Jewish Cook Book - Beverages

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Beverages
All drinks contain a large proportion of water which is the beverage nature has provided for man. Water for hot drinks should be freshly boiled, freshly drawn water should be used for cold drinks.

Coffee
Coffee should be bought in small quantities and kept in air-tight cans, and freshly ground as needed. To have perfect coffee, use an earthen or china pot, and have the water boiling when turned onto the coffee. Like tea, the results will not be right if the water is allowed to fall below the boiling point before it is used. Have the coffee ground to a fine powder in order to get its full flavor as well as strength.

Boiled coffee
Allow one tablespoon of coffee to each cup of boiling water. Mix coffee with two tablespoons of cold water. Clean egg shells and put in the pot. Allow this to come to a boil and add boiling water, bring to a boil and boil for one minute; add a tablespoon of cold water to assist the grounds in settling. Stand the pot where it will keep hot, but not boil, for five minutes; then serve at once, as coffee allowed to stand becomes flat and loses its aroma. Most cooks use a clean shell or a little of the white of an egg if they do not use the whole. Others beat the whole egg, with a little water, but use only a part of it, keeping the rest for further use in a covered glass in the ice-chest. Cream is usually served with coffee, but scalded milk renders the coffee more digestible than does cream. Fill the cup one-fourth full of hot scalded milk; pour on the freshly made coffee, adding sugar.

Filtered coffee
Place one cup of finely ground coffee in the strainer of the percolator; place the strainer in the pot and place over the heat. Add gradually six cups of boiling water and allow it to filter. Serve at once.

Turkish coffee
For making this the coffee must be pulverized, and it should be made over an alcohol lamp with a little brass Turkish pot. Measure into your pot as many after-dinner coffee cups of water as you wish cups of coffee. Bring the water to a boil and drop a heaping teaspoon of the powdered coffee to each cup on top of the water and allow it to settle. Add one, two or three coffeespoons of powdered sugar, as desired. Put the pot again over the flame; bring the coffee to a boil three times, and pour into the cups. The grounds of the coffee are of course thick in the liquid, so one lets the coffee stand a moment in the cup before drinking.

French coffee
Have your coffee ground very fine and use a French drip coffee-pot. Instead of pouring through water, pour milk through, brought just to the boiling point. The milk passes through slowly, and care must be taken not to let scum form on the milk.

Coffee for twenty people
Add and mix one pound of coffee finely ground, with one egg and enough cold water to thoroughly moisten it, cover and let stand several hours. Place in thin bag and drop in seven quarts of boiling water. Boil five minutes, let stand ten minutes. Add cream to coffee and serve.

After-dinner coffee is made double the strength of boiled coffee and is served without cream or milk.

Breakfast cocoa
Mix two tablespoons prepared cocoa with two tablespoons of sugar and a few grains of salt, dilute with one-half cup of boiling water to make a smooth paste, then add one-half cup of boiling water and boil five minutes, turn into three cups of scalded milk and beat two minutes, using Dover beater and serve.

Reception cocoa
Stir one cup of boiling water gradually onto two tablespoons of cocoa, two tablespoons of sugar and one teaspoon of cornstarch, a few grains of salt (that have been well mixed) in a saucepan; let boil five minutes, stirring constantly. Heat three cups of milk in a double boiler, add the cocoa mixture and one-half teaspoon of vanilla; beat with egg-beater until foamy and serve hot in chocolate cups, with a tablespoon of whipped cream on top of each cup, or take the cheaper marshmallows, place two in each cup and fill cups two-thirds full of hot cocoa.

Hot chocolate
Scrape two ounces of unsweetened chocolate very fine, add three tablespoons of sugar, small piece of stick cinnamon and one cup of boiling water; stir over moderate heat until smooth, then add three cups of hot milk. Return to the fire for a minute, do not let it boil, remove, add one teaspoon of vanilla. Beat with an egg-beater and serve.

Chocolate syrup
Dissolve two cups of sugar in one cup of water and boil five minutes. Mix one cup of cocoa with one cup of water and add to the boiling syrup. Boil slowly for ten minutes, add salt; cool and bottle for further use.

