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Lemon Liquor
Infuse the thin rind of two large, fresh lemons in a pint of rectified spirits of wine, for ten days. At the end of that time, strain, and mix with it the juice of the lemons and a syrup made by boiling half a pound of refined sugar in a pint of water for five minutes. Pour the liquor into bottles, cork securely, and tie bladder over the corks. Probable cost, 5d., exclusive of the spirit. Sufficient for a little more than a quart of liquor.
A lemon cordial of the limoncello type: peel steeped in strong spirit, then cut with sugar syrup and the juice. The only real decisions are what spirit you use and how carefully you pare the fruit.
- Rectified spirits of wineThis means food-grade neutral ethanol of high strength, historically around 90 per cent; the nearest modern equivalent is Everclear or a similar high-proof grain spirit. Never substitute methylated, denatured or industrial alcohol, or rubbing alcohol; these contain methanol and other poisons and are not drinkable in any quantity.
- If high-proof is unavailableA 50 per cent (100 proof) vodka will extract the peel oils, though more slowly and less completely. Give it two to three weeks rather than ten days, and cut back the syrup water accordingly or the result will be thin.
- Imperial measuresThe pint here is the imperial 20 fl oz, about 2.5 US cups. Half a pound of refined sugar is roughly 1 1/8 cups granulated. The finished quart is likewise imperial, 40 fl oz.
- The hinge: pare thin"Thin rind" is the whole instruction that matters. Take only the yellow zest with a peeler or sharp knife; any white pith carried over turns the liqueur bitter and cloudy, and no amount of sugar hides it.
- Wax and sprayModern lemons are usually waxed. Scrub them in hot water and dry them before paring, or buy unwaxed fruit, since everything on the skin goes into the spirit.
- Cool the syrupBoil the sugar and water for five minutes, then let the syrup cool to room temperature before combining, so the heat does not drive off the aromatics.
- Bladder over the corksAn airtight seal against evaporation, the period's answer to a screw cap. Use bottles with screw closures or swing tops; at about 40 per cent alcohol the finished liqueur keeps indefinitely, and improves for a month or two as the harshness settles.
- Yield and servingA little more than a quart, as the recipe says, at roughly 40 per cent alcohol by volume. Store in the freezer and serve in small glasses after a meal, or use it to soak sponge for trifle.
"Liquor" in a Victorian cookery book usually means what we would call a cordial or liqueur: a sweetened, flavoured spirit made at home rather than bought from a distiller, and cousin to the ratafias, noyaus and orange brandies that fill the same pages of Cassell's. The method, steeping citrus peel in strong alcohol to strip out its aromatic oils and then softening the result with sugar syrup, is the same one behind southern Italian limoncello. The costing, five pence excluding the spirit, is a reminder that the spirit was the expensive part of the job; rectified spirits of wine was a druggist's purchase.