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Drink

Strawberry Acid

A fermented strawberry beverage made with tartaric and citric acids, sugar, and water.

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. Combine 12 pounds of strawberries with 2 quarts of water acidulated with 5 ounces of tartaric acid in a pan.

  2. Let the mixture sit for 48 hours.

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

Sweeten and bottle

  1. Add 1.5 pounds of powdered sugar to each pint of juice and stir until dissolved.

  2. Let the mixture 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 extraction

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

  2. Let the mixture sit for 24 hours.

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

  4. Let it sit for another 24 hours and drain again.

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

  6. Boil for 3-4 minutes.

  7. Pour into cool bottles.

  8. Cork lightly for 3 days.

  9. 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 flavor and juice that forms the base of the drink.
Tartaric acid
Adds sharp acidity that brightens the fruit flavor and helps preserve the juice.
Powdered sugar
Sweetens the juice and balances its acidity.
Citric acid
Adds further tartness and acidity to the second extraction of fruit.

The step that matters

Straining without bruising. Crushing or pressing the strawberries releases bitter and cloudy compounds from the pulp and seeds, so the juice stays clear and clean-tasting. Letting gravity drain the liquid preserves that clarity.

“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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