CHAPTER IX CUPS WHICH CHEER

Claret combinations — Not too much noyeau — A treat for schoolboys — The properties of borage — “Away with mel-an-choly” — Salmon’s Household Companion — Balm for vapours — Crimean cup — An elaborate and far-reaching compound — Orgeat — A race-day cup — “Should auld¹ acquaintance be forgot?” — Sparkling Isabella — Rochester’s delight — Freemason’s relish² — Porter cup — Dainty drink for a tennis-party.

It is probable that there are almost as many recipes for claret cup as there are letters in Holy Writ³, or acres in Yorkshire. This is the late Mr.
Donald’s Cup.

    One bottle claret.
    1 wine-glass pale brandy.
    ? do. yellow chartreuse.
    ? do. cura?oa.
    ? do. maraschino.
    2 bottles Seltzer water.
    1 lemon cut in thin slices.
    A few sprigs of borage.
    Ice and sugar to taste. {92}

To my taste there is rather too much liqueur in the above. Here is a simple recipe for
Badminton.

    Peel half a small cucumber and put it into a silver cup together with four ounces of sifted⁴ sugar, the juice of one lemon, a little nutmeg, half a glass of cura?oa, and a bottle of claret; when the sugar is thoroughly⁵ dissolved, pour in a bottle of soda⁶-water, add ice, and drink. The cucumber should not be left in too long, and a sprig or two of borage will improve the flavour.

Balaclava Cup.

    Throw into a large bowl the thinly pared rind of half a lemon, add two tablespoonfuls of sifted sugar, the juice of two lemons, and half a small cucumber, unpeeled, in slices. Mix well, and add two bottles of soda-water, two bottles of claret, and one of champagne⁷; mix well, ice, and flavour with borage.

Another Claret Cup.

    Put into a large bowl three bottles of claret, a large wine-glass of cura?oa, a pint⁸ of dry sherry, half a pint of old brandy, a large wine-glass of raspberry syrup⁹, three oranges and one lemon cut into slices. Add four bottles of a?rated water, sweeten to taste, ice and flavour with borage. This is a good cup for a garden-party, or a tent at Ascot; and remember always that the better the ingredients the better the cup. More especially let your brandy be of the right brand.

Yet Another.

    Pour into a large jug¹⁰ one bottle of claret, two wine-glasses of dry sherry, and a dash of maraschino. {93} Add a few sliced nectarines, or peaches, and sweeten to taste. Let it stand till the sugar is melted, and then add a sprig of borage. Just before using add one bottle of Seltzer water, and a large piece of ice.

    Soda-water, Stretton water, or any other natural spring-water may be substituted for Seltzer.

One More,

    and a very simple one. Put into a bowl the rind of one lemon pared very thin, add sugar to taste, and pour over it a wine-glass of sherry; then add a bottle of claret, more sugar, a sprig of verbena for flavour, one bottle of a?rated water, and a little grated nutmeg; strain and ice.

My Ideal Claret Cup.

    Two wine-glasses old brandy, one wine-glass cura?oa, and a little thin lemon-peel, sweeten to taste, and pour over the mixture two bottles of light claret. Just before using add a pint bottle of sparkling moselle, and two bottles of fizzing water. Flavour with borage, and put a large block of ice in the bowl.

Nobody who has not tried it can understand how much the addition of a little sparkling Moselle improves a claret cup.
“For’ard On” Cup.

    Put into a large bowl three bottles of claret, a large wine-glass of cura?oa, one pint of sherry, half a pint of old brandy, two wine-glasses of raspberry syrup, three oranges and one lemon cut into slices; add a few sprigs of borage, a little cucumber-rind, {94} two bottles of Seltzer water and three bottles of soda-water. Mix well, and sweeten to taste. Let the mixture stand for an hour, then strain, and put a large block of ice in it. Serve in small tumblers; and if champagne be substituted for claret, and noyeau for raspberry syrup, a most excellent champagne cup will be the result. Beware, however, of too free a hand with the noyeau. This liqueur contains hydrocyanic (otherwise Prussic) acid, and should only be used cautiously, unless evil be wished to your guests.

