The Complete Confectioner (1800)/Syrups

SYRUPS.

To make Syrup of Roses:

Take a gallon of soft water, put it into an earthen pan, and throw in as many rose leaves as will soak it up; cover them close, set them on a slow fire, and when they begin to simmer take them off and let them stand til next day; strain them, set the liquor on the fire, and when it boils put in as many rose buds as will soak it up; let it stand till the next day, and strain it off again; repeat this, day after day, till there is not above a pint and a half of water left; put this into a long pipkin proper to make your syrup in; set it on fire, when it boils put in a pound and an half of sugar, scum it, let it boil, and when it is cold bottle and keep it for use.

Another Way.

Infuse three pounds of damask rose leaves in a gallon of warm water in a well glazed earthen pot, with a narrow mouth, for eight hours, which stop so close that none of the virtue may exhale; when they infused so long, heat the water again, squeezed them out, and put in three pounds more of rose leaves to infuse for eight hours, press them out very hard; then to every quart of this infusion add four pounds of fine sugar, and boil it to a syrup; when it is cold, bottle it and cork them tight.

To make Syrup of Coltsfoot.

Take of coltsfoot six ounces, maiden hair two ounces, hyssop one ounce, liquorice-root one ounce; boil them in two quarts of spring water till one fourth is consumed; then strain it, and put to the liquor two pounds of fine powder sugar; clarify it with the whites of eggs, and boil it till it is nearly as thick as honey.

To make balsamic Syrup of Tolu.

Take six drachms of the balsam of tolu, and boil it in twenty ounces of spring water till it is half consumed, taking care not to scum it; then add twenty ounces of the best refined sugar, make it to a syrup without further boiling, and when it is cold strain it off.

Another Way.

Boil half an ounce of pearl barley in three several waters, strain off the last water, and when it is settled, take three ounces of it and two ounces of tolu; let it simmer till almost a pint is wasted, and put in two pounds and an half of sugar, boiling it gently to a syrup of what thickness you please, and when almost cold strain it.

To make Syrup of Mulberries.

Take the clear juice of mulberries, to each quart of juice put one pound of white sugar, and make it into a syrup over a slow fire.

To make Syrup of Poppies.

Take two pounds of corn-poppy flowers, and four pounds of warm spring water; let them stand to infuse twenty-four hours, then strain them, and add fresh flowers to the water, letting the water be warm when you put them in; let them stand close covered till next day, strain it off, and with an equal quantity of sugar boil it to a syrup.

To make Syrup of Violets.

Take one pound of fresh pickled violets, boil five half pints of soft water, and pour it over the violets; let it stand close covered in a well glazed earthen vessel for twenty-four hours, and dissolve in it twice its own weight of white sugar, so as to make a syrup without boiling.

Another Way.

Pick the violets from the greens, and sift them clean; then to every four ounces of violets add half a pint of water and one pound of coarse sugar; first take the water and put into it half the sugar; set it over the fire, clarify and scum it well; beat your violets well in a mortar, and infuse them in the clarified syrup for some time, minding the syrup is not too hot when you put in the violets; when they have infused a while strain them, and preserve some of the juice in another vessel, and let it stand by; put in the rest of the sugar, set it again on the fire, scum it and keep it stirring; when it has boiled softly some time, put in the rest of the juice, and one drop of the juice of lemon; set it once more, for a short time on the fire and when cold put it up for use.

To make Syrup of Clove Gillyflowers.

Gather the flowers early in the morning, pick them clean, and cut the white from the red; to a quart of flowers put two quarts of spring water, let it stand for two days in a cold place, and after boil it till it comes to a quart; strain it off, and put in half a pound of double refined sugar, and boil it up again for three or four minutes; pour it into a china bowl, let it stand to cool, and when it is quite cold scum it, put it into bottles, cork them well, and tie them down with leather.

Another Way.

Clip your gillyflowers, sprinkle them with fair water, put them into an earthen pot, stop them very close, set them in a kettle of boiling water, and let them boil for two hours; then strain out the juice, put a pound and a half of fine sugar to a pint of juice, put it into a preserving-pan, set it on the fire, keeping it stirring till the sugar is all melted, but do not let it boil; then set it by to cool, and bottle it.

To make Syrup of Buckthorn.

Gather your berries in the heat of the day, and set them in an earthen pot in the oven; then squeeze out the juice, and put the juice of one peck of berries to two pounds of Lisbon sugar, and boil them together for a quarter of an hour; let it cool, and bottle it.

Another Way.

Take three quarts of the juice of clarified buckthorn berries, and four pounds of brown sugar; make them into a syrup over a gentle fire, and, while it is warm, mix it with a drachm of the distilled oil of cloves dissolved on a lump of sugar, for it will not dissolve in the syrup

Note.—Take great care you have the true buckthorn, as there are may spurious one; they may be known by the number of seeds; the genuine buckthorn having four, the alder buckthorn only two, and the cherry buckthorn one.'

To make a Syrup for a Cough or Asthma.

