the next, then Pippins. Let them lie about three weeks, after they are
gathered; Then stamp and strain them in the Ordinary way, into a woodden
fat that hath a spigot three or four fingers breadth above the bottom.
Cover the fat with some hair or sackcloth, to secure it from any thing to
fall in, and to keep in some of the Spirits, so to preserve it from dying;
but not so much as to make it ferment. When the juyce hath been there
twelve hours, draw it by the spigot (the fat inclining that way, as if it
were a little tilted) into a barrel; which must not be full by about two
fingers. Leave the bung open for the Air to come in, upon a superficies,
all along the barrel, to hinder it from fermenting; but not so large a
superficies as to endanger dying, by the airs depredating too many spirits
from it.
The drift in both these settlings is, that the grosser parts consisting of
the substance of the Apple, may settle to the bottom, and be severed from
the Liquor; for it is that, which maketh it work again (upon motion or
change of weather) and spoils it. After twenty four hours draw of it, to
see if it be clear, by the settling of all dregs, above which your spigot
must be. If it be not clear enough, draw it from the thick dregs into
another vessel, and let it settle there twenty four hours. This vessel must
be less then the first, because you draw not all out of the first. If then
it should not be clear enough, draw it into a third, yet lesser than the
second; but usually it is at the first. When it is clear enough draw it
into bottles, filling them within two fingers, which stop close. After two
or three days visit them; that if there be a danger of their working (which
would break the bottles) you may take out the stopples, and let them stand
open for half a quarter of an hour. Then stop them close, and they are
secure for ever after. In cold freesing weather, set them upon Hay, and
cover them over with Hay or Straw. In open weather in Winter transpose them
to another part of the Cellar to stand upon the bare ground or pavement. In
hot weather set them in sand. The Cider of the Apples of the last season,
as Pippins, not Peermains, nor codlings, will last till the Summer grow
hot. Though this never work, 'tis not of the Nature of Strummed Wine;
because the naughty dregs are not left in it.
DOCTOR HARVEY'S PLEASANT WATER-CIDER, WHEREOF HE USED TO DRINK MUCH, MAKING
IT HIS ORDINARY DRINK
Take one Bushel of Pippins, cut them into slices with the Parings and
Cores; boil them in twelve Gallons of water, till the goodness of them be
in the water; and that consumed about three Gallons. Then put it into an
Hypocras-bag, made of Cotton; and when it is clear run out, and almost
cold, sweeten it with five pound of Brown-sugar, and put a pint of Ale-yest
to it, and set it a working two nights and days: Then skim off the yest
clean, and put it into bottles, and let it stand two or three days, till
the yest fall dead at the top: Then take it off clean with a knife, and
fill it up a little within the neck (that is to say, that a little about a
fingers breadth of the neck be empty, between the superficies of the
Liquor, and the bottom of the stopple) and then stop them up and tye them,
or else it will drive out the Corks. Within a fortnight you may drink of
it. It will keep five or six weeks.
ALE WITH HONEY
Sir Thomas Gower makes his pleasant and wholesom drink of Ale and Honey
thus. Take fourty Gallons of small Ale, and five Gallons of Honey. When the
Ale is ready to Tun, and is still warm, take out ten Gallons of it; which,
whiles it is hot, mingle with it the five Gallons of Honey, stirring it
exceeding well with a clean arm till they be perfectly incorporated. Then
cover it, and let it cool and stand still. At the same time you begin to
dissolve the honey in this parcel, you take the other of thirty Gallons
also warm, and Tun it up with barm, and put it into a vessel capable to
hold all the whole quantity of Ale and Honey, and let it work there; and
because the vessel will be so far from being full, that the gross foulness
of the Ale cannot work over, make holes in the sides of the Barrel even
with the superficies of the Liquor in it, out of which the gross feculence
may purge; and these holes must be fast shut, when you put in the rest of
the Ale with the Honey: which you must do, when you see the strong working
of the other is over; and that it works but gently, which may be after two
or three or four days, according to the warmth of the season. You must warm
your solution of honey, when you put it in, to be as warm as Ale, when you
Tun it; and then it will set the whole a working a fresh, and casting out
more foulness; which it would do too violently, if you put it in at the
first of the Tunning it. It is not amiss that some feculence lie thick upon
the Ale, and work not all out; for that will keep in the spirits. After
you have dissolved the honey in the Ale, you must boil it a little to skim
it; but skim it not, till it have stood a while from the fire to cool; else
you will skim away much of the Honey, which will still rise as long as it
boileth. If you will not make so great a quantity at a time, do it in less
in the same proportions. He makes it about Michaelmas for Lent.
