Cheers to You! Celebrating Beverage Day on May the 6th

     This weekend, lift your flask or cup and make a toast to whatever inspires you -- May 6th is Beverage Day!  Beverage Day is a delightful opportunity to kick back and relax with your favorite tasty beverage.

"Beverage Day should be a day of pleasure and relaxation.  Grab a bottle, can, a glass, or  a six-pack of your favorite beverage. Sit down in a comfortable chair... indoors or out. Slowly sip and savor your drink. ...Take advantage of Beverage Day to try a beverage that you have never had before."

     Tea your beverage of choice?  The Cup that Cheers has everything you could ever wish to know about tea, including over a dozen links to other blogs about tea.  They also have a section on how to create Victorian soft drinks, which includes recipes for Lemon Kali and Ginger Beer Powders.  That get your attention? I thought it might.

From The Cup that Cheers:

"Soft drinks, as we know them (i.e. soda, soda pop, cola, etc.) seem to have been invented in the early 19th century as a health drink; mineral waters had been touted as a healthy liquid for bathing in (the origin of spas), and were recommended health-giving beverages, as well. Some mineral water was naturally fizzy or carbonated, and the custom of making fruit-flavored or herb-flavored fizzy beverages began in imitation of these fizzy mineral waters. Recipes for these drinks, which could be compounded at home, rather than at the apothecary or druggist's shop, involved the combination of cream of tartar, baking soda, and water with sugar and flavorings. The prepared powders were often called "sherbet" or "kali", and were meant to be assembled in advance, and then mixed with cold water immediately before serving."  Yum!

     A history of the consumption habits of the era,"London's Light Refreshments," an article by George R. Sims, appeared in the periodical "Living London" in 1902. The author describes the places and the times Londoners sought out light refreshment in the bustling city, as well as what foods and drinks were popular.

"Londoners of all classes have frequently need of light refreshment, and as demand invariably creates supply, caterers are to be found in every quarter of the Metropolis who have made this special need their study."

So whether a cup of brown joy, a pint of bitter, or a touch of the Green Fairy strikes your fancy, do try enjoy it thoroughly on May 6th, Beverage Day!

Sweets for the Sweet: The Art of Victorian Candy Making

     What types of candy enchanted the sweet-toothed residents of the Victorian era?
Among many others, according to "Miss Mary's Vintage and Victorian Archive," the treats on the following list did:

Sugar Plums, Butter Scotch, Molasses Candy, Almond Candy, Maple Candy (my favorite), Chocolate Caramels, and Sugared Pop Corn.

     Want to charm your sweetheart with some handmade candy for Valentine's Day?   The recipes for these delectable treats can be found here.  For explanations and tips on basic candy making techniques and the tools necessary to produce your own traditional confections, the site entitled "Old Fashioned Candy Secrets and Recipes" will have you cooking in no time.

Donate here to help keep Victorian candy-making from becoming a lost art!

 Rather purchase your candy than make a mess of your kitchen? There is help for that, too.
     One group of people who are attempting to keep the art of Victorian candy-making alive is Lofty Pursuits/Public Displays of Confection in Tallahassee, Florida; they seek out, purchase, restore, and then utilize the original machinery to produce tasty treats of the Victorian era.  Should you wish to help their cause, for the next three days, you may contribute to their funds drive via this link.
     Why (other than the satisfaction of helping to preserve a wonderful part of Victorian life) would you do this?  Because certain contribution levels will receive rewards ranging from a "Lofy Pursuits" pin, to in-person demonstrations of their candy-making skills (the latter being reserved for the pledge of $3,000 or more and being within 5 hours of their base of operations).  For as little as $25, you will receive a bag of their handmade hard candy.  Yum!

Update:

This project successfully raised its funding goal on February 4.  Congrats!  To read about their current status and projects (including labels for their handmade candies), see this page.