Alderley (whose published letters created such joy last year) who in 1840 made this useful offer io a member of the family intending to hold a big reception:
If you want some inferior white wine for cup I think we might spare you some out of our cellar, and there is some champagne, not fit for dinner company which, if it was only dull and not sour, might perhaps, with icing, make a figure on such an occasion.
Such sentiments probably had much to do with the ingrained suspicion of "cups" which used to be shown by elderly counci: seurs of the juice of the grape. The ancients knew not cups" simply because they knew not the virtues of ice which was very difficult to come by, and an un-iced "cup" is a dreadful thing.' Properly served in sparkling glass jugs with tinkling ice and sprigs of herbs "cups" are beautiful to look at and very good for the young—who compose quite a percentage of wedding guests. is a simple little refresher very suitable for your purpose:
Dissolve four or five lumps of sugar in a quarter of a pint of boiling water, and put it into a bowl with a very thin slice of lemon rind; let it stand for half an hour, then add a bottle of white wine, a wine-glass of sherry, and half a pint of water. Mix wel, and let the mixture stand for a while, then strain, add a bottle of soda water, a few small fresh fruits in Season, and a block of ice. And a quarter of an hour before serving add a few slices of fresh-cut cucumber which should aferwards be removed.
1f you like claret cup, Pour into a large jug one bottle of claret, add two wine-glassfuls of sherry and half a glass of maraschino. Put in a few sliced peaches, plus sugar to taste (about a table~ spoon and m half is usually enough). Let it stand until the sugar is dissolved, then put in a few slices of cucumber (to be removed before use, thus leaving the flavour without the sight of its ordinary extraction).
Just before using add one bottle of soda-water and a large piece of ice.
The Health of the Happy Pair For the great toast of the day, however, champagne is demanded. The line-up here can only be champagne glasses or tea-cups, the sheep and the goats, a clean divide or of savoury eats and a wide field is openeddnothing—no gradations through camels, llamas, chamois or other sheeply or goatly figurations.
Fortunately our wine-merchants are sympathetic and right-minded men. You pay only for what is consumed, not for what is supplied. All unopened bottles will be carried back into store. All that you need do is to depute someone who 1 keep his head (a Scottish usher would be ideal) to stand guard over the champagne bottles to see that they are only opened as required. Otherwise, in the wild lavishness of the moment, the Oriental menials will pop corks in all directions under the impression that champagne is a kind of ginger beer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.