1939 The Gentleman's Companion volume II Beeing an Exotic Drinking Book

THE EXOTIC DRINKING BOOK

and let stand for 4 weeks, then mash up fruit thoroughly but in this case don't break any seeds.... Strain through a thick jelly cloth, or folded cloth. Sweeten with gomme syrup to taste. Bottle tightly and stand another 4 weeks before sampling. AN OLD ENGLISH CHERRY BRANDY RECEIPT, that AF– FoRDs a SPICED & DELICIOUS LIQUEUR as FINELY FLAVOURED as any of the BEST IMPORTED AFFAIRS, & FAR KINDER to the CHEQUEBOOK; from BoxMooR, HERTFORDSHIRE, in 1932 Take 6 lbs of wild, or other small black cherries-but never the red "pie cherry" variety, please, and after washing them with clipped stems on add to 2 lbs of ripe fresh strawberries. Add 2 to 3 lbs of sugar, l doz whole cloves, l tsp cinnamon-or 2 whole sticks-2 tsp of nutmeg, a bunch of fresh green mint tips. Put fruit and spices in a small wood cask and bruise slightly with a wooden stick. Add 6 qts of brandy and let stand with bung very slightly open for IO days-or until fermentation has stopped. Now sipltoo off the liquid, filter into a clean container. Empty out keg and scald-then refill with the fluid, driving in the bung. It is cricket to star _sampling in 60 days. . . . A few cracked cherry pits are also suggested to add their characteristic bitter taste, and which were not suggested in the Cherry Bounce just noted. A fairly good average of sugar is to allow a scant Yz cup of sugar to each pound of fruit. Smaller amounts require their relative proportions. VICOMTE de MAUDUIT'S ROSE LIQUEUR BRANDY If there is a more charming, instructive and altogether delightful book on food and drink than Vicomte de Mauduit's The V icomte in the Kitchen, it doe not stand on our shelves. Possessing, as we do, every book in English and many translations, dealing with foods, and many dealing with spirits aµd wines, the issue we take with amateurs usually is their opinionatedness on the one hand, and their lack of travel-except in Western Europe-on the other. Their volumes are • 155 •