning.
When bottling take care that your bottles are clean and not specked, or they will leak; fill them so that the wine will just come in contact with the cork when driven home. Use the best corks, and dip each in some of the wine, or in brandy, which is better. Seal the corks of such white wines as require caution when ripe, with green wax to distinguish them, and fasten them with wire. All newly-made wines should be kept in cool, dry, dark cellars. When casks are emptied, stop all the holes to prevent their becoming musty or foul.
Bins are formed of brickwork, board, or iron. Place some fine dry sand over the bottom of each bin, and make it quite level. On this lay down 2 or 3 laths, so that the necksof the first layer of bottles may rest on them, and at the same time be quite level. They are usually placed in rows two deep, and in laying them down, be careful the shoulders of one row do not touch those of the opposite one, or they will break from the pressure. Be sure that the bottom rows are perfectly secure, as upon these depends the safety of the whole pile. Upon the first layers of bottles place a lath, to support the necks of those in the second row, the bottoms of which should rest on the laths placed over the necks of the first in the intervals between each bottle neck. Continue in this way until the piles are 3 or 4 ft. high.
All the bins that contain wine should be labelled, to specify the kind of wine and the date of their being bottled.
To cool wine, swathe the bottle or decanter in a wet bandage, and stand it in the full heat of the sun; when the bandage is nearly dry the wine will be found as cool as if iced.
Apple Wine.—Cut up 1 lb. of apples into quarters, add ½ lb. sugar, and then pour over them ½ gal. boiling water. Let it get cold, and then pulp the apples. Pour the fluid over the pulp, let it stand an hour, and then strain. This forms an agreeable drink, the acid of the apple blending with the sweet of the sugar pleasantly, so as to be grateful to a parched palate.
Apricot Wine.—Boil 10 gal. river water ½ hour, and set it to cool in a clean vessel. Cut 45 lb. ripe apricots into thick slices, and put them, with their juice, into the water, adding 25 lb. best loaf sugar, and stir them well; then cover the vessel closely, and let them steep until the day following. Boil the liquor and fruit together, stir in the whites of 8 eggs well beaten, and take off the scum as it rises. When the liquor is clear, and the fruit is reduced to a pulp, press, and strain it through a fine sieve, into a cooler, add the stones broken, and stir well. Spread good yeast on both sides of a toast, and when the liquor is at its proper warmth, work it well 2 days, and strain it through a jelly-bag into the cask, put on the bung lightly, and let it work over, keeping the cask full, and when it has done fermenting, add to it 2 qt. French brandy, and 2 oz. white sugar-candy. Then put in the bung, and secure it well, keep it 12 months, and then bottle it. It must remain in bottle a year or more, for it is a very rich wine, and will improve greatly by age.
Badminton.—(a) 1 bot. vin ordinaire, 2 bot. soda water, 1 small glass pale brandy; add lemon peel, sugar, and ice.
(b) 1 bot. light claret, 1 or 1½ glass sherry, 1 bot. soda water, crushed sugar to taste.
(c) Put the parings of half a cucumber in a cup with white sugar; pour on 1 bot. claret, and let stand ½ hour in ice; add 1 bot. soda water.
Balm Wine.—Into 8 gal. water put 20 lb. moist sugar; boil for 2 hours, skimming thoroughly; then pour into a tub to cool; place 2½ lb. balm tops, bruised, into a barrel with a little new yeast; when the liquor is cold, pour it on the balm; stir it well together, and let it stand 24 hours, stirring it frequently; then close it up tightly at first, and more securely after fermentation has quite ceased; when it has stood 2 months, bottle off, putting a lump of sugar into each bottle; cork down well, and keep in bottle at least a year.
Barley Water.—Wash the barley well, add a few strips of lemon-peel, very thin, and pour on the water boiling. The juice of the lemon should be squeezed in fresh just before it is served. Robinson’s patent barley is best (see p.775).
Beetroot Beer.—Having well cleansed and scraped the roots, removing the discoloured portion near the set of the leaves, cut them into pieces of an inch or so in thickness, fill the copper with them, and then put in as much water as will just cover them. Boil for about 5 hours, place them lightly in a wicker basket or sieve to drain, but do not put any pressure upon them. Then put the liquor back into the boiler, and to every 7 pails liquor put 3 lb. hops; boil together for 2 hours, and then strain through the sieve. When cool work it with yeast, the same as other beer. The scum whichrises should be removed before casking. Beetroot may be substituted for malt if deprived of the greater part of its juice by pressure, then dried and treated in the same manner as the grain intended for brewing. The beer made from beetroot has been found perfectly wholesome and palatable, and little inferior to that prepared from malt.
