FoodNet

The spirit of cookery

1895

Page 389 · 1 recipe record on this page

Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AU Cup, Beer Gup, or Cool Tankard, is a mixture of ale with spices and sugar, fortified by braudy and sherry, and flavoured with capillaire and lemon ; to be cooled in water or ice. TetvaMiddle is almost identical with this, but is apparently not to be refrigerated. Caudle (from the French chdudel) is spiced warm ale with groats; formerly any warm drink given to the sick w'as so called. In practical life we have never met with the expression. Sp)irits are distilled from fermented grapes {i.e., wine), from cherries, malted corn, potatoes, sugar-cane, etc. Many of these spirits are used in cookery. Cognac used to be the best flavoured of all spirits, but is now rarely to be had genuine at a reasonable price. It is an ingredient of many dishes, though only added on account of its flavour, or as alcohol to raise or carry a flavour ; it is also mixed with cups. Bum, the distilled spirit from fermented sugar- cane extract, is remarkable amongst spirits by its freedom from fusel oil or amylic alcohol, which spoils whisky and gin so frequently. It has a remarkably strong and, when pure, agreeable flavour derived from the cane, and refined during fermentation and distillation. This flavour can be imported into sauces and mixed with drinks, particularly of the class called punch. Take care to obtain pure old Jamaica rum for cooking purposes, and avoid rum adulter- ated with whisky. Spirit distilled from malted and fer- mented corn simply is called whisky. When it is impreg- nated with the taste of smoke it is called Scotch. Corn spirit flavoured with oil of juniper is called gin. Spirit from rice is called arrack. Fermented cherries yield an excel- lent distilled spirit. Much of this is made in Alsatia, and termed cherry-water , German Kirschenwasser, or by a French abbreviation kirsch. When this spirit enters upon a French 6iS THE SPIRIT OE COOKERY culinary composition, the latter acquires the i\l\&au Kirsch* Much is made in Dalmatia from a cherry called marasche, hence called maraschino, and from the place of export di Zara. Maraschino is used in some compound drinks, but mainly in confections, to which it imparts a very fine flavour. The art of distilling spirits is so far developed, that from the most unlikely materials chemically pure alcohol can be isolated. As this has no collateral taste, and does not reveal its origin, it is termed silent sxiirit. Such spirit is used in connection with cookery for the production of tinctures — i.c., real solutions of colouring matters as well as alcoholic extracts of spices — for the preservation of many varieties of fruit, such as cherries (known in England as cherry brandyCool Tankard (Beer Gup)), or pears, peaches, and plums, etc. ; in these alcoholic preserves many manufacturers in the South of France carry on a considerable trade. The English mince- meat, with which the Christmas mince-pies are perfected, should be made some weeks before it is used, and preserved during maturation by an addition of alcohol ; but when a cook uses so-called alcohol or spirit, he must remember that what practically comes into use is a mixture of alcohol and water, and of the ingredients he must know the relative proportions in order to correctly interpret any recipe. In England the strength of alcoholic liquids is usually stated in degrees of jjroof spirit.