Gaspee Days
Colonial
Drinks and Recipes
The following concoctions were discovered in the old files of the
Gaspee Days Committee, and were apparently used by some
Pawtuxet Village restaurants during Gaspee Days c1966-1972. Some
selections were found in old hand-written cookbooks that had been
families for over 200 years.
We
would like you to consider this information as 'shareware'. If
you really like a particular recipe, let us know by donating to the Gaspee Days Committee to
help fund our community events.
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BEVERAGES
Cocktails have been traced back to
before the Revolution. And since many
of those Rhode Island Colonists that burnt the Gaspee in 1772 were
involved in rum and gin distilling and smuggling, we can assume they
were
also very familiar with some of the following drinks. The usual drinks
were punches, cobblers, toddies, slings, bounces, juleps, snagarees,
and flip The common ingredients were gin, brandy, Medford (dark) rum,
port wine (sack), bourbon, rye, and bitters. Cobblers are of American
origin and are great favorites in all warm climates. Hot drinks
included hot buttered rum, Tom & Jerry, hot brandy sling with
nutmeg, and the Mulls including mulled cider, and hot applejack.
BLACKSTRAP
As per Webster's Unabridged
Dictionary
- A mixture of spirituous liquors
usually consisting of rum and molasses. Among sailors Blackstrap was
(maybe still is) considered any common wine of the Mediterranean.
CHAMPAGNE
COBBLER
1. 1/3 glass crushed ice
2. ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
3. 1 piece orange peel
4. To the ice add the sugar and orange peel,
5. Fill with dry champagne
6. Decorate with fruit.
7. Serve with straw.
COLONIAL
HOT CIDER PUNCH, AKA "WASSAIL'
- 1 Gallon heated apple cider
- 1/2 ounce brandy flavoring
- 1/2 ounce rum flavoring OR (even better) 1/2 quart light rum
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 3 to 6 whole oranges
- small bag of whole cloves
- Simmer mixture with 3 sticks whole cinnamon to melt--DO NOT
COOK.
- Allow to cool, pour into punch bowl.
- Separately stick whole cloves around entire surface of 3 to
6
whole oranges.
- Place oranges into baking pan with 1/2 inch of water, and
bake at
350° for 45 minutes.
- Place oranges into punch bowl
- Serves 40
- Serve with pound cake, nut cake, or cheese and crackers.
FISH
HOUSE PUNCH:
- Completely dissolve 3/4 pound of sugar in a little water,
in
punch bowl
- Add a bottle of lemon juice.
- Add 2 bottles Jamaican rum,
- 1 bottle cognac,
- 2 bottles of water
- 1 Wine glassful of peach cordial.
- Put a big cake of ice in the punch bowl.
- Let Punch stand about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- In winter, when ice melts more slowly, more water may be
used; in summer less. The melting of the ice dilutes the mixture
sufficiently
- Makes about 60 4-ounce glasses
FLIP
- 3 eggs
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1 jigger rum
- 1 jigger brandy
- 1 red-hot flip iron or poker heated in fireplace
- tall, all-pewter mug
- 12-16 ounces of beer
- In a quart mug break three eggs
- Add three teaspoons sugar and stir well
- Add in the jigger of rum and the jigger of brandy, beating
meanwhile.
- Fill remaining volume of mug with beer
- Insert red-hot iron until it hisses and foams.
- The drink will become only warm.
GINGER
BEER
- two ounces of powdered ginger root (or more if it is not
very
strong),
- half an ounce of cream of tartar,
- two large lemons, sliced,
- two pounds of broken loaf sugar
- two gallons of soft boiling water.
- Put all ingredients into a kettle and simmer them over a
slow
fire for half an hour.
- Remove from heat.
- When the liquor is nearly cold, stir into it a large
tablespoonful of the best yeast.
- After it has fermented, which will be
in about 24 hours, bottle for use.
GRAPE
WINE
- 2 quarts boiling water
- 2 pounds brown sugar
- 2 quarts grape juice
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 yeast cake
- Boil water in stone crock
- Dissolve brown sugar in boiling water
- Add grape juice and raisins
- Allow mixture to to cool
- Separately, dissolve yeast in a little warm water.
- When mixture is lukewarm; add in dissolved yeast
- Let stand for 10 days, stirring once each day.