Bilberry Wine.—The fruit should be picked on a very dry day, when it is quite ripe. The leaves and stalks must be carefully removed from the berries and the fruit, then weighed. To 4 gal. fruit allow either 6 gal. cold water or 3 gal. water and 3 of cider, and 10 lb. good moist sugar; let all these ingredients ferment in an open tub until working is over; then add ½ gal. brandy, a handful of lavender and rosemary leaves mixed, 2 oz. powdered ginger, and 2 oz. powdered tartar; let the liquor rest after this addition for 48 hours, then strain very carefully through a hair sieve into a perfectly clean cask, laying the bung lightly on the bung-hole until the working is quite over, and no hissing sound is heard; then close down quite tightly, and bottle off at the end of 3 months; keep 6-8 months in bottle before use.
Birch Wine.—(a) Take 11 gal. of the sap of a healthy birch tree, fresh as you can get it, boil it gently as long as any scum rises, which must be carefully taken off to avoid wasting it. Add to the clear liquor 25 lb. best loaf sugar, boil it again 20 minutes with the whites of 10 eggs beaten to a froth, and skim frequently until it is beautifully bright. Set it in a clean vessel to cool, and when at 96° F. put into it a toast well spread on both sides with thick fresh ale yeast, and keep it closely covered up, 6 or 7 days, stirring daily. Rinse a sweet 10 gal. cask with a pint of old raisin wine, filter the liquor into it, add the thin yellow rinds of 2 lemons and 3 Seville oranges, and 3 qt. French brandy, put in the bung, and secure it with paper and sand. Set it in a cool cellar, and bottle it in 2 years; fasten the corks down with wire, and seal with wax. A year later it will be in perfection.
(b) Boil 9 gal. healthy birch sap with 2 lb. clarified honey ½ hour, skimming it well. Beat 9 whites of eggs up with ½ oz. isinglass, dissolved in a cupful of cold water, and put in 20 lb. loaf sugar broken small. Mix this well with the liquor when cool, and boil it ½ hour longer, skimming and stirring until it is quite clear. Put it into a tub, and when milk warm stir well into it ¼ pint of strong yeast; let it work 3 days in the tub, then put it into your cask, add the rinds of 6 lemons and 2 lb. best raisins, and keep the bung out until the fermentation has ceased. Put to the wine a bottle of old Madeira and 1 qt. the best brandy; stop the cask up safely, and let it stand 6 months. Draw off the wine into a clean vessel as long as it runs clear, then filter the dregs through 3 folds of flannel, and put all back again into the same cask; fasten the bung in well, and put clay over it. In 6 months you may bottle it; seal and wire the corks to prevent accidents, for it is a lively wine, and should be kept in a cool cellar. When it has been bottled 6 months it will be fit for use.
Bishop.—Make several incisions in the rind of a lemon; stick cloves in the holes and roast the lemon at a slow fire. Put small but equal quantities of cinnamon, cloves, mace, and allspice into a saucepan, with ½ pint of water; let it boil until it is reduced one-half. Boil a bottle of port wine; burn a portion of the spirit out of it by applying a lighted paper to the saucepan. Put the roasted lemon and spice into the wine; stir it up well, and let it stand near the fire 10 minutes. Rub a few knobs of sugar to taste on the rind of a lemon, put the sugar into a bowl or jug, with the juice of half a lemon (not roasted), pour the wine into it, grate some nutmeg into it, sweeten it to your taste, and serve it up with the lemon and spice floating in it. Oranges are sometimes introduced instead of lemons.
Blackberry Wine.—Mix 45 qt. ripe blackberries, well picked and pressed, with 10 lb. good honey, and 26 lb. strong, bright, moist sugar; boil it with 12 gal. soft water and the whites of 12 eggs, well beaten, until it is reduced to 10 gal., skimming it until perfectly clear. Strain it into a tub, and let it stand until the next day, then pour it clearoff the lees, and boil it again ¾ hour, adding the lees filtered twice, and 2 oz. isinglass dissolved in 1 qt. water. Skim well, and put in 2 oz. Jamaica pepper, cloves, and best ginger, all bruised, and tied loosely in a piece of muslin. Put into your cooler the thin rinds of 6 Seville oranges and 1 pint lemon juice; strain the liquor upon them, stir well, and when cool enough, work it with 1 pint fresh yeast stirred well into 1 gal. of the liquor. Cover it up close, and let it work 5 or 6 days, taking off the top scum and stirring twice daily; then strain, and filter it into the cask, put on the bung lightly, keep the cask well filled up, and when it has ceased fermenting, let a day elapse, and add 2 qt. French brandy, and 1½ oz. isinglass, dissolved in a little water, and mix with 1 gal. of the wine 10 minutes, 1 oz. bitter almonds blanched and slit, and 6 oz. sugar candy broken small. Stop up the bung, paste strong white paper over it, or coarse linen, and place plenty of sand over all, wetted a little. Keep it 2 years in a cool cellar, then bottle it; seal the corks, and keep in bottle 2 years; then use it. If allowed greater age, it will still improve.
