Most of the first half of this book is dedicated to recipes for vintage drinks, often dating back centuries. Re-creating these drinks exactly isn’t always possible because the ingredients themselves have changed, mostly for the better. Beer is of a more consistent quality, more reliably bubbly, and much less likely to be spoiled. It has also tended to become less malty and somewhat hoppier, at least where ales are concerned.
Spirits have also changed. Once sold at high proof by the barrel, in the United States they now tend to come at a standard of around 80 proof in glass bottles. The barrel aging is done in advance. Sugar, too, is different from what it once was. It’s purer and more refined. Sugar loaves of the 1800s were hard enough to use for grating lemon zest, but good luck trying that today.
All things considered, there is no better time to be a connoisseur of alcoholic drinks. The quality and variety of beers and spirits available today is better than at any time before. But with the advances in making beers and spirits, re-creating the recipes of the past requires a bit of approximation and adaptation.
When necessary, I’ve adapted the drinks to fit modern measurements, ingredients, garnishes, and palates. Sometimes that’s as simple as reducing the volumes of the recipes, with the days of tavern patrons downing a gallon of flip per sitting thankfully in the past. At other times, it means being selective about the beers used, or adding a bit more sugar to compensate for today’s fully fermented ales. Whenever there is a significant departure, I note the change and reference the source of the original for anyone who desires to look it up.
These recipes are not always “authentic” in the sense of being exact replicas of the past, as that is not always practical. But they do attempt to capture what made those recipes appealing. This book will, I hope, bring some forgotten beverages back to life.