Herbal Alcoholic Drinks

CLARET CUP

1 bottle claret 1 wineglass brandy 1 large bottle soda-water 1 lemon, cut into 4 2—3-in cucumber, sliced

3 sprigs borage

4 oz sugar 10 ice cubes

Put lemon and cucumber into a large jug with the sugar, soda-water, brandy and claret. Stir with a long spoon until sugar has dissolved, then add the borage. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for 1 hr. Strain. Add ice cubes and serve immediately. (If liked the Cup can be poured into a bowl and garnished with borage leaves and flowers.)

8—10 helpings

BORAGE CUP

1 pt cider

About ½ pt soda-water

Peel of ¾ cucumber

Thinly-pared skin of ½ lemon

1 sprig borage

2 liqueur glasses maraschino 1 liqueur glass brandy Sugar to taste

Ice

Borage for decoration

Slightly crush the borage and mix all the ingredients in a jug, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Leave to blend for about an hour. Strain. Serve with ice and garnish with sprigs of borage

4—5 helpings

PORT WINE NEGUS

¾ pt port

½ PT boiling water

About V3 whole nutmeg, 3 cloves, ¾ teasp caraway seeds,

tied in a muslin bag Sugar to taste

Put muslin bag with port in a saucepan, bring to boil, simmer 1—2 min, remove bag and pour boiling water into port, sweeten to taste and serve.

3 helpings

WHISKY JULEP 6 sprigs of mint

4 sugar lumps

4 tablesp whisky More whisky to taste Crushed ice

Put a sprig of mint, sugar lumps and tablesp whisky into each glass, and crush with a spoon. Cover glasses, and chill briefly. Then fill with crushed ice, pour in whisky to taste, stir, using a long-handled spoon to frost the glasses (don’t touch outside of glass with your hands), then garnish with mint leaves and serve.

4 helpings

Non-Alcoholic Drinks

NETTLE COOLER 2 lb young nettles 4 pt water Sugar Soda-water

Bring nettles and water to boil in a covered pan. Reduce heat and cook gently for an hour. Strain, and measure liquid. Allow 1 lb sugar per pt, bring slowly to boil, cover and leave gently bubbling, for 30 min. Cool. Serve diluted with soda-water to taste. The syrup can be bottled and kept in a cool place, but is better made frequently.

NON-ALCOHOLIC APERITIF

Crushed mint sprigs

Bottled lime juice

Ice

Soda-water

Crush one or two mint sprigs in bottom of a glass, pour over about ½-in depth lime juice, add ice and fill glass with soda-water.

1 helping

PINEAPPLE FRUIT CAP

¼ pt pineapple juice

½ pt fresh orange juice

½ pt water

Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

2 oz caster sugar or to taste

6 crushed pineapple mint leaves

2 pt ginger ale

Pineapple mint sprigs

Mix together first six ingredients, cover and leave in cool place for at least an hour for flavours to blend. Strain, add ginger ale, stir well, pour into glasses and serve decorated with pineapple mint sprigs.

7-10 helpings

CITRUS CUP

½ pt grapefruit juice

1 pt orange juice

½ pt lemon juice

1 pt water

Sugar to taste

6—8 mint leaves, slightly crushed (pineapple mint leaves best)

Mint leaves or borage flowers for decoration

Mix together fruit juices and sugar, stir until sugar has dissolved, add remaining ingredients, chill. Decorate with mint leaves or borage flowers.

6—8 helpings

CHILDREN’S MINT JULEP

1 pt milk

2 oz bar milk chocolate

½ TEASP peppermint essence 1 tablesp whipped cream Mint leaves

Warm the milk, dissolve the chocolate bar in it, add peppermint essence and allow to get cold. Pour into 2 or 3 glasses, top with whipped cream and decorate with mint leaves.

2—3 helpings