Drink of Choice (the thread for alcoholics, etc.)

[barrett]

i'll really like to know how you brew flower-based wine! do you do dandelion as well? the only other elderflower based anything i've heard of are those swiss-branded non-sugar sweets, which already taste very nice...
if i ever get the chance to go ireland, of course i'll try to pop by...

After lightly rinsing the flowers (discard all stalks)put them in bucketwith chopped sultanas and cover.Warm 1 pint per gallon water,stir in 12 oz lime blossom honey (or 2lb sugar),yeast extract,pour into bucket .Add some tea (for tannin) and lemon juice and yeast.Top up with 7 pints water (per gallon)
and leave to brew for 10 days.Then strain liquid into fermentation bottles straining out all solids.Let brew for 7-8 weeks and then if you really cant wait ...drink it .Otherwise give it 6 months and it'll be much tastier.
The trick is to brew more than you( and all the millions of friends that you'll suddenly ,amazingly acquire )can drink.
I did brew dandelion wine once but wasnt very keen on the taste.I'd rather see them growing around me.A much maligned flower, yet so bright and cheerful.

[sound world]

Yeah and you can make a great instrument with a dandelion stalk,really!
Ta for recipe John.Maybe we should have a recipe thread...

[barrett]

Yeah and you can make a great instrument with a dandelion stalk,really!
Ta for recipe John.Maybe we should have a recipe thread...

What,something like *Recipes for alcofrolics*
I've got a great one for Guinness porter xmas cake [bday]

Oh and...which chord would a dandelion stalk play ?

[whatis]

what's the ratio of flowers to sultanas to water to yeast like?? any poisonous flowers i should avoid? i know chrysanthemum is okay...thanks for all these..easier than searching by google [crazy]

[barrett]

what's the ratio of flowers to sultanas to water to yeast like?? any poisonous flowers i should avoid? i know chrysanthemum is okay...thanks for all these..easier than searching by google [crazy]

1 gallon of water,8 oz sultanas,1 wine yeast sachetand the measure of flowers depends on which flower you use.For elderflower you need just 12 florettes (which makes just about the quickest picking time).whereas you'd want 2.5 litres of dandelion heads or hawthorn blossoms .

AVOID Fuschia,azalea,bluebell,buttercup,clematis,columbine,crocus,cyclamen,daffodil,dahlia,foxglove,geranium,gladioli,hemlock,hyacinth,iris,lobelia,lupin,narcissus,peony,poppy,snowdrop and tulip and those strange red toadstools with white spots on or you will go [crazy] [crazy] [crazy]

Do you have dandelions in Singapore?

[whatis]

the dandelions we have here are proportional to the size of the island,
small. i only understood that children's adage about dandelions when
i went to uk and saw them about thrice as big and floaty! they're really
like weeds here...

ooh i understand that one about hemlock..that's the one Socrates took,
wasn't it? death by hemlock...
what about bougainvillea or hibiscus? i guess orchids rule out (they're our
national flower) there are some carnivorous orchids..and definitely not
frangipani, though they smell sweet. most of those other ones you mention
i'll have to get imported from the florist anyway so they won't be fresh..
rosehips, chrysanthemum, parsley sage, rosemary and thyme!
lemongrass should be okay, though it would taste like curry...carnations?

the yeast, can it be for making bread? the normal type?
can we put grape juice in the wine ? brown sugar? ginger beer?
caramellised sugar? maple syrup? my imagination's going wild [king]
is it like brewing sake? can we use rice extract?

[blue]

Maybe we should have a recipe thread...

I was going to start a recipe topic actually, I want to get into cooking proper meals because my diet is very studenty these days - convenience food and crisps, mostly. My cats eat better than I do.

Re making stuff with the Elder tree - can you do anything with the berries? There's an elder in the back garden here and I've always thought they were horrible shrubs, weeds really, but Dom kept saying "just wait till September." And sure enough, it's developed masses of these gorgeous, glossy black berries. They look so beautiful.

[barrett]

Coral--Dont know about bourganvillea or hibiscus,they wont grow here...much too wet.
Rosehips make an excellent wine...very good for the heart along with hawthorn berries.
The yeast must be wine yeast.its sold in sachets suitable for gallon brews,sold at your local home brew shop.
You can certainly use grape juice with honey instead of sugar.
As for sake,you'll have to teach me that Chinese magic.

[barrett]

Re making stuff with the Elder tree - can you do anything with the berries? There's an elder in the back garden here and I've always thought they were horrible shrubs, weeds really, but Dom kept saying "just wait till September." And sure enough, it's developed masses of these gorgeous, glossy black berries. They look so beautiful.

Oh yes...elderberries make one of THE best red wines ...better than a lot of grape wines youd buy .
Use the above recipe .You need 1.5 kg of berries (sans stalks) per gallon and use raisins for red wine as opposed to sultanas for white wine (eg elderflower).
Come xmas you'll be guzzling some lovely cheap vino.

[sound world]

And don't forget elderflowers,fantastic champagne.
The only thing not to do with elder is burn it.Traveller's lore;but also the smell is pretty noxious and not good for you.
You can also eat elderberries,but not too many...

[blue]

Oh yes...elderberries make one of THE best red wines ...better than a lot of grape wines youd buy .
Use the above recipe .You need 1.5 kg of berries (sans stalks) per gallon and use raisins for red wine as opposed to sultanas for white wine (eg elderflower).
Come xmas you'll be guzzling some lovely cheap vino.

Lovely, thanks!

[whatis]

Coral--Dont know about bourganvillea or hibiscus,they wont grow here...much too wet.
Rosehips make an excellent wine...very good for the heart along with hawthorn berries.
The yeast must be wine yeast.its sold in sachets suitable for gallon brews,sold at your local home brew shop.
You can certainly use grape juice with honey instead of sugar.
As for sake,you'll have to teach me that Chinese magic.

singapore is a wet and humid country! hibiscus is malaysia's national flower..sake is not chinese but japanese...but the chinese do have rice wine, made specially to cook dishes...

[daniel]

OMG yes! Shaoshing wine is THE best for woking anything!

[barrett]

Coral--Dont know about bourganvillea or hibiscus,they wont grow here...much too wet.
Rosehips make an excellent wine...very good for the heart along with hawthorn berries.
The yeast must be wine yeast.its sold in sachets suitable for gallon brews,sold at your local home brew shop.
You can certainly use grape juice with honey instead of sugar.
As for sake,you'll have to teach me that Chinese magic.

singapore is a wet and humid country! hibiscus is malaysia's national flower..sake is not chinese but japanese...but the chinese do have rice wine, made specially to cook dishes...

Re sake...according to Wikipedia -


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake#History

"theres a theory that sake was first fermented in China in 4800 BC,whereas in Japan not until 3 AD".

and re hibiscus ..by saying its "too wet"..i meant "not enough sun" and also most hibiscus is frost tender (min . temp.of 5 C).and also, being parochial ,around here its acid soil whereas hibs like alkaline soil.We could grow it in pots but would haveve to bring them indoors for winter.
I only make wine from the local flora.

[ruth1998]

Traditional gin martini. Gin, vermouth, and 3 green olives unpitted.

and Dr. McGillicuddy's Fireball...cinnamon whiskey.
Damn good stuff. You get the burn going down, but after it only tastes like cinnamon Certs. Yum.