Noyau Cordial
“Many a southern gentlewoman, delicately reared, but with whom fortune has dealt harshly, has been compelled to appeal to [the Daughters of the Confederacy], and often for the necessities of life. Inability to provide for all of these needs has compelled the societies to adopt some plan of replenishing their treasuries. A bazaar held in 1885 having been very successful, it was decided to repeat the effort.” – Confederate Veteran: Published Monthly in the Interest of Confederate Veterans and Kindred Topics, Volume 6
“If there had been any attempt made, or any desire evinced, to secure the participation of the Union people of the city or State in this Fair, it would have been promptly responded to by them… On the contrary, there has been a persistent effort to make [the fair] a grand disloyal demonstration.” – Baltimore American
A few months ago I capped off a birthday dinner at B&O Brasserie, with a “Pink Squirrel”. Although I’d never heard of it (big surprise – I’m a rube) the cocktail is infamously associated with Creme de Noyaux, a liqueur once made from apricot and cherry pits and colored red with cochineal. Nowadays, like so many flavored brandies, Noyaux has been reduced to a pale memory propped up by an artificially flavored and colored approximation. I was fortunate enough to enjoy the resurrected version recreated by Tempus Fugit Spirits, and I found it pretty intriguing.
1887, Baltimore Sun
Sadly, this painstaking reproduction Noyaux is hard to come by on the retail market and this would be my last taste of it for awhile. When I encountered a recipe for “Noyau” in the cookbook “Recipes Old and New, Collected by Mrs. Charles Marshall for the benefit of the Confederate relief bazaar,” I figured ‘why not?’
Well, there is one reason why not – peach kernels are said to be poisonous. But hey- I’ve consumed some kind of questionable stuff in the name of history so why not add cyanide to the list?
Originally known as the “Southern Relief Fair”, and presided over by none other than Mrs. B.C. Howard, the Confederate Relief Bazaars aimed to raise money to assist with the economic fallout following the Civil War.
According to “Grieving and reconciliation in Baltimore after the American Civil War” by Jennifer Prior, the Relief Bazaars centered around a huge sale of donated items such as oil paintings – and more than a few war relics including Confederate uniforms and other items owned by Confederate heroes. In addition to raising money, Prior argued, the Bazaars “created an environment that promoted the memory of the war.”
To aid in the money-raising efforts, “Recipes Old and New” was compiled by Mrs. Charles Marshall (née Sarah Rebecca Snowden), wife of Robert E. Lee’s military secretary. Charles Marshall had drafted Lee’s terms of acceptance of surrender at Appomattox.
Col. Charles Marshall, findagrave.com
In addition to the usual charity cookbook assortment of contributed
recipes and recipes sourced from other cookbooks, the book has a section
entitled “Confederate Recipes by Way of Contrast.” Tea made from
raspberry leaves, coffee made from roasted sweet potatoes, and ink made
from tree sap serve as a reminder of wartime scarcity and Union
blockade.
The recipe for Noyau is credited to “Josiah Lee,” a Baltimore banker and a financier of the B&O railroad. Josiah apparently appreciated fine spirits. Upon his death, his cellar of Madeira was auctioned off and “many Washington cellars were replenished” by this bounty. It is said that some of his wines were over 125 years old at the time. “Recipes Old and New,”also features his formula for Mint Julep, Apple Toddy, and Brandy Peaches.
It is likely that these recipes made it to Mrs. Marshall through Josiah Lee’s daughter Mary Catherine Lee, who was married to a relative of Mrs. Marshall’s on the Snowden side of her family. Maryland history buffs will recognize the Snowden name from several Maryland estates and landmarks, and another hero to the Confederates, Richard Snowden Andrews.
Josiah Lee & Co. Certificate of Deposit
To make a small amount of Noyau, I cracked open the kernels from the Brandied Peaches. They have a wonderful fragrance. I don’t have access to isinglass – a fish-derived gelatin, but I found instructions online for clarifying beer with regular gelatin. Sadly, it didn’t seem to accomplish anything. Nor could I get my hands on any cochineal on short notice. The resulting drink is lacking in visual appeal.
For the cocktail I mixed in a little of the liquid from the brandied peaches. I did not die from the cyanide. The jury is still out on whether I’ll survive drinking cream-based beverages.
Steep a pint of blanched peach kernels ten days in a gallon of old apple brandy. Pour the brandy from the kernels, and add four pounds pulverized loaf sugar; clarify it by dissolving, (twelve cents worth of isinglass) gelatine in a little warm water, and stir it into the cordial. Let it stand all night to settle, then steam until perfectly clear and bottle. Age improves it greatly.
Recipe from “Recipes Old and New, Collected by Mrs. Charles Marshall for the benefit of the Confederate relief bazaar”
