HOME-MADE BEVERAGES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 490, 12 November 1948, Page 22

HOME-MADE BEVERAGES

T GET many requests for whole- | some home-made beverages both in winter and in summer, and so I suggest you cut out this page and keep it in a safe place. Lemon Champagne Slice into big bowl 6 to 8 lemons. Put also in 8 breakfastcups sugar, 1 good breakfastcup raisins. Pour over 1 quart hot water, and stir well, Put all into any large vessel, adding cold water to make up 4 gallons. Stir, cover with cloth; leave 3 or 4 days. Strain, bottle, cork, and tie on corks. Open carefully. Cold Water Beer Twenty cups water, 3 cups sugar, 3 teaspoons cream of tartar, 3 teaspoons essence of lemon, 3 teaspoons ground ginger (tied in’a piece of muslin), 3 teaspoons tartaric acid. Stir all well; bottle for use. Ginger Beer Two pounds of sugar; 2 gallons water; 4 lemons; 1 tablespoon ground ginger; 1 packet raisins. Put all into’ preserving pan, first mixing ginger to smooth paste with ‘little water, bring to boil, let stand 3 days in warm place. .Strain and bottle, ready for use in 3 or 4 days. One pound xsugar; 1 dessertspoon cream of tartar; 1 dessertspoon lemon essence or 3 dessertspoons of lemon juice; 1 level teaspoon tartaric acid; 1 gallon cold water; 1 dessertspoon ginger; 1 handful raisins. Mix till dissolved, then leave for 2 days. Strain and bottle. Ready in a few days, but better kept. Beetroot Wine Take 4 quarts of water, 4Ib. of beetroot, and 3lb. sugar. Wash and cut up the beet and boil in water till tender. Strain and boil the liquor again with the sugar added for 20 minutes. Strain again and work in Y20z. of yeast. A little ginger may be added if desifed. Do not cork the bottles for some time. If kept till it is quite clear and dark it will taste like port wine. The beetroot should be just freshly dug to be | used. Parsnip Wine Wash parsnips. Weigh out required quantity, cut into slices, boil until tender. When cool enough, strain through muslin bag, taking only a small portion at a time so as to get all the liquid out. When this is done make up water to required amount (as some water boils away), add 3lb. sugar to each gallon of liquid; when luke warm add a little |compressed yeast (dissolved, in luke warm water), let work 3 weeks, stirring several times daily for first week, At the end of the third week strain, being careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom. Let stand again for another 3 or 4 days. At this stage a day or two longer makes no difference. Strain again as before. Now put in keg or large vessel, bung tightly, leave for 7 months. If not possessing a keg to mature wine in, be sure and work out thoroughly before corkine up bottles. as wine matures

through the wood, whereas if corked up ‘tightly in bottles, it would be heady when opened. Hints on Wine-Making All fruit that is over-ripe for any other purpose makes good wine. The amount of sugar per gallon of water depends on the ripeness and sweetness of fruits. Nice sweet fruit requires about 3lb. sugar per gallon. For ayerage soft ripe plums use about 344lb. For blackberry 334lb.; for ripe grapes 3lb. The colour of the wine varies with the variety of plum"used. Christmas cherry plum makes a very pale-coloured wine; small red Christmas plum a nice red wine; Satsuma plums make a muddycoloured wine which appeafs not to have cleared properly. All other wines clear as they mature, and isinglass is not necessary, Most people do not use enough fruit to the gallon of water. A reasonably good wine can be made by using 8lb. of fruit to the gallon, but if fruit is plentiful, anything up to 121b. can be used. This. equals half fruit juice and half water. Parsnip wine is the exception to this rule, as 3lb. parsnips to 1 gallon of water is sufficient, and 3lb. sugar to each gallon" of liquid, Never work wine in a tin or metal container owing to the chemical action on all metals by the acids contained in the fruits. Never let the wine get chilled during the périod of fermentation. Never cork up tightly until all fermentation has ceased. If wine is properly worked out, it may be used in one month’s time after corking up tightly, but the longer it is kept the more it improves. General Directions First weigh fruit. Mash thoroughly. Put required water into barrel with fruit, which starts to ferment immediately. Stir several times daily for first few days, while fermentation is active. May be anything from 6 to 8 ays before this ceases.‘ Then strain through muslin bag, taking only a small quantity at a time so as to get the liquid out. Now measure quantity of liquid. Add required sugar. Let work for 3 weeks, stirring several times daily for first week, and at end of third week strain carefully, not to disturb sediment at bottom. Let stand again for 3 or 4 days. At this stage a day or two longer makes no difference. Strain again as before. Now taste, and if wine is not sweet enough dissolve some sugar in a little boiling water and make it to required sweetness before putting in keg. The keg can now be bunged, and put away for approximately 7 months, and the wine will mature tproueh the wood, ; Most people aise make wine appear not to get the required sweetness before putting in keg. All fruit should be picked during dry weather and _ not immediately after rain, especially ‘blackberries. It is ulways advisable to keep a covering of some light over top of wine while it is fermenting, as it attracts a lot of insects.