Take eight Gallons of water, set it over a clear fire
in a Kettle ; and when it is warm, put it to sixteen
pounds of very good honey,and stir it well together;
take off the scum, and put two large Nutmegs✪ To Make Metheglin cut
in quarters, and so let it boil at least an hour ; Then
take it off the fire, and put to it two good handfulls
of grinded Malt, and with a white staff keep beat-
ing it together till it be almost cold ; then strain it
through a hair-sieve into a Tub, and put to it a wine-
pint of Ale-yest, and stir it very well together ; and
when it is cold, you may if you please. Tun it up
presently into a vessel fit for it, or else let it stand,
and work a day, and when it hath done working in
your vessel, stop it up very close. It will be three
weeks or a month before it be ready to drink.
TO MAKE HONEY DRINK
To two quarts of water take one pound of Honey✪ To Make Honey Drink.
When it boileth, skim it clean as long as any scum
ariseth ; boil it a pretty while ; then take it off the
fire, and put it in an earthen pot, and let it stand till
the next day ; then put it into clean bottles, that are
throughly dry, rinsing first every bottle with a little
of the liquor ; Fill them not too full, and put into
every bottle four or five Cloves, and four or five
slices of Ginger : and stop it very close, and set it in
Sand ; and within ten or twelve days it will be ready
to drink.
Some, when they take their Bees, put the honey-
combs into fair-water, and make it so strong of the
honey that it will bear an Egg ; and then boil it
with some Spice, and put it into a barrel : but I
THe CLOSET OPEDjED 85
think it not so good, as that which is made of pure
honey.
THE EARL OF DENBIGH'S METHEGLIN
Take twenty Gallons of Spring-water ; boil it a
quarter of an hour, and let it stand, until it be all
most cold ; then beat in so much honey, as will make
it so strong as to bear an Egg, so that on the Top,
you may see the breadth of a hasel-nut swimming
above ; The next day boil it up with six small hand-
fuls of Rosemary ; a pound and a half of Ginger,
being scraped and bruised ; then take the whites of
twenty Eggs shells and all ; beat them very well,
and put them in to clarifie it ; skim it very clean,
then take it offthe fire and strain: But put the Rose-
mary and Ginger in again : then let it remain till it
be all most cold : then Tun it up, and take some
New-ale-yest ; the whites of two Eggs, a spoonful
of flower, and beat them well together, and put them
into the barrel ; when it hath wrought very well,
stop it very close for three weeks or a month : then
bottle it, and a week after you may drink it.
TO MAKE MEATH
Take to every Gallon of water, a quart of honey, and
set it over a clear fire, and when it is ready to boil,
skim it very clear. Then take two handfulls of
Sweet-marjoram, as much Rose-mary, and as much
Baulm : and two handful of Fennel-roots, as much
of Parsley-roots, and as many Esparages-roots :
slice them in the middle, and take out the pith, wash
and scrape them very clean, and put them with your
herbs into your Liquor. Then take two Ounces of
Ginger, one Ounce of Nutmegs, half an Ounce of
86 SIR KENELMS DIGBIS ✪ The Earl of Denbigh's Metheglin
Page 63 · 6 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1910. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Take eight Gallons of water, set it over a clear fire in a Kettle ; and when it is warm, put it to sixteen pounds of very good honey,and stir it well together; take off the scum, and put two large Nutmegs cut in quarters, and so let it boil at least an hour ; Then take it off the fire, and put to it two good handfulls of ground Malt, and with a white staff keep beating it together till it be almost cold ; then strain it through a hair-sieve into a Tub, and put to it a winepint of Ale-yest, and stir it very well together ; and when it is cold, you may if you please. Tun it up presently into a vessel fit for it, or else let it stand, and work a day, and when it hath done working in your vessel, stop it up very close. It will be three weeks or a month before it be ready to drink. TO MAKE HONEY DRINK To two quarts of water take one pound of Honey. When it boileth, skim it clean as long as any scum ariseth ; boil it a pretty while ; then take it off the fire, and put it in an earthen pot, and let it stand till the next day ; then put it into clean bottles, that are throughly dry, rinsing first every bottle with a little of the liquor ; Fill them not too full, and put into every bottle four or five Cloves, and four or five slices of Ginger : and stop it very close, and set it in Sand ; and within ten or twelve days it will be ready to drink.
Some, when they take their Bees, put the honeycombs into fair-water, and make it so strong of the honey that it will bear an Egg ; and then boil it with some Spice, and put it into a barrel : but I
think it not so good, as that which is made of pure
honey.
THE EARL OF DENBIGH'S METHEGLIN
Take twenty Gallons of Spring-water ; boil it a quarter of an hour, and let it stand, until it be all most cold ; then beat in so much honey, as will make it so strong as to bear an Egg, so that on the Top, you may see the breadth of a hazel-nut swimming above ; The next day boil it up with six small handfuls of Rosemary ; a pound and a half of Ginger, being scraped and bruised ; then take the whites of twenty Eggs shells and all ; beat them very well, and put them in to clarifie it ; skim it very clean, then take it offthe fire and strain: But put the Rosemary and Ginger in again : then let it remain till it be all most cold : then Tun it up, and take some New-ale-yest ; the whites of two Eggs, a spoonful of flower, and beat them well together, and put them into the barrel ; when it hath wrought very well, stop it very close for three weeks or a month : then bottle it, and a week after you may drink it.
Take to every Gallon of water, a quart of honey, and set it over a clear fire, and when it is ready to boil, skim it very clear. Then take two handfulls of Sweet-marjoram, as much Rose-mary, and as much Baulm : and two handful of Fennel-roots, as much of Parsley-roots, and as many Esparages-roots : slice them in the middle, and take out the pith, wash and scrape them very clean, and put them with your herbs into your Liquor. Then take two Ounces of Ginger, one Ounce of Nutmegs, half an Ounce of
Records on this page
To Make MetheglinTo Make Honey DrinkHoney DrinkThe Earl of Denbigh's MetheglinMetheglinMeath