Visit England Tourism Superstar Finalist 2022 Adam Scott-Goulding writes…
As the Christmas season begins in earnest here in London, I’m kicking off the proceedings with a look at a couple of drinks recipes whilst flicking through A Christmas Carol.
This post is inspired by the five items on the menu at Old Fezziwig’s Christmas Party…
Fezziwig’s Party
You remember the scene, I’m sure: Ebeneezer Scrooge looks back to his youth and remembers the big-hearted Mr Fezziwig and his fabulous Christmas parties. Dickens lists the menu thus…
1. Cake
2. Negus* (see below)
3. A great piece of Cold Boiled
4. A great piece of Cold Roast
5. Mince pies
This list does not include beer, the quantity of which Dickens simply lists as “plenty of”; nor does it take into account the pot of porter supplied at the request of the energetic fiddler who, after playing a particularly wild tune, liked to plunge his overheated face into the cooling ale.
But what on earth is Negus?
Negus is a drink of the mulled wine family with port as its central alcoholic ingredient (often mixed with claret). This is hooch with a serious literary pedigree. Not only does it cheer up the proceedings of Christmas Past in London’s greatest ghost story, but also crops up in the pages of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, John Galsworthy’s The Forsyte Saga, and on numerous occasions in the jottings of the ever-thirsty James Boswell.
How To Make Negus…
The hot, seasonal drink Negus was invented by one Colonel Francis Negus sometime in the early eighteenth century. Jerry Thomas, in his 1862 book How to Mix Drinks, wrote that Negus is “A most refreshing and elegant beverage, particularly for those who do not take punch or grog after supper.”
Ingredients
50 ml
Port 25 ml
Claret 25 ml
1 teaspoon of Brandy
50 ml Water
Half a Lemon, thinly sliced in rings
Pinch of Grated nutmeg
1 Heaped tsp Sugar
Method
Gently heat all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Strain into a heat-proof goblet when hot.
(Makes one serving)
Why No Mulled Wine?
No Christmas is complete without mulled wine. But it’s never mentioned by that name in A Christmas Carol. You will instead read about Smoking Bishop, a type of mulled wine with roasted, caramelised citrus fruit. Here’s Eliza Acton‘s recipe from her 1845 book Modern Cookery…
Make several incisions in the rind of a lemon, stick cloves in these, and roast the lemon by a slow fire. Put small but equal quantities of cinnamon, cloves, mace and allspice, with a race of ginger*, into a saucepan with half a pint of water: let it boil until it is reduced one-half.
Boil one bottle of port wine, burn a portion of the spirit out of it by applying a lighted paper to the saucepan; put the roasted lemon and spice into the wine ; stir it up well, and let it stand near the fire ten minutes. Rub a few knobs of sugar on the rind of a lemon, put the sugar into a bowl or jug, with the juice of half a lemon (not roasted), pour the wine into it, grate in some nutmeg, sweeten it to the taste, and serve it up with the lemon and spice floating in it.
(*A race of ginger is ginger root)
The verb to mull is of unknown 17th Century origin and means to heat – wine or beer – with added sugar, spices, etc. And this is how I do it.
This recipe serves 12 people and will allow each guest a generous two helpings each. It’s Christmas after all!
And my secret ingredient is… water.
Gasp!
Yup, you read that right: Adam’s wine, H2O, plain old water – in exact matching quantities to the wine. Sacrilege? Not at all. As you peruse the ingredients you will see my cunning method of tipping the balance back to the fun side with the addition of a few liqueurs inspired by the negus recipe above…
You will need…
2 x bottles red wine
2 x wine bottles full of water
1 orange stuck with cloves
2 oranges, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
6 heaped tablespoons granulated sugar
2 inch (5 cm) piece cinnamon stick
2 level teaspoons finely grated fresh root ginger or ground ginger
1 shot cherry brandy
1 shot apricot brandy
2 shots Triple Sec or Cointreau
Method
Heat the lot in a big ol’ pot. The house will smell delicious.
Tips (WARNING: This section contains STRONG opinions!):
• Don’t break the bank/raid the cellar for the wine. Any inexpensive wine will do, but make sure it’s full bodied. A big, chewy Cabernet Sauvignon is ideal.
• Don’t bring the wine to the boil.
• Hey kids, it’s burny hot. If you don’t have those glasses with the metal holders, put a teaspoon in the glass as the spoon will have a higher coefficient than the glass and then the glass won’t shatter when you pour and nobody’ll end up in A&E. Alternatively, there is no etiquette to suggest it shouldn’t be doled out in big, warming mugs.
• Some folks like to garnish their mulled wine with candy canes. I am NOT “some folks”.
• Some recipes suggest baking the cloved oranges, adding fruit syrups (yuk) and all manner of shennaigans. I use the above recipe because it’s not only the best, but also the least fussy. Then there’s more time to party. Simple, really.
The Christmas Music & Lights Walking Tour
I’m looking forward to seeing a few of you out-and-about over the Christmas season. I’m leading The Christmas Music Walking Tour With LIVE Music, Singing + FREE Mulled Wine on Sunday 11th December at 2pm. Book with London Music Tours HERE.
For all the rest of my scheduled tours click HERE