Take unset hyssop, coltsfoot flowers, and black maiden hair, of each a handful, and two handfuls of white horehound; boil them in three quarts of water, and when half is boiled away take it off, and let the herbs stand in it till they are quite cold; squeeze the herbs very dry, strain the liquor, and boil it a quarter of an hour; scum it well, and to every pint put in half a pound of white sugar, and boil it, when it becomes a syrup, put it to cool, and bottle it off; do not cork, the bottles, but tie papers over them. This is very good for a cough: take a spoonful night and morning, and one whenever the cough is troublesome.

Another Way.

Take one ounce of conserve of roses, one ounce of brown sugar-candy, and two of raisins of the sun, cleared of their stones; to these add some flower of brimstone, mix them together, and take a spoonful night and morning.

Another Way.

Take pennyroyal and hyssop water, of each half a pint, slice to them a small stick of rice and a few raisins of the sun stoned; let them simmer a quarter of an hour, and make it into a syrup with brown sugar-candy; boil it a little, and then put in four or five spoonfuls of snail water, and give it a second boil; when it is cold bottle it, and take a spoonful night and morning, with three drops of balsam of sulphur put into it.

Another Way.

Take maiden-hair, oak-lungs, and fresh moss, of each a handful; boil these in three pints of spring water till it comes to a quart; strain it out, and put to it six pennyworth of saffron tied up in a rag, adding thereto a pound of brown sugar-candy; boil the liquor up to a syrup, and when cold bottle it. Take a spoonful when the cough is troublesome.

To make Syrup of Balsam.

Put an ounce of balsam of tolu into a quart of spring water, and boil them two hours; put in a pound of white sugar candy finely beat, and boil it half an hour longer; take out the balsam, strain the syrup twice through a flannel bag, and when it is cold bottle it. This syrup is also excellent for a cough: take a spoonful at night, and a little whenever your cough is troublesome.

To make Barley Syrup.

Take a pound of fresh barley, put it in water, and when it boils throw the water away; so do a second water; put to the barley a third water, the quantity of six quarts, and boil it till one third is consumed; strain out the barley, and put to the water a handful of scabious, tormentil, hyssop, agrimony, horehound, maiden-hair, sanicle, and betony; burage, bugloss, rosemary, marigolds, sage, violets, and cowslips, of these a pint each when picked; a pound of raisins of the sun stoned; half a pound of figs cut; a quarter of a pound of dates stoned, and the white skin next the stone taken off; half a pound of green liquorice; caraway seeds, fennel seeds, and aniseeds, of each one ounce; hartshorn, ivy, elecampane roots, of each one ounce; fennel roots, asparagus roots, couchgrass roots, polipodium roots, oak parsley roots, of each one handful; after they are cleaned, bruise the liquorice and seeds, and slice your roots; then put all the ingredients into your barley water, cover them close, and let them boil very softly twelve hours; afterwards strain it, press out the juice, and let it stand twenty-four hours; take the liquor off clear, and add to it half a pint of damask rose water, and half a pint of hyssop water, with a pint of the juice of coltsfoot clarified; a drachm of saffron, three pints of the best virgin honey, and as many pounds of sugar as there are quarts of liquor; boil this an hour and an half, keeping it clean scummed; then bottle it, cork it well, and put it by for use. It is good for an old cough: take three spoonfuls, mixed with the same quantity of sack, night and morning.

To make Syrup of Marsh-Mallows.

Take of the fresh roots of marsh-mallows two ounces, and parsley roots one ounce; liquorice root, the tops of marsh-mallows and mallows, and figs, of each half an ounce; raisins stoned two ounces; sweet almonds blanched one ounce; let all these steep one day in three quarts of clear barley water, and boil it to two quarts; press out the decoction, and when grown fine by standing in the liquor, dissolve one ounce of gum arabic, and four pounds of fine sugar and make it into a syrup.

Another Way.

Take four ounces of marsh-mallow roots, grass roots, asparagus roots, liquorice, and raisins stoned, of each half an ounce; the tops of marsh-mallows, pellitory, pimpernel, saxifras, plantain, maiden-hair, white and black, of each one handful; red sisars one ounce; bruise all these and boil them in three quarts of water till it comes to two; then put to it four pounds of white sugar to make it a syrup, and clarify every pint with the white of an egg, or isinglass.

To make Syrup of Saffron.

Take a pint of balm water and a pint of the best Canary, and half an ounce of English saffron; open the saffron, and put it into the liquor to infuse, let it stand close covered so as to be hot and not boil, and continue so for twelve hours; then strain it out as hot as you can, and add to it three pounds of double refined sugar, and boil it till it is well incorporated; when cold bottle it: a spoonful in any simple water or wine is a high cordial.

To make Syrup of Quinces.

Tale your quinces and grate them, pass their pulp through a coarse cloth to extract the juice, set the juice before the sun or fire to settle, and by that means clarify it; to every four ounces of juice take a pound of sugar boiled into a syrup with spring water; if the putting in the juice of the quinces should check the boiling of the syrup too much, give it a little boiling till it becomes pearled, then take it off the fire, and when cold put it into bottles, and cork them tight.

To make Syrup of Citron.

Pare and slice your citrons thin, lay them in a china bowl with layers of fine sugar; the next day pour off the liquor into a glass, and clarify it over a gentle fire.

