2 bottles White Wine 2 sprigs of Sage, Mint, Lemon Balm or Marjoram, crushed 2 bottles of soda water or for a really special drink you could substitute Champagne Sugar 1 lb Strawberries
Put the herbs in a pot and pour in the wine.Cover and leave to stand for 3 hours in a cool place. Lightly sugar the Strawberries.Put them into the liquid and add the soda water before serving.Make sure that everybody gets some strawberries in the glass.
Quarter Deck
2 parts Dark Rum 1 part Dry Sherry 1 dash Lime Juice
Fill a tumbler with ice and pour in the ingredients.Serve with a slice of lime.
Virgin Mary
2 large Dashes of Angostura Bitters 6 drops of Tabasco Sauce 4 shots Tomato Juice 1 pinch Pepper ½ shot Worcestershire Sauce ½ shot Lemon Juice ½ teaspoon Caster Sugar ½ teaspoon Horseradish
Put the Elderflower heads and sliced lemons in a fermentation bucket and pour on the water. Leave to soak for 24 - 36 hours. Strain through a cloth or fine sieve and add the sugar and the vinegar. Stir well until the sugar is completely dissolved. It doesn't keep much longer than 3 months.
Mojito
1 shot of Light Rum Half a teaspoon of Sugar Juice of half a Lime Sprigs of Mojito Mint
Add all ingredients, fill glass with ice cubes, top up with soda or mineral water, and shake or stir well. Decorate with a sprig of Mojito Mint.
Mint Julep
2 oz. Bourbon 5 to 6 Mint leaves 1/2 oz. simple Syrup
Place mint leaves and sugar syrup in a Collins glass. Mash with the back of a spoon. Add 1 oz. of bourbon. Fill with crushed ice. Add remaining bourbon. Stir. Garnish with a mint leaf.
Marsh Mallows in Hot Chocolate
2 tbsp Cocoa Powder 2 tbsp Milk 150ml/¼ pint Single Cream 500ml/18fl oz Milk White Marshmallows or Maltesers
Real drinking chocolate can easily be made by first mixing 2 tbsp of cocoa powder with 2 tbsp of milk to a paste. Over a low heat bring the cream to just below boiling.Remove from the heat, add the milk and bring to the boil, whisking from time to time.Fold in the cocoa paste and whisk to combine. Divide the hot chocolate between two or three mugs and put either 2 white marshmallows or some Maltesers on top.
Hot Punch
12 lumps Sugar 2 Oranges 8 Cloves 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg 1 stick Cinnamon 4 tbsp Water 2 Lemons 1 3/4 pints Cider 3 fl oz Rum 3 fl oz Brandy
Rub the sugar over the zest of one of the oranges and remove the zest.Cut this orange in halves, squeeze out the juice and put into a pan with the sugar.Cut the other orange into 8 sections, stick a clove into the skin of each section and sprinkle with the nutmeg.Add to the pan with the cinnamon, water and rind of the lemons cut into strips.Heat gently until the sugar dissolves and the simmer for 5 mins.Leave to cool and remove the cinnamon, pour in the cider and heat until really hot, but not boiling.Serve.
Chilled Angelica Mead Punch
1 bottle Mead 575ml/ 1pt dry Cider 575ml/ 1 pt apple juice Couple of 5 inch slices of Angelica 2 oranges 12 cloves 12cm/ 5 inches cinnamon stick 4 myrtle berries 60g/2 oz honey or to taste
You could use a white wine instead of the cider if you prefer like our Brissonet or a South African/Chilean Sauvignon blanc something which is crispy and dry with a white fruit base. Put the mead, cider and apple juice into a saucepan.Cut the orange into thick slices and stick cloves into each slice.Add the fresh orange, cinnamon stick, angelica slicesand myrtle berries to the saucepan.Stir in the honey.Heat the punch to just below simmering point and keep it at that temperature for 20 mins.Strain the punch and leave on the side before placing in the refrigerator to cool.Serve cold with ice cubes. By placing blanched Angelica leaves in the ice cubes before they freeze you can add something extra!Mead blends well with these sweet spices making a medium sweet, full flavoured drink.