Cider Cup, or Cold Tankard.

    This is a favourite beverage¹¹ for schoolboys and uni-ver-si-ty students. I cannot say that I have encountered it since the early sixties, but ’tis a refreshing¹² drink for the river-side and the cricket-field.

    Extract the juice from the peel of one lemon by rubbing loaf-sugar on it; cut two lemons into thin slices; the rind of one lemon cut thin, a quarter of a pound of loaf-sugar, and half a pint of brandy (I don’t think they allowed as much brandy as this at my old school). Pour the whole into a large jug, mix it well together, and pour one quart of cold spring-water upon it. Grate a nutmeg into it, add one pint of white wine, and a bottle of cider, sweeten to taste with capillaire or sugar, put a handful of balm and the same quantity of borage in flower, stalk downwards¹³. Then put the jug containing this liquor into a tub of ice, and when it has remained there one hour it will be fit for use. The balm and borage should be fresh gathered. And here a few words as to the virtues¹⁴ of these.

In Evelyn’s Acetaria it is written:—“The {95} sprigs of borage in wine are of known virtue¹⁵, to revive the hypochondriac, and cheer the hard student.”

Salmon’s Household Companion, 1710, told us: “Borage is one of the four cordial flowers; it comforts the heart, cheers mel-an-choly, and revives the fainting spirits.”

“Borage,” wrote Sir John Hill, M.D., “has the credit of being a great cordial; throwing it into cold wine is better than all the medicinal preparations.”

“The leaves, flowers, and seeds of borage,” says the English Physician, “all or any of them, are good to expel pensiveness¹⁶ and mel-an-choly.”

“Balm is very good to help digestion¹⁷ and open obstructions¹⁸ of the brain, and hath so much purging¹⁹ quality in it, as to expel those mel-an-choly vapours from the spirits and blood which are in the heart and arteries²⁰, although it cannot do so in other parts of the body” (Ibid).

After all this information, let not the garden of the mel-an-choly vapourer be searched in vain for balm and borage.
Perry Cup

is made in the same manner as the above, with the natural substitution of perry for cider.
Crimean Cup.

This is an elaborate affair.

    One quart of syrup of orgeat (to make this vide next recipe), one pint and a half of old brandy, two wine-glasses of maraschino, one pint of old rum, {96} two large and one small bottles of champagne, three bottles of Seltzer water, half a pound of sifted sugar, and the juice of five lemons. Peel the lemons and put the thin rind in a mortar²¹ with the sugar. Pound them well, and scrape the result with a silver spoon into a large bowl. Squeeze in the juice of the lemons, add the Seltzer water, and stir till the sugar is quite dissolved. Then add the orgeat, and whip the mixture well with a whisk, so as to whiten it. Add the maraschino, rum, and brandy, and strain the whole into another bowl. Just before the cup is required, put in the champagne and stir vigorously with a punch ladle. The champagne should have been previously²² well iced, as no apparent iceberg²³ is allowable in this mixture.

Do not make too free with this mixture, if you are about to ride the favourite for an important race, or you will be seeing five winning posts, like the late “Jem” Snowden.
Orgeat.

You do not often hear this compound called for nowadays, but here is the programme for its man-u-fac-ture:—

    Blanch²⁴ and pound three quarters of a pound of sweet almonds, and thirty bitter almonds, in one tablespoonful of water. Stir in by degrees two pints²⁵ of water and three pints of milk. Strain the mixture through a cloth. Dissolve half a pound of loaf-sugar in one pint of water. Boil and skim well, and then mix with the almond water. Add two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water and half a pint of old brandy. Be careful to boil the eau sucré well, as this concoction²⁶ must not be too watery²⁷. {97}

A Crimean Cup for a much smaller party can be made, without the addition of orgeat, as follows:—

    Put the peel of half a lemon or orange into a bowl, add a tablespoonful of sifted sugar, one small glassful of maraschino, half that quantity of cura?oa, and a wine-glassful of old brandy. Mix well together, and add two bottles of a?rated water, one bottle of champagne, and a block of ice.

Race-day Cup.

