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Drink

Strawberry Acid

A fermented strawberry beverage made by acidulating strawberries with tartaric and citric acids, then sweetening and bottling.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Strawberry Acid

Ingredients

Directions

Macerate the fruit

  1. In a pan, combine 12 pounds of strawberries with 2 quarts of water acidulated with 5 ounces of tartaric acid.

  2. Let the mixture sit for 48 hours.

  3. Strain the mixture carefully to avoid bruising the fruit.

Sweeten and bottle

  1. For each pint of juice, add 1.5 pounds of powdered sugar and stir until dissolved.

  2. Let the sweetened juice sit for a few days.

  3. Bottle the mixture and cork lightly.

  4. If fermentation occurs, leave the corks out for a few days.

Second infusion

  1. Dissolve 2 ounces of citric acid in 1 quart of spring water and pour it over 3 pounds of ripe strawberries.

  2. Let the mixture sit for 24 hours.

  3. Drain the liquid and pour it over another 3 pounds of strawberries.

  4. Let the mixture sit for another 24 hours and drain again.

Finish and seal

  1. Add an equal weight of sugar to the liquid.

  2. Boil the liquid for 3-4 minutes.

  3. Pour the boiled liquid into cool bottles.

  4. Cork lightly for 3 days.

  5. Cork tightly and seal.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Strawberries
Provide the fruit flavour and the juice that becomes the final liquid.
Tartaric acid
Adds sharp acidity that brightens the fruit flavour and helps preserve the juice.
Powdered sugar
Sweetens the juice and dissolves quickly, balancing the acidity.
Citric acid
Adds further acidity to the second infusion, sharpening the fruit flavour.

The step that matters

Straining the first mixture. Pressing or squeezing the fruit can release bitter pulp and cloudy solids, so straining gently keeps the juice clear and smooth-tasting.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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