When strong Beer groweth too hard, and flat for want of Spirits, take four
or five Gallons of it out of a Hogshead, and boil five pounds of honey in
it, and skim it, and put it warm into the Beer; and after it hath done
working, stop it up close. This will make it quick, pleasant and stronger.
SMALL ALE FOR THE STONE
The Ale, that I used to drink constantly of, was made in these proportions.
Take fourteen Gallons of Water, and half an Ounce of Hops; boil them near
an hour together. Then pour it upon a peck of Malt. Have a care the Malt be
not too small ground; for then it will never make clear Ale. Let it soak so
near two hours. Then let it run from the Malt, and boil it only one walm or
two. Let it stand cooling till it be cool enough to work with barm, which
let be of Beer rather than Ale, about half a pint.
After it hath wrought some hours, when you see it come to it's height, and
is near beginning to fall in working, Tun it into a barrel of eight
Gallons; and in four or five days it will be fit to broach to drink. Since
I have caused the wort to be boiled a good half hour; since again I boil it
a good hour, and it is much the better; because the former Ale tasted a
little Raw. Now because it consumes in boiling, and would be too strong, if
this Malt made a less proportion of Ale; I have added a Gallon of water at
the first, taking fifteen Gallons instead of fourteen. Since I have added
half a peck of Malt to the former proportions, to make it a little stronger
in Winter.
APPLE DRINK WITH SUGAR, HONEY, &c
A very pleasant drink is made of Apples, thus; Boil sliced Apples in water,
to make the water strong of Apples, as when you make to drink it for
coolness and pleasure. Sweeten it with Sugar to your tast, such a quantity
of sliced Apples, as would make so much water strong enough of Apples; and
then bottle it up close for three or four months. There will come a thick
mother at the top, which being taken off, all the rest will be very clear,
and quick and pleasant to the taste, beyond any Cider. It will be the
better to most taste, if you put a very little Rosemary into the liquor,
when you boil it, and a little Limon-peel into each bottle, when you bottle
it up.
TO MAKE STEPPONI
Take a Gallon of Conduit-water, one pound of blew Raisins of the Sun
stoned, and half a pound of Sugar. Squeese the juyce of two Limons upon the
Raisins and Sugar, and slice the rindes upon them. Boil the water, and pour
it so hot upon the ingredients in an earthen pot, and stir them well
together. So let it stand twenty four hours. Then put it into bottles
(having first let it run through a strainer) and set them in a Cellar or
other cool place.
WEAK HONEY-DRINK
Take nine pints of warm fountain water, and dissolve in it one pint of pure
White-honey, by laving it therein, till it be dissolved. Then boil it
gently, skimming it all the while, till all the scum be perfectly scummed
off; and after that boil it a little longer, peradventure a quarter of an
hour. In all it will require two or three hours boiling, so that at last
one third part may be consumed. About a quarter of an hour before you cease
boiling, and take it from the fire, put to it a little spoonful of cleansed
and sliced Ginger; and almost half as much of the thin yellow rinde of
Orange, when you are even ready to take it from the fire, so as the Orange
boil only one walm in it. Then pour it into a well-glased strong deep great
Gally-pot, and let it stand so, till it be almost cold, that it be scarce
Luke-warm. Then put to it a little silver-spoonful of pure Ale-yest, and
work it together with a Ladle to make it ferment: as soon as it beginneth
to do so, cover it close with a fit cover, and put a thick dubbled woollen
cloth about it. Cast all things so that this may be done when you are going
to bed. Next morning when you rise, you will find the barm gathered all
together in the middle; scum it clean off with a silver-spoon and a
feather, and bottle up the Liquor, stopping it very close. It will be ready
to drink in two or three days; but it will keep well a month or two. It
will be from the first very quick and pleasant.
