6 quarts water
1 quart honey
a few sprigs woodruff
4 quarter-inch slices fresh ginger
peel of 1 lemon
1 t dry Whitbread Ale yeast
raisins
priming sugar
Boil honey and water together until only a little over a gallon of liquid is left; skim off any scum that forms on top. Take the pot off the fire; throw in the ginger, woodruff and lemon peel, and let cool to blood temperature. Proof the yeast with ¼ to ½ a cup of the wort, and when it wakes up, add it to the rest.
Pour the lot into a galon jug, add fermentation lock and ferment until clear, or at least still. Rack off into 22oz bottles, primed with 2 sliced raisins and ½ t priming sugar. Cap and let age 2weeks.
You could bottle in Grolsch-style bottles too; in that case, I'd use the same number of raisins but only ¼ t priming sugar.
NotesThis is my interpretation of a recipe from Sir Hugh Plat's Delights for Ladies which in its original form was as follows: