The Aunts' Cook Book

In a few minutes tea was brought. Very delicate was the china, very old the plate, very thin the bread and butter and very small the lumps of sugar. I question if the little filigree sugar-tongs, made something like scissors, could have opened themselves wide enough to take up an honest, vulgar, goodsized piece; and when I tried to seize two little manikin pieces at once, so as not to be detected in too many returns to the sugar-basin, they absolutely dropped one, with a little sharp clatter, quite in a malicious manner. In our pattens we picked our way home with extra care that night, so refined and delicate were our perceptions after drinking tea with my lady." Cranford. Mrs, GaskiU, DRINKABLES AND DELICATESSEN Auntie's Egg Nogg 13 wine glasses of brandy 12 tablespoons sugar 2 wine glasses of rum 1 qt. cream Whip eggs separately. Stir sugar with yolks of eggs and add brandy, etc., slowly. Aunt Elinor's Fruit Cup Juice of 6 lemons, juice of 6 oranges, 1 quart of peach syrup ■aved from canning, slices of lemons and oranges and a few 142 Drinkables and Delicatessen berries or Maraschino cherries, 3 pints White Rock, big lump of ice. (Brandy peach syrup preferred). Aunt Virginia's Blackberry Wine Measure your berries and bruise them. To every gallon add 1 quart of boiling water. Let the mixture stand 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Then strain off the liqour into a cask. To every gallon adding 3 lbs. of sugar. Let stand until October and bottle. Aunt Virginia's Punch Fill a glass or china punch bowl half full of slices of pineapple and lemons, cut very thin and arrange in alternate layers, thickly strewn with fine white sugar. Pour over the fruit as much good claret as will almost fill the bowl, cover closely, and let stand 6 hours. Then put in a large lump of ice, and when perfectly cold add a bottle of plain soda water. Serve in punch mugs, with slices of fruit in them. Aunt Virginia's Delicious Drink Take 4 bottles of still Catawba wine, 1 bottle of claret, 3 sliced oranges, or 1 sliced pineapple, or both if you prefer, and 10 tablespoons of sugar. Let stand on ice in a very cold place for at least an hour. Just before serving add 1 bottle of champagne, or appolinaris. Drinkables and Delicatessen 143 Auntie's Mint Julep Put a few leaves of freshly-gathered mint and J^ cube of sugar for each julep in long glass. Pour over it sufficient water to dissolve sugar thoroughly. Let stand for 10 or 15 minutes, then stir but do not crush mint. After this and when you have everything ready, but not before, crush sufficient hard, dry ice very fine and immediately pack each julep glass full. Then pour in portion of sweetened water and mint and fill glass with Bourbon or Rye whiskey. Stick a couple of sprigs of mint down on one side of each glass and serve with small napkin around each one. The more firmly you pack the ice in the glasses, the less whiskey it will require. Unless ice is perfectly dry when packed the frosting will not occur on the glass. Grandmother Holden's 'Arthur's Fruit Lemonade' Cherry Grape Pine-apple ( ^ P Raspberry Add to these the juice of 20 oranges, 4 lemons, a bottle of Appolinaris or Ginger-ale as preferred and a sprig of mint, ice and a few slices of fruit and some berries if in season when in the pitcher. Aunt Robbie's Coffee Have coffee fresh ground and medium fine. Use white granite ware cofFee-pot, perfectly clean and without stale coffee odor. Use 1 cup of coffee to 6 cups of water, or to five if strong coffee is preferred. Break and beat slightly 1 egg or white of egg and add to coffee in the coffee-pot with a small amount 144 Drinkables and Delicatessen