A Glass of something – ratafia – brandy – uisge beatha – champagne

The clock moves on and while we don’t need to light the candles until a little later in Scotland in June, it may be time to raise a wee glass of something to toast Lady Daisy and her adventures.

Hers ‘n’ His table of goodies

What the ladies drank varied according to their age and station in life. Nicely brought up girls would drink lemonade at dances and even today those of us who dance often prefer juice or water between sets to cool us down and re-hydrate, rather than something from the bar.

But if they did fancy a little naughtiness, then plenty was around. Ratafia, a fortified wine, might be almond flavoured and often served throughout the day with little biscuits.

Brandy was very popular among the gentlemen and the subject of lots of books with a seaside setting as it was widely smuggled throughout the Napoleonic wars.

Champagne, too, was drunk in quantities. I remember staying on the Isle of Harris and eating in Alison Johnson’s wonderful restaurant. The building had once been a Manse (minister’s house) and when the kitchen garden was dug out, it was found to be full of French champagne bottles of the early 20th century.

Where do you get your ideas?

Uisge beatha or Scottish whisky, malt or blended, might well have featured as the relatives from Edinburgh had arrived for Tobias’s marriage.

So, today’s final competition is for a free copy of Daisy’s Dilemma for your e-reader.

What drink was cited by the wonderful Hogarth as the ruin of women? As before, if there’s more than one correct answer either here or on the Facebook Site, I’ll choose.

Here’s to Lady Daisy. Cheers!

Great blog for all things Regency is here https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/tag/ratafia/

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