Recipes
Drinks from the old books, with and without alcohol. Each one names its source and scales to the size of your party.
Drinks from the old books.
Or start from what you have at home109–120 of 228 recipes
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Absinthe Frappé, Shaken until the Shaker Frosts
A pony of absinthe and a pony of water with a dash of anisette, shaken with fine ice until the shaker frosts, strained and topped with seltzer: the absinthe frappé of 1895.
Alcohol-free versionAlcohol-Free Negus, Hot Grape and Blackcurrant with Lemon
Hot red grape and blackcurrant juice poured into a covered jug of lemon sugar, sliced lemons and a little spice, then grated over with nutmeg: negus by the 1847 Oxford method, without the port.
Alcohol-free versionAlcohol-Free Temperance Ginger Wine
A still ginger drink with no wine in it: sugar, tartaric acid and boiling water heated with ginger and chile, after an 1887 Temperance Cook Book. A modern alcohol-free version.
Alcohol-free versionAlcohol-Free Wassail, Hot Spiced Apple Juice with Roasted Apples
Cloudy apple juice heated with cinnamon, ginger, lemon and nutmeg, with roasted apples and toast floating in the bowl: our modern alcohol-free take on the 1869 wassail.
Americano, Vermouth and Bitter
Turin vermouth sharpened with a spoonful of bitter, a few drops of cognac and Angostura, stirred and served short with lemon peel: the earliest printed Americano, from an Italian bar guide of about 1920.
Always alcohol-freeAunt Sammy’s Tomato Cocktail, a 1931 First Course
Fresh tomatoes cooked with celery and green pepper, sieved, then sharpened with catsup, onion and horseradish and chilled: the USDA’s 1931 first course in a small glass.
Always alcohol-freeBaked-Apple Water with Ginger and Lemon Peel
Boiling water poured over baked apples, a pear, grated ginger and lemon peel, then pressed through a sieve: an alcohol-free Victorian drink from 1869.
Always alcohol-freeBarley Water with Lemon and Mace
Pearl barley boiled until the water turns silky, spiced with mace, sharpened with lemon and sweetened: barley water from Eliza Smith’s Compleat Housewife (1739). Alcohol-free.
Always alcohol-freeBeeton’s 1906 Barley Water with Lemon Peel
Blanched pearl barley, a little sugar and thin lemon peel, covered with boiling water and left until cold: the quick barley water of Mrs. Beeton’s 1906 book. Alcohol-free.
Benjamin Franklin’s Milk Punch
Brandy steeped with lemon peel, then nutmeg, lemon, sugar and boiling milk, dripped clear through a jelly bag and bottled: Franklin’s 1763 receipt at a twelfth of the size.
Bishop, Hot Spiced Port with a Roasted Lemon
Hot port with a roasted clove-studded lemon, boiled-down spices, fresh lemon and nutmeg: the Oxford bishop of 1847 and the smoking bishop of A Christmas Carol.
Always alcohol-freeBlanda, Icelandic Whey and Water with Thyme
Cold water sharpened with sour whey and scented with thyme: the everyday farm drink of Iceland, recorded in 1772, from a saga-age word.
Try one of these recipes
Absinthe Frappé, Shaken until the Shaker Frosts
A pony of absinthe and a pony of water with a dash of anisette, shaken with fine ice until the shaker frosts, strained and topped with seltzer: the absinthe frappé of 1895.
Absinthium Romanum, Roman Wormwood Wine
Apicius’s Roman vermouth: mild white wine steeped for a day with wormwood, mastic, bay and saffron, unsweetened and bitter by design.
Always alcohol-freeAdynamon, Pliny’s Wine Without Strength
White grape must boiled with half its volume of water until the water is gone: the Roman ‘wine’ given to people who were not allowed wine. Alcohol-free.