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cordials-msg – 3/3/13

 

Period cordials and liqueurs. SCA creations.

 

NOTE: See also these files: beverages-msg, brewing-msg, bev-distilled-msg, absinthe-msg, wine-msg, cider-msg, cider-art, Apricot-Crdal-art, Kiwi-cordial-art, Peach-Brandy-art, Clarea-d-Agua-art.

 

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NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I  have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I  have done  a limited amount  of  editing. Messages having to do  with separate topics  were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the  message IDs  were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make  no claims  as  to the accuracy  of  the information  given  by the individual authors.

 

Please  respect the time  and  efforts of  those who have written  these messages. The  copyright status  of these messages  is unclear  at this time. If  information  is  published  from  these  messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

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Subj: Recipes for brews...

Date: 18 Feb 92

From: paste at maple.circa.ufl.edu

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

 

Fred.Yoder at f943.n102.zl.fidonet.org writes...

>Come on, I need recipes for SCA-Brews!

 

        Well, good gentle, a recipe for a Trimarian favorite follows.

 

                     MAGE'S FIRE

                     ~~~~~~~~~~~

                 1 bottle of vodka (any grade is ok)

                 2 bottles of cinnamon schnapps (the _Red Hot_ brand prefered)

                 1 bottle of blue curacco (sp?)

 

               Mix well, put in small clear glass bottles, and drink out

                 of a clear or silver goblet.  

 

        It's very strong and is better sipped than slammed.  It can be made

          in smaller quantities, of course, but the little bottles (which can

            be found at any vinter's shop [p.s. get screw-tops, corks don't do

              well with this] ) make excellent gifts and are much easier to

                transport.

 

        Also, we have many good brewers here in this Barony and I can get the

         recipes for Trimarian fire-water, Wink-wink Nudge-nudge, various meads

          and liquors for those who wish it.  Send e-mail  All the messages will get to me and I will return the recipes to you with haste.

 

                                                Slaine ni Blaidd

                                                Clan Claidgh Dhu

                                                Barony of An Crosaire

                                                Kingdom of Trimaris

                                             

              Teri Dewitt

             Gainesville, Fl  USA

             paste%maple.decnet at pine.circa.ufl.edu  

            

                

Date: 21 Feb 92

From: null0trooper at maple.circa.ufl.edu

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Organization: The CIRCA Underground

 

Greetings again from Brion Gennadyevich!

 

   First, if one is not interested in the suddenly infamous Cossack Cough Syrup,

now may be a good time to hit 'n'  :).   For honesty's sake,  I must point out

that this recipe was created for the (then) prospective taste and color.

 

MATERIALS:

Into a ceramic crock place:

        1/2 lb   dried apricots

        1/2 lb   dried black currants

        a double handful of dried hibiscus flowers

        a handful of hyssop

        2 thinly-sliced limes

        1 thinly-sliced lemon

        1/4 cup   star anise

        1 tbspn   fennel seed

        2 cups sugar

        lemon balm

        juniper berries

METHOD:

Soak this for 7 days in enough vodka to cover the ingredients.

          ----- time passes -----

Strain the raw liquor from the ingredients and set aside.   Place the

remainder into an enameled pan and add a pint of water,  a handful of juniper

berries, and another handful of lemon balm.   Simmer this until you can smell

the anise and juniper. Strain the liquid into a large bowl (NOT metal) and

stir in sugar until no more dissolves into the liquid.

Once the syrup has cooled,  mix in with the raw liquor.   At this point you

may be able to dissolve more sugar into the mixture.   Add the remainder of

vodka you have on hand - at least 1 liter's worth.  At this point, add water

until the alcohol no longer fully overrides the flavor - both should still be

a bit strong.   Bottle and age.   Distinct clouds should form in the liquor

within a day or so.   This is necessary to the clarification of the liquor.

After sufficient aging,  strain the liquor through cheesecloth and re-bottle.

OVERALL EFFECT:

Ruby-red liqueur with a full-bodied fruit base.   Anise-scented with a gin

finish.  Suitable for tonic or aperitif.