    Dissolve a quarter of a pound of sugar in a quarter of a pint of water, add the juice of two lemons, one wine-glassful of brandy, half a wine-glassful of cherry brandy, a dash of maraschino, and a bottle of champagne. Add also a small piece of cucumber-peel, two sprigs of borage, two thin slices of lemon, four strawberries, four brandy-cherries, and two bottles of Seltzer water; stir well, and ice for an hour after covering up the bowl. Before serving put in a block of ice, and serve in tumblers.

Loving Cup.

Better a little flavoured brandy-and-water where love is than a Crimean Cup or a Halo Punch amidst bickerings and vexation of spirit.

    Rub the rind of two oranges on loaf-sugar and put the sugar into a bowl; add half a pint of brandy, the juice of one lemon, one-third of a pint of orange juice, and one pint of water. Add more sugar if required, and ice well.

I don’t know if the above is the way the Loving Cup at the Mansion²⁸ House is made; {98} but probably one recipe is as good as another, when all you have to do is to sip²⁹ the liquid and pass it on.

The ancients knew not “cups”; simply because they knew not the virtues of Wenham Lake ice, or its imitations; whilst the “strong-waters” and alleged³⁰ wines of the past did not blend particularly well, and there was no soda-water. Fearful and wonderful beverages³¹ were their compound drinks, however, many of which have already been analysed in these pages. But the recipe for
Rochester

Cup, which is taken from a comparatively modern book, smacks³² of the antique. At all events my own wine-merchant professes³³ to be “out of” sparkling Catawba and sparkling Isabella. But here is the programme.

    Put into a bowl two bottles of sparkling Catawba, two bottles of sparkling Isabella, and one bottle of Sauterne; mix well, then add two wine-glasses of maraschino and two wine-glasses of cura?oa; ice well, and add some strawberries, or a few drops of extract of peach or vanilla³⁴.

A very excellent
Champagne Cup

can be made from the recipe headed “Donald’s Cup” at the commencement of this chapter, substituting “the Boy” for the red wine of Bordeaux. And here is a simple little refresher, suitable for a breaking-up party at a young ladies’ school. {99}
Chablis Cup.

    Dissolve four or five lumps of sugar in a quarter of a pint of boiling water, and put it into a bowl with a very thin slice of lemon rind; let it stand for half an hour, then add a bottle of Chablis, a sprig of verbena, a wine-glassful of sherry, and half a pint of water. Mix well, and let the mixture stand for a while, then strain, add a bottle of Seltzer water, a few strawberries or raspberries, and a block of ice. Serve in small glasses.

Should you wish to make
Red Cup

    use one pint of port wine instead of white; and sometimes two glasses of red-currant jelly are added. In other respects, follow the directions already laid down for making Cider Cup; a little warm water being necessary to dissolve the jelly.

Freemason.

    This sounds a “for’ard” sort of potion:—Put into a bowl one pint of Scotch³⁵ ale, one pint of mild ale, half a pint of brandy, one pint of sherry, and half a pound of sifted sugar. Mix well together, grate a little nutmeg over the top, and add a block of ice.

Mind, I, personally, do not believe in the blend-ing of malt liquor with wine or spirits; and the above reads like a bile-provoker of the most persistent³⁶ type. But compared With the next recipe—which some of my readers may think should come, for choice, under the heading of “Strange Swallows”—it is harmless indeed. {100}
Porter Cup.

    Put into a tankard or covered jug one bottle of stout³⁷, one bottle of mild ale, and one wine-glassful of old brandy, with sugar ad lib.; then add a little powdered ginger³⁸, half a nutmeg grated; cover it over, ice for half an hour; before serving, stir in a teaspoonful³⁹ of carbonate of soda, add a few strips of cucumber-rind, and put in, last of all, a block of ice.

One more cup, and I have done with this part of my subject. This is a ladylike concoction, as its name would seem to imply.
Tennis Cup.

    Put into a bowl four tablespoonfuls of sifted sugar, the rind of one lemon and juice of two, one wine-glassful of brandy, one wine-glassful of ginger syrup, and a small piece of cucumber-rind; add two bottles of soda-water, one sprig of borage, and two sprigs of verbena. Ice well; and serve in small glasses.

