Oxford Punch

A historical recipe from Modern cookery for private families, by Eliza Acton (1882).

No ratings yet

A historical recipe

Modern cookery for private families, by Eliza Acton (1882). Project Gutenberg eBook #72482.

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

Ingredients 5 ingredients

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.
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.

Extract the essence from the rinds of three lemons by rubbing them with sugar in lumps;
put these into a large jug with the peel of two Seville oranges, of two lemons cut extremely thin, the juice of four Seville oranges and of ten lemons, and six glasses of calf’s feet jelly in a liquid state.
Stir these well together, pour to them two quarts of boiling water, cover the jug closely, and set it near the fire for a quarter of an hour, then strain the mixture through a sieve into a punch bowl or jug, sweeten it with a bottle of capillaire, add half a pint of white wine, a pint of French brandy, a pint of Jamaica rum, and a bottle of orange shrub;
stir the punch as the spirit is poured in.
If not sufficiently sweet, add sugar in small quantities, or a spoonful or two of capillaire.
Rinds of lemons rubbed with sugar, 3;
thin peel of lemons, 2;
of Seville oranges, 2;
juice of 4 Seville oranges, and 10 lemons;
calf’s feet jelly, 6 glasses;
water, 2 quarts: 1/4 hour.
Capillaire, 1 bottle;
white wine, 1/2 pint;
French brandy and Jamaica rum, each 1 pint;
orange shrub, 1 bottle.