Practical home cookery

All that the cup now requires is drinking. It is by no means a very cheap affair, as the sherry, brandy, and noyeau probably cost more than the claret. A cheaper form of cup, and one more suitable for use, as we have said, after cricket or rowing, is a bottle of claret with the same quantity of lemon, cucumberpeel, and sugar, two or three drops of essence of almonds, a large lump of ice, and two bottles of soda-water. One word, however, in reference to the lemon proper not only for claret-cup, but for any other kind of cup. The lemon must be fresh — i.e. when it is cut it must have a firm rim round it, yellow outside and white inside. An old lemon, that is soft and pulpy, with a hard, dry skin, and that smells sweet, is no good for claret-cup. In making champagne-cup it is still more important to have a good lemon. The method of making champagne-cup that I think best is so simple that it barely deserves the name of a recipe. It is as follows : — A bottle of champagne, one or two thin slices of lemon, a large lump of ice, and a bottle of soda-water. Francatelli is, however, so great an authority in cooking, and all his recipes, so far as cooking is concerned, so invariably correct, that I will give his recipe for making both champagne and claret-cup, merely remarking that I have not tried either. Francatelli recommends — “ One bottle of champagne, one quart bottle of German seltzer-water, two oranges sliced, a bunch of balm, ditto of burrage, one ounce of bruised sugar-candy. Place the ingredients in a covered jug embedded in rough ice for an hour and a quarter previously to its being required for use, and then decanter it free from the herbs, etc.” I should think the fault in this cup would be that it would taste too sweet. For claret-cup Francatelli recommends — ” One bottle of claret, one pint bottle of German seltzerwater, a small bunch of balm and burrage, one orange cut in shces, half a cucumber shced thick, a liqueurglass of cognac, and one ounce of bruised sugar-candy. Place these ingredients in a covered jug well immersed in rough ice. Stir all together with a silver spoon, and when the cup has been iced for about an hour, strain or decanter it off free from the herbs, etc.” In this recipe I should think there would be far too strong a flavour of cucumber. One of the most refreshing drinks in very hot weather is lemonade ; but how rare is it that we meet with lemonade that is really nice ! Of course tastes differ, but I cannot understand how some people can drink the ordinary bottled lemonade. It is, as a rule, so very sweet that it is absolutely sickly, and at the same time in such a state of effervescence that only peculiarly constituted throats can drink it at a draught. Plain, home-made lemonade can be made very cheaply, when lemons are not too dear. The great secret is to use