Excellent Barley Water (Poor Xury’s receipt)

Instructions

1. Wipe two tablespoonsful of pearl barley very clean by rolling it in a soft cloth.
2. Put it into a quart jug with a lump or two of sugar, a grain or two of salt, and a strip of lemon-peel cut thin.
3. Fill up the jug with boiling water and keep the mixture gently stirred for some minutes.
4. Cover it down and let it stand until perfectly cold.
5. In twelve hours, or less, it will be fit for use, but it is better when made over night. Followed this way the barley-water will be comparatively clear, and very soft and pleasant to drink.
6. A glass of calf's feet jelly added to the barley is an infinite improvement.
7. Acton's caution: lemon-rind is often extremely unpalatable to invalids, so their taste should be consulted before that ingredient is added, as it should be also for the degree of sweetness desired.
8. After the barley-water has been poured off once, the jug may be filled with boiling water a second time, and even a third time, with advantage.