Recipe Manuscript

To Make Cowslip Wine

Name: To Make Cowslip Wine
Prep time: PTPT1H
Cook time: PTPT30M
Yield: 60
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 45 liters spring water; 10.8 kg fine white powdered sugar; 6 egg whites, well-beaten (optional, traditional clarifying agent); 11–12 liters (about 2 pecks) fresh cowslip flowers (substitute primrose, or use a mix of edible flowers OR zest and pulp of 12 fresh lemons); 12 fresh lemons, sliced (if not using cowslips); 285 mL fresh brewer's (ale) yeast; 1 slice toasted bread (to carry yeast); 2 liters quality brandy; isinglass for clarification (modern alternative: sheet gelatin or vegan fining agents)

1720

From the treasured pages of Cookbook of 1720

Unknown Author

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Advanced 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 Cowslip Wine

"Take 12 gallons of spring water or when it boiles put in 24 pound of fine powder sugar or the whites of six eges well beaten, keep stiring it till it boiles or take of the scum as long as it rises, keep it boyling but not too fast, than it as wasted a gallon or more then strain it through a seive into the tub you intend to work it in or put two pecks or a half of picked cowslips or 12 fresh Lemons sliced pulp or all, when it is milk warm put in a toast with half a pint of ale yeast or work it as you do beer, night or morning for 3 days crush the flowers or Lemons with your hand then strain it through a seive or tun it, the vessel must be full or it will work like beer, when it as done working stop it close or let it stand 2 months, then bottle it, when you tap it fine it with Ising-glass put in two quarts of the best brandy when you tun it, while it is working in the tub cover it close"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in continuous prose, as was typical in the early eighteenth century. Instructions blend seamlessly with ingredient lists, quantities appear embedded in the narrative, and the sequence is dictated more by practical household intuition than rigid order. Spelling varies ('boile' for 'boil', 'boyling', etc.), which was common before standardized English orthography. This recipe also assumes the reader possesses some prior skill in kitchen management, such as knowledge about 'working' (fermenting) or fining with isinglass, reflecting the contemporary audience of adept domestic managers.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookbook of 1720 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookbook of 1720 (1720)

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

Writer

Unknown

Era

1720

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step back to the early 18th century and discover a delightful treasury of recipes and culinary secrets, where traditional flavors meet timeless technique—a feast for curious cooks and history lovers alike.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from early 18th-century England, a time when home winemaking using local flowers and fruits was not only common but celebrated in rural households. Cowslip wine was enjoyed as a light, aromatic table wine, taking advantage of the plentiful spring blooms. Recipes such as this one reflected the ingenuity of the era, using whatever nature provided alongside imported sugar and spirits to create drinks both festive and medicinal. The recipe comes from a household manuscript dating to around 1720, illustrating both practical and convivial aspects of domestic life for the English gentry and landowning classes.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back in the early 1700s, this wine would have been prepared in large copper or iron cauldrons for boiling the base, with wooden paddles for stirring and big hand-woven sieves for straining. Fermentation would occur in deep oak or stoneware tubs and barrels. For bottling, earthenware or glass bottles would be sealed with cork or wax. Manual labor and careful observation replaced measuring gadgets and thermometers, relying on time, eye, and experience.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

1 hr

Cook Time

30 mins

Servings

Ingredients

12 gallons spring water
24 pounds fine white powdered sugar
6 egg whites, well-beaten (optional, traditional clarifying agent)
3 US gallons (about 2 pecks) fresh cowslip flowers (substitute primrose, or use a mix of edible flowers OR zest and pulp of 12 fresh lemons)
12 fresh lemons, sliced (if not using cowslips)
10 fluid ounces fresh brewer's (ale) yeast
1 slice toasted bread (to carry yeast)
2 quarts quality brandy
isinglass for clarification (modern alternative: sheet gelatin or vegan fining agents)

Instructions

Begin by bringing 12 gallons of spring water to a gentle boil.
Gradually stir in 24 pounds of fine white powdered sugar.
Add the well-beaten whites of 6 eggs (optional, for clarifying) and continue stirring, skimming off foam as it rises.
Keep the boil steady but not too vigorous, reducing the mixture by about 1 gallon.
Strain the hot sweetened water into a sanitized fermenting tub.
Add about 3 US gallons (two pecks) of freshly picked and cleaned cowslip flowers or the grated zest and pulp of 12 fresh lemons, or a combination of both.
Let the mixture cool until it is lukewarm (about 95°F).
Float a toasted piece of bread or crouton smeared with about 10 fluid ounces of fresh brewer's yeast (ale yeast) on the surface.
Allow the mixture to ferment, stirring once or twice daily, for 3 days.
During this period, gently crush the flowers or lemons by hand to extract their flavors.
After 3 days, strain the liquid through a sieve into a sanitized fermentation vessel, filling it completely to reduce air exposure.
While filling, add 2 quarts of high-quality brandy.
Seal the vessel loosely to allow continued fermentation.
When bubbling stops (after 1–2 months), seal tightly and let it mature for another month.
Before bottling, clarify with isinglass (or modern gelatin as a substitute), then bottle and let mature.
Serve once clear and sparkling.

Estimated Calories

270 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will spend about 30 minutes cooking the sugar and water, and around 1 hour preparing the ingredients. This recipe makes a large batch—enough for about 60 generous servings. Each serving contains about 270 calories.