Negus
Dreams shatter. Nicole and I made negus from the recipe in The Jane Austen Cookbook. I need more authenticated recipes for it before I pronounce it doomed to never darken my kitchen again. Right now, our simple thought is that negus is dull.
Think of port, diluted with water so it’s the mere sugary aftertaste of a rich drink. Add some more sugar. Add a few spices and pretend it’s like mulled wine. It’s not. It’s not a drink: it’s an affectation.
If you really love sugar and don’t like rich flavours, it would suit you better than it suited us. It’s a good drink for drivers, because the alcohol is heavily diluted. But it’s boring.
Part of the problem might be that Canberra is a few hours drive from some of the best fortified wines in the world. We take our fortified wines rather seriously. And this recipe did not produce a serious drink. So if I don’t find a better recipe for negus, I won’t be able to make Star Trek jokes at a science fiction convention. This is a strong incentive to try more recipes!
October 31st, 2006 at 2:04 pm
That sounds a lot like a 19th c. wine cooler: alcohol for people who don’t like the taste of alcoholic beverages. Sounds like a waste of port to me.
October 31st, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Well…you could always say that you find the Grand Negus dull…
November 1st, 2006 at 5:12 am
I culd. But won’t it be fun to try to find a better Grand Negus :).
November 3rd, 2006 at 1:31 am
Peggy, wine cooler was the phrase I was looking for :). Thank you!