Bucellas.—Press the pulp and juice out of 30 lb. Lisbon grapes, add 6 gal. cold soft water that has been well boiled; stir well, and covering the vessel close, let it stand 24 hours; add 30 lb. bright, strong, moist sugar, stir well until it is dissolved, and in 3 days more strain the liquor into your cask upon the thin rinds of 8 lemons and 1 oz. bitter almonds, blanched, and beaten with a spoonful of water in a stone mortar. When you have filled the cask, cover the bung-hole with a tile, and let the liquor work over; when it has ceased fermenting, pour in 3 pints French brandy and 4 oz. sugar candy, and stop it up for a year; then bottle it, seal the corks, and keep it 12 months.
Burgundy Cup.—(a) 1 bot. ordinary Burgundy, ½ gill ordinary brandy; 4 fresh black currant leaves or buds, steeped in the brandy 2 hours; sweeten with 1 oz. powdered sugar candy; when all well blended, strain the leaves; add bottle of aerated lemonade, and, just before serving, 1 lb. ice, in small lumps.
(b) Peel and juice of 2 lemons; 1 qt. seltzer water; 2 bot. Burgundy; sugar to taste; when well iced, draw out the peel and serve.
Buttered Jack.—Take a brass pan, put in ½ lb. lump sugar, 1 glass sherry, and 1 lb. fresh butter to melt; beat up 6 fresh eggs well with a little sherry, and having moderately cooled the pan with 2 bot. light dinner sherry, add the eggs while gently stirring, and place on the hob till quite hot, taking care not to let it boil; sweeten to taste. The pan must not be too hot when pouring in the eggs, or they will curdle.
Cardinal.—The same as Bishop. Substitute claret for port wine.
Chablis Cup.—(a) Dissolve 5 lumps sugar in 1 pint boiling water; add a little thin lemon peel; when cool, add wineglass of dry sherry, 1 bot. Chablis, and 1 lb. ice.
(b) Put 1 bot. Chablis and a liqueur glass of chartreuse, maraschino, or noyeau, into a jug embedded in ice; add a lump of ice; immediately before serving add a bottle of seltzer water.
Champagne Cup.—(a) 1 qt. bot. champagne, 2 bot. soda water, 1 liqueur glass of brandy or curaçao, 2 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar, 1 lb. pounded ice, and a sprig of green borage.
(b) 1 bot. champagne (iced); 1 gill Amontillado; liqueur glass of citronelle or maraschino; juice and paring of a Seville orange or lemon, rubbed on sugar; verbena and cucumber; sugar to taste; 1 bot. seltzer water.
(c) 1 bot. sparkling champagne (iced), 1 bot. soda water (iced), 2 oz. powdered loaf sugar, sprig of borage and balm, juice and thin peel of one lemon; pour the champagne on the lemon, sugar, and herbs; cover the vessel, which is in ice, till the sugar is dissolved; add the soda water.
Cherry Brandy.—(a) Take ripe black geans (Scotch wild cherries); pick off the stalks, and pick over the fruit as for a tart, but do not wash them. Half fill large wide-mouthed bottles with layers of fruit and pounded white sugar, weight for weight; fillup with good French brandy; cork well, and the longer it stands the finer it is. Bruise a few of the fruit, so as to crack the stones. It is useless to attempt to make good liqueurs with anything but French brandy, and that of the best. If you cannot procure black geans, use fine Morella cherries, each of which must be wiped and pricked with a bone stiletto or knitting needle. In this case the cherries are a good dessert dish.
(b) Get the largest Morella cherries, cut off half the stalk, pricking each cherry with a needle, and putting them into a wide-mouthed bottle. Add ¾ of the weight of the cherries in white candy sugar bruised, between the layers of the cherries, until full; add a gill of noyeau, and then fill up with French brandy; cork tight, and tie a bladder over the bottle.
(c) Having cut off half the stalks of some Morella cherries, put them very gently in and ¾ fill a wide-mouthed glass bottle that contains 1 qt. Add 4 oz. white sugar candy finely powdered, fill close up with the best brandy, adding one clove, 2 dr. dried Seville orange peel, and 1 dr. cinnamon. The three last ingredients to be taken out in 14 days; then fill up the vacant space with brandy, and cork carefully.
