Help please with lost recipe

[flack1184]

My late father always made ginger wine at christmas. I know that it wasn't alcoholic because as a young lad I was allowed to drink it. All i can remember was my father buying something from the local chemist, i'm not a 100% certain but i think it was in a small bottle and dark brown, this substance was placed in a large bowl with lots of lemons, sugar and hot water and left for about a day. It tasted very gingery and i remember it was slightly hot on the tongue. It was a dark brown colour and tasted fantastic. If anyone knows of this recipie please write in, I would love to make it for this christmas, it would bring back many happy memories.

Many thanks

[Hippie]

If not alcoholic, not wine.

Sounds like some sort of homemade soda? Was it drank hot or cold?

[flack1184]

Cold

[Hippie]

Some sort of homemade soda. You can still get those flavorings with the instructions included on how to prepare them. Some drug stores carry them. No shortage of them online also.

[lockwood1956]

From the 1959 national federation of womens institute book "home made wines syrups and cordials"
(priced at three shillings and sixpence)

GINGER CORDIAL (synthetic 1)
1lb white or demerara sugar
1 tablespoon honey (3 teaspoons)
1 pint water
30 drops of essence of Ginger

Simmer the sugar and water to dissolve, add the honey and stir intil this also dissolves.
Allow to cool, add the essence, bottle and cork

Use one to two tablespoons of cordial to a tumbler of hot water

GINGER CORDIAL (synthetic 2)
2 lb white sugar
10 drops essence of lemon
3 pints water
1 oz burnt sugar????
3 dramms each of tinctures of ginger, orange and capsium
1 oz citric acid

Put sugar in a bowl, pour on the boiling water and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Allow to cool and add the tinctures, essence and burnt sugar, then stir.
Dissolve the acid in the cold mixture and bottle.
Use one tablespoon of cordial in a glass and fill up with hot water



I've not tried either recipe, so have no idea if they are good, I also don't know how much a dram is or what burnt sugar is.
but have used other recipes from the book which were fab

Jerusalem and Jam eh?

hope this helps
regards
Bob

[flack1184]

Hippie, after lots of searching i found what i have been looking for, have a look at this site....fasinating.

http://www.pjonline.com/Editorial/20041218/christmas/p922gingerwine.html

[Mamgiowl]

What a lovely slice of history. Shame you won't be able to make the exact thing now. Bl***dy tax man.

[Cruser]

I have no clue what a dram is but this web site http://www.foodadditivesworld.com/burnt-sugar.html tell you what burnt sugar is. I also looked up the ingredients to make Ginger (wine) & it would cost a fortune. $23.95 for 2 oz ginger tincture, $22.95 2 oz capsicum (cayenne) tincture, $3.00 tartaric acid.

[fleming_jim]

And just exactly whom, in this forum, is going to make it a point to tell the blinkin' tax man...? From what I hear a lot of the pharmacists of the old time variety, can do amazing things when they're asked to produce or procure 'herbal' remedies or what ever you term the item...

However, Mamgiowl, we totally agree... The writers of the tax laws need to be taken behind the proverbial woodshed and have the jiminy taken out of their greedy hides...

What a lovely slice of history. Shame you won't be able to make the exact thing now. Bl***dy tax man.

[Hippie]

We have a very nice guy here in Batesville who is a pilot and a Doctor of Pharmacology. He also will do 'compounding', where he can make a mixture or blend of different medicines and herbs and create syrups, ointments, and such, etc. Not much different than my Grandparents' cough remedy. He also fills the usual prescriptions. It helps he is a good friend of our family doctor. I think some of his practices are not legal in some states or countries.