- Strain out raisins from mixture
- Mash these raisins into a pulp and let dry
- Add raisin pulp back into mixture
- Let stand for 3 more days
- Strain mixture into bottle, and cork
GROG
Any mixture of spirits and water,
especially rum and water. The term comes from the nickname of
'Old Grog' for Admiral E. Vernon (1684-1757) of the Royal Navy who, in
bad weather, habitually wore grogram (a coarse silk and mohair fabric)
and who introduced the idea of serving diluted spirits to English
sailors. Thus it invaded colonial customs and was known variously
as Grog, Grogshop, Groggy, and Groggery (which was a that time also a
term for low-class drinking places.)
MIMBO
A simple and rather awesome drink
consisting of straight dark
rum diluted with loaf sugar
MINT
JULEP:
- Use a silver (or pewter?) mug--very important in order to
obtain
condition of proper frosting
- Add ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- Add enough water to make a paste
- Grind fresh mint leaves into paste.
- Fill mug up to the top with finely scraped ice.
- Add bourbon whiskey pouring it through the ice
- Stir with spoon until mug is frosted.
- Top with sprigs of fresh mint.
SNOWSTORM:
- Mint Julep topped with a dash of brandy.
HAILSTONE:
- Mint Julep topped with a more generous dash of brandy
OLD
IRONSIDES RUM AND SODA
- Into a large bar glass put the juice of 1 lemon
- Add 2 dashes orange bitters
- Add 1 wine glassful of dark rum
- Add 3 large ice cubes
- Fill up with plain soda water
- Mix and remove ice
- Serve with straw
OLD
SALEM SMASH:
- Into a large bar glass put 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water.
- 4 sprigs fresh mint rubbed to bring out the flavor,
- ½ glass shaved ice and 1 wine glassful dark rum
- Mix well
PLANTERS'
PUNCH:
- ½ bottle (12 ounces) fresh lime or lemon juice
- 1 bottle sugar syrup (or 1¼ pounds of sugar)
- 1 ½ bottles rum
- 3 lbs ice and water
- Mix all ingredients well.
- Decorate with fresh sliced fruit as desired.
- Makes about 30 4-ounce glasses.
SHERRY
COBBLER: "Refreshing
as an east wind is a Sherry Cobbler."
- Half fill a tall glass with cracked ice
- Add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
- Add 1 sherry glass of sherry.
- Stir with a spoon until glass is frosted
- Decorate with choice of sliced fruit: orange, lemons,
pineapple,
cherries, etc.
- Serve with straw
SNAGAREE
Made of red wine or fruit juice
(take your pick) and soda water.
SPICED
CIDER PUNCH
- 1 gallon apple cider
- 4 2-inch sticks of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoonful whole cloves
- 1 tablespoonful allspice
- 3 lemons
- 3 oranges
- Place cider and spices in large pot, heat slowly,
stirring
often
- Strain and chill
- Add sliced fruit to float on top
- Serves 25
SPICED
TEA
- 4 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- Sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water boiled together
until
syrup forms)
- 1 tsp whole allspice
- 6 tsp tea
- 1 small piece cinnamon
- 6 cups boiling
water
- Mint sprigs
- 6 tbs orange juice
- Pour boiling water over the allspice, cloves. and cinnamon.
Cover
and let boil 3 minutes.
- Add tea, and let steep about 3 minutes. Strain.
- Cool and add orange and lemon juice.
- Sweeten to taste with sugar syrup.
- Serve in tall glasses with cracked ice.
- Garnish with a sprig of mint.
WHITE
SPRUCE BEER
- 3 pounds loaf sugar
- 5 gallons water
- 1 yeast cake
- A small piece of lemon peel
- Essence of spruce (If
unable to get essence of spruce, twigs may be boiled down and strained.)
- Mix all together, when fermented then preserve in closed
bottles.
- Alternatively, Molasses or brown sugar can be used and the
lemon
peel left out.
STONE-FENCE
Sweet cider and apple-jack or
brandy
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SOUPS & STEWS
NEW
ENGLAND HADDOCK CHOWDER
- ¼ pound salt pork, cubed
- 4 cups diced raw potato
- 3 pounds fresh skinned haddock bones in.
- 3 onions, sliced
- 2 cups whole milk, scalded
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt and
- ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Fry the salt pork out in the pot in which the chowder is to
be
made.
- Remove fried pork
- Put into the pot the onions, potatoes and half the salt.
- Cover with hot water and cook until potatoes are tender,
but not
broken.
- Cut the fish into three pieces, and in a separate dish,
simmer it
in boiling water to which the remaining ½ tsp. salt has been
added (So that the fish won't break)
- Then put: fish and strained fish stock (for flavor) into
heated
chowder dish. Add milk,.
