Mors

Ingredients

Berries

• 500 gcranberries or lingonberries, fresh or frozen

Liquid

• 2 litreswater
• 180 ggranulated sugar, to taste

Sometimes added

• 1strip of lemon peel
• 3cloves
• a small piece of cinnamon
• 2 tbsphoney

To serve

• chilled, or warm in winter

Directions

1. Put the berries into a large bowl. Crush them thoroughly with a wooden pestle or a potato masher. Work them until most of the skins have broken. Do not use a blender, which pulverises the seeds and adds bitterness.
2. Tip the crushed berries into a sieve set over a bowl. Press them hard with the back of a spoon. Set that juice aside and cover it. Keep the pressed pulp, which is used next. Put the pressed pulp in a pan with the two litres of water.
3. Add the lemon peel and spices if you are using them. Bring it to the boil and lower the heat. Simmer it for about ten minutes. Do not boil it hard or for longer, which turns it flat.
4. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Press the pulp to get the last of the liquid. Discard the spent pulp and the spices. Sweetening it is done while it is still warm. Stir the sugar into the hot strained liquid. Stir until it has dissolved completely.
5. Taste it and adjust, remembering it tastes less sweet cold. It should stay clearly tart rather than becoming sweet. Add honey now instead of some of the sugar if you prefer. Let the cooked liquid cool to lukewarm.
6. Stir in the reserved raw juice. Adding it to hot liquid would defeat the purpose entirely. Taste it once more and adjust the sugar. Chilling it is worth several hours. Strain it again if you want it perfectly clear. Serving it cold is the summer way. Serve it very cold, over ice if you want.
7. Stir it before pouring, since it settles slightly. Serving it warm is the winter treatment. Warm it gently without boiling. A little more honey suits the warm version.

Technique

• Press out the raw juice first and add it back at the end, which is what makes a good mors.
• Do not use a blender, since it pulverises the seeds and adds bitterness.
• Keep it clearly tart rather than sweetening it into a squash.

Substitutions

• Frozen berries, which work as well as fresh and often better.
• Blackcurrants or redcurrants in place of cranberries.

Variations

• Served warm with honey in winter.
• Made with a mix of berries.
• Thickened with potato starch into kissel.

History

Berry drink of cranberries or lingonberries with water and sugar, recorded in the sixteenth-century Domostroi household book.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mors?

Mors is a drink from Russia: cranberry or lingonberry berry drink. Berry drink of cranberries or lingonberries with water and sugar, recorded in the sixteenth-century Domostroi household book.

How long does Mors take to make?

Mors takes 15 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 litres. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Mors?

Yes, within limits. Frozen berries, which work as well as fresh and often better. Blackcurrants or redcurrants in place of cranberries.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mors?

Put the berries into a large bowl. Crush them thoroughly with a wooden pestle or a potato masher. Work them until most of the skins have broken. Do not use a blender, which pulverises the seeds and adds bitterness.