The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened — John Shaqi
The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight OpenedDigby, Kenelm
History
The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened
Digby, Kenelm
Cooking -- Early works to 1800; Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665; Liquors; Wine and wine making -- Early works to 1800
1. Warm sixteen Gallons of this water (lukewarm) and put two Gallons of
Honey to it, in a half tub or other fit Woodden vessel. Lave it very well
with a clean arm, or woodden battle-door for two or three hours, dissolving
the honey very well in the water. Let it stand thus two or three days in
wood, laving it thrice a day, a pretty while each time. Then put it back
into your Copper and boil it gently, till you have scummed away all the
foulness that will rise; and clarifie it with whites of Eggs: Then put into
it a little handful of cleansed and sliced white Ginger, and a little mace;
when they have boiled enough, put in a few Cloves bruised, and a stick of
Cinamon, and a little Limmon-peel, and after a walm or two, pour the Liquor
into a woodden half tub, with the spices in it. Cover it close with a Cloth
and blanquet, and let it stand so two days. Then let the liquor run through
a bolter, to sever the spice, stopping before any settlings come. Then pour
this clear liquor into pottle-bottles of glass, not filling them by a
fingers breadth or more. Stop them close with Cork tied in, and set them in
a cool place for 6, 7 or 8 weeks.
2. In fourty Gallons of the first boiled and settled water, boil five
handfuls of sweet-bryar tops, as much of Cowslip-flowers, as much of
Primrose-flowers, as much of Rosemary-flowers, as much of Sage-flowers, as
many of Borage-flowers, as many of Bugloss-flowers; two handfuls of the
tops of Betony, four handfuls of Agrimony, and as many of Scabious, one
handful of Thyme, as much of Sweet-marjoram, and two ounces of Mustard-seed
bruised. When this hath boiled so long, that you judge the water hath drawn
out all the vertue of the Herbs (which may be in half an hour) pour out all
into a vatte to cool and settle. Scum away the herbs, and pour the clear
from the sediment, and to every four gallons of liquor (luke-warm) put one
gallon of honey, and lave it to dissolve the honey, letting it stand two or
three days, laving it well thrice every day. Then boil it till it will bear
an Egge high, then clarifie it with whites and shells of Eggs, and pour it
into a vatte to cool, which it will do in a days space or better. Whilst it
is yet luke-warm, put Ale-yest to it, (no more then is necessary) to make
it work, and then tun it into a Rundlet of a fit Size, that hath been
seasoned with Sack; and hang in it a boulter bag containing half a pound of
white Ginger cleansed and sliced, three ounces of Cloves and as much of
Cinamon bruised, as much Coriander seed prepared, and as much
Elder-flowers. As it purgeth and consumeth by running over the bung, put in
fresh honey-liquor warmed, that you keep or make on purpose for that end.
When the working is even almost at an end, stop it up close with clay and
sand, and have great care to keep it always close stopped. After a year
draw in into pottle Glass-bottles stopped with ground stoppels of glass,
and keep them in a cool place, till they are ready to drink, if they as yet
be not so.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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