| Ritual Wines The ritual of Cakes and Ale is common to Esabat, Sabbat, and other pagan celebrations. During this ritual food and drink, which usually have been consecrated, are taken. Great care is taken in the preperation and choice of these dishes to ensure optimal meaning for the ritual. Below I will list some different ritual wines, both alocholic and not, and how to make them. However, I am not responsible for what happens when these beverages are consumed so please use common sense in preperation and ingredients. Absinthe The production of absinthe was made illegal in many places during the early 20th centruy but was a favourite drink of many 19th century artists, writers, and philosophers. Originally made in France, where it is now illegal, it is still produced and legal in Spain, the Czech Republic and much of Eastern Europe, and Switzerland. It has become fashionalbe once again in England and Scotland, however is greatly watered down due to restricitive laws. I will list a few methods of "making absinthe" below. Most are rather bitter, but if you can get ahold of a bottle (la Bleu is fantstic) from any of the listed places it is best. It's good for Midsummer and Beltane rituals. Absinthe 1: 1 pint vodka 2 tsp crumbled dried wormwood 2 tsp anise seed 1/2 tsp fennel seed 4 cardomom pods 1 tsp majoram 1/2 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp chopped angelica root 1 2/3 cups sugar syrup - Place the vodka in large jar with tight fitting lid. Add wormowood and shake well; steep 48 hours and strain out. Crush seeds and pods in mortar. Add them and all remaining spices to vodka and steep in a warm place for one week. Filter and sweeten. Absinthe 2: 1 tsp crumbled wormwood 1 cup vodka 2 tbsp chopped peppermint leaves 1 piece of lemon peel, 3/4"x2" 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar syrup - Steep wormwood in vodka for 48 hours. Strain out and add peppermint leaves and lemon peel. Steep for eight days, strain and sweeten. This mixture is more bitter than the first listed but smells good. Absinthe 3: (all herbs dried) 2 tsp peppermint 2 tsp dried wormwood 2 tsp thyme 2 tsp lavender 2 tsp hyssop 2 tsp majoram 2 tsp sage 2 pints port - Steep herbs one week, filter, and bottle. Apple Ginger Beer Samhain, Lammas, and Mabon are perfect times to use this ritual wine. 1 gallon apple juice 1 sliced lemon 2 ounces ginger root, bruised 1/2 package active yeast 4 cups sugar 1 sliced orange 1-1/2 ounces of cream of tartar - Boil all ingredients together, except the yeast, until they are well mixed. Allow to cool to lukewarm and add the yeast (dissolved in tepid water). Stir it only enough to mix in yeast then cover the pot with a thick towl and let it sit. This mixture usually begins to bubble withing 3 hours. Strain off the lemon and orange the next day; the fruit bit may be kept for consereves. Let the beer sit for 24 hours before straining and bottling. Screw top bottles are wonderful for the fermentation because you can bleed off excess pressure every once in awhile (for the first week once a day is good). You can drink this mixture immediately, but it is best withing a week to two months after making, it has a tendancy to become bitter. Cranberry Spritzer Punch This is just a good party drink and is nice for fall festivals and gatherings. 1 gallon cranberry jucie 1 liter of sprite (or ginger ale) - Combine the cranberry juice and sprite/ginger ale together in your serving bowl. Mix well. Pineapple jucice, champagne, and some other sort of alcohol may be added. Dandelion Wine This is nice for Midsummer, Beltane, and summer rituals. 16 cups of dandelion blossoms 1/2 teaspoon wine yeast 1/2 gallon water 2-1/2 pounds sugar Juice of two lemons 1 used tea bag - Rinse the blossoms in cool water, but be sure they do not soak. Make sure all the green is removed and only the blossoms are put in the kettle. Next, in a differnt container heat 1/2 gallon of the water and pour it over the blossoms. Let mixturee steep until cool and then drain off the petals, squeezing as much liquid as possible and discard the flowers. Take the remaining liquid and add 1/2 the sugar, lemon juice, tea bag, and yeast. Cover this with a clean dish towel and let the mixture ferment at room temperature, adding 1 cup of sugar every three days until it is used up. After two weeks, pour off into a gallon jug and cork with a cheesecloth ball. This needs to sit for 30 days and then may be put in clean bottles, corked, and labeled. Serve after one week, keeps for up to a year. Egg Nog Egg Nog is a wonderful, and traidional drink for Yule and the winter celebrations. It was also popular during the Victorian era as a garnish for a dessert of cantaloupe and ice cream. 