CHAPTER VII 



1 



HERB DRINKS AND HOME-MADE WINES 



" And then she took him into a room of the eighteenth 

 century, which no longer exists, there or elsewhere save in 

 name. It was the still-room, and on its shelves stood the 

 elixirs and cordials of ancient time : The Elderberry 

 Wine, good, mulled and spiced at Christmas time; the 

 Blackberry Wine; the home-made Distilled Waters; 

 Lavender Water; Hungary Water; Cyprus Water, and 

 the Divine Cordial itself, which takes three seasons to 

 complete, and require all the flowers of Spring, Summer 

 and Autumn," W. BESANT. 



POSSET OF HERBS. Take a fair scoured skellet, put in 

 some milk into it and some rosemary ; the rosemary being 

 well boiled in it, take it out and have some ale or beer in a 

 pot, put to it the milk and sugar (or none). 



Thus of thyme, cardus, camomile, mint or marigold 

 flowers. The Art and Mystery of Cookery. Approved by 

 the fifty-five years' experience and industry of Robert 

 May in his attendance on several persons of great honour, 

 1671. 



AN EXCELLENT DRINK. Take a handful of fennel roots, 

 as much parsley roots, half a handful of Borage roots and 

 put out the pith of all the said roots, then take half a hand- 

 ful of pennyroyal, as much of violet leaves, as much succory 

 and endive, hollyhock leaves, mallow leaves and red garden 

 mints, of all these the like quantity as of these next before, 

 half a handful of liquorice sticks scraped, bruised and beaten 

 to fine powder, a gallon of fair running water. Boyle 

 therein all these simples and boyle these seedes with them, 

 that is three spoonfulls of anniseeds, as much fennel 

 seedes, the like of coriander seed and cummon seed, a good 



165 



