essence of noyeau, 8 drops essence of cinnamon, 5 drops essence of
cloves, ½ lb. orris root (powdered), infused in ½ gal. 95 per cent.
alcohol for 15 days. Dissolve the essences in 1 gal. 95 per cent.
alcohol. Mix, put in a barrel 12 gal. 80 per cent. alcohol and add 2
gal. 95 per cent. perfumed alcohol (as described above); sugar syrup,
26 gal. at 25° B. Mix and filter.
(_e_) 3½ oz. essence of noyeau, 6 dr. essence of rose. Dissolve in ½
gal. 95 per cent. alcohol, and add 4 spoonfuls of magnesia, 1 gal.
orange-flower water, ½ lb. cinnamon (bruised) infused in ½ gal.
water, ¼ lb. cloves (bruised), infused in ¼ gal. water, 4 dr. mace
infused in alcohol, 2 lb. orris root (powdered) infused in 2 gal. 95
per cent. alcohol for 15 days. Mix 41 gal. 80 per cent. alcohol, 90
gal. syrup at 25° B., and add 4 gal. perfumed spirits, as described
above. Stir and filter as already directed.
_Molucca Balm._-½ oz. cloves, 1 dr. mace, 1 gal. clean spirit 22
u.p.; infuse for a week in a well-closed jar, frequently shaking;
colour with burnt sugar; to clear the liquor, add 4½ lb. loaf sugar
dissolved in ½ gal. pure water.
_Nectar Cordial._--1 oz. oil of bitter almonds, ½ oz. oil of orange,
½ oz. oil of cloves. Dissolve them in 1 gal. pure spirits, and add 1
gal. white-sugar syrup and 2 gal. of Teneriffe wine.
_Noyeau._--This cordial is generally drunk by ladies, and requires to
be very sweet. Take 1 oz. oil of bitter almonds, ½ oz. oil of orange,
¼ oz. oil of cinnamon. Dissolve in 2 gal. pure spirits, and add 1
gal. syrup of white sugar.
_Noyeau Ratafia._--120 peach or apricot kernels, bruised, 2 qt. proof
spirit or brandy, 1 lb. white sugar; digest for a week, press, filter.
_Orange._--As lemon, using ½ lb. fresh orange peel per gal.
_Orange Brandy._--2 oz. oil of orange, 10 drops oil of neroli, 1 lb.
essence of orange, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 4 bar. pure spirits.
_Orange Elixir._--(_a_) To 5 gal. pure spirits add ½ lb. orange
peel, ¼ lb. calamus root, ¼ lb. hops. After macerating for one week,
strain, and add 1 gal. sugar syrup, and colour with sugar colouring.
(_b_) Dissolve in 3 gal. pure spirits, 1 oz. oil of orange, ¼ oz. oil
of calamus, add 1 gal. white-sugar syrup, and colour the whole with
sugar colouring.
_Orange-flower Ratafia._--2 lb. fresh orange petals, 1 gal. proof
spirit, 2½ lb. white sugar; as clove pink; 1 dr. neroli may replace
the orange-flower.
_Orange Gin._--The rinds of 8 Seville oranges and 8 large lemons, cut
very thin, put into 1 gal. gin for 4 days. Then strain off the spirit
from the rinds. Have ready 4 lb. loaf sugar boiled in 1 pint water,
which must be thrown into the spirit boiling hot and well stirred, to
cause it to mix well together. When cool, bottle.
_Orgeat._--To milk of blanched sweet almonds, 2 lb., add 2 dr. oil of
bitter almonds, 1 dr. oil of orange, 1 gal. white-sugar syrup, ½ gal.
spirit.
_Parfait Amour._--(_a_) Macerate in 10 gal. pure spirit, 2 oz. orris
root, 4 oz. raisins, 2 oz. figs, for one week. Then dissolve ¼ oz.
oil of lemon, 1 dr. oil of cinnamon, 1 dr. oil of juniper, 1 dr.
oil of calamus, 1 dr. oil of cloves, 1 oz. oil of vanilla. Colour
by sugar colouring, and add 4 gal. white-sugar syrup: it is then
filtered through a woollen filtering-bag, and filled in bottles.
(_b_) 3 lb. sugar per gal., flavoured with yellow rind of 4 lemons,
and a teaspoonful of essence of vanilla; coloured with cochineal.
