Cassell's dictionary of cookery

On the other hand, the old-fashioned plan, especially at bachelors' dinner-parties, will be found best. A good substantial dinner, say a little thin soup, a cut off the joint, and a grouse. With dinner a glass or two of dry sherry, a glass of bitter ale, and a good bottle of port wine, and a chat afterwards. Finish up, if you like, with a bottle of Chateau Margaux and a single glass of sherry. To my mind, the latter dinner is preferable to the former, where a series of elaborate entrees are served with a variety of wines not always of the best quality. • One very agreeable form of drinking cheap hock, claret, &c., in summer time is in the shape of " cup." There are various ways of making claret cup, but I will give one of the simplest : — -Take a few lumps of sugar, about six or eight, according to the size, and let a few drops of boiling water be poured on them to assist in dissolving them. Take a bottle of claret, and add in addition to the sugar two slices of a hard lemon, a glass of sherry, a table-spoonful of brandy, a small piece of cucumber-peel, and a table-spoonful of noyeau or maraschino. A little balm and borage is an improvement to claret cup, but then there is generally considerable difficulty in obtaining them. Another capital claret cup is made by substituting an orange cut in slices for the two slices of lemon. Again, if no noyeau is at hand — and noyeau is an expensive liqueur — -add a couple of drops of essence of almonds to the brandy. To every cup, of course, must be added one or two bottles of soda-water, and a large lump of pure ice. If good pure ice cannot be obtained, but only what is called rough ice, do not put any ice in the cup, but surround the cup with chopped ice mixed with salt, and you will very soon reduce its temperature quite as low, and, indeed, lower, than if a large piece of ice had been put in the cup itself I would advise persons who use rough ice indiscriminately to melt a tumblerful, and then hold the glass up to the light. The lesson is very practical. Champagne cup is very simply made by adding either a slice or two of lemon or an orange cut in slices to a bottle of champagne as well as a bottle of sodawater, a small liqueur glass of brandy, and a large lump of ice. Of course, just as it would be a terrible waste to use a bottle of Chateau Lafitte or Chateau Margaux claret to make a claret cup, so would it be equally wrong to use a bottle of first-class champagne, such as Pommeiy et fils, or Montebello Carte Blanche for champagne cup. Again, a rather sweet champagne makes a very good " cup," as the ice and soda-water take off from the sweetness very considerably. It will be found, however, for general purposes that some wines that are not strictly speaking champagne nevertheless make excellent "champagne cup." We would call particular attention to a wine named Sparkling Saumur, which is now being sold at a retail price of 24s. a dozen. A bottle of this, and an orange sliced, avoiding the outside slices with too much peel on, as well as the pips, with a bottle or even two bottles of sodawater, and a large lump of ice, make a most refreshing summer drink. Indeed, I know of no kind of cheap champagne, at even 36 s. a dozen, that will make so excellent a cup.