Negus - Victorian Mulled Wine
There are a few tips for making Mulled drinks.I usually use an old Jam Pan or Casserole Dish.You can make a spice bag out of a square of old sheet and a rubber band. Simply put the powdered spices in the middle of the square, gather the ends together and seal with the rubber band.NEVER boil the liquid as all the alcohol evaporates off – just simmer it till it begins to bubble.You can take wedges of Orange or even small Tangerines, stud them with Cloves and float them in the liquid for extra flavour and presentation.You can mess about with different combinations of Spices to suit your tastes – I like to use ground Mace, Cardamom Seeds and Juniper Berries in my recipes as well as those suggested as they are very fragrant.
This recipe for Negus is from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management from 1861. If you want a non-alcoholic version for the children simply use red grape juice.Grown ups can have Negus made of Sherry, Sweet White Wine, or Port.
1 pint Wine or Grape Juice 1 quart Water 1/4 lb Sugar 1 Lemon Grated Nutmeg to taste
Put the wine into a jug, rub some lumps of sugar (equal to 1/4 lb.) on the lemon-rind until all the yellow part of the skin is absorbed, then squeeze the juice, and strain it. Add the sugar and lemon-juice to the port wine, with the grated nutmeg; pour over it the boiling water, cover the jug, and, when the beverage has cooled a little, it will be fit for use. Negus may also be made of sherry, or any other sweet white wine, but is more usually made of port than of any other beverage. Makes 8 servings.
Hot Spiced Cider
8 cups of Cider 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Brown Sugar 6 inches stick of Cinnamon 1 teaspoon of whole Allspice 1 teaspoon of whole Cloves 8 whole Cloves
In a large saucepan combine the Cider and Brown Sugar. Place the Cinnamon, Allspice, and the 1 teaspoon of whole Cloves in a spice bag and add to the Cider mixture. Bring to boil, reduce the heat. Cover and simmer at least 10 minutes. Remove and discard spice bag. Serve Cider in mugs with studded orange wedges or slices, if desired. Makes 8 servings.
Lamb's Wool
6 Apples, baking; cored 2 tblsp Sugar, brown 2 qt Cider, sweet; or dry Cider, or a mixture of Cider & Ale 1/8 tsp Nutmeg 1/4 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Ginger; ground
Roast the Apples in a baking pan at 450F for about an hour, or until they are very soft and begin to burst. (An alternative - and quicker procedure is to peel and boil the Apples until they are very soft and flaky.) You may leave the apples whole, or break them up. In a large saucepan, dissolve the sugar a few tablespoons at a time in the Cider or Ale, tasting for sweetness. Add the spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the liquid over the Apples in a large punch bowl, or serve in a large heat resistant mug. Note: Nuts make a nice accompaniment to Lamb's Wool (they were originally roasted in with the Apples.) Serves 8.
George Washington’s Recipe for Egg Nog
George Washington loved eggnog and made his own recipes up. However he forgot to mention how many eggs you should use in his recipe – I suggest using 12 egg yolks.
One quart Cream. One quart Milk 12 Egg Yolks Dozen tbsps Sugar 1 pint Brandy 1/2 pint Rye Whisky 1/2 pint Jamaica Rum 1/4 pint Sherry
Mix liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add liquor to mixture drop by drop at first, slowly beating. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently. Serves 12
Smoking Bishop
5 unpeeled, sweet Oranges 1 unpeeled Grapefruit 36 Cloves ¼ pound of Sugar 2 bottles of Red wine (heavy) 1 bottle of Port
Wash the fruit and bake them in the oven until they are brownish. Turn once. Put them into a warmed earthenware bowl with 6 Cloves pricked into each. Add the sugar and pour in the Wine - not the Port.Cover and leave in a warm place for a day.Squeeze the fruit into the wine and strain.Add the Port and heat. Serve “smoking hot” in small wine glasses. Makes: 15 to 20 servings
Hot Toddy
A measure of Whisky, 1 tbsp Honey 6 whole Cloves, Pinch of Cinnamon 1 Lemon 1 Lime
Put the Whisky, Honey and Cloves in a glass strong enough to hold boiling water.Fill with boiling water.Squeeze the Lemon and the Lime over the Toddy (I cut them in half and squeeze them round a fork so that some of the flesh is added to the drink).Serve.
2 bottles White Wine
2 parts Dark Rum
2 large Dashes of Angostura Bitters
5-6 Elderfower heads 
1 shot of Light Rum
2 oz. Bourbon
2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
12 lumps Sugar
1 bottle Mead
There are a few tips for making Mulled drinks.
8 cups of Cider
6 Apples, baking; cored
5 unpeeled, sweet Oranges
A measure of Whisky,