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Black Currant Drink
1249. Scald out a glass, then put into it two or three spoonfuls of black currant jelly or preserve. Add a little boiling water, and stir up the jelly, then fill with more water, and drink as hot as possible. Useful for common coughs and hoarseness. CHAP. XXV.-PLAN OF HOUSEKEEPING, AND BILLS OF FARE.
A one-glass hot drink built from black currant preserve and boiling water, the Victorian ancestor of the blackcurrant cordials still sold for winter colds. The whole technique is in the first word: warm the glass before the boiling water goes in.
- Scalding the glassRinsing the tumbler with hot water first is not a nicety but insurance. Modern tempered or borosilicate glass will take boiling water, but thin pressed or cut glass can crack; a heatproof mug sidesteps the question entirely.
- SpoonfulsAn unqualified "spoonful" in books of this period most often means a tablespoon, though usage is not consistent. Two or three tablespoons of jelly in an ordinary tumbler gives a sweet but not cloying drink; start with two.
- Jelly versus preserveStrained jelly dissolves smoothly; whole-fruit preserve leaves skins and seeds in the glass, which some prefer for the body they give. Commercial blackcurrant cordial or non-alcoholic cassis syrup will substitute; both are sweeter, so less will be wanted.
- Dissolve before dilutingThe instruction to add a little water and stir before filling is the hinge. Jelly dropped into a full glass sinks and sets in a lump at the bottom; a small quantity of boiling water breaks the pectin gel first.
- YieldOne glass; the size is not stated, so perhaps 175-250 ml. Scale by the glass rather than making a jugful, since it wants to be drunk at once.
- On the medical claimHot sweetened liquid soothes a sore throat and blackcurrants are genuinely high in vitamin C, but this is a comfort drink, not a treatment. A cough or hoarseness that persists wants a doctor.