Bottling and Corking

Wonderful illustrations accompany this 1870 description of corking and tying to a bottle.

Wooden topped corks from Beeton 1863 book. Blog post HERE

December virtual talks below


Bottling and Corking.

Among household operations that of bottling, including the most important part, corking, is usually carelessly done. With many liquids their preservation depends upon the complete exclusion of the air. Good corks are essential, and those should be selected which have the fewest holes or imperfections in them. The compressibility and elasticity of cork are remarkable; and these qualities, which especially adapt it to its use are qualities which no substitute possesses. In thorough corking, a cork much larger than the neck of the bottle is used, and is driven in with considerable force. A bottle of champagne Fig. 1. is a remarkable example of skillful corking. In this the cork is about twice the diameter of the mouth of the bottle, and is compressed and forced in by a powerful machine. In household practice, nothing so complete as this is required.

We have recently seen in the House-furnishing establishment of J.H. Baldwin, a German contrivance for compressing the corks in bottling. Its structure and operation will be understood by the inspection of fig. 1, and the section, fig. 2. It is essentially a conical tube with a plunger. The apparatus is set upon the neck of a bottle, the plunger lifted, and a cork introduced at the opening shown in the engraving.-- The cork drops into the cavity a, figure 2, which, it will be noticed, tapers downwards; it is lined with metal. By striking upon the top of the plunger with a mallet, the cork is driven downwards, and so much compressed in its passage, that it enters the neck of the bottle with ease.

LOOP.

Good corks should be procured and soaked in warm water, to render them pliant, and then be pressed and driven in with a wooden driver; a flat piece of heavy wood or a mallet will answer. In filling the bottle it should not be so full that the cork will touch the liquid, as the bottle will be broken in driving the cork. There should be a space of an inch or more between the surface of the liquid and the bottom of the cork; this will prevent breaking.

There are cork pressers made of iron, but a simple wooden lever like that shown in figure 3 will answer. If the corks are to be sealed the projecting portion should be cut off even with the neck of the bottle before dipping them in the melted wax.

TIE.

Liquids such as ginger-pop, beer, etc., where there is a pressure from the inside of the bottle, need to have the corks tied down. In this case the projecting portion of the cork is not cut off. There are several kinds of knots used in tying, one of the easiest of which we give. Form a loop as shown in figure 4, then turn up that part of the string a, which crosses the loop, as in fig. 5. This is to be placed over the neck of the bottle, and by pulling the ends may be made to fit beneath the lip, as in fig. 6. The two ends are then tied above the cork.

CORK PRESS.

There are cork pressers made of iron, but a simple wooden lever like that shown in figure 3 will answer. If the corks are to be sealed the projecting portion should be cut off even with the neck of the bottle before dipping them in the melted wax.

TIE APPLIED.

Liquids such as ginger-pop, beer, etc., where there is a pressure from the inside of the bottle, need to have the corks tied down. In this case the projecting portion of the cork is not cut off. There are several kinds of knots used in tying, one of the easiest of which we give. Form a loop as shown in figure 4, then turn up that part of the string a, which crosses the loop, as in fig. 5. This is to be placed over the neck of the bottle, and by pulling the ends may be made to fit beneath the lip, as in fig. 6. The two ends are then tied above the cork. Bottles containing liquids if intended to remain a long time, should be laid upon the side, as this prevents the cork from becoming dry and admitting air.

"Bottling and Corking." American Agriculturist for the Farm, Garden, and Household. August 1870. p.305

UPCOMING TALKS

26 Dec 3 Tue 7 Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery. Seth Rockman, author of Plantation Goods. American Antiquarian Society. HERE TAPE may be HERE livestream

Dec 4 Wed 9AM The British High Street at Christmas. Annie Gray author of The butcher, the baker, the festive wreath maker: this is the history of the British high street at Christmas. The National Archives UK £ 0-15 HERE

Dec 4 Wed 6-7:30 Inside the Vault: Holidays at the White House with Former White House Chefs. Moderated by Alex Prud'homme, author of Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House, the program will feature William Yosses, White House Executive Pastry Chef, 2007–14, and John Moeller, White House Chef, 1992–2005, and author of Dining at the White House: From the President's Table to Yours, and Capricia Penavic Marshall, Chief of Protocol, 2009–13, and author of Protocol: The Power of Diplomacy and How to Make It Work for You. National Archives. HERE

Dec 3 Tue 8 Story of Chicago’s South Asians and Their Food. Dr.Colleen Taylor Sen. Chicago Foodways Roundtable. HERE TAPE may be HERE