MR. WEBB'S ALE AND BRAGOT
Five Bushels of Malt will make two Hogsheads. The first running makes one
very good Hogshead, but not very strong; the second is very weak. To this
proportion boil a quarter of a Pound of Hops in all the water that is to
make the two Hogsheads; that is, two Ounces to each Hogshead. You put your
water to the Malt in the Ordinary way. Boil it well, when you come to work
it with yest, take very good Beer-yest, not Ale-yest.
To make Bragot, He takes the first running of such Ale, and boils a less
proportion of Honey in it, then when He makes His ordinary Meath; but
dubble or triple as much spice and herbs. As for Example to twenty Gallons
of the Strong-wort, he puts eight or ten pound, (according as your taste
liketh more or less honey) of honey; But at least triple as much herbs, and
triple as much spice as would serve such a quantity of small Mead as He
made Me (For to a stronger Mead you put a greater proportion of Herbs and
Spice, then to a small; by reason that you must keep it a longer time
before you drink it; and the length of time mellows and tames the taste of
the herbs and spice). And when it is tunned in the vessel (after working
with the barm) you hang in it a bag with bruised spices (rather more then
you boiled in it) which is to hang in the barrel all the while you draw it.
He makes also Mead with the second weak running of the Ale; and to this He
useth the same proportions of honey, herbs and spice, as for his small Mead
of pure water; and useth the same manner of boiling, working with yest, and
other Circumstances, as in making of that.
THE COUNTESS OF NEWPORT'S CHERRY WINE
Pick the best Cherries free from rotten, and pick the stalk from them; put
them into an earthen Pan. Bruise them, by griping and straining them in
your hands, and let them stand all night; on the next day strain them out
(through a Napkin; which if it be a course and thin one, let the juyce run
through a Hippocras or gelly bag, upon a pound of fine pure Sugar in
powder, to every Gallon of juyce) and to every gallon put a pound of Sugar,
and put it into a vessel. Be sure your vessel be full, or your wine will be
spoiled; you must let it stand a month before you bottle it; and in every
bottle you must put a lump (a piece as big as a Nutmeg) of Sugar. The
vessel must not be stopt until it hath done working.
STRAWBERRY WINE
Bruise the Strawberries, and put them into a Linnen-bag which hath been a
little used, that so the Liquor may run through more easily. You hang in
the bag at the bung into the vessel, before you do put in your
Strawberries. The quantity of the fruit is left to your discretion; for you
will judge to be there enough of them, when the colour of the wine is high
enough. During the working, you leave the bung open. The working being
over, you stop your vessel. Cherry-wine is made after the same fashion. But
it is a little more troublesome to break the Cherry-stones. But it is
necessary, that if your Cherries be of the black soure Cherries, you put to
it a little Cinnamon, and a few Cloves.
TO MAKE WINE OF CHERRIES ALONE
Take one hundred pounds weight, or what quantity you please, of ripe, but
sound, pure, dry and well gathered Cherries. Bruise and mash them with your
hands to press out all their juyce, which strain through a boulter cloth,
into a deep narrow Woodden tub, and cover it close with clothes. It will
begin to work and ferment within three or four hours, and a thick foul scum
will rise to the top. Skim it off as it riseth to any good head, and
presently cover it again. Do this till no more great quantity of scum
arise, which will be four or five times, or more. And by this means the
Liquor will become clear, all the gross muddy parts rising up in scum to
the top. When you find that the height of the working is past, and that it
begins to go less, tun it into a barrel, letting it run again through a
boulter, to keep out all the gross feculent substance. If you should let it
stay before you tun it up, till the working were too much deaded, the wine
would prove dead. Let it remain in the barrel close stopped, a month or
five weeks. Then draw it into bottles, into each of which put a lump of
fine Sugar, before you draw the wine into it, and stop them very close, and
set them in a cold Cellar. You may drink them after three or four months.
This wine is exceeding pleasant, strong, spiritful and comfortable.
