Historic recipes

by **Veach** » Thu May 30, 2002 11:28 pm

I work for a historical society in Kentucky and I have seeen several documents in our collection descibing recipes to flavor whiskey from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Two hundred years ago whiskey was not aged and many times the distiller would make such products as "cherry bounce", whiskey flavored with wild cherry root, or peach cordial made with fresh peaches and brown sugar. My question is this: are there similar recipes from this time period for flavoring Scotch or Irish whisky? If so where can they be found?

Mike Veach

by **lexkraai** » Fri May 31, 2002 6:30 am

Hi Mike

A good starting point for such recipes is Cindy Renfrow's book "A Sip through Time". I don't know whether it's still in print, but if not, and if you can't get a copy, please feel free to contact me and I can send you some recipes.

Cheers, Lex

by **Veach** » Sat Jun 01, 2002 2:55 pm

Lex,
Thank you for the book title. Thsi is information I am looking for. Is there any tie between the whisky distillers and the Gin industry? Could the gin industry have developed out of the need to redistill harsh whisky in a still with a gin head to make it more consumer friendly?

Mike Veach <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial, Verdana">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lexkraai:
<B>Hi Mike

A good starting point for such recipes is Cindy Renfrow's book "A Sip through Time". I don't know whether it's still in print, but if not, and if you can't get a copy, please feel free to contact me and I can send you some recipes.

Cheers, Lex</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

by **lexkraai** » Sun Jun 02, 2002 9:18 am

Hi Mike

Re. the gin industry and the harsh Lowland whisky that was send to London to be rectified. I think the situation was more the other way around. The gin industry was there before the big Lowland distilleries came into being, so it was more a case of the big Lowlanders emerging in response to the demands of the gin industry than the other way around.

Cheers, Lex

by **Veach** » Mon Jun 03, 2002 10:44 pm

Lex,
For the record, I was not considering just the Lowland distillers. I was considering that maybe the gin industry was getting its raw product from multiple sources maybe some in England and Wales as well as Scotland. I also wonder if there might have been a variety of flavoring agents for this whisky that was simply called "Gin" at the time. These products could have been redistilled with flavors such as cherry root similar to the recipes I have seen for cherry bounce, but simply labeled "Gin" for government records.
Mike Veach

by **Alfred Barnard** » Sat Jun 08, 2002 9:39 pm

Michael,

My dear fellow - do some more research - you will find a wonderfull little book by a cove named Ambrose Cooper - various editions from the late 1700's - and I always thought myself probably a collective rather than a singular scribe such as myself - full of recipes and flavourings for all sorts of spirits, and I always thought in my in-depth researches so long ago a very good place to start, although for a journeyman such as myself, never a final destination (there are so many other places to go if only one looks hard enough)

With touching regards to my transatlantic cousins,

Alfred B (Snr)

by **Veach** » Tue Jun 11, 2002 10:16 pm

Alfred,
Thanks for the book title. This is the type of information I am looking for.

Mike Veach