Cups

In the book, Cups and their Customs (1863), G.E. Roberts opens his preface with "The principal object of these pages is to furnish a collection of recipes for the brewing of compound drinks, technically termed "Cups," all of which have been selected with the most scrupulous attention to the rules of gastronomy . . ." He then goes on to go through history and note different drinks and customs of peoples, and the drinking vessels that were used.

His first recipes are for Old drinks: Metheglin, a drink made from honey, lemons, spices and yeast; Lamb’s Wool, Wassail, Possets, Julep and Bishop. Most of his recipes call for large amounts of liquid, so we can see that by "cups" he does not mean single drinks, but any type of alcoholic drinks. Most of the recipes make a large amount, and may take months to mature.

He then goes on to covers Modern recipes: punches, different wine cups (again made in large quantities), including champagne, cider cups, beer cups and a few recipes for liquers. Recipes he mentions are Egg Flip, Sherry Cobler, Sherry Cooler, and the Toddy, which he describes as rum diluted with water.

Mrs. Beeton (see below) uses a claret cup for serving Claret Cup and Champagne Cup beverages. The cup gets passed from person to person with a napkin so drinkers can wipe the edge of the cup before drinking.

From 'Oxford Night Caps', by Richard Cook, Published 1835

CIDER CUP, OR COLD TANKARD.

Extract the juice from the peeling of one lemon by rubbing loaf sugar on it; cut two lemons into thin slices; the rind of one lemon cut thin, a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar, and half a pint of brandy. Put the whole into a large jug, mix it well together, and pour one quart of cold spring water upon it. Grate a nutmeg into it, add one pint of white wine and a bottle of cider, sweeten it to your taste with capillaire or sugar, put a handful of balm and the same quantity of boraged in flower (borago officinalis) into it, stalk downwards. Then put the jug containing this liquor into a tub of ice, and when it has remained there one hour it is fit for use. The balm and borage should be fresh gathered.

"The sprigs of borage in wine are of known virtue, to revive the hypochondriac, and cheer the hard student." Evelyn's Acetaria, p. 13. "Borage is one of the four cordial flowers; it comforts the heart, cheers melancholy, and revives the fainting spirits." Salman's Household Companion, London, 1710. "Borage has the credit of being a great cordial; throwing it into cold wine is better than all the medicinal preparations." Sir John Hill, M.D.

PERRY CUP.

Merely substitute perry for cider.

"The leaves, flowers, and seed of borage, all or any of them, are good to expel pensiveness and melancholy." The English Physician.

"Balm is very good to help digestion and open obstructions of the brain, and hath so much purging quality in it, as to expel those melancholy vapours from the spirits and blood which are in the heart and arteries, although it cannot do so in other parts of the body." Ibid.

BEER CUP.

One quart of strong beer instead of cider or perry. The other ingredients the same as in Cider Cup.

RED CUP.

Use one pint of port wine instead of white; sometimes two glasses of red currant jelly are added. In other respects the same as Cider Cup, excepting that warm water is used to dissolve the jelly.

Mrs. Isabella Beeton, Book of Household Management, 1861

CLARET-CUP.

1831. INGREDIENTS – 1 bottle of claret, 1 bottle of soda-water, about 1/2 lb. of pounded ice, 4 tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, 1 liqueur-glass of Maraschino, a sprig of green borage.

Mode.—Put all the ingredients into a silver cup, regulating the proportion of ice by the state of the weather: if very warm, a larger quantity would be necessary. Hand the cup round with a clean napkin passed through one of the handles, that the edge of the cup may be wiped after each guest has partaken of the contents thereof.

Seasonable in summer.

CHAMPAGNE-CUP.

1832. INGREDIENTS – 1 quart bottle of champagne, 2 bottles of soda-water, 1 liqueur-glass of brandy or Curaoa, 2 tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, 1 lb. of pounded ice, a sprig of green borage.

Mode.—Put all the ingredients into a silver cup; stir them together, and serve the same as claret-cup No. 1831. Should the above proportion of sugar not be found sufficient to suit some tastes, increase the quantity. When borage is not easily obtainable, substitute for it a few slices of cucumber-rind.

Seasonable.—Suitable for pic-nics, balls, weddings, and other festive occasions.