Cider.—Bottling.—Cider or perry, when bottled in hot weather, should be left a day or two uncorked, that it may get flat; but if too flat in the cask, and soon wanted for use, put into each bottle a small lump or two of sugar candy, or four or five raisins. Cider should be well corked and waxed, and the bottles put upright in a cool place.
Restoring Flavour.—(a) Cider, 1 hhd.; rum, weak flavoured, 2 gal.; alum, dissolved, 1 lb.; honey, or coarse sugar, 15 lb.; bitter almonds, ½ lb.; cloves, ½ lb. Mix, and after a few days fine it down with isinglass.
(b) To fine and improve the flavour of 1 hhd., take ½ oz. cochineal, 1 lb. alum, and 3 lb. sugar candy; bruise them all well in a mortar, and infuse them in 1 gal. good French brandy for a day or two; then mix the whole with the cider and stop it close for 5 or 6 months. After which, if fine, bottle it off.
Cider Cup.—(a) 1 bot. cider, 1 bot. soda water, 2 glasses sherry, powdered sugar, sprig of borage.
(b) 2 bot. sparkling cider, ½ gill curaçao, ½ gill brown brandy, ¼ lb. sugar; the juice, strained, and the peel of one lemon, rubbed on sugar; slice of cucumber; pour ½ pint boiling water on the sugar; when dissolved and cool, add the brandy, cucumber, liqueur, and juice; in a few minutes add the cider and 1 qt. shaven ice; use immediately.
(c) Grate into a cup some nutmeg and a little ginger; add a well-browned toast, a glass or two of sherry, sugar to taste; add a bottle of cider, poured on slowly. It may be drunk at once.
Claret Cup.—(a) 1 bot. claret, 1 bot. soda water, ½ lb. pounded ice, 4 tablespoonfuls powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoonful grated nutmeg, 1 liqueur glass maraschino, and a sprig of green borage.
(b) To 1 bot. ordinary claret add 1 bot. soda water, a glass of sherry or curaçao, the peel of a lemon cut very thin, powdered sugar according to taste. Let the whole remain an hour or two before serving, and then add some lumps of clear ice.
(c) To (b) add a few slices of cucumber, or some sprigs of borage instead of the cucumber.
(d) As (b), except the lemon peel, for which substitute, when in season, a pint of ripe raspberries or 4 or 5 peaches or nectarines, cut in slices.
(e) 2 bot. claret, 1 of sparkling champagne, wine glass of maraschino or citronelle; borage, balm, and sugar to the flavour required; ice well, and before serving add 2 bot. seltzer water.
(f) 2 bot. claret, 1 pint dry sherry, ½ gill brandy, 1 bot. champagne (iced); ½ gillnoyeau; infuse some borage and balm leaves in the sherry; when sufficiently herbed, strain; add this to the claret, sweeten to taste, add the noyeau and spirit, ice up; just before serving, add 2 bot. iced potash water, 1 pint shaven ice, and the champagne; serve immediately.
(g) Peel one lemon fine, cover with pounded sugar, pour over a glass of sherry; add 1 bot. claret, sprig of verbena, and bottle of iced soda water.
Clary Wine.—Mix 9 gal. cold soft water with 6 lb. honey, 30 lb. best loaf sugar, and the whites of 12 eggs beaten to a froth; boil 1½ hour, skimming and stirring nearly the whole time. Put the liquor into a cooler, and add 14 qt. clary tops in flower; work it at the proper temperature with good fresh ale yeast, keeping it closely covered, and stirred well. Pick, stone, and cut in pieces, 14 lb. good Malaga raisins, pour on them 3 gal. lukewarm water, that has been well boiled; stir well, and let steep 5 days; then press the fruit in a hair bag, strain the liquor, and put it into a sweet 10 gal. cask; strain the liquor from the flowers, add to it the rinds of 10 lemons pared thin, and their juice strained, and put this into the cask, filling up, and keep it open 3 or 4 days, until the fermentation has entirely ceased. Then add 2 qt. French brandy, and stop it up for 3 months, after which rack it off into a clean vessel, filter the lees, and fill the same cask again, adding 6 oz. sugar candy bruised, and 1 oz. isinglass dissolved in 2 qt. of the wine. Stop it up securely, and keep it 18 months in a cool dry cellar; then bottle it, seal the corks, and in a year more it will be fit for use.
Coltsfoot Wine.—Boil 1 gal. water with 2½ lb. moist sugar and the beaten white of an egg, for ¾ hour; pour the boiling liquor on ¼ peck of fresh-gathered coltsfoot flowers and 1 lb. raisins stoned and cut small. Cover the vessel close, and let the ingredients infuse for 3 days, stirring thrice daily; then add a tablespoonful of yeast, keep it well mixed and covered close until it has worked freely; then strain into a cask upon ½ oz. best bruised ginger and the rind of half a Seville orange; let it remain open, covering the bung-hole with a tile until it has ceased fermenting; add a gill of French brandy, stop it up securely, and keep it for 12 months, then bottle it and use it 6 months later.