_Peach Brandy._--(_a_) 1 lb. essence of peach, 1 gal. syrup of gum
arabic, 1 oz. acetic ether, 1 oz. pineapple ether, 4 bar. pure
spirits.
(_b_) Mash 18 lb. of peaches, with their stones; macerate them for 24
hours with 4¾ gal. of 95 per cent. alcohol and 4 gal. water. Strain,
press, and filter; add 5 pints white plain syrup. Colour dark yellow
with burnt sugar colouring.
(_c_) Take 4½ oz. powdered bitter almonds, 3¼ gal. 95 per cent.
alcohol, 5¼ gal. water. Mix together, and macerate for 24 hours; then
add a strained syrup, made of 3¾ lb. sugar, 1 pint peach jelly, 2¼
oz. preserved ginger, 1 lemon cut in slices, 1 dr. grated nutmegs, 1
dr. allspice in powder, and 5 pints of water boiled for 2 minutes.
Mix the whole, and filter.
_Peppermint._--5 oz. peppermint oil, 3 pints rectified spirits of
wine, well agitated for some time in a corked bottle holding 4 pints;
empty into a 100 gal. cask, pour in 36 gal. white and flavourless
proof spirit, and agitate 10 minutes; add solution of 2¾ cwt. best
double-refined lump sugar in 35 gal. pure filtered rain-water, and
“rummage up” for 15 minutes; add sufficient clear rain-water to
make up to 100 gal., containing 5 oz. alum in solution, and again
shake for ¼ hour; then bung down and let repose a fortnight before
broaching. If at all thick, add 2 oz. salt of tartar dissolved in 1
qt. hot water, and let stand a few days.
_Peppermint Brandy._--To 40 gal. proof spirit add 4 oz. essence of
peppermint, dissolved in 95 per cent. alcohol. Colour with ½ lb.
powder of turmeric infused in 1 gal. spirit 95 per cent. Use this
infusion in such quantity as to get the proper shade.
_Peppermint Cordial._--To 1 oz. oil of peppermint dissolved in 1 gal.
pure spirit, add 1 gal. syrup of white sugar.
_Peppermint Liqueur._--1 lb. essence of peppermint, ¼ lb. sulphuric
ether, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 2 bar. pure spirit.
_Plum or Zwetschen Brandy._--(_a_) This favourite German liquor, also
called Sligowitz, is prepared from 1 lb. plum essence, ½ lb. acetic
ether, ½ lb. banana, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 4 gal. pure spirits.
(_b_) Another mode of preparing the sligowitz or plum brandy is from
prunes, which are mashed together with the kernels, and exposed to
fermentation, when it is again distilled, and produces a fine spirit.
_Provençal Ratafia._--1 lb. striped pinks, 1 qt. brandy or proof
spirit, ¾ lb. white sugar, ¾ pint strawberry juice, 20 gr. saffron;
as Clove-pink.
_Quince Ratafia._--3 qt. quince juice, 3 dr. bitter almonds, 2 dr.
cinnamon, 2 dr. coriander seeds, ½ dr. mace, 15 gr. cloves, all
bruised; ½ gal. flavourless rectified spirit; digest for a week,
filter, add 3½ lb. white sugar.
_Railroad Liqueur._--To 5 gal. pure spirits add ¼ oz. oil of
peppermint, ¼ oz. oil of absinthe, 10 drops oil of roses. Add to the
solution 1 gal. white syrup, and colour the liqueur with blue orchil.
_Raspberry Brandy._--1 lb. essence of raspberry, 1 lb. acetic acid,
1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 1 gal. raspberry juice, 4 bar. pure
spirits.
_Raspberry Cordial._--Take 5 gal. raspberry juice, 2 gal. white-sugar
syrup, and 1 gal. pure spirits.
Quince, gooseberry, strawberry, black and red currant, peach, nut,
and apple cordials, are all prepared in the same manner from their
respective juices.
_Red Ratafia._--3 qt. black cherry juice, 1 qt. strawberry juice, 1
qt. raspberry juice, 1 dr. cinnamon, 15 gr. mace, 15 gr. cloves, 2
gal. proof spirit or brandy, 7 lb. white sugar, macerate.
_Roman Punch._--This very refreshing beverage is prepared from 1 oz.
lemon juice or citric acid, ½ oz. essence of rum, dissolved in 1 gal.
pure spirit, adding ½ gal. syrup of sugar. Mix all together, and
filter.
