1922 Home-Made Beverages and American Drinks by M E Steedman

30 Home-made Beverages.

Curasao. Put 4 oz. thinly pared orange rind into a jar, pour over it 3 gills of boiling water, and when cold add2quarts of brandyand infuse fora fort night, shaking the jar daily. Boil one and a half poundsof purecanesugarand3gillsof water to a thick syrup, add the filtered brandy and a few drops of yellow colouring if necessary, then store in airtight bottles. Currant Brandy. Infuse4lb. of red or white currants, 6 cloves, 2 inches of bruised cinnamon, and 3 lb. of crushed sugar candy in 3 quarts of good brandy for a month,then filter, and bottle. Currant Champagne. Boil 3 gallons of water and 8 lb. of pure cane sugar together for ten minutes, skimming when necessary. Then pour into a tub over 2 quarts of bruised and stripped white currants and the same quantity of red ones. Stir well and when lukewarm add a gill of good yeast. Cover over, and leave the wine for two or three days, then strain into a cask and when the fermentation is ended, add an ounce of dissolved isinglass. Bung tightly and leave for 8 months before bottling. Currant Ratafia. Bruise 5 pints of sound ripe red or white currants, and put them into a jar with an inch of bruised cinnamon,2oz. blanched and pounded bitter almonds, 3 lb. crushed sugar candy, a blade of mace, and a gallon of good brandy. Cover the jar tightly and infuse for three months, then filter and bottle. Currant Shrub. Well bruise 8 lb. of white currants, strew over them 8oz.cane castor sugar and leave until next day, then strain the juice, measure it, and put it into a jar with a pint of good old Jamaica rum, and 6 oz. crushed sugar candy to every pint of juice. Let it stand for two days, then filterinto bottlesand cork and sealthem securely. Currant Syrup. See recipe for Cranberry Syrup.