Recipe Manuscript

To Make Dorslip Wine

Name: To Make Dorslip Wine
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT1H30M
Yield: 30
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 19 liters water; 4 liters clarified dory (substitute: mild white fish stock or white grape juice or light floral white wine); 2.7 kg refined sugar (loaf sugar in recipe; use caster or granulated white sugar); 15 grams fresh yeast; Additional sugar lumps (approx. 10 g per bottle) for secondary fermentation

1712

From the treasured pages of Cookery and medicinal recipes by Kendall Rose and Anne Cater

Written by Rose Kendall, Anne Cater, Elizabeth Clarke, Anna Maria Bold

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Drink

Original Recipe • 1712

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

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

To Make Dorslip Wine

"Take 5 Gallons of Water Coile them together hot take it of from the fire poure it almost cold take A Galon of Dory well Cleard of ye drosse & put to it six pound of Loaf sugar boyle them an hour or better & scum of both froth & soft it A cooling & then to one spoone full of yeast put it at it well ming it up & down with A dish let it work together 2 or 3 dayes & then put it into A Caske that when it hath done working stop it close 2 A month After that bottle it of & put into every Bottle a Lump of sugar"

Note on the Original Text

Written in the direct and practical style common in English household recipe manuscripts, this recipe uses phonetic spellings ('boyle' for 'boil', 'scum' for 'skim', 'froth', 'caske'), and provides instructions but omits precise timing and temperatures, since these would have been judged by experience. Quantities refer to old English gallons and pounds, requiring metric conversion for modern use. Spelling is inconsistent—reflecting the period’s lack of standardized English—and certain terms (like 'dory' or 'dorslip') may reference now-archaic ingredients or methods.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Cookery and medicinal recipes by Kendall Rose and Anne Cater - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Cookery and medicinal recipes by Kendall Rose and Anne Cater (1712)

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

Writer

Rose Kendall, Anne Cater, Elizabeth Clarke, Anna Maria Bold

Era

1712

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step into the inviting kitchens of the past with this enchanting collection of culinary wisdom from England's early modern era. Crafted by a talented array of women, this book promises savory pies, sweet confections, and secret family recipes—an aromatic tour through centuries-old feasts sure to delight the curious palate.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from a manuscript collection kept by several women—Rose Kendall, Anne Cater, Elizabeth Clarke, and Anna Maria Bold—in England between roughly 1675 and 1750. It represents the inventive spirit of early modern domestic cooks who preserved, experimented, and adapted recipes using available local ingredients. "Dorslip Wine" was likely a homemade method of creating a wine-like beverage or cordial, utilizing plentiful fish or fruit mixed with sugar and fermented yeast—a way for households to enjoy flavorful drinks in a time before mass-produced beverages were widely accessible.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Household cooks in the late 17th and early 18th centuries would have used large copper or iron cauldrons for boiling the liquid over an open hearth. Skimming would be done with simple wooden or metal spoons, and fermentation would take place in stoneware jugs or wooden casks, often covered with linen cloths. Bottling would use glass bottles sealed with wax and cork, and sugar would be added as solid lumps cut from large cones of loaf sugar.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 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

5 gallons water
1 gallon clarified dory (substitute: mild white fish stock or white grape juice or light floral white wine)
6 pounds refined sugar (loaf sugar in recipe; use caster or granulated white sugar)
0.5 ounces fresh yeast
Additional sugar lumps (approx. 0.33 oz per bottle) for secondary fermentation

Instructions

To make Dorslip Wine today, begin by boiling together 5 gallons of water and, once hot, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until it is just warm.
Add about 1 gallon of clarified dory (for which you may substitute a mild white fish, or use white grape juice or light floral wine for modern availability) and stir in 6 pounds of refined sugar.
Bring this mixture back to a gentle simmer and continue boiling for at least one hour, skimming off any scum or froth that rises to the top.
Let the mixture cool down fully until it is lukewarm.
Add a generous tablespoon (about half an ounce) of fresh yeast, mixing well.
Cover and allow the mixture to ferment for 2 to 3 days, stirring occasionally.
Then transfer it to a fermentation vessel (such as a sanitized food-grade container or cask) and leave it loosely covered to finish fermenting.
Once bubbling has ceased, seal tightly and allow it to age for one month.
After this period, bottle the wine, dropping a small lump (around a third of an ounce) of sugar into each bottle to encourage a gentle secondary fermentation and natural effervescence.

Estimated Calories

180 per serving

Cooking Estimates

You will spend about 90 minutes actively cooking and preparing the mixture, most of which is simmering and skimming. The fermentation and aging take several weeks, but require little active work. Each serving has about 180 calories based on the ingredients and sugar content. The recipe yields around 23 liters, which is about 30 standard wine servings.

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.