Corn Beer.—5 gal. water, 2 qt. molasses, 1 qt. sound corn. Put all into a keg and shake well; in a few days fermentation will have been brought on as nicely as with yeast. Keep it bunged tight. It may be flavoured with oil of lemon, &c. The corn will last five or six makings. If it gets too sour, add more molasses and water in the above proportions. This drink is cheap, healthy, and there is no better with yeast.
Cottage Beer.-½ pint good wheat bran, 3 handfuls hops, 2 tablespoons yeast, 10 gal. water, 2 qt. molasses. Boil bran and hops in the water until both sink to the bottom; strain through a hair sieve; when lukewarm put in the molasses and stir till it is melted. Put in a cask; bung up, and it will be ready for use in a few days.
Cowslip Syrup.—Take of fresh cowslip flowers, 12 oz.; boiling water, 1 pint: infuse for 24 hours, strain, and then add ½ lb. white sugar; boil it gently until it attains the consistence of a syrup. The cowslip was at one time very highly celebrated for its narcotic virtues; and cowslip water and infusion of cowslip have been much recommended. The infusion is made in the following manner: ½ oz. dried cowslip flowers, or 1 oz. fresh, must be put to stand in a close vessel with 1½ pints boiling water for ½ hour, when it may be drunk in the same manner as tea.
Cowslip Wine.—(a) To 2 gal. water add 2½ lb. powdered sugar; boil them ½ hour, and take off the scum as it rises; then pour it into a tub to cool with the rinds of 2 lemons; when cold add 4 qt. cowslip flowers to the liquor with the juice of 2 lemons. Let it stand in the tub 2 days, stirring it every 2 or 3 hours, and then put it in the barrel. Let it stand a month; bottle it, and put a lump of sugar into each bottle. It makes the best wine to have only the tops of the peeps.
(b) To 6 gal. water add 21 lb. lump sugar and the whites of 2 eggs; boil it (takingoff the scum as it rises) till it clears itself, which will be in about ½ hour; when nearly cold add 24 qt. cowslips, the rinds of 2 lemons, and a spoonful of brewers’ yeast spread upon toast. Let it ferment for 3 days, stirring it twice or thrice a day, and then put it into a barrel, adding 1 pint of brandy, and cork it tight. When it has done fermenting, which will be in about 3 weeks, put into the cask a syrup made of 6 lemons and 1½ lb. sugar, which has stood till cold. Let it stand 4 months, when you may bottle it for use. Take out the rinds of the lemons before you put it into the cask.
Cream Mead.—A very agreeable drink may be prepared for convalescents as follows:—Dissolve 3 lb. white sugar in ½ gal. boiling water, and while cold add 3 oz. tartaric acid previously dissolved in 1 pint cold water. Now add the whites of 3 eggs well beaten; flavour to taste, and bottle. When it is to be used, stir in a few grains of soda bicarbonate, and a delicious effervescing drink is the result.
Currant Wine.—Gather the currants on a fine day, and, when they are fully ripe, pick them from the stalks, and squeeze out all the juice through a clean muslin bag. To 1 gal. juice put 2 of cold water, and 2 tablespoonfuls yeast. Let it work 2 days, then strain through a hair sieve, and, to 1 gal. liquor, add 3 lb. powdered sugar; stir all well together, put it into a clean cask, and to every gallon add 1 wineglassful brandy. Close the cask, and let it stand 3 months, then bottle.
Damson Wine.—Boil 10½ gal. pure river water with 32 lb. strong moist sugar, and the whites of 10 eggs well beaten, for ½ hour, skimming well; then add 32 qt. ripe prune damsons well picked from the stalks, and stoned, and boil them ½ hour longer, skimming and stirring, until the liquor is beautifully bright. Strain it off the fruit in a fine hair-sieve into your cooler, and when at the proper temperature, work it with fresh yeast, spread on a toast, 3 or 4 days. Then draw it off the sediment, put it into the cask, filter the lees, and fill up, letting it work out at the bung. When it has ceased hissing, put to it 1 qt. French brandy, and stop it up safely, pasting paper over the bung. Let it stand 6 months, then rack it off, filter the lees through flannel twice folded, and filling the cask again, add 1 oz. isinglass, dissolved in 2 qt. of the wine. Secure the bung well, and let it remain 2 years; then draw it off and bottle, sealing the corks. This being a rich wine should not be drunk until it has been bottled 2 years or more.
