Time: To stand covered 24 hours; to be boiled 1 hour
Seasonable: Make this in September
Ingredients
To every 3 gallons of water allow 1 peck of elderberries
To every gallon of juice allow
3 lbs. of sugar
1/2 oz. of ground ginger
6 cloves
1 lb. of good Turkey raisins
1/2 pint of brandy to every gallon of wine
To every 9 gallons of wine 3 or 4 tablespoonfuls of fresh brewer's yeast
Directions
Pour the water, quite boiling, on the elderberries, which should be picked from the stalks, and let these stand covered for 24 hours
Strain the whole through a sieve or bag, breaking the fruit to express all the juice from it
Measure the liquor, and to every gallon allow the above proportion of sugar
Boil the juice and sugar with the ginger, cloves, and raisins for 1 hour, skimming the liquor the whole time
Let it stand until milk-warm, then put it into a clean dry cask, with 3 or 4 tablespoonfuls of good fresh yeast to every 9 gallons of wine
Let it ferment for about a fortnight
Add the brandy, bung up the cask, and let it stand some months before it is bottled, when it will be found excellent
A bunch of hops suspended to a string from the bung, some persons say, will preserve the wine good for several years. Elder wine is usually mulled, and served with sippets of toasted bread and a little grated nutmeg. Source: The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beeton (1859)
Egg Wine
