Godfrey’s Cordial

July 1st, 2022

Sassafras, six ounces; seeds of coriander, caraway and anise, of each one ounce; infuse in six pints of water; simmer the mixture till reduced to four pints; then add six pounds of molasses; boil a few minutes; when cold, add three fluid ounces of tincture of opium. For children teething.

Source: Our Knowledge Box, ed. G. Blackie

Hallett’s Gout and Bilious Cordial

January 28th, 2021

Infuse in a gallon of distilled aniseed water, 3 oz. Turkey rhubarb, 4 oz. senna leaves, 4 oz. guaiacum shavings, 3 oz. elecampagne root, 1 oz. fennel seed, 14 oz. saffron, 14 oz. cochineal, 1 lb. sun raisins, 1 oz. aniseed; shake it every day for a fortnight; strain and bottle it. A table-spoonful (or two) an hour after dinner.

Source: The English Housekeeper, Anne Cobbett

Gout Cordial

May 2nd, 2020

Rhubarb 1 oz., senna, coriander seeds, sweet fennel seeds, cochineal, saffron, and liquorice root, of each, a 1/4 oz., and of jar raisins 4 oz. Let the raisins be stoned, and all the ingredients be bruised. Put them into a quart of French brandy. Shake well every day for a fortnight. Take 1 table-spoonful, with peppermint, or plain water.

Source: The English Housekeeper, Anne Cobbett

Blackberry Cordial

February 7th, 2019

Mash and strain the blackberries; put the juice on to boil in a brass or bell-metal kettle; skim it well, and to each gallon of juice put three pounds of sugar and a quart of spirits; bruise some cloves and put in. This is valuable as a medicine for children in summer.

Source: Domestic Cookery, Useful Receipts, and Hints to Young Housekeepers, Elizabeth E. Lea

How to make a Cordial for Colds

March 10th, 2017

First, prepare a quart of the juice of black currants, by bruising and boiling them for twenty minutes, and then straining off the juice with great pressure through a sieve into a basin. Next, boil four ounces of linseed in a quart of water until reduced to one-third of its original quantity, taking care that it does not boil fast, and, when done, strain the liquid into a very clean saucepan; add the currant juice, two pounds of moist sugar, and half an ounce of citric acid, or one pint of lemon juice; boil all together until reduced to a thick syrup—that is, when it begins to run rather thick from the spoon without resembling treacle; as soon as the syrup has reached this stage, remove it from the fire, and pour it into a jug to become quite cold. This syrup will keep good for any length of time, if bottled and corked down tight, and kept in a cool place. A tea-spoonful taken occasionally will soon relieve the most troublesome cough.

This cordial may also be prepared in winter, using for the purpose black currant jam, or preserved black currant juice, instead of the juice of fresh-gathered currants.

Source: A Plain Cookery Book for the Working Classes, C.E. Francatelli

Blackberry Cordial

July 31st, 2016

To two quarts of juice add one pound of sugar, one-half ounce of cloves, one-half ounce of cinnamon, one-half ounce of nutmeg. Boil twenty minutes, and when cold add one pint good brandy. This is splendid in cases of dysentery.

Source: The Housekeeper’s Friend: A Practical Cookbook

Mulled Wine

May 16th, 2016

Take a quarter of an ounce of bruised cinnamon, half a nutmeg, (grated), and ten bruised cloves ; infuse them in half a pint of boiling water for an hour, strain, and add half an ounce of white sugar. Pour the whole into a pint of hot port or sherry wine. This is a good cordial and restorative in the low stages of fever, or in the debility of convalescence from fevers.

Source: The Housekeeper’s Friend: A Practical Cookbook

Blackberry and Wine Cordial

September 13th, 2015

It is recommended as a delightful beverage and an infallible specific for diarrhea or ordinary disease of the bowels:

Receipt.- To half a bushel of blackberries well mashed, add a quarter of a pound of allspice, two ounces of cinnamon, two ounces of cloves; pulverize well, mix, and boil slowly until properly done; then strain or squeeze the juice through homespun or flannel, and add to each pint of the juice one pound of loaf sugar; boil again for some time, take it off, and while cooling, add half a gallon of the best Cognac brandy.

Dose.– For an adult, half a gill to a gill; for a child, a teaspoonful or more, according to age.

Source: Audel’s Household Helps, Hints and Receipts

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    NOTE: these remedies are listed only for information and/or amusement. They are not to be construed as medical advice of any type, nor are they recommended for use. Consult your doctor or other medical professional for any medical advice you require.