This syrup will keep a long time in the ice-chest in summer and may be used for making delicious drinks.

Chocolate nectar
Put into a glass two tablespoons of chocolate syrup, a little cream or milk and chopped ice, and fill up the glass with soda water, apollinaris, or milk. Drop a little whipped cream on top.

Iced chocolate
Follow recipe for boiled chocolate, but do not beat, add one egg, finely chopped ice and three-fourths cup of milk, put in a bowl and beat thoroughly with a Dover beater or pour into jar with cover and shake thoroughly. Serve in tall glasses.

Iced coffee
Take boiled coffee, strain, add sugar to taste and chill. When ready to serve, add one quart of coffee, one-half cup of cream and pour in pitcher. Serve in tall glasses. Have ready a small bowl of whipped cream and, if desired, place a tablespoon on top of each glass.

Tea
Scald the tea-pot. Allow one teaspoon of tea to each person, and one extra. When the water boils, pour off the water with which the pot was scalded, put in the tea, and pour boiling water over it. Let it draw three minutes. Tea should never be allowed to remain on the leaves. If not drunk as soon as it is drawn, it should be poured off into another hot tea-pot, or into a hot jug, which should stand in hot water.

Tea (Russian style)
Use a small earthenware tea-pot, thoroughly clean. Put in two teaspoons of tea leaves, pour over it boiling water to one-fourth of the pot, and let it stand three minutes. Then fill the pot entirely with boiling water and let it stand five minutes. In serving dilute with warm water to suit taste, or serve cold, but always without milk. A thin slice of lemon or a few drops of lemon juice is allowed for each cup. Preserved strawberries, cherries or raspberries are considered an improvement.

Russian iced tea
Make tea for as many cups as desired, strain and cool. Place in ice-box, chill thoroughly and serve in tall glass with ice and flavor with loaf sugar, one teaspoon of rum or brandy, one slice of lemon or one teaspoon preserved strawberries, raspberries, cherries or pineapple, or loaf sugar may be flavored with lemon or orange and packed and stored in jars to be used later to flavor and sweeten the tea. Wash the rind of lemon or orange and wipe dry, then rub over all sides of the sugar.

Hot wine (glueh)
Mix one quart claret, one pint water, two cups of sugar, one-half teaspoon of whole cloves, one teaspoon of whole cinnamon, lemon rind cut thin and in small pieces. Boil steadily for fifteen minutes and serve hot.

Fruit drinks
The success of lemon-, orange- and pineapple-ades depends upon the way they are made. It is best to make a syrup, using one cup of granulated sugar to one cup of water. Put the sugar in cold water over the fire; stir until the sugar is dissolved; then cook until the syrup spins a fine thread. Take from the fire and add the fruit juices while the syrup is hot. If lemonade is desired, lemon should predominate, but orange or pineapple juice or both should be added to yield the best result. Small pieces of fresh pineapple, fresh strawberries and maraschino cherries added at time of serving will make the drink look pretty and will improve the flavor. Shaved or very finely cracked ice should be used.

Pineapple lemonade
Pare and grate a ripe pineapple; add the juice of four lemons and a syrup made by boiling together for a few minutes two cups of sugar and the same quantity of water. Mix and add a quart of water. When quite cold strain and ice. A cherry, in each glass is an agreeable addition, as are a few strawberries or raspberries.

Quick lemonade
Wash two lemons and squeeze the juice; mix thoroughly with four tablespoons of sugar, and when the sugar is dissolved add one quart of water, cracked ice, and a little fresh fruit or slices of lemon if convenient.

If the cracked ice is very finely chopped and put in the glasses just before serving it will make a better-looking lemonade. When wine is used take two-thirds water and one-third wine.

Lemonade in large quantities
Take one dozen lemons, one pound of sugar and one gallon of water to make lemonade for twenty people.

