Nineteenth century syllabub glass

18^th century

Everlasting Syllabub

This syllabub can be served in pretty little glasses or in pots. Since the mid-eighteenth century, it has also been used as one of the layers of a trifle.

To make Everlasting Syllabubs

Take three pints of the thickest and sweetest cream you can get, a pint of rhenish, half a pint of sack, three lemons, near a pound of double refined sugar, beat and sift your sugar, and put it to the cream; grate off the yellow rind of three lemons, put that in and squeeze the juice of three lemons into your wine; put that to the cream, beat all together with a whisk just half an hour, then take it up all together with a spoon, and fill your glasses.

Hannah Glasse, The Compleat Confectioner, 1760

Serves 6, made in fluted 100 ml (3½ fl oz) glasses

425 ml (15 fl oz) thick (double) cream

50 g (1¾ oz) raw sugar, processed to a fine powder

80 ml (2½ fl oz/¹/₃ cup) lemon juice

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) white wine, such as riesling

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) sherry or Madeira

rosemary sprigs

Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk together the cream and the sugar on low speed. Combine the lemon juice with the alcohol and add that to the cream, whisking constantly until it becomes thick. You may whisk this by hand, but it needs at least 10–15 minutes of whisking. Fill the syllabub glasses, add a sprig of rosemary or use for a trifle.

It was traditional to put a sprig of rosemary in the glass. The original recipe states to add lemon zest, too; however, I found it too aggressive and left it out.