Dandelion Tea.—Pull up 6 or 8 dandelion roots, according to size, and cut off the leaves; well wash the roots and scrape off a little of the skin. Cut them up into small pieces and pour on 1 pint boiling water. Let them stand all night, then strain through muslin, and the tea is ready for use. It should be quite clear, and the colour of brown sherry. 1 wineglassful should be taken at a time. The decoction will not last good for more than 2-3 days, and therefore it must only be made in small quantities.
Egg Flip.—(a) Boil 3 qt. ale with a little nutmeg; beat 6 eggs and mix them with a little cold ale; then pour in some of the hot ale, and return it several times to prevent it curdling; stir it well, and add a piece of butter and a glass of brandy, with sugar, nutmeg, and ginger to taste. A few cloves are an improvement.
(b) Break 2 fresh eggs into a jug, to which add 4 teaspoonfuls sugar, a little grated nutmeg and ginger. Some put a little allspice. Beat the eggs, sugar, and spices well up with a fork. Place 1 qt. ale on the fire in a pan, and when warm pour a little of the ale into the jug, and again well beat the eggs, &c. Then pour all the ale out of the pan into the jug, and from the jug into the pan, backwards and forwards several times, until the whole is well mixed. Heat the ale again if not hot enough, and sweeten to taste. It is best drunk warm. A little rum may be added for those who like it, and more than 2 eggs put in a quart of ale if desirable—say 3 or 4. Care must be taken not to let the ale boil, or it will be spoiled.
(c) Beat 2 eggs with a little water and 1½-2 oz. sugar; add a little grated nutmeg or allspice or cloves. Boil 1 pint sound ale, and when boiling pour it on the eggs,stirring the mixture the while; pour it backwards and forwards, and if it does not become thick, put it on the fire, carefully stirring until it does so.
(d) The yolks of 8 eggs well beaten up, powdered sugar, and a grated nutmeg; extract the juice from the rind of a lemon by rubbing loaf sugar upon it; put the sugar, a piece of cinnamon, and 1 qt. strong beer into a saucepan, take it off the fire when boiling, pour into it 1 glass cold beer, or a glass of gin if agreeable; put it into a jug, and pour it gradually among the yolks of the eggs, &c., stirring all the time; add sugar if required. Pour the mixture as swiftly as possible from one vessel to the other till a white froth is obtained.
Elderberry Wine.—(a) Gather your elderberries when quite ripe, bake them in an oven prepared for bread, then strain the juice; for every quart of juice take 1 gal. water, and boil in it ½ lb. moist sugar for 1 hour, skimming it carefully, and adding more water to make up for the evaporation, so as to leave at the end 1 gal. syrup. When cool, add the juice, spread a toast thickly with yeast, put it in, and let it ferment for a week in an open vessel; then pour it into a cask, with 1 lb. raisins, and 1 oz. each sugar and allspice. Let it stand 3 months, strain and bottle, adding ½ pint brandy at the last moment.
(b) To 3 qt. of berries put 1 gal. water; boil the berries for 15 minutes, then strain; boil not quite 3 lb. of sugar to the gallon for 45 minutes; and then add some ginger and cloves according to taste.
Elder-flower Wine.—To 1 gal. water put 4 lb. white sugar, ½ pint elder flowerslooselypacked, and one tablespoonful of yeast. Mix and put all in a barrel, stirring the whole every morning for a week; then stop it up close, and it will be ready to bottle in 6 weeks.
Ginger Beer.—(a) 1¼ lb. lump sugar, ¾ oz. ginger well pounded, the peel of 1 lemon cut very thin; put them into a pitcher, then add 11 pints boiling water; stir the whole, then cover it up. When cooled till only milk warm, put 2 spoonfuls of yeast on a piece of toast, hot from the fire; add the juice of the lemon. Let work 12 hours; strain through muslin and bottle. Will be fit to drink in 4 days.
(b) 2 lb. loaf sugar, 2 oz. bruised ginger, 1 lemon; put all together and pour 2 gal. boiling water on it; let stand one day, then strain, and put 2 spoonfuls of yeast to it; bottle.
(c) To 10 gal. water put 12 lb. sugar, 6 oz. bruised ginger (unbleached is the best). Boil 1 hour, put into a barrel with 1 oz. hops and 3 or 4 spoonfuls of yeast. Let stand 3 days; then close the barrel, putting in 1 oz. isinglass. In a week it is fit for use. Draw out in a jug and use as beer.
(d) The rinds of 3 lemons pared very thin, 1½ oz. cream of tartar, ¼ lb. ginger (bruised), 3½ lb. loaf sugar, 2½ gal. boiling water. Let all stand till milk warm; then add a dessertspoonful of yeast. Let remain all night, then strain off, and add ½ pint brandy. Bottle in very clean half-pint glass bottles, and tie down the corks. It will be ready for drinking in a week’s time. Lemon juice may be added, if desired.
