1919 Home made beverages

Wines and Wine Making

every 4J^ gal. of wine allow 1 bottle of brandy. Boil the sugar and water together for J^ hour, carefully re- moving all the scum as it rises. Pour this boiling liquor on the orange and lemon rinds, and the juice, which should be strained; when milk-warm add the cowslip pips or flowers, picked from the stalks and seeds; and to 9 gal. of wine 3 tablespoonfuls of good fresh brewer's yeast. Let it ferment 3 or 4 days, then put all together in a cask with the brandy and let it remain for 2 months, when bottle it off for use. To be boiled J^ hour; to fer- ment 3 or 4 days; to remain in the cask 2 months. Make this in April or May. 2. — Four qt. of cowslip flowers, 4 qt. of water, 3 lb. of loaf sugar, the finely grated rind and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, 2 tablespoonfuls of brewer's yeast, or J4 oz. of compressed yeast moistened with water. Boil the sugar and water together for }4 hour, skimming when neces- sary, and pour, quite boiling, over the rinds and strained juice of the orange and lemon. Let it cool, then stir in the yeast and cowslip flowers, cover with a cloth, and allow it to remain undisturbed for 48 hours. Turn the whole into a clean dry cask, add the brandy, bung closely, let it remain thus for 8 weeks, then draw it off into bottles. Cork securely, store in a cool, dry place for 3 or 4 weeks, and it will then be ready for use. Currant Wine. — Squeeze the currants through a coarse bag; have equal parts of water and juice or 1-3 water, as taste may direct, and add 3 lb. of loaf sugar to each gallon of the mixture; mix well and bottle in stone jugs or demijohns; treat same way as blackberry wine — par- tially cork and keep in a cool place. Some keep a bottle of the mixture to fill up the vessels as they effer- vesce, but it is not always necessary. Bottle in October, when fermentation ceases; this make a beautiful and delicious wine and improves with age. Red. — Ripe red currants. To each gallon of fruit al- low 1}4 gal. of cold water and 5 lb. either loaf sugar or good preserving sugar and K pt- of good brandy (if you 179