Raspberry, Strawberry, Currant or Orange Effervescing Draughts (1875) ★★

12:00 AM 1870s , 19th century , 2 stars , beverages , british isles , fruit , victorian 2 Comments

I decided to make the orange version of this drink, since oranges yield a fair amount of juice. I halved the recipe and 8 oranges gave me 2 cups of juice. I also substituted cream of tartar for the tartaric acid, which I wouldn't really advise, but it was difficult for me to find tartaric acid.


Original Recipe:
Raspberry, Strawberry, Currant or Orange Effervescing Draughts. - Take 1 quart of the juice of either of the above fruits filter it and boil it into a syrup with 1 lb of powdered loaf sugar. To this add 1 1/2 oz of tartaric acid. When cold put it into a bottle and keep it well corked. When required for use fill a half pint tumbler three parts full of water and add 2 table spoonfuls of the syrup. Then stir in briskly a small tea spoonful of carbonate of soda and a very delicious drink will be formed. The colour may be improved by adding a very small portion of cochineal to the syrup at the time of boiling.

The Verdict:
Making this as indicated made a super salty drink. As in, I immediately spat it out of my mouth because it was like drinking salt water. The cream of tartar I used made the orange syrup a little salty, but adding the baking soda really put it over the top. Also, this was not "effervescent" at all. The baking soda made a few bubbles, but it obviously needs more acid to react with. I tasted the syrup alone and it was okay. I mixed 4 tablespoons of syrup with about a cup of water and it was drinkable. Something about the flavour was off, though...possibly because of my tartaric acid substitution? Anyway, I'm not sure if I will finish this or not. I might just use it in a smoothie or something to hide the taste.


Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Things a Lady Would Like to Know)

4 cups FRESH FRUIT JUICE
1 pound SUPERFINE SUGAR
1 1/2 ounces TARTARIC ACID

1. Juice the fruit of your choice so that you have 4 cups of fresh juice.
2. In a medium saucepan, boil the juice and sugar for a few minutes until the sugar dissolves. Add the tartaric acid.
3. When cool, mix the syrup with water to taste.