Orange Wine

Orange-Wine is a refreshing Georgian drink, (wine flavoured with fresh oranges) and is great for the summer. Oranges have been used in British cooking since the Medieval period, first appearing regularly from Spain and Portugal in the early 1300’s. And although these were bitter tasting, sweeter ones came into Britain later, replacing them from the 1400’s, (originally orange trees come from South-east Asia). This recipe comes from Hannah Glasse from her cookbook, “The Art of Cookery”, first published in 1747.

Orange Wine Recipe, Hannah Glasse 1747

Take twelve pounds of the best powder-sugar, with the whites of eight or ten eggs well beaten, into six gallons of water and boil for three quarters of an hour. When cold put into it six spoonfuls of yeast, and the juice of twelve lemons which being pared must stand with two pound of white sugar in a tankard, and in the morning skim off the top and put into the water: then add the juice and rinds of fifty oranges, but not the white parts of the rinds, and so let it work together for two days and two nights, then add two quarts Rennish or white-wine, and put it into your vessel.

Orange Wine Recipe

Note: Make two days in advance of when you want it. Enough for 12 large glasses.

Recipe Ingredients:

• 150g Icing Sugar
• 150g Sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 ltr bottled spring water
• 5g dried yeast (in 125 ml of warm water and 5g or sugar)
• 3 lemons (juice only)
• 1 ltr fresh squeezed orange juice, not concentrate
• 6 oranges, fine zest and juice
• 1.5 ltrs white wine (two bottles, chilled)

Recipe Method:

In a small bowl whisk the icing sugar and egg whites together to form soft peaks. In a small saucepan dissolve the normal sugar into the water and lemon juice. When dissolved add the whisked egg whites and icing sugar, and mix in, bring up to the boil, continuously stirring, and then turn down to a low simmer. Keep it at a simmer for twenty minutes, then turn off the heat. Allow to cool for forty minutes, skim off any impurities from the top, pour into a large open necked 3 ltr jug, then stir in the fresh orange juice, and all the fine zest and juice from six oranges.

In 125ml of warm water and sugar add the dried yeast to it and leave for twenty minutes.

Add the yeast into the orange juice water, stir it in. Put a clean cloth over the jug and leave overnight somewhere for 10 hours. After 10 hours, stir, then put the jug into the fridge to chill, still covered with the cloth, for another 20 hours. Before serving pour out the jug of orange through a very fine sieve or muslin cloth into a slightly larger 5 ltr jug, pour in the chilled white wine, stir and serve. Will keep longer if re-bottled and put in the fridge for a few days.