The Book of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton

dessertspoonfuls of pounded white sugar, 1/4 pint of vinegar. _Mode_.--Wash the mint, which should be young and fresh-gathered, free from grit; pick the leaves from the stalks, mince them very fine, and put them into a tureen; add the sugar and vinegar, and stir till the former is dissolved. This sauce is better by being made 2 or 3 hours before wanted for table, as the vinegar then becomes impregnated with the flavour of the mint. By many persons, the above proportion of sugar would not be considered sufficient; but as tastes vary, we have given the quantity which we have found to suit the general palate. _Average cost_, 3d. _Sufficient_ to serve with a middling-sized joint of lamb. _Note_.--Where green mint is scarce and not obtainable, mint vinegar may be substituted for it, and will be found very acceptable in early spring. [Illustration: MINT.] MINT.--The common mint cultivated in our gardens is known as the _Mentha viridis_, and is employed in different culinary processes, being sometimes boiled with certain dishes, and afterwards withdrawn. It has an agreeable aromatic flavour, and forms an ingredient in soups, and sometimes is used in spring salads. It is valuable as a stomachic and antispasmodic; on which account it is generally served at table with pea-soup. Several of its species grow wild in low situations in the country. MINT VINEGAR.