Metheglin

Ingredients

• four Gallons of Black-currants
• two Gallons and a half to one Gallon of Honey
• one Gallon of Honey
• Lessthen half a handfull of every sort
• a bag, and put in good store of sliced Ginger
• some Cloves
• some Cinnamon

Method

1. 1

   Bruise black currants in a mortar, put them and their juice into a barrel, and pour cool liquor over them.

2. 2

   Cover with a loose plate.

3. 3

   After a month, stop the bung tightly.

4. 4

   For Metheglin, boil herbs, strain, and mix with honey and water.

5. 5

   Boil for an hour, cool, add ale barm, and let it work for three days.

6. 6

   Scum off barm, then transfer to a barrel, allowing some vent for five days.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened (1910) by Sir Kenelm Digby, page 59. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

four Gallons of Black-currants, bruise them in a stone mortar, that they may the more easily part with their juyce to the Liquor. Put them and their juyce into the barrel, and pour the cool Liquor upon them, so as the vessel be quite full. Cover the bung with a plate of lead lying loose on, that the working of the Liquor may lift it up, as it needeth to cast out the filth. And still as itworketh over, fill it up with fresh Liquor, made in the same proportion of honey and water. A moneth after it works no longer, stop up the bung very close. TO MAKE VERY GOOD METHEGLIN Take of all sorts of herbs, that you think are good and wholesome, as Balm, Minth, Fennel, Rose- mary, Angelica, Wild-thyme, Hyssop, Agrimony, THE CLOSET 0PE:HED 77 Burnet, and such other as you may like ; as also some field herbs; But you must notput in too many, especially Rose-mary or any strong herb. Lessthen half a handfull will serve of every sort. Boil your herbs,and strain them out, and let the Liquor stand till the morrow, and settle; Then take of the clear- est of the Liquor two Gallons and a half to one Gallon of Honey; and in that proportion take as much of them as you will make, and let it boil an hour, and in the boiling scum it very clean. Then set it a cooling as you do Beer ; and when it is cold, take some very good Ale-barm, and put it into the bottom of the Tub you mean the Metheglin shall work in, which pour into the Tub by little and little, as they do Beer, keeping back the thick sett- ling, which lieth in the bottome of the vessels, wherein it is cooled. And when all is put together, cover it with a cloth, and let it work very near three days. Andwhen you mean to put it up,scum off all the barm clean, and put it up into your Barrel or Firkin, which you must not stop very close in four or five days, but let it have a little vent, for it will work ; and when it is close stopped, you must look to it very often, and have a peg in the top, to give it vent, when you hear it make a noise (as it will do) or else it will break the barrel. You may also, if you please, make a bag, and put in good store of sliced Ginger, and some Cloves

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.