“There is no nation yet known in either hemisphere where the people of all conditions are more in want of some cordial to keep up their spirits than in this of ours.”—Swift.
THE following recipes are for the making of cordials by simple mixing without distillation. Nearly all require straining, and some may require to be filtered through filter-paper.
To make Angostura Bitters.—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon and a half of water, two ounces of orange-peel, an ounce and a quarter of angostura bark, three-quarters of an ounce each of alkanet root and red sanderswood, half an ounce of gentian root, two drams each of cardamoms, Turkey rhubarb, cinnamon, caraway, coriander, and wormwood, and fifteen grains of turmeric. Strain, and add a pound of honey. Filter, and bottle.
To make Balm of Molucca.—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, a gallon of water, an ounce of cloves, and two drams of mace. Filter, and add a gallon of syrup (containing eight pounds of sugar) and two quarts of water.
To make Brandy Shrub.—Digest for a month a mixture of a gallon of brandy, the peel of two oranges and a lemon, a pint each of orange juice and lemon juice, and five pints of syrup (containing four pounds of sugar). Strain, and bottle.
To make Cassis.—Digest for a week, in a covered vessel, a mixture of a gallon of rectified spirits, half a gallon of water, two ounces of cinnamon, and sixteen bruised cloves. At the end of the week add a gallon of black currants, and digest for a further two months. Press and strain, and add half a gallon of syrup (containing eight pounds of sugar).
To make Cherry Brandy.—Digest for three months, in a closed vessel, a mixture of a gallon of good brandy and a gallon of fresh cherries, of which about one-quarter of the stones have been broken. Strain, and add two pounds of loaf sugar.
To make Crême de Cacao.—Mix a gallon of rectified spirits with six pints of water, two and a half pints of syrup (containing two and a half pounds of sugar), and six and a quarter ounces of Bush’s essence of cocoa.
To make Crême de Cacao (another way).—Digest for a month, in a covered vessel, a gallon of rectified spirits, a quart of water, two pounds of caracca, roasted and bruised cocoa-nuts, a pound of West Indian cacao-nuts, and a shred of vanilla. Add a quart of syrup (containing two pounds of sugar). Strain, and bottle.