How To Make Cowslips Wine
From the treasured pages of Receipt book
Unknown Author
How To Make Cowslips Wine
"Take 3 gallons of water to a gallon of pickt Cowslips and putt 6 pound of Six penny Suger to the water and boyle it togather halfe an houre and when it is cold putt the Cowslips to it and mingle them togather then take 3 spoonfulls of yest and 6 Ounces of the Sirrup of Lemmon and stir the yest and the Sirrup togather and Stir it alltogather wth a scinting dish and leave the dish in the middle of the Bole & let it stand So 4 days Stirring three times a day then strain it and put it in a fitt vessoll and Stop it close and let it stand 3 weeks or a month then bottle it and put a Lump of Suger into each Bottle you must measure your Cowslips by heape:"
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in early modern English, with spellings like 'boyle' for boil, 'yeast' as 'yest,' and 'suger' for sugar—typical for the era when standardized spelling did not exist. Quantities are based on local, informal measures ('heape' or heaping) and tools available at hand. Directions are sequential and descriptive, expecting the reader to have some working knowledge of brewing and fermenting. The casual style reflects oral tradition, focusing on communal kitchen practice over rigid scientific method.
Title
Receipt book (1700)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1700
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step back into the bustling kitchens of the 18th century, where this delightful collection offers a taste of bygone feasts, whimsical recipes, and the art of refined entertaining.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe comes from an English household manuscript dated to the early 1700s. At this time, English cooks, especially women running estates, preserved the bounty of spring and summer using fermentation—a skill vital for both preservation and pleasure. Cowslip wine, a delicately floral homemade wine, was popular among the gentry as a light, aromatic beverage to enjoy in the months before the autumn grape harvest. Recipes like these showcase the ingenuity of early modern cooks and the plants so familiar in the English countryside.
Originally, this wine would have been made in large earthenware or wooden bowls, with ingredients boiled in iron cauldrons or copper pans over an open hearth. A 'scinting dish' (a saucer-like plate) was placed on top of the fermentation vessel, allowing airflow while keeping out dust. The mixture was strained through linen cloth or a fine sieve, and the final wine aged in stoneware jars or wooden barrels before bottling in heavy glass bottles, corked and possibly sealed with wax.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Servings
48
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
- 3 gallons water
- 6 pounds white sugar
- 1 heaping gallon cowslip flowers (Primula veris), or unsprayed edible primrose/violas as substitute
- 3 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 6 ounces lemon syrup (or mixture of fresh lemon juice and simple syrup)
- Sugar cubes (one per bottle for bottling)
Instructions
- To make Cowslip Wine in the modern kitchen, begin by bringing 3 gallons (11.3 quarts) of water and 6 pounds (2.7 kg) of white granulated sugar to a boil in a large stockpot.
- Allow the mixture to boil together for about 30 minutes, then remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, mix in 1 heaping gallon (about 4 quarts) of freshly picked cowslip flowers—a wildflower also known as Primula veris, or, if unavailable, substitute edible wild primrose or unsprayed violas.
- Gently stir the flowers into the sweetened water.
- Separately, combine 3 tablespoons of active dry yeast with 6 ounces (170 g) of lemon syrup (or, if unavailable, use a combination of fresh lemon juice and simple syrup for a similar tangy sweetness).
- Stir this yeast mixture together, then add it into the infusion, stirring well.
- Partially cover the vessel (traditionally with a 'scinting' or saucer dish) and let the mixture ferment at room temperature for four days, stirring three times per day.
- After four days, strain the mixture to remove the flowers, and transfer the liquid into a sanitized fermentation vessel or demijohn.
- Seal tightly and let it mature for 3 to 4 weeks.
- Once the wine has cleared, bottle it, dropping a sugar cube or lump of sugar into each bottle just before sealing.
- Store in a cool, dark place and let it age before enjoying.
Estimated Calories
180 per serving
Cooking Estimates
You will spend about 15 minutes preparing the flowers, yeast, and lemon syrup. Boiling the water and sugar takes about 30 minutes. There is no active cooking after that; the rest of the time is for fermentation and waiting. Each serving is about 200 ml, and each will have around 180 calories, mostly from sugar.
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.
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