1919 Home made beverages

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Beverages

Alcoholic

Allow to every pint of juice lJ-£ pt. of water, and to every gallon of the mixed water and juice 3 lb. of good moist sugar. Put it over the fire in a large saucepan, and when it is ready to boil clarify it with the whites of 4 eggs. Let it boil for an hour, and when nearly cold put in some yeast to work it; pour it into the cask, reserving some of the liquor to fill up the cask with, as it sinks with working. If you have about 10 gal. or so, it should be fit to bottle off in 2 months' time after it has been closed down. Keep at least a year in bottle. 2. — Gather the berries when quite ripe, and in dry weather. Pick them clean; put them into a copper with }/2 gal. of water, and keep up a slow fire until the berries sink; then strain the juice through a hair sieve, and to every gallon of it allow 3 gal. of soft water, and to every gallon of the mixed liquor 3 lb. of good moist sugar. Put back into the copper and boil for an hour, skimming thoroughly; draw off into a tube, and when it is about 70° put a toast, spread with yeast, into it, and let it work for 48 hours, or longer, if necessary; pour it, or draw it off, if you have a tap in your tub, as should be the case, into the cask which is to hold it; and if you have 18 gal. of liquor, add 1 oz. of cloves, 2 oz. of allspice, 2 oz. of Jamaica ginger, and 1 oz. of sweet almonds, all bruised. Bung very slightly until fermentation is quite over; then close down tightly and tap in 3 months. 3. — Old recipe: Put the ripe, picked-over berries into an earthen pot; put this into a copper with sufficient water to come up about two-thirds of the height of the pot, which is about as far as the berries should reach in- side; be careful that no water touches them. Make a gentle fire, and keep the pot in the water till it is quite hot, then take it out. Pour the berries into a coarse cloth, strain the juice, and put it into a large saucepan; to every quart of juice allow 1 lb. of good moist sugar; let it boil, and skim well. It should boil until rather thick, then pour it into a jar. Put 60 lb. of raisins into a cask, and fill it up with water; let it stand for a fortnight; stir it well 182