_Rose Cordial._--To ½ oz. otto of rose add ¼ oz. oil of bitter
almonds. Dissolve in 1 gal. highest-proof alcohol, add 1 gal. syrup
of white sugar, and colour by cochineal rose colour.
_Rum Shrub._--34 gal. proof rum, 2 oz. orange oil, 2 oz. lemon
oil, dissolved in 1 qt. rectified spirit, 300 lb. good lump sugar
dissolved in 20 gal. water; mix well by “rummaging”; gradually and
cautiously add enough Seville orange juice or solution of tartaric
acid in water to produce pleasantly perceptible acidity; rummage for
15 minutes; add sufficient water to make up 100 gal.; again rummage
for ½ hour; bung loosely, and let remain for about a fortnight,
when it should be sufficiently “brilliant” for racking. It is much
improved by adding 1 oz. each of bruised bitter almonds, cloves,
and cassia, the peel of about 2 doz. oranges, and a “thread” of the
essences of ambergris and vanilla.
_Sarsaparilla Mead._--(_a_) Sarsaparilla root, contused, 1 lb.;
sassafras, 8 oz.; aniseed, 2 oz.; ginger, 2 oz.; cloves, 1 oz. Boil
for 15-20 minutes in 8 gal. water; strain and set the liquor aside
for several hours to become clear. Then decant, and transfer to a
10 gal. soda-water fountain, adding to it molasses, 3 qt.; honey,
3 pints. Complete with water the 10 gal., and charge with carbonic
acid gas. (_b_) Another way is to add to the completed mixture 1 qt.
brewer’s yeast, and when the fermentation is about half completed, to
bottle the mead in ordinary soda-water bottles.
_Shrub._--1 pint Seville orange juice, 3 pints rum or brandy, 2 lb.
white sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, strain the mixture through
a jelly-bag and bottle it.
_Sighs of Love._--(_a_) Proof spirit, flavoured with equal parts otto
of roses and capillaire.
(_b_) 6 lb. sugar, enough pure water to make 4 gal. syrup; add 1
pint eau-de-rose, 7 pints proof spirit; colour pale pink by powdered
cochineal; 1 drop essence of ambergris or vanilla improves it.
_Sloe Gin._--(_a_) To 1 gal. gin in a 2 gallon jar put 3 qt. sloes, ½
oz. bitter almonds, 2½ lb. loaf sugar, or the same quantity of sugar
candy, if preferred. Let it be well shaken twice a week for 3 months.
Then strain and bottle it, and well seal the corks. It will keep for
years, and improve whilst in bottle. (_b_) Pick the sloes free of
stalks, and let them be quite dry. Fill wine or other bottles, that
are wide enough at the mouth to admit the fruit, with them. Next put
in as much white pounded sugar as you can, then fill up with gin and
cork. Shake well every few days for 14 days. Leave for 6 months, then
strain off through a piece of muslin into clean bottles.
_Strawberry Cordial._--Take any quantity of thoroughly ripe
strawberries, pour over as much proof spirit as will cover them;
allow to stand for 24 hours; drain off and replace with the same
quantity of fresh proof spirit; allow to stand another 24 hours; now
drain off and replace with water; add fine sugar or syrup in the
proportion of 3 lb. to every gallon of the mixed liqueur; also, a
gill of orange-flower water. Filter and bottle.
_Tears of the Widow of Malabar._--As molucca balm, using ½ oz. mixed
cloves, 1 dr. shredded mace, and 1 teaspoonful essence of vanilla for
flavouring; also ¼ pint orange-flower water. Slightly colour with
burnt sugar.
_Tent._--1 qt. port wine, 1 qt. plain spirit 22 u.p., 1 pint sherry,
1 pint soft water, ¼ pint orange-flower water, ¼ pint lemon juice, 2
drops essence of ambergris, 2 lb. sugar.
_Tolu Ratafia._--1 oz. tolu balsam, 1 qt. rectified spirit, dissolve;
add 3 pints water; filter, and further add 1½ lb. white sugar.
_Vermouth._--Take of Peruvian bark ½ oz.; lemon peel, angelica
root, balm leaves, lesser centaury, of each 3 dr.; juniper berries,
coriander seeds, cinnamon, mace, of each 1½ dr.; wormwood, 1 dr.;
syrup of bitter orange peel, 4 oz.; spirits of wine, 3 oz.; dry white
wine, 3 gal.; macerate for some days and filter.
