More Spirit and less Sugar in proportion to the Juice of the Fruit, is also required in this Composition than in the foregoing; but with regard to the Spices, the same Quantity is generally added to both.
Recipe for making red Ratafia, fine and dry.
Take of Cherries and Gooseberries, of each thirty Pounds; Mulberries seven Pounds; Rasberries ten Pounds. Pick all these Fruits clean from their Stalks, &c. bruise them, and let them stand twelve Hours; but do not suffer them to ferment. Press out the Juice, and to every Pint add three Ounces of Sugar; when the Sugar is dissolved run it thro’ the filtrating Bag, and to every five Pints of Liquor add four Pints of clean Proof Spirit; together with the same Proportion of Spirit drawn from the Spices in the foregoing Composition.
But it may not be amiss to observe here, that different Distillers use different Quantities of the Spirit drawn from the Spices. The best Method therefore is to imitate the Flavour most universally approved of, which may be easily done by adding a greater or less Proportion of the spiced Spirit.
3. Of mixed Ratafia.
By mixed Ratafia is meant the Juices of Fruits prepared, and ready to be mixed with the Spirit when called for.
Recipe for making mixed Ratafia.
Ratafia is composed of Cherries and Gooseberries; of these the best are to be chosen, bruised, and in that Condition suffered to remain some Days to ferment. The Juice is then to be strained off, the Quantity of Sugar and Brandy added, and the whole put into a Cask and close stopped. A Lee or Sediment will fall to the Bottom of the Cask, which Sediment will be of great Use in preserving the Ratafia.
The Proportion of black Cherries must be large in this Ratafia, because the Colour, which this is greatly valued for, chiefly comes from the Juice of that Fruit.
The Sugar must not be put in at once, because the Acidness of the Liquor would cause a considerable Effervescence, but by a little at a time.