OF COOKERY
TO MAKE A SACK POSSET
Boil two wine-quarts of Sweet-cream in a Possnet; when it hath boiled a
little, take it from the fire, and beat the yolks of nine or ten fresh
Eggs, and the whites of four with it, beginning with two or three
spoonfuls, and adding more till all be incorporated; then set it over the
fire, to recover a good degree of heat, but not so much as to boil; and
always stir it one way, least you break the consistence. In the mean time,
let half a pint of Sack or White muscadin boil a very little in a bason,
upon a Chafing-dish of Coals, with three quarters of a pound of Sugar, and
three or four quartered Nutmegs, and as many pretty big pieces of sticks of
Cinnamon. When this is well scummed, and still very hot, take it from the
fire, and immediately pour into it the cream, beginning to pour neer it,
but raising by degrees your hand so that it may fall down from a good
height; and without anymore to be done, it will then be fit to eat. It is
very good kept cold as well as eaten hot. It doth very well with it, to put
into the Sack (immediately before you put in the cream) some Ambergreece,
or Ambered-sugar, or Pastils. When it is made, you may put powder of
Cinnamon and Sugar upon it, if you like it.
ANOTHER
To two quarts of Cream, if it be in the Summer, when the Cream is thick and
best, take but two or three yolks of Eggs. But in the Winter when it is
thin and hungry, take six or seven; but never no whites. And of Sack or
Muscadin, take a good third (scarce half) of a pint; and three quarters of
a pound of fine Sugar. Let the Sugar and Sack boil well together, that it
be almost like a Syrup; and just as you take it from the fire, put in your
ground Amber or Pastils, and constantly pour in the Cream with which the
Eggs are incorporated; and do all the rest as is said in the foregoing
Process.
Ambered-sugar is made by grinding very well, four grains of Ambergreece,
and one of Musk, with a little fine Sugar; or grinding two or three Spanish
Pastils very small.
A PLAIN ORDINARY POSSET
Put a pint of good Milk to boil; as soon as it doth so, take it from the
fire, to let the great heat of it cool a little; for doing so, the curd
will be the tenderer, and the whole of a more uniform consistence. When it
is prettily cooled, pour it into your pot, wherein is about two spoonfuls
of Sack, and about four of Ale, with sufficient Sugar dissolved in them. So
let it stand a while near the fire, till you eat it.
A SACK POSSET
Take three pints of Cream; boil in it a little Cinnamon, a Nutmeg
quartered, and two spoonfuls of grated bread; then beat the yolks of twelve
Eggs very well with a little cold Cream, and a spoonful of Sack. When your
Cream hath boiled about a quarter of an hour, thicken it up with the Eggs,
and sweeten it with Sugar; and take half a pint of Sack and six spoonfuls
of Ale, and put into the basin or dish, you intend to make it in, with a
little Ambergreece, if you please. Then pour your Cream and Eggs into it,
holding your hand as high as conveniently you can, gently stirring in the
basin with the spoon as you pour it; so serve it up. If you please you may
strew Sugar upon it.
You may strew Ambred sugar upon it, as you eat it; or Sugar-beaten with
Cinnamon, if you like it.
A BARLEY SACK POSSET
Take half a pound or more of French barley, (not Perle-barley) and pour
scalding water upon it, and wash it well therein, and strain it from the
water, & put it into the Corner of a Linnen-cloth and tie it up fast there,
and strike it a dozen or twenty blows against a firm table or block, to
make it tender by such bruising it, as in the Countrey is used with wheat
to make frumenty. Then put it into a large skillet with three pints of good
milk. Boil this till at least half be consumed, and that it become as thick
as hasty pudding, which will require at least two hours; and it must be
carefully stirred all the while, least it burn too: which if by some little
inadvertence it should do, and that some black burned substance sticketh to
the bottom of the skillet, pour all the good matter from it into a fresh
skillet (or into a basin whiles you scoure this) and renew boiling till it
be very thick; All which is to make the barley very tender and pulpy, and
will at least require two or near three hours. Then pour to it three pints
of good Cream, and boil them together a little while, stirring them always.
It will be sometime before the cold Cream boil, which when it doth, a
little will suffice. Then take it from the fire, and season it well with
Sugar. Then take a quarter of a pint of Sack, and as much Rhenish-wine (or
more of each) and a little Verjuyce, or sharp Cider, or juyce of Orange,
and season it well with Sugar (at least half a pound to both) and set it
over Coals to boil. Which when it doth, and the Sugar is well melted, pour
the Cream into it; in which Cream the barley will be settled to the bottom
by standing still unmoved, after the Sugar is well stirred and melted in
it, or pour it through a hair-sieve; and you may boil it again, that it be
very hot, when you mingle them together; else it may chance not curdle.
