Post by esther on Oct 12, 2010 18:00:20 GMT -5
Does anyone have any good reciepts for Regency-era libations? I'm thinking ahead to the Twelfth Night party that we have in January and I'd like to have some period drinks for people to enjoy. Last year we made cherry bounce and it was a big hit, but I'd like to try something new this year. We're also going to try home brewing spruce beer soon, so if anyone has a good spruce beer receipt, please share.
If anyone is curious, here the receipt I used to make cherry bounce. From Martha Washington's memorandum book, with the heading “To Make Excellent Cherry Bounce:”
“Extract the Juice of 20 pounds of well ripend Morrella Cherrys Add to this 10 quarts of Old French brandy and sweeten it with White Sugar to your taste—To 5 Gallons of this mixture add one ounce of Spice Such as Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmegs of each an Equal quantity Slightly bruis’d and a pint and half of Cherry kernels that have been gently broken in a mortar—After the liquor has fermented let it Stand Close-Stoped for a month or Six weeks—then bottle it remembering to put a lump of Loaf Sugar into each bottle.”
And my version of Martha's receipt:
Take one 2lb bag of cherries (frozen or fresh pitted) and mix with one cup of water in a saucepan. Reduce the mixture over medium heat to release the flavor for about 15 minutes. Do not boil. Put the cherry mixture into a 2 quart sealable mason jar. Add 1 bottle of French brandy, rye whiskey, or bourbon. Allow to ferment in sealed container for 3 weeks to 6 months. Strain and decant into a bottle.
I prefer to make mine with brandy. You can add cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg to taste, but I prefer mine without. You can also add some sugar to the jar, but I find that the drink is sweet enough without adding more sugar, if you boil the cherries down. I let mine ferment in a dark, dry place for about 3 months. When you are ready to strain the chereies out, save them to eat. They are delicious (and very potent) on top of vanilla ice cream.
Does anyone else have any good reciepts to share?
If anyone is curious, here the receipt I used to make cherry bounce. From Martha Washington's memorandum book, with the heading “To Make Excellent Cherry Bounce:”
“Extract the Juice of 20 pounds of well ripend Morrella Cherrys Add to this 10 quarts of Old French brandy and sweeten it with White Sugar to your taste—To 5 Gallons of this mixture add one ounce of Spice Such as Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmegs of each an Equal quantity Slightly bruis’d and a pint and half of Cherry kernels that have been gently broken in a mortar—After the liquor has fermented let it Stand Close-Stoped for a month or Six weeks—then bottle it remembering to put a lump of Loaf Sugar into each bottle.”
And my version of Martha's receipt:
Take one 2lb bag of cherries (frozen or fresh pitted) and mix with one cup of water in a saucepan. Reduce the mixture over medium heat to release the flavor for about 15 minutes. Do not boil. Put the cherry mixture into a 2 quart sealable mason jar. Add 1 bottle of French brandy, rye whiskey, or bourbon. Allow to ferment in sealed container for 3 weeks to 6 months. Strain and decant into a bottle.
I prefer to make mine with brandy. You can add cinnamon, cloves or nutmeg to taste, but I prefer mine without. You can also add some sugar to the jar, but I find that the drink is sweet enough without adding more sugar, if you boil the cherries down. I let mine ferment in a dark, dry place for about 3 months. When you are ready to strain the chereies out, save them to eat. They are delicious (and very potent) on top of vanilla ice cream.
Does anyone else have any good reciepts to share?