- Butter, and pepper. Season.
- This serves five.
COLONY
CORN CHOWDER
- 6 large soda crackers or
biscuits
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ lb salt pork
- 1 good large onion, sliced
- 4 large potatoes, pared, sliced
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups of corn cut whole from the cob
- 1 ¼ tsps salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Soak crackers or biscuits in sweet milk.
- Cut salt pork into cubes and brown over medium fire
- Add onion and cook until soft.
- Add potatoes and water, then cook until potatoes are soft
but not
all broken
- Stir in the cracker-milk mixture, corn, salt, and paprika
- Heat all through
- Serve piping hot
- Serves 8 people
POTATO
STEW
- Pare and slice one quart of potatoes;
- Put on two slices of salt pork; fry nice and brown,
- Add one onion chopped fine,
- And one tablespoon flour; stir well to prevent burning.
- Add one quart boiling water and potatoes
- Boil until soft then add one cup rich milk and one-half
dozen
large (may be stale) soda crackers.
- One large spoonful butter may be added.
MULLIGAN
STEW (Very old recipe)
- 1/2 cup each of diced onions, carrots, celery, and turnip;
- 4 potatoes quartered;
- Add to 1/8 lb salt pork,
- 2 pounds venison, lamb or beef cut in small pieces and
cooked 1
hour in 1 pint of water 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ tsp. Pepper
- Cook all together for one hour
- Dumplings to taste may be added last 12 minutes.
ENGLISH
STEW (Made with beef instead of the mutton in Irish Stew)
- 2 pounds top round
beef
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 tsps. salt
- 1/8 tsps. pepper
- 2 carrots, diced,
- 4 potatoes, pared, sliced
- 3 slices yellow turnip
- 4 tbs. flour.
- Wipe the beef and cut into small pieces.
- Roll the pieces of beef in flour and sear in the
fat.
- Place meat in pot with onion, salt and pepper.
- Cover with about 2 quarts cold water and simmer until the
meat is
tender.
- Add carrots, potatoes and turnip,
- Wet flour with cold water to form a paste,
- Add to stew and let simmer until slightly thickened.
- At this point, care is needed so that the stew does not
burn.
- Bring to the boiling point and serve. Flour paste need not
be
used.
- At last minute instead of paste drop thoroughly washed
beet,
celery, or collard greens on unthickened mixture to add color and
vitamins
PLYMOUTH
SUCCOTASH
- 1 quart large white Navy beans
- 6 quarts hulled corn (Smutty white)
- 6-8 pounds of corned beef (2nd cut rattle
rand).
- 1 pd. Salt Pork both fat and lean.
- 4-6 pds. chicken cleaned and trussed.
- 1 large turnip
- 8-10 medium sized potatoes
- salt and pepper to season.
- Soak beans overnight
- In the morning simmer until soft, and mash to a pulp.
- Place pork and corned beef in cold water to cover,
gradually
bring to a slow boil: continue until tender, about 3 hours
- Boil the chicken in another kettle about 1 and 1/2 hours,
or
until tender.
- Place the mashed beans and hulled corn in a kettle with
some fat
and liquor from the cooked meats.
- Simmer to the consistency of a thick soup. The beans should
absorb the liquor but not become too dry.
- Remove the meats to a warm platter to be served with
succotash.
- Mix the corned beef and chicken liquors and in this cook
the
turnip and potatoes cut in small pieces.
- Now add the hulled corn and beans to the cooked vegetables
and
juices as for a stew, and simmer a few minutes to blend the flavors.
- Serve the succotash in bowls and pass the meats to be added
or to
be eaten on the side as desired.
RED
FLANNEL HASH
- 2 cups cold cooked, meat
- 2 1/2 cups potatoes (cooked)
- 3/4 cup turnip (cooked)
- 3/4 cup cooked carrots
- 1 cup cooked cabbage
- 1 cup cooked beets 1/2 cup raw onions warmed in 2 tbs butter
- 1/4 tsp pepper,
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 cup water
- 4 teaspoons garlic vinegar
- Dice vegetables and combine all ingredients in a black oven
frying pan;
- pour over all the 1/4 cup of water.
- Cover and let cook slowly
- Stir occasionally until thoroughly heated and flavors are
blended.
- Serve hot
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HEARTY ENTREES
CHICKEN
ROLY-POLY (A very old recipe)
- One quart of flour
- two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar mixed with the flour
- one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in
- a teacupful of milk
- a teaspoonful of salt;
- (do not use shortening of any kind)
- Roll out the mixture half an inch thick,
- lay minced chicken, veal, or mutton onto rolled batter.