Fruit punch for twenty people
Take one pineapple, or one can of grated pineapple, one cup of boiling water, two cups of freshly made tea (one heaping tablespoon of Ceylon tea, steep for five minutes); one dozen lemons, three oranges sliced and quartered, one quart bottle apollinaris water, three cups of sugar boiled with one and one-half cups of water six to eight minutes, one quart of water, ice. Grate the pineapple, add the one cup of boiling water, and boil fifteen minutes. Strain through jelly-bag, pressing out all the juice; let cool, and add the lemon and orange juice, the tea and syrup. Add apollinaris water just before serving. Pieces of pineapple, strawberries, mint-leaves or slices of banana are sometimes added as a garnish.

Milk lemonade
Dissolve in one quart of boiling water two cups of granulated sugar, add three-fourths of a cup of lemon juice, and lastly, one and a half pints of milk. Drink hot or cold with pounded ice.

Egg lemonade
Break two eggs and beat the whites and yolks separately. Mix juice of two lemons, four tablespoons of sugar, four cups of water and ice as for lemonade; add the eggs; pour rapidly back and forth from one pitcher to another and serve before the froth disappears.

Maraschino lemonade
Take the juice of four lemons, twelve tablespoons of sugar, eight cups of water, one cup of maraschino liquor and a few cherries.

Orangeade
Take four large, juicy oranges and six tablespoons of sugar Squeeze the oranges upon the sugar, add a very little water and let them stand for fifteen minutes; strain and add shaved ice and water, and a little lemon juice.

Clabbered milk
One of the most healthful drinks in the world is clabbered milk; it is far better in a way for every one than buttermilk for it requires no artificial cult to bring it to perfection. The milk is simply allowed to stand in a warm place in the bottles just as it is bought, and when it reaches the consistency of a rich cream or is more like a jelly the same as is required for cheese, it is ready to drink. Pour it into a glass, seasoning it with a little salt, and drink it in the place of buttermilk.

Cold egg wine
To each glass of wine allow one egg, beat up, and add sugar to taste. Add wine gradually and grated nutmeg. Beat whites separately and mix.

Soda cream
Take three pounds of granulated sugar and one and one-half ounces of tartaric acid, both dissolved in one quart of hot water. When cold add the well-beaten whites of three eggs, stirring well. Bottle for use. Put two large spoonfuls of this syrup in a glass of ice-water, and stir in it one-fourth of a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda. Any flavor can be put in this syrup.

Mulled wine
Put cinnamon and allspice (to taste) in a cup of hot water to steep. Add three eggs well beaten with sugar. Heat to a boil a pint of wine, then add spice and eggs. Stir for three minutes and serve.

Strawberry sherbet
Crush a quart of ripe strawberries, pour a quart of water over them, and add the juice of two lemons. Let this stand about two hours, then strain over a pound of sugar, stir until the sugar is dissolved, and then set upon ice. You may add one tablespoon of rose-water. Serve with chopped ice.

Delicious and nourishing summer drink
Pare thinly the rind of three large lemons, put it into a large jug with one pound of raisins stoned and finely chopped, one pound of sugar, and the juice of the lemons. Add one gallon of boiling water, leave to stand for five days, stirring well every day. Then strain and bottle for use.

Sherry cobbler
It is best to mix this in a large bowl and fill in glasses just before serving, and put a little of each kind of fruit in each goblet with pounded ice. To begin with, cut pineapple in slices and quarters, a few oranges and a lemon, sliced thin; one cup of powdered sugar and one tumbler of sherry wine. A few berries, such as black and red raspberries, and blackberries are a nice addition. Cover the fruit with the sugar, laid in layers at the bottom of your bowl with pounded ice; add the wine and twice as much water as wine; stir all up well before serving.

Claret cup
Squeeze into a glass pitcher the strained juice of one and one-half lemons, add two tablespoons of powdered sugar, one tablespoon of red curaçao; then pour in three cups of claret, and one cup of apollinaris water. Mix thoroughly, add a few slices of orange or pineapple, or both, and a few maraschino cherries. Cut the rinds from two cucumbers without breaking them, hang them on the inside of the pitcher from the top; drop in a good-sized lump of ice and serve at once in thin glasses. Place a bunch of mint at the top of the pitcher.

Cordial
Two quarts of water and two and three-quarter pounds of sugar. Boil thirty minutes. Take off stove and add one quart of alcohol. Color and flavor to taste.