To make Syrup of Peach Blossoms.

Infuse peach blossoms in as much hot water as will cover them, let them stand in balnao, or sand twenty-four hours, covered close; strain out the flowers from, the liquor, and put in fresh flowers; let them stand to infuse as before, strain them out, and to the liquor put fresh peach blossoms, a third time, and if you please, a fourth time; then to every pound of your infusion add two pounds of double refined sugar, and set it in sand or balnao: this makes a syrup which will keep for use.

To make Syrup of Cherries.

Take two pounds of cherries very ripe and sound, pick off the stalks, take out the stones, and put them upon the fire with about half a pint of water; let them boil up eight or ten times, and strain them through a sieve: put two pounds of sugar over the fire with a little water, boil it till it cracks and sparkles, then put in your cherry juice, and boil them together till they acquire the consistence of syrup.

To make Syrup of Apricots.

According to the time you intend keeping your syrup, it is necessary to put more or less sugar. To keep apricot syrup from one season to another, the proportion will be two pounds of sugar to a pound of fruit: stone a pound of ripe apricots, peel the kernels and apricots, and cut them into little bites; put two pounds of sugar into a saucepan with a glass of water, and boil it to the same height as for the cherries; then put in the apricots with their kernels, and boil them together over a moderate fire, till the syrup will extend into a thread between your fingers without breaking, and strain it through a sieve.

Another Way.

Having cut the apricots and kernels, as before, put them upon the fire with a glass of water, and boil them till they are reduced to a marmalade; put them into a sieve and strain off all the juice, let it settle, and strain it again through a napkin; add the juice to the sugar, and let it boil to the consistence of a strong syrup.

To make Syrup of Apples.

Take a quarter of a pound of golden pippins perfectly sound, cut them into very thin slices, and boil them with half a gill of water; when they are reduced to a marmalade, wring them in a linen cloth, and express all the juice; let the juice settle, pour it clear off, and to a gill take a pound of sugar; boil it to the same degree as for the syrup of cherries; and then put in the juice of the apples; let them boil together till the syrup will extend to a thread between your fingers, without easily breaking.

To make Syrup of Lemons.

Syrup of lemons is not usually made till wanted for use: when you have occasion for it, put half a pound of sugar into a saucepan, with a small glass of water; make it boil and skim it, and let it continue to boil till it will extend into a thread between the fingers, which breaks and forms a drop upon the fingers; then put in the juice of a small lemon, let it boil up a few times, and use it.

To make Syrup of Capillaire.

Put an ounce of the leaves of maiden-hair for a moment into boiling water; take them out and infuse them at least twelve hours upon hot embers, and then strain them through a sieve: put a pound of sugar into a saucepan with a good glass of water, boil it to the same degree as for the syrup of violets, and put in your capillaire or maiden-hair water, not suffering it to boil; take it off the fire as soon as it is mingled with the sugar; put it into an earthen pan, close covered, and set it during three days over hot embers, keeping the heat as equal as you can, and not too violent: when the syrup will extend into a long thread between your fingers, put it into bottles, taking care not to cork them till the syrup is quite cold.

To make Syrup of Orgeat.

To half a pound of sweet almonds add two ounces of the four cold seeds, and half an ounce of bitter almonds; blanch the bitter almonds in boiling water, and as you do them throw them into cold water; when they are drained, put them into a mortar with the cold seeds, and pound the whole together till it is very fine; as you beat it, to prevent it from turning to oil, put in from time to time half a spoonful of cold water; afterwards mix it with a full gill of warm water, and let it infuse upon a slow fire for three hours; strain it through a coarse napkin, squeezing it hard with a wooden spoon that the powder of the almonds may pass; then take a pound of sugar, and boil it in the same manner as for the syrup of violets, and finish it on the embers as directed for the capillaire.

To make Syrup of red Cabbages.

Cut and wash a large red cabbage, put it into a stew-pan and boil it in water three or four hours, and till there remains no more than a pint of liquor; put the cabbage into a sieve, squeezing it till you have expressed all the juice; let it settle, and pour it off clear; then put a pound of Narbonne honey into a saucepan, with a glass of water; let it boil, skimming it often; when the honey is very clear put in the cabbage juice, and boil them together till of the consistence of syrup, like the preceding.

To make Syrup of Verjuice.

Put two pounds of sugar upon the fire with a gill of water, make it boil and skim it, letting it continue to boil till, in dipping the simmer in, shaking it over, and blowing across the holes, the sugar rises in little sparkles; then have ready the juice expressed from two pounds of sour grapes, very green and large, the seeds being first taken out and the fruit pounded, and put it into the sugar, letting them boil together till reduced to a very strong syrup, which you will know by its forming a strong thread between your fingers without breaking.

To make Syrup of Water Cresses.

Bruise a peck of water cresses, put to them two quarts of water, and when it has stood twenty-four hours, put to it some more water to cover it, with a pound of fine loaf sugar; then let the whole be boiled up till it is reduced to a quart, let it be taken off to cool, and pour on it a pint of rum, when it must be squeezed out and bottled.