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Drink

Balm Wine

A fermented beverage made from water, sugar, balm tops, and yeast.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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Balm Wine

Balm Wine

Ingredients

Directions

Make the liquor

  1. Boil water and sugar gently for 2 hours, skimming well.

  2. Cool the mixture in a tub.

Ferment

  1. Bruise the balm tops and add to a barrel with a little new yeast.

  2. Pour the cooled liquid over the balm and stir well.

  3. Let it stand for 24 hours, stirring often.

  4. Close the barrel and let it stand for 6 weeks.

Bottle

  1. Rack it off and add a lump of sugar to each bottle before corking.

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.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Sugar
Provides the fermentable sugar that yeast converts into alcohol, and sweetness in the finished wine.
Balm tops
Supply the aroma and flavour of the finished wine.
New yeast
Starts the fermentation that turns the sugary liquid into alcohol.

The step that matters

Let it stand for 24 hours, stirring often. Stirring keeps the balm tops and yeast in contact with the liquid and introduces air early on, helping the yeast become active before the barrel is closed for the long fermentation.

“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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