Some of the barley (but little) will go over with it, and will do no hurt.
After you have thus made your Posset, let it stand warm a while that the
curd may thicken: but take heed it boil not, for that would dissolve it
again into the consistence of Cream. When you serve it up, strew it over
with Powder of Cinnamon and Sugar. It will be much the better, if you strew
upon it some Ambergreece ground with Sugar. You may boil bruised sticks of
Cinnamon in the Cream, and in the Sack, before you mingle them. You must
use clear Char-coal-fire under your vessels. The remaining barley will make
good barley Cream, being boiled with fresh Cream and a little Cinnamon and
Mace; to which you may add a little Rosemary and Sugar, when it is taken
from the fire: or butter it as you do wheat. Or make a pudding of it,
putting to it a Pint of Cream, which boil; then add four or five yolks, and
two whites of Eggs, and the Marrow of two bones cut small, and of one in
lumps: sufficient Sugar, and one Nutmeg grated. Put this either to bake
raw, or with puff-past beneath and above it in the dish. A pretty smart
heat, as for white Manchet, and three quarters of an hour in the Oven. You
may make the like with great Oat-meal scalded (not boiled) in Cream, and
soaked a night; then made up as the other.
MY LORD OF CARLILE'S SACK-POSSET
Take a Pottle of Cream, and boil in it a little whole Cinnamon, and three
or four flakes of Mace. To this proportion of Cream put in eighteen yolks
of Eggs, and eight of the whites; a pint of Sack; beat your Eggs very well,
and then mingle them with your Sack. Put in three quarters of a pound of
Sugar into the Wine and Eggs with a Nutmeg grated, and a little beaten
Cinnamon; set the basin on the fire with the wine and Eggs, and let it be
hot. Then put in the Cream boyling from the fire, pour it on high, but stir
it not; cover it with a dish, and when it is settled, strew on the top a
little fine Sugar mingled with three grains of Ambergreece, and one grain
of Musk, and serve it up.
A SYLLABUB
My Lady Middlesex makes Syllabubs for little Glasses with spouts, thus.
Take 3 pints of sweet Cream, one of quick white wine (or Rhenish), and a
good wine glassful (better the 1/4 of a pint) of Sack: mingle with them
about three quarters of a pound of fine Sugar in Powder. Beat all these
together with a whisk, till all appeareth converted into froth. Then pour
it into your little Syllabub-glasses, and let them stand all night. The
next day the Curd will be thick and firm above, and the drink clear under
it. I conceive it may do well, to put into each glass (when you pour the
liquor into it) a sprig of Rosemary a little bruised, or a little
Limon-peel, or some such thing to quicken the taste; or use Amber-sugar, or
spirit of Cinnamon, or of Lignum-Cassiæ; or Nutmegs, or Mace, or Cloves, a
very little.
A GOOD DISH OF CREAM
Boil a quart of good Cream with sticks of Cinnamon and quartered Nutmeg and
Sugar to your taste. When it is boiled enough to have acquired the taste of
the Spice, take the whites of six New laid eggs, and beat them very well
with a little Fresh-cream, then pour them to your boyling Cream, and let
them boil a walm or two. Then let it run through a boulter, and put a
little Orange flower-water to it, and sliced bread; and so serve it up
cold.
AN EXCELLENT SPANISH CREAM
Take two quarts (you must not exceed this proportion in one vessel) of
perfectly Sweet-cream, that hath not been jogged with carriage; and in a
Possnet set it upon a clear lighted Char-coal-fire, not too hot. When it
beginneth to boil, cast into it a piece of double refined hard Sugar about
as much as two Walnuts, and with a spoon stir the Cream all one way. After
two or three rounds, you will perceive a thick Cream rise at the top. Scum
it off with your spoon, and lay it in another dish. And always stir it the
same way, and more Cream will rise; which as it doth rise, you put it into
your dish, one lare upon an other. And thus almost all the Cream will turn
into this thick Cream, to within two or three spoonfuls. If you would have
it sweeter, you may strew some Sugar upon the top of it. You must be
careful not to have the heat too much; for then it will turn to oyl; as
also if the Cream have been carried. If you would have it warm, set the
dish you lay it in, upon a Chafing-dish of Coals.
ANOTHER CLOUTED CREAM