Lemonade.--To Carry in the Pocket (1864) ★★

12:00 AM 1860s , 19th century , 2 stars , beverages , united states , victorian 0 Comments

LEMONADE.--TO CARRY IN THE POCKET.--Loaf sugar 1[unclear] lb.; rub it down finely in a mortar, and add citric acid 1/2 oz.; (tartaric acid will do,) and lemon essence 1/2 oz., and continue the trituration until all is intimately mixed, and bottle for use. It is best to dry the powders as mentioned in the Persian Sherbet, next following.

A rounding table-spoon can be done up in a paper and carried conveniently in the pocket when persons are going into out-of-the-way places, and added to half pint of cold water, when all the beauties of a lemonade will stand before you waiting to be drank, not costing a penny a glass. This can be made sweeter or more sour, if desired. If any however should prefer an effervescing drink, they can follow the directions given in the next recipe.

The Verdict:

Unfortunately all my hopes for a cool new portable lemonade were dashed away with this one. Firstly, when I tried to dry out the powder, it turned into candy! I think maybe I had my oven too hot? Or maybe it should have been spread thinner? And when I stirred it up it tasted like sugar water. Even with lemon zest and juice (albeit not fresh) it still tasted mostly of sugar. I think this recipe has promise, though, so perhaps I'll try it out again. If I do I will decrease the amount of sugar by half, add lemon zest, and use only lemon oil instead of extract (that might have been a big problem...I ran out of oil). Anyway, I've written out the modern recipe as I tried it, so maybe someone else can have a go at it if they like.