HERB DRINKS AND HOME-MADE WINES 185 



currant juice ; stir it well, then put it into a Cask and add 

 also a piece of toasted bread spread over with yeast which 

 will ferment it ; after this is over bring it up very light and 

 it will be ready for bottling off in six months and for domestic 

 use after six months keeping in the bottle. 



The white currant alone produces the best wine when it 

 is clear like Champayne and sparkles as much, but it is 

 oftener made of red currants when it has the appearance of 

 mountain grape wine, or the two are mixed together. These 

 home made wines are an excellent substitute for the more 

 expensive foreign provided they were kept a sufficient 

 length of time and properly fermented. R. Thornton, The 

 Family Herbal, 1810, 



BLACK CURRANT WINE. The Currants should be gathered 

 on a dry day when quite ripe ; strip them, put them into a 

 large pan, bruise them with a wooden pestle and let them 

 stand twenty-four hours to ferment, then rub it through a 

 hair sieve, but do not let the hand touch the liquor. To 

 every gallon of this liquor stir in two pounds and a half of 

 white sugar, and put it into a vessel, to every six gallons 

 add one quart of brandy, and let it stand six weeks, if fine 

 bottle it ; if not, draw it off clear into another vessel or large 

 bottles, and in a fortnight bottle it up for use. Ibid. 



RAISIN WINE. To one gallon of water put six gallons of 

 sun raisins, let it stand in a tub twelve days, stir frequently, 

 press the raisins as dry as possible, and put the liquor into 

 a Cask of the proper size : to ten gallons put a quart of 

 brandy, if you wish to make it very rich you may put 

 seven pounds of raisins to a gallon and dissolve five pounds 

 of sugar-candy in the liquor, before you put it into the 

 barrels ; when thus made it must stand longer and is scarcely 

 inferior to any foreign wine. Ibid. 



ORANGE BRANDY. Four quarts of the best pale brandy, 

 two and a half pounds fine white sugar, the juice of twelve 

 Seville oranges, the rinds of ten, and a quart of milk. Put 

 the brandy into a large jar or open vessel with a cover. 



