Currant Shrub

Many 19th century recipes specifically called for white sugar, which is more refined and preferred over browner sugars. But modern white sugar is probably too refined, making raw cane sugar the best, easily available choice.

With maturity, the tart flavor of redcurrant fruit is slightly greater than its black-currant relative, but with approximate sweetness. The albino variant of redcurrant, often referred to as white currant, has the same tart flavor but with greater sweetness. Although frequently cultivated for jams and cooked preparations, much like the white currant, it is often served raw or as a simple accompaniment in salads, garnishes, or drinks when in season.

Brandy (from brandywine, derived from Dutch brandewijn—"burnt wine") is a spirit produced by distilling wine, the wine having first been produced by fermenting grapes. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink. While some brandies are aged in wooden casks, most are colored with caramel coloring to imitate the effect of such aging.