SIMPLE HOME-MADE BEVERAGES

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 35, 10 February 1909, Page 8

SIMPLE HOME-MADE BEVERAGES

SOME OLD-FASHIONED RECIPES. To be prepared against- every gency is always the sign of- efficient Lousekeeping. "Pot-luck" in -a smallm'enige, imlcss it is presided over by; Van excellent manager, is apt to be gastronomic fortune in a very empty vessel, WhflV the" difficulty of providing a substantial .enough menu is often complicatediby the sudrteh demand on the wine-cellar, or at leastW -the horn c supply of summer ber«r.ij;ra. . In these iays, when motoring'parcieiMri) r apt to descend at the most • unexpected tunes. rc-i rtshments are no easy, liiilter, ■and much in the same -way BS'va'a-donc. ■in the old coaching tiiiies, when travellers paused at their friends' houses to •ow'ii, to keep "open house" is.becoming quite a necessity. ■ • .■. .. . , KEEPING SUMMER BEVERAGES; - COOL. • '. ■ To possess a store-room.'- well, packed' [ with home-made gingerrbeer and lemonade, and with, the materials for frUit-cups of every description , , as well'as" cid« ;and home-made wines and lato.-ba prearrned, in, a substantial, way/against any or motor, the mere fact that the ingredients ' are ■■■ for the most part inexpensive making their preparation, financially, an insignificant and simple affair. To keep Jars- arid, bqttle3 cool is, ho\vever, no matter in the dog-days. A stone-floored. cellar is, of course, best, especially if the, ventilation is perfect, but in many_ small-country and suburban, as well as town,; houses the larder—often on the hottest side at the house —is all the storage room.available. If small quantities and. frequent, brewing are the only solution of the. difficulty of storing, cold cloths, frequently wrung out in water, thorough ventilation to the open-air, and a,sun-screen for the window*represent the best method, of obviating .lukewarm drinks in the hot weather. An excellent plan for cooling stonebottled lemonade or ginger-ale • is,besides, to fill a. tub with water, aid.stand the bottles in it up to.the 'neck,..a! cloth, wrung out in melted ice,. being then thrown over the top, with th-e water all round. ;■•'■'■■ HOME-MADE , A good recipe for quickly-made gingerbeer is that which requires three pounds of loaf sugar, two galloris,-of water, a* quarter of a pound of cream of tartar, an ounce of whole ginger, and two tablespoonfuls of yeast. To make it, the water should be brought to a boil, pour-: ed over the" sugar, cream of tartar, and the should have been previously bruised —and'left to stariS until, by testing, it is found'to have reached a tepid condition. The yeast should he added' at this ■ point, and. the- beer left to stand until the next day, when it' only requires straining before it isi ready for bottling, and may—if required—be drunk tweaty-four hours later.- J GINGER-ALE WITH ;LEMOK. v In another recipe a couple of lemons gives an acid taste, which is often ;preferred, the method of making it consisting in putting the pared rind of. the lemons, with two a-half pounds, of sugar in a large pan, and in bringing nearly three gallons of water to the boil to which has been added an ounce and a-half of ginger. When the water-reaches boiling point, it should be poured over the sugar and lemon, an ounce of cream of tartar stirred in, the whole well mixed, and then covered with a thick cloth, to. be left until it has reached the tern-, perature of new milk. Four tablespoon-: fuls of yeast should then be spread on a slice of freshly-made toast, and this must be added to the beer, together with the strained juice of the -lemons. After twelve hours the ale is ready for straining through muslin to clear it, and finally, for bottling, two or three days being, however, allowed to elapse before it is used. In both cases, whether the first or the second recipe is adopted, screw-down stoppers should be used, or failing thie, the bottles must be well corked and the corks secured with wire or strong twine. LEMON DRINKS. Concentrated lemon syrup is one of the most useful bottled beverages, as it is always at hand, ready for mixing at any moment with ice and soda water. To prepare it for bottling the rind of six large lemons should be pared finely'-and placed in a saucepan with three quart! of colds water and boiled gently for about twenty minutes. The juice of the lemons should then be added, boiling! continued for a quarter of an hour-—the lid kejjc on the pan—and the liquid strained. Finally six pounds of loaf-sugar . and two ounces of oitrio acid must be added, the liquid returned to the pa* and boiled again for five minutes. SVhejTedld it * jr«adj£ for bottling. • '<;;; ■' ""