_Violet Ratafia._--3 oz. orris powder, 4 oz. litmus, 2 gal. rectified
spirit; digest 10 days, strain, add 12 lb. white sugar dissolved in 1
gal. soft water.
_Walnut Ratafia._--60 young walnuts with soft shells, pricked; 2 qt.
brandy, 15 gr. mace, 15 gr. cinnamon, 15 gr. cloves; digest for 8
weeks; press, filter, add 1 lb. white sugar; keep for some months.
_Wormwood Liqueur._--1 lb. essence of wormwood, 1 oz. oil of tansy, 1
oz. oil of calamus, 2 oz. oil of orris, 1 gal. syrup of gum arabic, 3
bar. pure spirits.
=Wine, and Miscellaneous Drinks.=--Fruits intended for making wine
must be perfectly ripe and sound, and gathered in dry weather. The
most convenient sized cask is 10 gal. All utensils must always be
scoured and scalded, and set out of doors to sweeten the day before
being used. The tub in which the liquor is put to settle should have
a tap within 3 in. of the bottom, so that the wine may be drawn,
instead of poured off, without disturbing the lees or sediment;
which must not on any account be put into the cask until it has
been filtered well. The sieves and flannel strainers should be kept
perfectly sweet, and exposed to the fresh air, and nothing of brass
or copper used.
Never add the yeast for fermentation until the liquor is cool enough
to receive it: 85° F. is about the proper temperature. Stir the
liquor well occasionally, and cover the vessel close in cold weather.
When liquor is working in a cask, it must be kept quite full to allow
it to work out, or the wine will not be clear; keep a tile over the
bung-hole that the froth may escape, or put the bung on lightly.
Fermentation will be accelerated by mixing the yeast with 2 qt. of
the liquor in a jar for 10 minutes, and then adding it to the whole
quantity.
Wines made from raspberries, mulberries, elderberries, blackberries,
and all such fruits as produce much sediment, should always be
filtered through flannel bags into the cask, as this saves much
trouble in fining and racking. Wines never “feed” on the lees, but,
on the contrary, fret; and if not made strong, frequently go sour.
When the liquor is ready for putting into the cask, draw it off as
long only as it runs clear; then filter the lees more than once, if
necessary, and fill completely. Put any overplus into bottles, with
a small quantity of brandy, as a reserve for filling up in future.
When brandy is to be added, take out 3 qt. of the wine, pour in the
spirit, and then fill up. Never add water to wines when casked;
should there by accident be a deficiency of the liquor, add foreign
wine mixed with brandy.
Racking off is best performed by drawing the wine off into a clean
vessel as long as it runs perfectly clear, then put in a cork, and
turn the lees out in a separate tub, and filter it well. Next return
all that is bright into the same cask; add what is recommended, and
stop it up again securely. This should be done in cool weather, or
early in the morning.
When bottling take care that your bottles are clean and not specked,
or they will leak; fill them so that the wine will just come in
contact with the cork when driven home. Use the best corks, and dip
each in some of the wine, or in brandy, which is better. Seal the
corks of such white wines as require caution when ripe, with green
wax to distinguish them, and fasten them with wire. All newly-made
wines should be kept in cool, dry, dark cellars. When casks are
emptied, stop all the holes to prevent their becoming musty or foul.
Bins are formed of brickwork, board, or iron. Place some fine dry
sand over the bottom of each bin, and make it quite level. On this
lay down 2 or 3 laths, so that the necks of the first layer of
bottles may rest on them, and at the same time be quite level. They
are usually placed in rows two deep, and in laying them down, be
careful the shoulders of one row do not touch those of the opposite
one, or they will break from the pressure. Be sure that the bottom
rows are perfectly secure, as upon these depends the safety of the
whole pile. Upon the first layers of bottles place a lath, to support
the necks of those in the second row, the bottoms of which should
rest on the laths placed over the necks of the first in the intervals
between each bottle neck. Continue in this way until the piles are 3
or 4 ft. high.
All the bins that contain wine should be labelled, to specify the
kind of wine and the date of their being bottled.
To cool wine, swathe the bottle or decanter in a wet bandage, and
stand it in the full heat of the sun; when the bandage is nearly dry
the wine will be found as cool as if iced.