Dec 4 Wed 1 Holiday Traditions You'll Only Find in the Old North. Heather Leah. NC Museum of History HERE

Dec 5 Thu 8 Midcentury Christmas: Fads and Fun from 1945 to 1970. Dr Leslie Goddard. Fountaindale Public Library. IL HERE

Dec 5 Thu 12:30 Flavours Across the Borders: The 1947 Partition and the Reconstruction of the Bengali Foodscape. Srijita Biswas. Food History Seminar. IHR Institute of Historical Research HERE

Dec 8 Sun 2 Dining and Entertaining in the Gilded Age. Francine Segan. Culinary Historians of Washington CHoW HERE

Dec 8 Sun 4 Classic Michigan Food and Drinks: The Stories behind the Brands. Gail Offen and Jon Milan. CHAA Culinary Historians of Ann Arbor HERE TAPE may be HERE

Dec 9 Mon 7 Home Work: Domestic Servants at the Codman Estate. Historic New England $5 HERE

Dec 10 Tue 5 The Atlantic Manor: A Comparative Perspective on the Manor in Colonial New York. “England, the Netherlands, Ireland, the Chesapeake colonies, and New France”. BJ Lillis. Massachusetts Historical Society HERE

Dec 10 Tue 7 Taproom Tastings: Salt. Catherine Prescott, Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli. Keeler Tavern Museum. Donation HERE

Dec 11 Wed 1 Festive Pies and Puddings of the past. Dr Neil Buttery. The Museum of Royal Worcester HERE TAPE may be HERE

Dr Neil Buttery. Puddings Dec 17, 2024. Navigating Nineteenth-century English Meals - changing manners and fashions explored through Worcester porcelain TAPE HERE; The Life and Legacy of Elizabeth Raffald, Leeds Symposium TAPE HERE

The Museum of Royal Worcester porcelain. UK: Egg Coddlers; Tissue transfer-printing; Worcester’s London Showroom in 1755; Early Worcester from Dr Wall to James Giles; more TAPES HERE

Dec 11 Wed 6 Putting Family History on the Map. Julia Williams. Including “a demo of Leventhal Center's Atlascope tool, which overlays historic maps on top of modern-day ones so you can easily compare past and present.” Boston Public Library HERE. TAPE may be HERE

Dec 11 Wed 6:30 Maple, New Hampshire’s Medicine of Connection. Damian Costello. Silverstone Living. NH Humanities HERE

Dec 12 Thur 12:30 Holiday Wine Tasting. Chilean wine experts. Food History Seminar. IHR Institute of Historical Research. HERE

Dec 14 Sat 10:30-11:30AM History in the Kitchen - Non-Alcoholic Drinks. Gunston Hall VA HERE

Dec 15 Sun 2 Cook and Celebrate Hanukkah. Joan Nathan. Two recipes from her book A Sweet Year: Jewish Celebrations and Festive Recipes for Kids and Their Families. The Nosher $25 HERE

Dec 16 Mon 7 Cooking with the First Ladies. Lady Bird Johnson’s recipes. Sarah Morgan. National First Ladies' Library & Museum $9 HERE

Dec 17 Tue 1-2:30 Uncovering America's Victorian Era Holiday Celebrations. Becky Libourel Diamond. Replay for one week. New York Adventure Club $12 HERE

Dec 17 Tue 2-3:15 The Philosophy of Puddings. “The humble pudding started out as a meat boiled in either animal intestine or in a cloth. With the advent of pudding bowls and moulds, the pudding assumed a myriad of identities. Neil Buttery traces the long history of pudding and its importance in British culture and language.” Dr Neil Buttery. HERE. also Dec 11 Pies and Puddings.

Dec 17 Tue 6:30 Honor, Discipline and Eggnog. Jennifer Voigtschild. Culinary Historians of New York ? 0- $10 HERE

Dec 21 Sat 2 Unveiling the Christmas and New Year Traditions of the Romanovs. from decorations to feasts (period photos and memoirs). Anna. World Virtual Tours HERE

Dec 22 Fir 3-5:30 French Canadian Holiday Baking. Laura Scheck. Brooklyn Brainery. $33 HERE

Dec 22 Fri 3-4 A Taste of Christmas Traditions. World Virtual Tours HERE

Dec 27 Fri 1 Champagne! A Sparkling History of French Bubbly. Edith de Belleville. Replay for one week. New York Adventure Club $12 HERE

TAPED TALKS

Christmas 2022 HERE ; 2021 HERE ; 2020 HERE
Jewish taped talks HERE

CALENDAR OF VIRTUAL FOOD HISTORY TALKS HERE

©2024 Patricia Bixler Reber
Researching Food History HOME






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