(e) 18 gal. water, 24 lb. sugar, 24 lemons, whites of 18 eggs, 2 lb. ginger, 1 oz. isinglass, 3 tablespoonfuls yeast. Boil the water and sugar, add the whites of eggs; when coming to the boil, add the ginger; boil for ½ hour, then add the lemon peel and juice; boil for 10 minutes, strain into a tub, add the isinglass; when nearly cold, add the yeast; when done fermenting, close up. Let stand for a fortnight, then bottle.
(f) Put 4 lb. loaf sugar in a crock, also 6 lemons (sliced), 5 oz. cream of tartar, 4 oz. ground ginger, 24 cloves in a small bag; pour on the above 4 gal. boiling water; cover up close. When nearly cold, whisk in the whites of 3 eggs, then add 3 tablespoonful a good yeast on a slice of toast; ferment 24 hours, then strain and skim and bottle off. Lay the bottles on their sides for 24 hours.
(g) White sugar, 5 lb.; the juice and peel of 3 or 4 lemons; ginger (bruised), 5 oz.; Water, 4½ gal. Boil the ginger in 1 gal. of the water for ½ hour, with the peels of thelemon, then add the sugar, and lemon juice, with the remainder of the water at a boiling heat, and strain through a cloth; when cold, add the quarter of the white of an egg, beaten up with a small quantity of the liquid. Let the whole stand 4 days, and bottle. Will keep good many months.
(h) Crush 12 oz. best ginger, and put it in a large tub; boil 8 gal. water and pour thereon; add 5 lb. best white sugar, 1 oz. cream of tartar, and 1 oz. tartaric acid; stir the whole up with a stick till the sugar is dissolved; allow it to stand till milk warm, then add 1 gill brewers’ yeast; stir this in, let it stand for 12 hours, or until a scum forms on the top, then drain it off; clear by means of a tap about an inch from the bottom of the tub; whisk the white of an egg to a froth, and mix it with a teaspoonful of the essence of lemon; strain through a flannel cloth; bottle and tie down.
(i) 5 gal. water, ½ oz. tartaric acid, 4 lemons, sliced thin, 12 oz. ginger, ¾ oz. cream tartar, whites of 2 eggs, ½ oz. compressed yeast, 5 lb. sugar. Proceed as (h).
(j) 8 gal. boiling water, 5 lb. best white sugar, ½ oz. cream tartar, white of egg beaten to a froth, ½ lb. best ginger, 2 oz. tartaric acid, 1 teaspoonful essence lemon, 1 gill brewers’ yeast. Leave to work 24 hours before bottling.
Ginger Brandy.—1 lb. raisins, the rind of one lemon, and ¾ oz. bruised ginger. Steep them in 1 qt. best French brandy, strain, and add 1 lb. powdered loaf sugar.
Ginger Wine.—(a) Boil together 3 gal. water and 10 lb. loaf sugar; then turn it out to cool, except 1 qt., in which boil for ½ hour the thin rind of 3 large lemons and 1 Seville orange, with 4 oz. pounded ginger, and 4 oz. raisins; when nearly cold, mix all together, adding the juice of the orange and lemons, 1 oz. isinglass, and 2 tablespoonfuls yeast; put into a cask, and stir daily for 2 days, or till the fermentation ceases; then close, and leave for 6 weeks; rack carefully into a clean cask, and leave for another month; then bottle. If required to be strong, you must add (after the fermentation ceases) 1 bot. brandy.
(b) 4 gal. water, 7 lb. sugar, boil ½ hour, skimming frequently; when the liquor is cold, squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons; then boil the peels with 2 oz. white ginger in 3 pints water, 1 hour; when cold put all into the cask, with 1 gill finings and 3 lb. Malaga raisins; bung; let it stand 2 months, then bottle. March is considered the proper time to make it, and it would be better if you were to add a little brandy to each bottle.
(c) To 7 gal. water put 19 lb. sugar, and boil it for ½ hour, removing the scum as it rises; then take a small quantity of the liquor, and add to it 9 oz. best ginger bruised. Put it all together, and when nearly cold, chop 9 lb. raisins very small, and put them into a 9 gal. cask; slice 4 lemons into the cask, after taking out the seeds, and pour the liquor over them, with ½ pint fresh yeast. Leave it unstopped for 3 weeks, keeping it filled up, and in about 6 or 9 weeks it will be fit for bottling.
