Recipe Manuscript

To Make Gooseberry Wine

Name: To Make Gooseberry Wine
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT0M
Yield: 40
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1.6 kg ripe gooseberries (per liter of water, adjust quantities as desired); 1 liter water (boiled); 1 kg white sugar (for every 4 liters gooseberry juice)

1707

From the treasured pages of Mrs. Rachel Kirk Book 1707

Written by Rachel Kirk

Culinary Enlightenment (1700 - 1800)European Intermediate Drink

Original Recipe • 1707

Original Manuscript(circa Culinary Enlightenment, 1700 - 1800)

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

To Make Gooseberry Wine

"Take ripe goosberrys & bruise them very well & to one quart of water 3 quarts of goosberrys Let the water boyl very well & put it to them very hot & streane them very well let them stand a night & a Day close Couered then streane them Through a flanell bagg & to a gallon of Juce 2 pound of Suger then take of the scum cleane so put it in to a Vessel clay it up close & if you please in a fortnight time you may draw it of & Rinch out the Runlet & putt it in againe, or opne it every 4 dayes for 3 Weeks & take of the scum. Let it alone till it be fit to bottle"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in the informal, practical style typical of early 18th-century household manuscripts, with an emphasis on ratios and process but limited precise measurements. Spellings like 'goosberrys' (for 'gooseberries'), 'boyl' (for 'boil'), and 'streane' (for 'strain') reflect the conventions of the time, when English spelling was still highly variable and not standardized. Instructions are often given in a run-on manner, relying on the reader's familiarity with kitchen procedures. Steps are described sequentially, with implicit expectations that the cook would recognize when wine was 'fit to bottle' by taste, clarity, or experience.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Mrs. Rachel Kirk Book 1707 - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Mrs. Rachel Kirk Book 1707 (1707)

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

Writer

Rachel Kirk

Era

1707

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A remarkable collection of early 18th-century recipes, Rachel Kirk's work invites readers into the kitchens of the past where classic culinary traditions and timeless flavors come alive. Expect a charming medley of savory feasts and sweet treats reflective of the era's sophisticated palate.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe comes from Rachel Kirk's 1707 collection—a time when domestic wine-making was common practice in British households, especially among those with access to fruit gardens. Gooseberry wine was a popular alternative to grape wines, as grapes were difficult to grow in Britain, but gooseberries thrived. Recipes like these allowed households to preserve summer's bounty and enjoy festive homemade beverages throughout the year. 'Gooseberry wine' was more akin to today's fruit wines or country wines, often made by women as part of the household's culinary repertoire.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the early 18th century, cooks would have used wooden mortars or pestles to bruise gooseberries, large earthenware or wooden bowls for steeping, boiling kettles for water, and linen or flannel bags for straining the juice. The juice was fermented in wooden barrels or earthenware jugs (also called runlets), sealed with clay or wax to keep out air and pests. Skimming of the scum would have been done with wooden or pewter spoons.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

0 mins

Servings

Ingredients

3.5 lbs ripe gooseberries (per quart of water, adjust quantities as desired)
1 quart water (boiled)
2.2 lbs white sugar (for every 1 gallon gooseberry juice)

Instructions

To make gooseberry wine in the spirit of the original 1707 recipe, begin by taking fresh ripe gooseberries—bruised well to help release their juice—and use three parts gooseberries to one part water by volume.
For example, for every 1 quart of water, use 3 quarts of gooseberries (approximately 3.5 lbs).
Boil the water and pour it, still hot, over the crushed gooseberries, letting the fruit steep for 24 hours in a covered container.
Strain the mixture through a fine cloth (such as muslin or cheesecloth) to extract as much juice as possible.
Per 1 gallon of juice (just over 4 quarts), stir in 2.2 lbs of sugar.
Skim off any scum that forms.
Pour the sweetened juice into a fermentation vessel and seal it.
After 2 weeks, rack (transfer) the wine to clean off sediment, then optionally repeat this every 4 days for 3 weeks, skimming off any new scum each time.
Let the wine mature until it is clear and suitable for bottling—this may take a few months.

Estimated Calories

120 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 30 minutes to prepare the gooseberries and mix everything. The wine needs to steep for 24 hours, but this is not active work. Making wine has very little active cooking time. One batch makes about 5 liters of wine, and one glass is roughly 120 calories.