- The meat must be seasoned with pepper and always salt and
be free
from gristle.
- Roll the crust over and over and put it on a buttered plate
and
place in a steamer for half an hour.
- Serve with gravy over each slice.
HAUNCH
OF VENISON ROASTED
- 12 pounds roast
- Salt, pepper and flour dredge
- 4 cups flour
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon currant jelly.
- Wipe meat carefully with wet cloth and cover with a large
sheet
of buttered paper.
- Make a thick paste of flour and water, roll our 3/4 inch
thick
and lay over the fat side of the haunch.
- Cover with three or four sheets of white paper and tie
Securely
with cord
- Put in dripping pan and roast and do not .forget to baste
often
to prevent paper and string from burning.
- A twelve pound haunch will take 3 hours to roast.
- Half an hour before it is done remove from the oven cut
strings,
take off paste, and paper;
- Dredge with flour, salt, and pepper
- return to oven and roast to fine brown color
- Serve with a brown sauce to which a tbs. currant jelly is
added
ROAST
VENISON--Alternate Recipe
- 6 to 8 pounds roast of venison
- 6 strips bacon
- 1 large onion
- 2 cups tomato soup
- flour, salt, pepper
- Wipe venison with vinegar-soaked cloth. Never use water as
this
t-ends to toughen meat fibers. Vinegar picks up hairs and clotted blood
more readily.
- Dredge with flour that has been salted and peppered.
- Lard by laying strips of bacon across fastened with
toothpicks.
Throw rings of onion over each toothpick, 3 to a strip of bacon
- Start in a brisk oven at 500 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce
heat
to 300 and roast 20 minutes to the pound. 45 minutes before serving
pour tomato soup over entire roast
- Cover and put back in oven. This will make a
most
delicious sauce or gravy. Time in oven varies according to age of deer.
YANKEE
CODFISH IN GRAVY
- Break salt fish into pieces, cover with cold water and
bring
slowly to simmering point, but don't boil.
- Drain, and repeat 2 more times using cold water and
bringing to
simmering point until fish is tender enough to suit you.
- Boiled fish is tough so be careful.
- Place fish on large platter and pour gravy over it.
- Serve piping hot with hot baked potatoes and buttered or
pickled
beets
To make rich white sauce —
- Blend 2 tbs. butter with 2 tbs. flour
- Add 1 cup sweet milk and cook until thick, stirring all the
time
- Stir in a slightly beaten egg (or boiled sliced eggs) and
seasoning to taste..
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BREADS and DESSERTS
FLUMMERY
This is actually a blanc-mange
pudding
with a sea moss base. Sea moss has always been valued for its
curative and vitamin powers. Earlier variation was called PAP
when using oatmeal in place of sea moss, but not as palatable.
- 1 quart milk
- 3 tbs sugar
- 1 tbs sea moss farina
- 1 tsp, vanilla
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Put milk in double boiler and sprinkle sea moss into it,
stirring
well all the time
- Heat slowly & stir often
- When it boils up and looks white, add sugar, salt and
flavoring.
- Strain and turn into mold which has been dipped in cold
water.
- Takes 3 hours to harden.
- Serve topped with cream and sugar, or fresh fruit.
HASTY
PUDDING - (Actually a corn meal mush)
Original recipe text: Put two quarts of water into
a clean dinner pot or saucepan, cover it and let it become boiling hot
over the fire; then add a tablespoonful of salt, take off the light
scum from the top, have secured to use some sweet fresh yellow or white
corn meal. Take a handful of the meal with the left hand, and a
pudding stick in the right, then with the stick stir the water around
and by degrees let fall the meal; when one handful is exhausted, refill
it; continue to stir and add meal until it is as thick as you can stir
easily, or until the stick: will stand in it; stir it awhile longer;
let the fire be gentle; when it is sufficiently cooked, which will be
in half on hour, it will bubble or puff. up; turn it into a deep basin.
This is good eaten cold or hot, with milk or with butter and syrup or
sugar, or with meat and gravy, the same as potatoes or rice. Hasty
Pudding was often served for Sunday night suppers with stripped salt
codfish on the side.
Fried Hasty Pudding is made the same way and then
chilled in bread tins until of slicing consistency, dipped by slice in
flour and fried in lard or butter until well browned on both sides.
Serve hot topped with butter and syrup, honey, or fresh fruit jam.
