Page:The White House Cook Book.djvu/504

 464 COFFEE, TEA, BEVERAGES.

night; strain it the second day, and put it into a tight cask with a small cake of compressed yeast to about ten gallons of wine, and leave the bung out of the cask until the wine ceases to ferment ; the hissing noise continues so long as fermentation is in progress ; when fermen- tation ceases, close the cask by driving in the bung, and let the wine stand about nine months before bottling it; three months after it is bottled, it can be used. A glass of brandy added to each gallon of wine after fermentation ceases is generally considered an improve- ment.

There are seasons of the year when Florida oranges by the box are very cheap, and this fine wine can be made at a small expense.

METHELIN, OR HONEY WINE.

THIS is a very ancient and popular drink in the north of Europe. To some new honey, strained, add spring water; put a whole egg into it ; boil this liquor till the egg swims above the liquor ; strain, pour it in a cask. To every fifteen gallons add two ounces of white Jamaica ginger, bruised, one ounce of cloves and mace, one and one-half ounces of cinnamon, all bruised together and tied up in a muslin bag; accel- erate the fermentation with yeast; when worked sufficiently, bung up ; in six weeks draw off into bottles.

Another Mead. Boil the combs, from which the honey has been drained, with sufficient water to make a tolerably sweet liquor; fer- ment this with yeast and proceed as per previous formula.

Sack Mead is made by adding a handful of hops and sufficient brandy to the comb liquor.

BLACK CURRANT WINE.

FOUR quarts of whisky, four quarts of black currants, four pounds of brown or white sugar, one table spoonful of cloves, one tablespoon- ful of cinnamon.

Crush the currants and let them stand in the whisky with the spices for three weeks; then strain and add the sugar; set away again for three weeks longer; then strain and bottle.

RAISIN WINE.

TAKE two pounds of raisins, seed and chop them, a lemon, a pound of white sugar and about two gallons of boiling water. Pour into a

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