Recipe Manuscript

To Make Corrant Wine

Name: To Make Corrant Wine
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT0M
Yield: 20
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 liter water; 4 liters black or red currants (with stems, approx. 2.5-3 kg); 1.6 kg granulated sugar (per 4 liters strained juice); Optional: 4 liters raspberries (approx. 2.5 kg, well crushed, per 16 liters juice); Optional: 1.8 kg black cherries (pitted, per 16 liters juice); 14 grams isinglass (or a modern alternative such as fish gelatin, or vegan wine finings)

1720

From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1720 approximately

Unknown Author

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Drink

Original Recipe • 1720

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Make Corrant Wine

"To every quart of water take a gallon of Corrans upon the stalks, bruise them well with your hands, & put them into the water, (which needs not to be boild,) Stir them well together & take care the fruit is all bruised, Strain it thro' a hair Sive & squeeze them very dry, then put into the cask, & to every gallon of liquor put three pound and half of Sugar, let the cask stand open a week, & Stirr it every day. when you Stop it up put in half an oz of Ising-glass. the wine will be much better, if to half a barrel you add four quarts of Rasberys well bruised, & four pound of Black Cherrys clean pick'd from the Stalks, it is fine & fit for bottling in three Months, but is much better if kept longer in the Cask."

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written as a practical, step-by-step instruction, assuming the reader is a competent household manager familiar with basic wine-making. Measurements are given in quarts, gallons, and pounds—units standard in early 18th-century England. Spellings like 'corrant,' 'sive,' and lack of punctuation reflect the fluid, phonetic style of the era. Rather than timed intervals, the recipe relies on visual and tactile cues: fruit should be 'well bruised,' stirred 'every day,' and left to clarify until 'fine.' This gentle imprecision leaves room for improvisation and adaptation—hallmarks of historical cooking.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookbook of 1720 approximately - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookbook of 1720 approximately (1720)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Unknown

Era

1720

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful window into early 18th-century kitchens, this historical culinary tome brims with recipes, culinary wisdom, and the flavors of a bygone era—offering food enthusiasts a taste of both tradition and intrigue.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe, penned around 1720 in England, hails from a period when homemade fruit wines were all the rage amongst the gentry and rural households alike. For many, currant wine was a thrifty—and tasty—method for preserving the summer fruit harvest for long winter evenings. Sugar was expensive, but country kitchens often treated the annual production of these cordials as a special treat or even a medicinal tonic. The inclusion of isinglass, a clarifying agent made from fish bladders, speaks to the period's penchant for clear, sparkling beverages, while raspberries and cherries lent an extra depth and rosy color prized at the Georgian table. These domestic wines were not just delicious—they also reflect the social and culinary creativity of early 18th-century England, bridging the gap between necessity and luxury.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back in 1720, making currant wine demanded hands-on effort and simple but sturdy tools: wooden tubs or earthenware crocks for mashing and fermenting, large wooden or metal spoons for stirring, and sturdy hair sieves (coarse woven cloths or actual haircloth) for straining out solids. Fermentation took place in wooden casks or barrels, kept open and stirred regularly, then sealed with fitted wooden lids or bungs. Neither thermometers nor specialized hydrometers were used; the process depended on sensory skill and a little patience. Even the isinglass involved a little chemistry know-how, as it had to be dissolved before being mixed in to fine the wine.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

0 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

1 quart water
4 quarts black or red currants (with stems, approx. 5 1/2-6 1/2 lbs)
3 1/2 lbs granulated sugar (per 4 quarts strained juice)
Optional: 4 quarts raspberries (approx. 5 1/2 lbs, well crushed, per 4 gallons juice)
Optional: 4 lbs black cherries (pitted, per 4 gallons juice)
1/2 ounce isinglass (or a modern alternative such as fish gelatin, or vegan wine finings)

Instructions

To craft a batch of traditional currant wine in your modern kitchen, begin with 1 quart of water and 4 quarts of fresh black or red currants (left on the stems for ease, as in the original recipe).
Use clean hands to thoroughly crush the currants, then combine them with the water in a large, non-metallic container.
No need to boil the water—a purposeful approach that preserves the delicate floral notes of the fruit.
Mix well, ensuring the fruit is thoroughly bruised so the juices release.
Press the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth, squeezing to extract as much liquid as possible.
Transfer the strained juice into a fermentation vessel or food-grade bucket.
For every 4 quarts of resulting juice, dissolve in 3 1/2 pounds of sugar.
If you fancy extra depth, add 4 quarts of well-crushed raspberries and 4 pounds of pitted black cherries per half-barrel (approx.
8 1/2 gallons).
Stir the mix daily for 7 days with the vessel loosely covered.
After this initial fermentation, seal the vessel and add 1/2 ounce of isinglass or a modern wine fining agent for clarity.
Allow the wine to mature for 3 months before bottling, though it will improve all the more with longer aging.

Estimated Calories

190 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will spend about 30 minutes preparing and crushing the fruit, plus a week stirring the juice daily during fermentation. There's no cooking needed, just mixing and straining. Each glass of this homemade wine contains about 190 calories. The recipe makes about 20 servings, assuming a typical serving size is 175 ml (about one standard wine glass).

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.