Gold Water (Simple)

Class: Liqueur

Source: Spirit, Wine Dealer's and Publican's Director (1824

Ingredients

3 Qts Cognac

½ oz of Cinnamon

¼ oz of Cloves

1 tsp Saffron

1½ lbs of Sugar

Instructions:
Put all of the ingredients into a vessel to digest. Shake it daily for 10 days and then filter. Add pure water to filtered liquid to make a total of 5 quarts.

Notes:
Overproof cognac (57% ABV) would have been used to make Gold Water during this period, as Publican's would have purchased in quantity (by the barrel). It is unlikely you will find overproof Cognac.

History
Gold Water or Gold Cordial, is a very old liqueur that was originally used for medicinal purposes. It is now long forgotten, but there are many recipes for Gold Water, this one being a fairly simple one.

Comments
To make this recipe with modern ingredients, skip the dilution step at the end of the recipe. You can also start the digestion of the cinnamon and clove in a couple ounces of higher proof spirit (rum) for a day.

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