(d) To 37 qt. water add 1¼ lb. best white ginger, well bruised, 27 lb. sugar, loaf or moist, and the rinds of 12 lemons thinly pared; boil together 1 hour, taking off the scum as it rises in the copper. Strain off when cool, ferment it with 2 tablespoonfuls of yeast and let remain until next morning, then put it into the cask with the rinds and the juice of the lemons (observe to strain the juice first), the ginger, and 3 lb. good raisins broken open. Stir once a day for 10 days, then add 1 oz. isinglass. Care must be taken not to bung the cask quite close until the fermentation has ceased; bottle in 6 or 8 weeks, and use. The rinds of the lemons are to be boiled, butnotthe juice: that is to be put into the caskwithouthaving been boiled.
Gin Sling.—Take a large tumbler or silver tankard, put into it a liqueur glass of maraschino of noyeau or of plain syrup (made by dissolving in spring water as much pounded loaf sugar as it will possibly take up). Half fill the tankard with little blocks of ice, and put in a thin paring of the outer yellow skin of a lemon. Then add a sufficient quantity of unsweetened gin to suit the taste. Now empty into the tumbler the contents of a bottle of soda water, and stir well up with a tablespoon to amalgamate the whole. A sprig of borage with one blue flower may be added.
Gooseberry Wine.—(a) To 1 lb. gooseberries, when picked and bruised, put 1 qt. fresh cold spring water; let stand 3 days, stirring two or three times a day. To 1 gal. juice put 3 lb. loaf sugar in a barrel, and when it has done working, to every 20 qt. of liquor put 1 qt. brandy and a little isinglass. The gooseberries should be picked when they are just changing colour, and may be of any sort or kind. It should stand in the barrel 6 months. Taste frequently, and bottle when the sweetness is sufficiently gone off.
(b) To 10 gal. cold water take 10 gal. unripe large gooseberries, cut them in halves, and throw them into the water; let them lie 4 or 5 days, frequently stirring; strain off the liquor, and add 30 lb. white sugar; dissolve the sugar, strain the whole into a cask. It will probably remain in a state of fermentation for 2 months; when that has subsided, bottle.
Greengage Wine.—Take 40 qt. ripe greengage plums, stone them, and press the fruit in a tub; pour 10 gal. boiling water on, and let them lie till the following day. Boil them with the liquor and 25 lb. of good loaf sugar, ½ hour, skimming well, then add the whites of 8 eggs well beaten, and boil 20 minutes longer, skimming until the liquor is quite clear. Break the stones, put the shells and kernels into the cooler, strain the liquor through a sieve upon them hot, cover close, and when properly cooled, add a toast well covered with thick fresh yeast, and let it ferment 4 or 5 days, stirring it twice each day. Let it settle, take off the scum, and put the clear liquor into the cask, upon 6 oz. of white sugar candy, the thin rinds of 4 Seville oranges and 4 lemons, and 6 lb. of Smyrna raisins stoned and cut in pieces. Filter the lees and add them to the rest, filling the cask; put paper and a tile over the bung-hole, and let it work out. When fermentation has ceased, add 3 pints of French brandy, and stop it up securely for 12 months; then rack it off, filter the lees, and fill the cask again, adding 1 oz. of best isinglass dissolved, and 4 or 5 oz. of white sugar candy bruised. Secure the bung well.
Hop Beer.—4 lb. sugar, water q.s., 6 oz. hops, 4 oz. ginger, bruised. Boil the hops for 3 hours with 5 qt. water, then strain; add 5 more qt. water and the ginger; boil a little longer, again strain, add the sugar, and when lukewarm add 1 pint yeast. After 24 hours it will be ready for bottling.
Horehound Beer.—To make 6 gal., make an infusion of 1½ oz. quassia with a dozen sprigs of horehound; boil with part of this liquid 24 cayenne pods for 20 minutes, then add 6 fl. oz. lime juice and 1½ oz. licorice (dissolved in cold water); strain the mixture and put with it 6 gal. cold water, with 2 lb. brown sugar, colouring with burnt sugar; allow the whole to work 4 days. Now take 2 qt. of it, warm it rather warmer than new milk, mix with this 8 tablespoonfuls good brewers’ yeast, and stand in a warm place till in a brisk state of fermentation; mix it with the rest of the liquor, and in a few hours it will be all in full work. Give it a stir twice a day for the first two days to promote fermentation; keep it from contact with cold air for the following two days, and skim the top off as it gets yeasty. The beer must be now drawn off as clear as possible into a clean vessel by passing it through a filtering bag. Clean the tub well, and return the liquid to it, and add ½ dr. pure dissolved isinglass; stir the whole well together, and put a cloth over the tub, and also a lid on it, to exclude the air as much as possible; in 30 hours the beer may be bottled off. In summer this will be ripe and fit to drink in 8 days. A superior quality may be made by putting a small piece of sugar into each bottle just before corking.