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Berkshire Fruit Punch

A historical recipe from What to drink, by Stockbridge, Bertha E. L. (Bertha Edson Lay) (1920).

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A historical recipe

What to drink: The blue book of beverages; recipes and directions for making and serving non-alcoholic drinks for all occasions, by Stockbridge, Bertha E. L. (Bertha Edson Lay) (1920). Project Gutenberg eBook #76921.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

Ingredients 11 ingredients

  1. 1 quart of Apollinaris
  2. 1 cupful of lemon juice
  3. 1 cupful of orange juice
  4. 2 cupfuls of selected strawberries
  5. 2 cupfuls of strong tea
  6. 2 cupfuls of sugar
  7. 1 cupful of Maraschino cherries
  8. two cupfuls of water
  9. two cupfuls of boiling water over one
  10. a half teaspoonfuls of tea
  11. two quarts of iced water

Possible health benefits

General information, not medical advice.

  1. Lemon juice High in vitamin C

    High in vitamin C · 39 mg per 100 g, 48% of the reference intake per 100 g

    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of blood vessels.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage.
    11 more authorised claims
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of gums.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of teeth.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
    • Vitamin C contributes to normal psychological function.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
    • Vitamin C contributes to the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E.
    • Vitamin C increases iron absorption.

    Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble nutrient found in some foods. In the body, it acts as an antioxidant, helping to protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. NIH fact sheet

    Nutrients per 100 g of “Lemon juice, raw”, USDA FoodData Central.

Claims: EU Register of health claims (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, © European Union, CC BY 4.0), shown only where the ingredient meets the claim's conditions (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006). Nutrients: USDA FoodData Central (CC0). Facts: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (public domain).

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Hot sugar. Hot sugar sticks to skin and burns far hotter than boiling water: don't touch or taste it. Keep a bowl of cold water close, and keep children away while it cooks.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. 1 quart of Apollinaris, 1 cupful of lemon juice, 1 cupful of orange juice, 1 pineapple, grated, 2 cupfuls of selected strawberries, 2 cupfuls of strong tea, 2 cupfuls of sugar, 1 orange cut into very thin slices, 1 cupful of Maraschino cherries, Ice water.
  2. Boil the sugar and two cupfuls of water until syrup-like, and add the lemon and orange juice.
  3. Grate the pineapple and hull the strawberries;
  4. make the tea by pouring two cupfuls of boiling water over one and a half teaspoonfuls of tea, allowing it to infuse for six minutes.
  5. Mix the syrup, fruit juices, tea and grated pineapple, and add two quarts of iced water;
  6. stir well and pour over a square of ice in the punch bowl.
  7. Add the orange, sliced very thin and cut into halves, and the strawberries.
  8. When ready to serve pour the Apollinaris over all and serve at once.
  9. If strawberries are out of season, use Malaga grapes, cut in two and seeded.
  10. An ideal decoration is to use grapes in bunches, hanging them around the edge of the bowl.
  11. Use white and blue grapes, or red and white;
  12. separating them with grape leaves if they are obtainable.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Mixing bowl
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Grater
  • Wooden spoon
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From What to drink, by Stockbridge, Bertha E. L. (Bertha Edson Lay) (1920). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #76921 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76921). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.