Brews and potions: rosemary wine

[smokingboot]

Ha ha, somebody likes it! That makes three to one, so there, larians!

As I recently posted to cafe_de_sorcier, I have been trying to make rosemary wine, because I love rosemary, and because its folklore associations with concentration ('rosemary for remembrance')and toasting the gods make it a perfect brew for certain kinds of pagan doodah.

Now, being a lazy wazzock, I created an infusion of rosemary in white wine rather than start from scratch, and I tested it on myself and larians, whose wince and puckered mouth made it clear that more work was needed. So I added sugar, and left it. Do you know, I think the added sugar makes it more potent? Certainly it becomes eminently drinkable, despite larians description of it as 'that horrible booze.' Some people have no respect for the bevvies of yesteryear. My next attempt will include borage flowers, the other traditional ingredient of rosemary wine. Borage flowers have quite a reputation:

'Those of our time do use the flowers in sallads to exhilerate and make the mind glad. There be also many things made of these used everywhere for the comfort of the heart, for the driving away of sorrow and increasing the joy of the minde. The leaves and floures of Borage put into wine make men and women glad and merry and drive away all sadnesse, dulnesse and melancholy, as Corides and Pliny affirme. Syrup made of the floures of Borage comforteth the heart, purgeth melancholy and quieteth the phrenticke and lunaticke person. The leaves eaten raw ingender good bloud, especially in those that have been lately sicke.'

- The Herbal by John Gerard, 1633

Personally I think they're just included because the blue flowers are so pretty. On the whole, I am pleased with this first attempt. There's some left; I might take it with me when I go to see my accountant. After we've discussed my tax return, she may well need it.

Comments

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

I quite like this version, but I will add the sugar at the start next time, to see what difference it makes.

[rebby.livejournal.com]

I like the added sugar idea but then I have a sweet tooth.

How about trying it with a sweeter wine, like German

Or a sweet mead?

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have a sweet tooth too, as you know almost too well;-)

When creating it from scratch the recipes do suggest a lot of sugar in proportion to the grape concentrate; a sweet german wine might well be the answer. Re mead, I have heard of old mead recipes with added herbs called Metheglin, which I would love to try out.

Chocolate cake, old English boozes...we must have a get together sometime!

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Excuse my fast and loose grammar; Metheglin = the combination of mead and herbs, it's not a herb name. God, you can tell I'm wired and tired!

[rebby.livejournal.com]

Well i like mead & spices the idea of mead and herbs sounds good, especially as huney gets used, with herbs, in a lot of savoury dishes.

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

I'll have to see if I can find any reliable recipes for it.

Does sound rather yum.