1 auld   

adj.老的，旧的

参考例句：

• Should auld acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind?怎能忘记旧日朋友，心中能不怀念？
• The party ended up with the singing of Auld Lang Sync.宴会以《友谊地久天长》的歌声而告终。

2 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

3 writ   

n.命令状，书面命令

参考例句：

• This is a copy of a writ I received this morning.这是今早我收到的书面命令副本。
• You shouldn't treat the newspapers as if they were Holy Writ. 你不应该把报上说的话奉若神明。

4 sifted   

v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审

参考例句：

• She sifted through her papers to find the lost letter. 她仔细在文件中寻找那封丢失的信。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter. 她用蓟筛筛蓟。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

6 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

7 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

8 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。

9 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

10 jug   

n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂

参考例句：

• He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。
• She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

11 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

12 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

13 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。

14 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

15 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

16 pensiveness   

n.pensive（沉思的）的变形

参考例句：

• He caught the mixture of surprise and pensiveness in her voice and looked up immediately. 他听出她声音中惊奇夹着沉思，立即抬起头来。 来自英汉文学 - 廊桥遗梦

17 digestion   

n.消化，吸收

参考例句：

• This kind of tea acts as an aid to digestion.这种茶可助消化。
• This food is easy of digestion.这食物容易消化。

18 obstructions   

n.障碍物( obstruction的名词复数 )；阻碍物；阻碍；阻挠

参考例句：

• The absence of obstructions is of course an idealization. 没有障碍物的情况当然是一种理想化的情况。 来自辞典例句
• These obstructions could take some weeks to clear from these canals. 这些障碍物可能要花几周时间才能从运河中清除掉。 来自辞典例句

19 purging   

清洗； 清除； 净化； 洗炉

参考例句：

• You learned the dry-mouthed, fear-purged, purging ecstasy of battle. 你体会到战斗中那种使人嘴巴发干的，战胜了恐惧并排除其他杂念的狂喜。
• Purging databases, configuring, and making other exceptional requests might fall into this category. 比如清空数据库、配置，以及其他特别的请求等都属于这个类别。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

20 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

22 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

23 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

24 blanch   

v.漂白；使变白；使(植物)不见日光而变白

参考例句：

• We blanch almonds by soaking off their skins in boiling water.我们把杏仁泡在沸水中去皮弄成白色。
• To blanch involves plunging food into boiling water,usually very quickly.漂白是将食物放进开水里，通常非常快。

25 pints   

n.品脱( pint的名词复数 )；一品脱啤酒

参考例句：

• I drew off three pints of beer from the barrel. 我从酒桶里抽出三品脱啤酒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two pints today, please. 今天请来两品脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 concoction   

n.调配(物)；谎言

参考例句：

• She enjoyed the concoction of foreign dishes.她喜欢调制外国菜。
• His story was a sheer concoction.他的故事实在是一纯属捏造之事。

27 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

28 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

29 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

30 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

31 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

32 smacks   

掌掴（声）( smack的名词复数 )； 海洛因； （打的）一拳； 打巴掌

参考例句：

• His politeness smacks of condescension. 他的客气带有屈尊俯就的意味。
• It was a fishing town, and the sea was dotted with smacks. 这是个渔业城镇，海面上可看到渔帆点点。

33 professes   

声称( profess的第三人称单数 )； 宣称； 公开表明； 信奉

参考例句：

• She still professes her innocence. 她仍然声称自己无辜。
• He professes himself to be sad but doesn't look it. 他自称感到悲伤，但外表却看不出来。

34 vanilla   

n.香子兰，香草

参考例句：

• He used to love milk flavoured with vanilla.他过去常爱喝带香草味的牛奶。
• I added a dollop of vanilla ice-cream to the pie.我在馅饼里加了一块香草冰激凌。

35 scotch   

n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的

参考例句：

• Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
• Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

36 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

38 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

39 teaspoonful   

n.一茶匙的量；一茶匙容量

参考例句：

• Add a teaspoonful of mixed herbs. 加入一茶匙混合药草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder. 加一茶匙咖喱粉。 来自《简明英汉词典》