Condiments Rum Catchup

rum catchup
(from The Kentucky Housewife, by Lettice Bryan, 1839)

Ingredients:

​

thyme​

parsley​

sweet basil​

sweet marjoram​

the peel of two fresh oranges​

the peel of one lemon​

1/2 oz. of mace​

1/2 oz. of black pepper​

1/4 oz. of cayenne pepper​

1/4 oz. of cloves​

1 quart of good vinegar​

salt​

1/2 pint of madeira wine​

1/2 pint of rum​

​

Instructions:

​

Chop fine a small handful of thyme, parsley, sweet basil, sweet marjoram, the peel of two fresh oranges, and one lemon, half an ounce of mace, half an ounce of black pepper, a quarter of an ounce of cayenne pepper, and a quarter of an ounce of cloves. Put them all in a pan with a quart of good vinegar, cover it, and boil it a few minutes till the flavor of the spices, &c. is extracted. Then strain it, throw in a handful of salt, and set it by till it gets cold; after which stir into it half a pint of madeira wine and half a pint of rum. Put it up in small bottles, filling them quite full, and securing the corks with leather. This, like other catchups, is designed to flavor sauces and gravies; they are sometimes sent to table in castors, and sometimes sent in the small bottles in which they are put up.​