8 egg yolks 4 cups milk 1/4th cup brandy Nutmeg to taste 1 cup sugar 3/4ths cup heavy cream 1/3rd cup rum - In a bowl, beat the egg yolks, adding a little sugar at a time. Slowly add milk that has been warmed to just under the boiling point. Return the mixture to a saucepan and continue to cook until it reaches 175 degrees (F) on a candy thermometer. Pour into a bowl and chill. Whip your heavy cream until it peaks and then fold it into the cool milk mixture until it is well incorporated, then put it in the freezer until it just begins to harden. Finally add the brandy and rum, stirring well, and whip for about 30 seconds. Top with nutmeg. For a non-alcoholic version a half a cup of furit jucie is a good rum/brandy substitute. Apple and orange are great but pineapple is my favouite. If you enjoy the classic warm egg nog warm over a low flame and beat the eggs witht he rest of the ingredients and serve with a cinnamon stick as garnish. Honey Mead (Horilka) This is wonderful for Lammas, summertime, and winter time celebrations like Yule, Samhain, and Imbolc. 1 gallon of water 2 teaspoons ginger 2 teaspoons cinnamon 5 whole cloves A sprig of saffron 2 capfuls of rosewater 2-1/2 pounds of honey 12 ounces fruit or juice 1/2 cake yeast - Bring the water to a slow boil with all of the herbs so that a tea is formed. Add honey until it is dissolved, then add fruit or juice. Cover tightly and boil for about 15 minutes. Cool to lukewarm and add yeast dissolved in warm water. cover with a towl for two days before straining and bottling. This may need to be aired periodically to preven pressure build-up. A balloon can be fastened over the bottle next to release pressure or a fermentation lock could be bought. - to make Horilka, which is a Polish vodka mead, take the same recipe and process as above but decrese your water to two cups, do not add yeast, and only use one pound of honey. After the fruit juice simmers for about 30 minutes add your vodka. Let cool completely and bottle. This does not need to be aired and will not fermente as quickly as mead. While you can drink this immediately after preperation it is excellent after aging six months. Lemonade Lemonade is a lovely refreshing drink and a good ritual wine for summer rituals and for children's rituals. A few lemons A cup of sugar - Use a juicer or other sort of juice making divise and squeeze your lemons. Be sure you seperate the seeds of the lemons from the juice and add sugar to taste. Orange Juice This is another wonderful drink for summertime rituals and children's rituals, and even for Yule because it is a fruit and at one time oranges during the winter months was a great luxery. A few oranges - In a juicer or similar devise, squeeze the oranges, if you have tangerines ther ewill be seeds which you will need to seperate from your juice. Some people add sugar but usually I do not. Also, for a fibre rich drink put an entire orange (though possibly sliced up) in a blender and liquifiy it... the fruit part and the rind. Rose Petal Wine Rose petal wine is a wonderful ritual wine for handfastings, anniversaries, Beltane, Ostara, Imbolc, and Midsummer rituals; as well as those having to do with love, women, marriage, or fertility. 1 pound of rose petals 1-1/2 pounds of sugar 1 gallon of water 1 lemon 1 teaspoon of wine yeast - To start pick your roses first thing in the morning before the sun gets terribly hot. Only place the petals in a clean, 2 gallon crock. Add 1 gallon of water and bring slowly to a simmer. Stir your roses frequently until they have lost all colour and appear almost transparent. Drain off all liquid and discard your petals (unless you are planning on using them for some other purpose). Add your sugar, juice of the lemon, and wine yeast dissolved in lukewarm water to the mixture while still warm. Cover with a towl and let sit for two weeks before bottling. Wine Punch This was once known as Claret Punch, which comes from an English term for table wine ("Claret"), so the punch uses this as a major base. This is a nice ritual wine for Ostara or Imbolc. 3/4ths cup of sugar 1/4th cup orange liqueur 2 bottles dry red wine Ice 1/4th cup lemon juice Fresh mint leaves 1 bottle soda or ginger ale - Mix the sugar, lemon and organe liqueur, and fresh mint leaves (to taste) in a punch bowl. Let this mixture stand for about an hour. After standing remove the mint and add the wine and soda/ginger ale. Stir and chill; add ice before serving. Woodruff Wine This is a good ritual wine for Beltane and other rituals. 10 cups Woodruff blossoms 1/2 gallon water Juice from 1 lemon Juice from 1 orange 1/2 teaspoon wine yeast 2-1/2 pounds sugar 1 used tea bag - Rine your Woodruff blossoms in cool water, but do not let them soak. Make sure all the green is removed and you only put the blossoms in the kettle. Then, in a separate container heat 1/2 gallon of the water, and pour it over the blossoms. Let the mixture steep until cool. Drain the petals off, squeezing as much liquid out as possible, and discard the flowers. Next, take the remaining liquid and add 1/2 the sugar, lemon juice, yeast, and tea bag. Cover with a clean dish towel to allow the mixture to ferment at room temperature and add 1 cup of sugar every three days until it has all been used. After two weeks, pour it off into a gallon jug corked with a cheese cloth ball. Let this sit for 30 days and you may then put it in clean bottles, cork and label them. It can be served after aging one week and keeps for around a year. |