Modern
Recipe: Refer to side panel of corn meal box
INDIAN
TAPIOCA PUDDING
- 1/4 cup pearl tapioca soaked overnight in 1 cup of milk and
then
added to 3 cups of milk and entire mixture scalded.
- Blend 4 tbs corn meal
- 1/2 cup light molasses
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (or white)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Add to the hot milk and cook until it begins to thicken
- Place into a well-greased baking dish (use butter for
greasing)
- Bake l hour in slow oven of 325 degrees
- then stir in 1 cup top milk or thin cream
- reduce temp to about 275, continue baking for 2 more hours
- We still serve this with hard sauce, not ice cream
MOLASSES
DOUGHNUTS
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup sour milk
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. Soda
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 cups flour or just enough to handle easily
- Fry in hot fat (380). Turn once.
- Makes about 2 dozen donuts.
1776
MOLASSES DUMPLINGS
- 2 cups.
flour
- 2 tsp
fat
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsps. cream tartar
- 1 tsp. soda
- 3/4 cup milk.
- Mix-dumplings and roll to one inch thickness. Cut with
small
cutter.
- Drop 2 or 3 at a time in hot fat.
- Have ready another kettle of boiling molasses, as soon as
fried,
drop into boiling molasses
- Remove and drain.
MUSTER
GINGERBREAD
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. Soda
- 1/2 cup shortening (chicken fat preferred)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg beaten
- l tsp. Ginger
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 3 cups sifted pastry flour
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- Heat oven with control set for moderate oven ~ 350 degrees.
- Butter and flour two pans 10x7 or 8" square if thicker loaf
is
desired.
- Mix and sift flour, soda, salt and spices.
- Cream shortening and sugar
- add molasses and beaten egg.
- Stir in dry ingredients.
- Slowly add boiling water.
- Turn into prepared pans.
- Bake until it comes away from the sides of the pan,
requires
about 25-30 minutes.
- It should be slightly and evenly rounded over the top,
never
cracked open.
PROVIDENCE
CAKE
- 1 cup
butter
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups
sugar
- ½ pint milk
- 3 cups
flour
- 1 pint raisins
- ½ tsp each nutmeg, cloves, saleratus
- Heat oven to 325-350 degrees.
- Butter loaf pan, probably 8"x4"x4".
- Sift flour, salt, and spices along with soda, cream butter
and
sugar until fluffy.
- Add in beaten eggs and beat well.
- Add flour, to which raisins have been added-just a little
at a
time, beating well after each addition.
- When all the flour has been added, beat the entire batter
until
smooth and velvety.
- Turn into prepared pan and bake 60 to 75 minutes
SQUASH
MUFFINS
- 2½ cups sifted
flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon
salt
- 1 cup sweet milk
- 1½ teasp. baking
powder
- 1 cup squash
- 1 teaspoon cream of
tartar
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ½ cup sugar
- Heat oven to 400 degrees
- Line 1-2 muffin pans. .
- Sift flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking powder.
- Add soda to milk.
- Mix squash, butter and sugar.
- Add in milk soda mix.
- Mix well.
- Add flour all at once and stir just until dampened.
- Turn into pans and bake 20 minutes.
- Best served with fresh Jam
SWAMP
YANKEE APPLESAUCE CAKE
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. Cloves
- 1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 tsp soda, dissolved in warm water
- 1 cup cooked applesauce
- 1-3/4 cups sifted flour.
- Heat oven with control set at 350 degrees for moderate
oven.
- Butter loaf pan - a bread pan is good.
- Cream sugar and shortening.
- Add salt, cloves, nutmeg and raisins.
- Add soda that has been dissolved in warm water, and stir in
the
applesauce.
- Beat until well mixed.
- Then add floor
- Bake in loaf pan 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Cover with white frosting as desired
- Is also good just pan plain with a glass of cold milk.
SYLLABUB
(Soft custard pudding)
Syllabub is also classified as a rich eggnog type of drink to which
brandy may be added, and often served with tea cakes
- 4 egg
yolks
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 pint whipped cream
- Brandy or wine
- Mix half sugar with flour
- Bring milk to boil and add sugar and flour.
- Cook in double boiler 10 minutes.
- Beat egg yolks, add in other half sugar, and finally add
this
to
milk mixture, stirring slowly.
- Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from fire and add vanilla.
- Let mixture cool.
- When serving fill a tumbler half full of this custard
- Add a thin layer of brandy or wine on top of custard
- Finish
filling with the chilled whipped cream.
- Often served with tea cakes on festive occasions
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