Honey and Raspberry Ade (1920) ★★★★★

5:09 PM 1920s , 20th century , 5 stars , beverages , dairy-free , egg-free , fruit , gluten-free , interwar , Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book , soy-free , united states 1 Comments

 

I found this recipe while browsing and I thought the combination of honey and raspberry sounded delicious! It's especially fitting for summertime, when berries are bountiful. I imagine if one had access to berry bushes, this would be a great way to use up any extra berries, especially the squished or extra ripe ones.

Original Recipe:

HONEY AND RASPBERRY ADE
Place three baskets of well-washed raspberries in a saucepan and add
          One quart of water,
          One and one-half cups of honey,
          One-quarter teaspoon of nutmeg.
Bring to a boil and cook slowly until the fruit is soft, mashing frequently with the potato masher. Cool and strain into punch bowl. Add a piece of ice and the juice of one orange or one lemon.

The Verdict:
Yummy! I just used a whole bag of frozen raspberries (cheaper and already washed!), which ended up being 600g. I'm not sure if that's equal to "three baskets", but the flavour was good. With the juices from the berries and the orange, this didn't really cook down that much, so it probably makes about 4 cups (4 servings). Its a nice drink, although a little sweet, so the ice cubes are nice to water it down a bit. I actually tried some warm though, and it was really good, almost like a nice cider, but with raspberries. I think this recipe served warm would be an excellent cold weather drink. Overall, 5 stars. Simple and delicious is a win to me!

Modernized Recipe:
(Adapted from Mrs. Wilson's Cook Book)

4 cups WATER
600g RASPBERRIES
1 1/2 cups HONEY
1/4 teaspoon NUTMEG
1 ORANGE or LEMON

1. In a large pot, add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes, until the fruit has dissolved. Meanwhile, juice an orange or lemon.
2. Pour the orange or lemon juice into a large pitcher and strain in the raspberry ade. Let cool and serve with ice cubes (or serve hot!).