Egg-nog
Separate the whites and yolks of the eggs. To each yolk add one tablespoon of sugar and beat until very light. Beat whites to a stiff froth. One egg is required for each glass of egg-nog. Add two tablespoons of brandy or rum, then one-half cup of milk or cream to each glass, lastly the whites of the eggs. Pour in glass, put a spoon of whipped cream over and grated nutmeg on top.

Unfermented grape juice
Wash and stem ten pounds of Concord grapes, put them in a preserving kettle and crush slightly. Bring to the boiling point and cook gently for one-half hour. Strain through cheese-cloth or jelly bag, pressing out all the juice possible; return to fire and with two pounds of sugar conk for fifteen minutes; strain again, reheat and pour into sterilized bottles thoroughly heated. Put in sterilized corks and dip the necks of the bottles in hot sealing-wax. If you can get the self-sealing bottles, the work of putting up grape juice will be light. Sterilize bottles and corks.

Other fruit juices
Raspberry, blackberry and strawberry juice may be made by following the recipe for grape juice but doubling the quantity of sugar. For currant juice use four times as much sugar as for grape juice.

Fruit syrups
Fruit syrups may be made like fruit juices, only using more sugar—at least half as much sugar as fruit juice.

Raspberry vinegar
Put two quarts of raspberries in a bowl and cover them with two quarts of vinegar; cover and stand in a cool place for two days. Mash the berries; strain the vinegar through cheesecloth; pour it over two quarts of fresh raspberries; let stand for another two days; strain and put in a preserving kettle with sugar, allowing a pound of sugar to a pint of juice. Heat slowly, skimming when the vinegar begins to boil. Boil twenty minutes and put in sterilized bottles. Serve as a drink, using two tablespoons to a glass of water.

Blackberry wine
Measure your berries and bruise them; to every gallon add one quart of boiling water; let the mixture stand twenty-four hours (stirring occasionally), then strain off all the liquor into a cask; to every gallon add two pounds of sugar; cork tightly and let stand till the following October.

Blackberry cordial
Simmer the berries until they break, then strain and to each quart of juice add one pound of sugar. Let this dissolve by heating slowly, then add one tablespoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and if desired, allspice. Simmer altogether twenty minutes. Bottle and seal.

Cherry syrup
Mash and pound the cherries until the stones are all broken, then press through a cloth. Use a pound of sugar to a quart of juice; boil, skim and bottle. When cold, seal.

Cherry brandy
To one gallon of brandy allow two quarts of cherries. Mash and pound them until all the stones are broken, put in the brandy and add a pound of cut loaf sugar. Set in the sun for two or three weeks, shake daily, strain and bottle.

Cherry bounce
The little wild cherry is excellent for this purpose, as the stone kernels contain alcohol. Wash carefully, sugar plentifully, and add whole spice, cloves (with the heads removed) and stick cinnamon. Fewer cloves than the other spices. Get good whiskey and allow one-half as much cherries as whiskey. To a quart bottle allow scant half pint sugared cherries to one and one-half pints of whiskey. Bottle and seal. Let stand at least two months. Open, shake bottle well and taste, and if necessary add more sugar. Seal again, and let stand another month. Is not good under three months and the older it gets the finer it becomes.

Cider egg nog
Break six eggs, put the yolks in one dish, the whites in another. To each yolk add a tablespoon of granulated sugar, beat the yolks and sugar to a foam; then flavor with a little grated nutmeg, stirring it well through the mixture; then add a half pint of hot sweet cider to each egg, beat it well through and pour into a hot punch bowl. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth with a little sugar and cover the surface of the punch. Serve in cups.

Tom and Jerry (non-alcoholic)
Beat six eggs and six tablespoons of sugar to a stiff froth, add four cups of unfermented grape juice and the same amount of sweet cider. Have two porcelain pitchers as hot as possible, pour the mixture into one of them. Then pour the mixture back and forth from one pitcher to the other five or six times, and pour the foaming beverage into hot cups and serve.

Hot milk punch
Beat one egg to a stiff froth with two tablespoons of sugar; add to it two tablespoons of home-made grape wine; stir all well together, put in a large drinking glass and fill with hot milk. Grate a little nutmeg on the top and serve.