Mabon Moon Cider

4 cups apple cider
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
4 cups grape juice
additional cinnamon sticks
2 cinnamon sticks for cups, 6 inches long
1 tsp allspice
In a 4-quart saucepan, heat cider and grape juice. Add cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Bring just to boiling. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve with ladle from a cauldron. Makes 8 cups.

Blackberry Wine

3 pounds of blackberries
3 pounds of sugar
1 gallon of boiling water

Wash berries, put in large bowl and pour over them the boiling water. Stir well, then cover the bowl and leave for ten days. Strain liquid through muslin, add the three pounds of sugar and stir well. Cover the bowl and leave for three days, but stir daily. Put into bottles and cork, loosely at first. The wine will be ready to drink in six months.

Dandelion Wine

2 quarts dandelion flowers
3 pounds sugar
1 ounce yeast
1 lemon
1 orange
1 gallon boiling water

Pick the dandelions on a sunny day. Pick just the heads until you have two quart jugs full. Wash flowers and put into a large bowl. Slice orange, lemon thinly and add to the flowerheads. Pour boiling water on top of them, stir well. Cover bowl, leave for ten days, no more. Strain liquid into another bowl, stir in the 3 pounds sugar. Spread the yeast on a piece of toast, and float on top. Cover the bowl and leave for another 3 days. Remove the toast, strain again, and bottle. Cork loosely at first. The wine will be ready to drink in 3 months.

Ginger Beer

For The Starter:
1/2 Ounce Yeast
2 Teaspoons Sugar

To Feed The “Plant”:
7 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
7 Teaspoons Sugar

To Flavour:
1 1/2 Pounds Sugar
Juice Of 2 Lemons

Mix starter ingredients with 3/4 pint of warm water in a glass jar. Stir, cover and leave in a warm place for 24 hours. This is your starter “plant”. Feed the “plant” with 1 teaspoon each of ground ginger and sugar each day. After 7 days strain through a fine sieve. Dissolve the sugar in 2 pints of water. Add the lemon juice and the liquid from the “plant”. Dilute with 5 pints of water, mix well and store in corked bottles for at least 7 days.
Use strong bottles as pressure may build up which will cause thin bottles to explode. For the same reason use corked bottles rather than those with a more secure closure that will not ‘give’ under pressure.
The amount of sugar in the final stage can be varied according to taste.

Wassail

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon cider (hard or non-alcoholic)
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 2 teaspoons allspice, whole
• 1 teaspoon each clove and ground nutmeg
• Tart apples (I use about 3)

Makes a lot of wassail. Make on a cold winter day.

Instructions:

Put clove and allspice in a mesh bag or tea ball. Place all ingredients in a large pot and heat until the apples burst.

Eggnog

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups cold milk
• 1 cup cold light cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

Beat the yolks and 1/4 cup of sugar together until thick and cream-colored. Gradually add milk, cream, vanilla, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Beat until frothy. Beat the egg whites separately with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form and fall over. Cover and chill until serving time. When ready to serve, mix well, pour in a bowl, and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Yield: 6 servings

Coquito

Ingredients:

• 3 cans coconut milk
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 8 beaten eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark rum

Instructions:

Combine the coconut milk and the sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Slowly pour the coconut and sugar mix into the beaten eggs, beating with a wire whisk. Put the mix back in the pan, and stir over low heat until it thickens, but DO NOT boil and don’t let it thicken to the point that you’ve cooked the eggs or something! Strain it (please, be sure to strain!) into the serving pitcher, and finally stir in the vanilla and the rum. Chill before serving.

Yield: 12 servings

Lavendar Lemonade

• 5 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 12 stems of fresh lavender
• 2 1/4 cups lemon juice

1. Boil 2 1/2 cups of water with the sugar. Add the lavender stems and remove from heat. Place on the lid and let cool
2. When cool, add 2 1/2 cups of water and the lemon juice. Strain out the lavender
3. Serve the lavender lemonade with crushed ice and garnish with lavender blossoms. Serves 8