Witte Ratafiat

"White Ratafiat. For a jug of twelve pints of brandy, you must let either three-quarters of a pound of pits, well crushed, steep for two times twenty-four hours, or otherwise half a pound of apricot pits with their shells crushed, soak; add a quarter ounce of cinnamon, twelve cloves, two pinches of coriander seeds, three and a half pounds of sugar, and four pints of boiling water; after allowing it to cool, do not mix this water in until you are ready to strain this infusion through a bag or cloth; once strained, pour your ratafiat into bottles and seal them tightly. Since it often happens that in private households, this kind of ratafiat is not made in such large quantities, it is announced that, according to the measure or weight of the ingredients that make up the ratafiat, one can adapt the proportions for a much smaller quantity: These methods are very easy to put into practice, and this is what is hoped will please everyone."

The recipe is elliptical and assumes a literate, experienced household cook. Ingredient measures use Dutch weights and volumes: a kruik (jug) of 12 pints is about 7 liters, a vierendeel-loots is about 12.5 grams, and a pint is around 570 ml. Spelling reflects eighteenth-century Dutch, such as 'Brandewyn' (brandy) and 'Kruid-nagels' (cloves). Words may fuse or drop modern accentuation. Instructions are brisk, often giving timing ('twee maal vier-en-twintig uuren'—two times 24 hours) and quantities but leaving assumed tasks, like stirring and skimming, to the cook’s expertise. This brevity was typical, trusting that cooks knew their craft.