To Make Ratafia

This recipe dates from the late 18th century, appearing in the handwritten collection of Elizabeth Smith. Ratafia was a popular homemade liqueur or cordial, flavored with fruits, nuts, and spices, and enjoyed both for pleasure and as a tonic. Such recipes were often handed down through families, carefully copied into personal cookery manuscripts. At the time, ratafia could refer to a variety of infused drinks, many of which served as early forms of digestifs or flavored liquors, enjoyed by the gentry and emerging middle classes. The inclusion of both fruit and kernel reflects an era’s taste for aromatic, complex cordials, often believed to have healthful properties.

Households would use large glazed earthenware or glass jars or jugs, sometimes with cork or wax-sealed stoppers, to steep the ingredients. The finished ratafia was carefully decanted and then run through a 'jelly bag'—a cone-shaped cloth, usually of fine muslin—to clarify it before bottling. Bottles were typically sealed with cork and wax. Spoons or wooden mashers helped mix and break up the fruit, while ladles or funnels aided with bottling.