To colour CYDER.

In many places, particularly where the soil is light, and the orchard
lays rising, the juice of the fruit is nearly white, and tho' the
cyder may be strong, it doth not appear to be so, by reason of its
colour, which always prejudices the buyer against it.

Many people spoil a great deal of good cyder by boiling and mixing
melasses with it, to give it a colour; which not only gives it a bad
red colour, but makes it muddy, as well as bad tasted. Others, again,
will boil a large quantity of brown sugar and mix with it, which gives
it a colour indeed, tho' a light one; when two pounds of good sugar,
properly used, is sufficient to colour ten hogsheads, as follows:

Take two pounds of powder sugar, the whiter the sugar the farther it
will go, and the better the colour will be. Put it in an iron pot or
ladle; set it over the fire, and let it burn 'till it is black and
bitter; then put two quarts of boiling hot water to it; keep stirring
it about, and boil it a quarter of an hour after you have put the
water to it. Take it off the fire, and let it stand 'till it is cold;
then bottle it for use.

Half a pint of this will colour a hogshead. Put to each half pint,
when you use it, a quarter of an ounce of allum ground, to set the
colour.