_Apple Wine._--Cut up 1 lb. of apples into quarters, add ½ lb. sugar,
and then pour over them ½ gal. boiling water. Let it get cold, and
then pulp the apples. Pour the fluid over the pulp, let it stand an
hour, and then strain. This forms an agreeable drink, the acid of the
apple blending with the sweet of the sugar pleasantly, so as to be
grateful to a parched palate.
_Apricot Wine._--Boil 10 gal. river water ½ hour, and set it to
cool in a clean vessel. Cut 45 lb. ripe apricots into thick slices,
and put them, with their juice, into the water, adding 25 lb. best
loaf sugar, and stir them well; then cover the vessel closely, and
let them steep until the day following. Boil the liquor and fruit
together, stir in the whites of 8 eggs well beaten, and take off the
scum as it rises. When the liquor is clear, and the fruit is reduced
to a pulp, press, and strain it through a fine sieve, into a cooler,
add the stones broken, and stir well. Spread good yeast on both sides
of a toast, and when the liquor is at its proper warmth, work it well
2 days, and strain it through a jelly-bag into the cask, put on the
bung lightly, and let it work over, keeping the cask full, and when
it has done fermenting, add to it 2 qt. French brandy, and 2 oz.
white sugar-candy. Then put in the bung, and secure it well, keep it
12 months, and then bottle it. It must remain in bottle a year or
more, for it is a very rich wine, and will improve greatly by age.
_Badminton._--(_a_) 1 bot. vin ordinaire, 2 bot. soda water, 1 small
glass pale brandy; add lemon peel, sugar, and ice.
(_b_) 1 bot. light claret, 1 or 1½ glass sherry, 1 bot. soda water,
crushed sugar to taste.
(_c_) Put the parings of half a cucumber in a cup with white sugar;
pour on 1 bot. claret, and let stand ½ hour in ice; add 1 bot. soda
water.
_Balm Wine._--Into 8 gal. water put 20 lb. moist sugar; boil for 2
hours, skimming thoroughly; then pour into a tub to cool; place 2½
lb. balm tops, bruised, into a barrel with a little new yeast; when
the liquor is cold, pour it on the balm; stir it well together, and
let it stand 24 hours, stirring it frequently; then close it up
tightly at first, and more securely after fermentation has quite
ceased; when it has stood 2 months, bottle off, putting a lump of
sugar into each bottle; cork down well, and keep in bottle at least a
year.
_Barley Water._--Wash the barley well, add a few strips of
lemon-peel, very thin, and pour on the water boiling. The juice of
the lemon should be squeezed in fresh just before it is served.
Robinson’s patent barley is best (see p. 775).
_Beetroot Beer._--Having well cleansed and scraped the roots,
removing the discoloured portion near the set of the leaves, cut them
into pieces of an inch or so in thickness, fill the copper with them,
and then put in as much water as will just cover them. Boil for about
5 hours, place them lightly in a wicker basket or sieve to drain, but
do not put any pressure upon them. Then put the liquor back into the
boiler, and to every 7 pails liquor put 3 lb. hops; boil together
for 2 hours, and then strain through the sieve. When cool work it
with yeast, the same as other beer. The scum which rises should
be removed before casking. Beetroot may be substituted for malt if
deprived of the greater part of its juice by pressure, then dried
and treated in the same manner as the grain intended for brewing.
The beer made from beetroot has been found perfectly wholesome and
palatable, and little inferior to that prepared from malt.
_Bilberry Wine._--The fruit should be picked on a very dry day, when
it is quite ripe. The leaves and stalks must be carefully removed
from the berries and the fruit, then weighed. To 4 gal. fruit allow
either 6 gal. cold water or 3 gal. water and 3 of cider, and 10 lb.
good moist sugar; let all these ingredients ferment in an open tub
until working is over; then add ½ gal. brandy, a handful of lavender
and rosemary leaves mixed, 2 oz. powdered ginger, and 2 oz. powdered
tartar; let the liquor rest after this addition for 48 hours, then
strain very carefully through a hair sieve into a perfectly clean
cask, laying the bung lightly on the bung-hole until the working is
quite over, and no hissing sound is heard; then close down quite
tightly, and bottle off at the end of 3 months; keep 6-8 months in
bottle before use.
_Birch Wine._--(_a_) Take 11 gal. of the sap of a healthy birch tree,
fresh as you can get it, boil it gently as long as any scum rises,
which must be carefully taken off to avoid wasting it. Add to the
clear liquor 25 lb. best loaf sugar, boil it again 20 minutes with
the whites of 10 eggs beaten to a froth, and skim frequently until it
is beautifully bright. Set it in a clean vessel to cool, and when at
96° F. put into it a toast well spread on both sides with thick fresh
ale yeast, and keep it closely covered up, 6 or 7 days, stirring
daily. Rinse a sweet 10 gal. cask with a pint of old raisin wine,
filter the liquor into it, add the thin yellow rinds of 2 lemons and
3 Seville oranges, and 3 qt. French brandy, put in the bung, and
secure it with paper and sand. Set it in a cool cellar, and bottle
it in 2 years; fasten the corks down with wire, and seal with wax. A
year later it will be in perfection.
(_b_) Boil 9 gal. healthy birch sap with 2 lb. clarified honey
½ hour, skimming it well. Beat 9 whites of eggs up with ½ oz.
isinglass, dissolved in a cupful of cold water, and put in 20 lb.
loaf sugar broken small. Mix this well with the liquor when cool, and
boil it ½ hour longer, skimming and stirring until it is quite clear.
Put it into a tub, and when milk warm stir well into it ¼ pint of
strong yeast; let it work 3 days in the tub, then put it into your
cask, add the rinds of 6 lemons and 2 lb. best raisins, and keep the
bung out until the fermentation has ceased. Put to the wine a bottle
of old Madeira and 1 qt. the best brandy; stop the cask up safely,
and let it stand 6 months. Draw off the wine into a clean vessel
as long as it runs clear, then filter the dregs through 3 folds of
flannel, and put all back again into the same cask; fasten the bung
in well, and put clay over it. In 6 months you may bottle it; seal
and wire the corks to prevent accidents, for it is a lively wine, and
should be kept in a cool cellar. When it has been bottled 6 months it
will be fit for use.
_Bishop._--Make several incisions in the rind of a lemon; stick
cloves in the holes and roast the lemon at a slow fire. Put small
but equal quantities of cinnamon, cloves, mace, and allspice into
a saucepan, with ½ pint of water; let it boil until it is reduced
one-half. Boil a bottle of port wine; burn a portion of the spirit
out of it by applying a lighted paper to the saucepan. Put the
roasted lemon and spice into the wine; stir it up well, and let it
stand near the fire 10 minutes. Rub a few knobs of sugar to taste
on the rind of a lemon, put the sugar into a bowl or jug, with the
juice of half a lemon (not roasted), pour the wine into it, grate
some nutmeg into it, sweeten it to your taste, and serve it up with
the lemon and spice floating in it. Oranges are sometimes introduced
instead of lemons.
_Blackberry Wine._--Mix 45 qt. ripe blackberries, well picked and
pressed, with 10 lb. good honey, and 26 lb. strong, bright, moist
sugar; boil it with 12 gal. soft water and the whites of 12 eggs,
well beaten, until it is reduced to 10 gal., skimming it until
perfectly clear. Strain it into a tub, and let it stand until the
next day, then pour it clear off the lees, and boil it again ¾ hour,
adding the lees filtered twice, and 2 oz. isinglass dissolved in 1
qt. water. Skim well, and put in 2 oz. Jamaica pepper, cloves, and
best ginger, all bruised, and tied loosely in a piece of muslin.
Put into your cooler the thin rinds of 6 Seville oranges and 1 pint
lemon juice; strain the liquor upon them, stir well, and when cool
enough, work it with 1 pint fresh yeast stirred well into 1 gal. of
the liquor. Cover it up close, and let it work 5 or 6 days, taking
off the top scum and stirring twice daily; then strain, and filter it
into the cask, put on the bung lightly, keep the cask well filled up,
and when it has ceased fermenting, let a day elapse, and add 2 qt.
French brandy, and 1½ oz. isinglass, dissolved in a little water, and
mix with 1 gal. of the wine 10 minutes, 1 oz. bitter almonds blanched
and slit, and 6 oz. sugar candy broken small. Stop up the bung, paste
strong white paper over it, or coarse linen, and place plenty of sand
over all, wetted a little. Keep it 2 years in a cool cellar, then
bottle it; seal the corks, and keep in bottle 2 years; then use it.
If allowed greater age, it will still improve.