The "Queen" cookery books: Pickles and Preserves

Barberry Liqueur. — Bruise seven pounds of barberries in a marble mortar, then turn this pulp into a jar with seven pounds of best cane loaf sugar, pounded and sifted, cover with a gallon of spirit and let it all stand for ten days, well covered, then strain off through a clean hair sieve, let the juice stand for a little to settle, then filter it gently, bottle and cork. Bay Bum. — Infuse two pounds of fresh bay leaves in a gallon of white rum for a month, keeping it tightly corked, and shaking the jar every few days or so to shake up the leaves, then filter off and bottle. Blackberry Cordial. — Pick the blackberries over carefully, only taking the finest and ripest, then put them into a jar and bruise them a little, and to each quart of fruit allow a pint of whiskey ; let these stand together for twelve hours, then stir together and strain through a jelly bag. Measure the liqueur, and to each quart allow 4oz. sugar, loz. well bruised ginger, and the rind of half a lemon thinly pared. Let it stand for ten or twelve days, then strain and bottle, sealing the corks. A variety of this is made by using brandy, and flavouring it when strained with -|oz. of cinnamon and one dram of cloves previously crushed and infused for a fortnight in a short half a pint of brandy. This requires standing a little longer than the first recipe. Brandy, Apricot. — See Peach Brandy. Cherry. — Stalk and stone the cherries, using half Morellas, and half the black juicy fruit ; prick them lightly with a needle, and half fill some wide-mouthed bottles with the fruit, allowing six or eight cherry kernels, or three or four bitter almonds to each bottle, together with about loz. finely crushed sugar candy, and fill up with brandy. Let it stand for two months, then strain, re-bottle, and cork down tightly. (If preferred, leave the cherries in a little longer.) These same cherries make a delicious bonbon if dipped in royal icing and allowed to set. If, however, the cherries are to be used for this purpose, leave about half an inch of stalk on each. Ginger. — Put into a wide- mouthed quart bottle loz. slightly bruised old green Jamaica ginger and loz. crushed sugar candy, and fill up with good brandy. Let it stand for a month before straining it. Improves by keeping. Brandy, Orange. — Slice three Seville oranges into a jar, pour a bottle of brandy on them and let them stand for six weeks, closely covered; then strain, bottle, and cork down closely. (Some thrifty housewives put the oranges in whole and let them stand two months ; then, when the liqueur is strained off, the oranges are candied and used for dessert. But this liqueur is not so good.) Or : Pare the rind very thinly from eight Seville oranges and eight lemons, put them into a jai with a gallon of good brandy ; make a syrup with eight pounds of loaf sugar and three or four pints of water, and pour this boiling on to the peel, &c. Let it all stand forty-eight hours, stirring it constantly, then strain and bottle off into pint bottles. (This is an old family recipe.) Peach. — Peel and slice six fairly ripe