To Make Sage Wine
From the treasured pages of Receipt book
Unknown Author
To Make Sage Wine
"To 12 Gallons of spring water take 24 pound of 6 peney Sugar Rasions of ye Sun bruised 8 pounds boyle all this together an hour & take it offe ye fire & take half a bushell of Sage bruised or cutt power ye liquor upon it when it comes off ye fire Stirr it well together & when 'tis cold put into it a pint of Ale yest lett it stand 2 or 3 Days stirring it some times straine it & put it into a fitt vessel when it has don working Stop it Close when 'tis fine draw it off you may put in with ye Sage 3 or 4 Lemons if you please To ye quantity of water & Sage some put 10 pound of Sugar if you please you may put boyling water & Sugar on ye Sage after ye first is straind off to make a littel quantity of Smaller Liquor"
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in the informal, somewhat conversational style of the period, with inconsistent spelling and archaic terms ('ye' for 'the', 'boyle' for 'boil', 'straine' for 'strain'). Measurements like 'bushell' and 'pounds' were ordinary household units, and instructions assume the cook's practical knowledge. There are few precise timings or temperatures: the method depends on close observation and experience, typical for manuscript recipes of the 1700s. Directions are brief, relying on passed-down oral tradition for details.
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 hails from an early 18th-century English household, a time when country wines made from herbs, fruits, and flowers were popular both as a means to preserve abundance and for their purported medicinal benefits. Sage wine specifically was prized for its restorative properties and aromatic complexity. Recipes like this would circulate among literate households and were typically recorded by women managing domestic affairs, listing both precise and approximate measures for use according to household scale and availability. 'V.a.685' refers to a manuscript collection of culinary and medicinal recipes, emphasizing the domestic and experimental nature of early modern English kitchens.
Back then, cooks would have used large copper or iron cauldrons to boil the water, sugar, and raisins, wooden paddles for stirring, and sizeable ceramic or wooden tubs for infusing the herbs. The straining would be done through coarse linen or muslin cloths, and fermentation would take place in barrels, stoneware jugs, or large glass bottles sealed with cloths or wooden bungs. A cool cellar was essential for storage and aging.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Servings
50
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
- 12 gallons spring water
- 8 pounds white sugar (or 3.3 pounds for a lighter wine as per taste)
- 24 pounds raisins (sun-dried preferred, substitute with Thompson raisins if needed)
- 2.4 gallons fresh sage leaves (substitute: dried sage, approximately 2 pounds total)
- 1 pint fresh ale yeast (or substitute with 2 packets active dry bread yeast)
- 3–4 lemons (optional)
Instructions
- To make Sage Wine in a modern kitchen, start by combining 12 gallons of spring water with 24 pounds of good quality raisins (ideally sun-dried, roughly chopped) and 8 pounds of white granulated sugar in a large stockpot or brewing kettle.
- Bring this mixture to a gentle boil and simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove from heat, and pour the hot liquor over 2.4 gallons of fresh sage leaves (roughly chopped or bruised) that you have prepared in a suitable food-safe container.
- If you wish, add 3 or 4 sliced lemons at this stage.
- Stir well, then let cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, stir in 1 pint (about 2 cups) of fresh ale yeast or active bread yeast.
- Allow the mix to ferment for 2–3 days, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the liquid, discarding the solids, and transfer to a sterilized fermenting vessel fitted with an airlock.
- Let fermentation continue until activity ceases and the wine clears.
- Bottle when clear.
- For a lighter (small) sage wine, you can pour more boiling sweetened water over the strained sage to extract further flavor for a milder beverage.
Estimated Calories
210 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to prepare the ingredients and workspace. You need to simmer the mixture for 1 hour. Each serving has about 210 calories. This recipe makes around 50 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.
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