Ale Cup

Drinks, and How to Make Them by Yeatman & Co. (1879, p.11) — Mr. Weller's Weneration

1. Grate ginger into a quart pot.
2. Add the bitters in a glass of gin, then the heated ale and sugar.
3. Drink while foaming.

Drinks a La Mode by Mrs de Salis (1891, p.39) — Drinks a La Mode 1891

1. Combine ale, lemon juice, sugar, nutmeg, and a little brandy, and serve with toast floating in it.

Garnish: Toast

Drinks a La Mode by Mrs de Salis (1891, p.39) — Drinks a La Mode 1891, another way

1. Squeeze lemon into hot toast, add lemon rind, sugar, nutmeg, and balm, pour over brandy, sherry, and bitter ale, then remove the balm after a few seconds.

Garnish: Toast

Modern American Drinks by George J. Kappeler (1895, p.50) — George J. Kappeler 1895

1. Put the lemon juice, brandy, and sugar into a glass pitcher.
2. Add the quart of old ale and mix.
3. When serving, grate a little nutmeg on top of each glass.

Garnish: Grated nutmeg

Nose

Ale, lemon, and nutmeg create a fragrant and lightly warming cup aroma.

Palate

This is a softer and more sociable beer mixed drink than the stark half-and-half family, using sugar and citrus to move beer toward the cup world.

Finish

The finish is malty, sweet-spiced, and easy.

Summary

A beer-based cup showing the cup family reaching beyond wine and champagne service.

Ale Cup matters because it broadens the cup family beyond claret, champagne, and cider. It shows beer participating in the same social mixed-drink grammar as more fashionable wine cups.

Jack's Manual by J. A. Grohusko (1910, p.31)

1. Put the lemon rind into a jug and add the sherry, water, lemon juice, sugar, mint, and nutmeg.
2. Cover and let stand 20 minutes, strain into a glass jug, add a few pieces of ice and the ale, then serve.

Ice: Crushed ice

Das Mixerbuch by A. Brehmer (1924) — Brehmer 1924, egg and gin ale cup

1. Beat yolks with spices and crushed rock candy until foamy, heat ale and gin, whisk in the eggs, and serve at once while still foamy.

Ice: None