Vinegar, in general, has distinct acidic characteristics that will affect a recipe; it's often used for this reason. For instance, in marinades, the acid is used to break down muscle fiber and help flavor penetrate. In Cevice, the acid component is used to "cook" the fish.
Additionally, the different types of vinegar have different flavor characteristics. I, personally, don't much like red wine vinegar as I find it kind of bland. I much prefer balsamic or champagne. So the question you really need to ask yourself is, "will the flavor of the red wine over the white wine adversely affect my dish?" You might ask the same question about the garlic.
So subbing one type of vinegar for another is fine if you're looking to replace the role of the acid in a recipe (also why you can sub lemon juice). Whether or not you feel the flavor can be substituted is really just a matter of personal preference. If you don't know ahead of time about the flavor, try it and find out for sure.
To specifically answer the flavor characteristic for your question, I'd say yes. Red wine is OK. As pointed out, swordfish is a hearty fish and should hold up fine. I probably wouldn't sub balsamic, would use champagne as a priority, would think long and hard about apple cider. If it was a lighter fish, I'd be much more wary about red wine.
How archaic and fun!
I whipped out some Google-fu and found the following for you:
Tincture of Capsicum
You can actually buy this on Amazon: Cayenne Capsicum Tincture 2 Ounces. It's available other places, but I saw prices as high as 2x this. (9 ml ~ 0.3 oz)
Essence of Ginger
This is from a late 19th century Jamaican cookbook (Classic Jamaican Cooking: Traditional Recipes and Herbal Remedies).
- Three ounces of freshly grated ginger
- Two ounces of thinly cut lemon-peel
- Two pints of brandy or proof spirit (white rum)
Just combine and let sit for 10 days, shaking well.
Essence of Lemon
This can also be purchased. You can likely find some lemon extract in your grocery store, if not here is some on Amazon: Flavorganics Organic Lemon Extract, 2-Ounce Glass Bottles (Pack of 3) - note that it's 3 bottles.
Solution of Burnt Sugar
This isn't just typical caramelized sugar, it's burnt sugar. Sugar that has been heated to the dark caramel stage of 370 F to 400 F (188 C to 204 C). The sugar at this point has lost most of it's sweetness, smells burnt, and tastes kind of bitter. It's commonly called caramel color these days. This is what is gives Cola's their dark color. In the small amount of 25ml and in the presence of 2.5 lbs of sugar (wow!) you won't taste it.
My amazon-fu fails here, but have found it available on this site: http://www.spiceplace.com/mccormick_caramel_color.php
It might be simpler to buy this than attempt making your own. Caramel coloring can be a little hazardous to make, it's easy to go too far and burn your sugar, and dumping any quantity of water into 400 F sugar is a sketchy experience. Here is a how-to if you desire though:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5673239_make-caramel-food-coloring.html
Tartaric Acid
This too can be purchased - Tartaric Acid 2 oz. (56 gr.)
Please note that tartaric acid is not the same as cream of tartar. Cream of tartar is an acid-salt in which the tartaric acid is partially neutralized. This site suggests you can use a 2:1 substitution ratio of cream of tartar to tartaric acid. I'm not sure if this will make a difference in your drink because I've never used cream of tartar in such a way or quantity before.
There is also the possibility that a recipe of this age simply used the term tartaric acid to refer to cream of tartar. Who knows?
Best Answer
Cider vinegar is generally a little bit sweeter and not quite as sharp as white wine vinegar. With the other flavors you're adding, the difference isn't likely to be major. A good approach might be to hold back about a quarter of the sugar in the recipe, taste, and adjust to preference.
One thing in the cider vinegar's favor is that most of the acid present in the rhubarb is malic acid, the same compound that gives green apples their tartness. Apple and rhubarb typically get along quite nicely and I see no reason why they wouldn't here as well.