AUTHENTICITY (Excuse ;):

Listed in the _Tacuinum_Sanitatis_:

    fennel, sugar - 13th c. version

    sugar, apricots, fennel - Tacuinum of Liege, 1380

L.C. Arano,  1976. The Midieval Health Handbook - Tacuinum Sanitatis.

        ISBN: 0-8076-0808-4,  ND3399.I15 A5513

black currants - common to the European continent

Lemon, lime - Middle Eastern fruits introduced to the Mediterranean littoral

star anise - a spice imported originally from the Indies

lemon balm - traditional English and European herb

  

hyssop - Hyssopus officinalis L. is a member of the family Labiatae,  along

    with sage, savory, and thyme.   Cultivated from ancient times (Rehder)

Rehder, A.  1927. Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs: Hardy in North

    America, Exclusive of the Subtropical and Warmer Temperate Regions.  The

    MacMillan Company, New York.

hibiscus -

    Hibiscus rosa-sinensis  (China Rose)  possible source of hibiscus flowers.

        Hibiscus sp. refered to in Mexico, 1577 as a medicinal.  Hibiscus r-s

        appears to be used traditionally in SE Asia.   Cited after Rumphius as

        used in Indonesia (Rumphius, G.E.:  b.1627, d.1702)

    Althea rosea (L.) Cav. (Hollyhock) believed to originate in China, refered

        to by Petrus Hispanus, 1535 _The treasuri of helth ... of Petrus

        Hispanus.  OED identifies citations of Althea sp. hollyhock from 1265

        forwards; hollyhock as Althea r. from 1551,  distinguishable from

        Althea officinalis or marsh mallow.

    family Malvaceae includes the sub-family Hibisceae.  Hibiscus, hollyhock

        (also known as Rose Mallow - OED), althea,  marsh mallow, mallow,

        ebiscum root, ebiskos, ebiscus, iviscus, malva, et al.  are all

        members of this botanical family.   A. oficinalis cited by PLiny the

        Elder and Galen,  as well as Rufinus.

    Medical effects for this family of herbs and flowers:  flowers are used

    for emollient, demulcent,  and diuretic properties.  And making

    marshmallows!   It is my contention that if the commercially-available

    hibiscus flowers are indeed H. rosa-sinensis,  there is sufficient

    similarity to A. rosea and A. officinalis to use this species in the place

    of these more traditional herb species.

M. Grieve, 1931.   A Modern Herbal.  Dover Publ. ISBN 0-486-22798-7.

Clapham, Tutin, and Moore, 1987.  Flora of the British Isles.  Cambridge Univ.

    Press. Cambridge, U.K., ISBN: 0-521-30985-9.

Hartwell, J.A., 1982. Plants Used Against Cancer - A Survey.  Quarterman

    Publ.,  Inc. Lawrence, Mass.  ISBN: 0-88000-130-5

   vodka, 1 qt.  - substitute for the ubiquitous "aqua vitae" and distilling

      methods due to health considerations.  Also,  because use of commercial

      distilled products is called for in this category - see May, XXVI

     "Talewinds", p.20.

"The Queen's Closet Opened: being incomparable secrets in physick, chyrurgery,

preserving, candying, and cookery, &c. which were presented to the Queen by

the most experienc'd persons of the times,  many whereof were had in esteem

when she pleased to descend to private recreations."  (which is on microfilm

at UF) covers a number of restorative cordials and aquae.   The tract itself

was in its tenth edition in 1698, fifth edition dated in the 1650s.   The

"Queen" referred to is Elizabeth Regina herself,  though the first edition

surely postdates her reign.

    The number of recipes given,  many of which call for distillation of the

elixir,  indicates to me that the chief concerns were:  what's available, and

what suits the makers tastes,  as much as what powers are attributed to the

herbs.

 

In service and pillage,

                                             Brion Gennadyevich Gorodin

 

 

From: st1xe at jane.uh.edu (Brown, Derek S)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Coridals and Liquors: Recipe

Date: 23 Jun 1993 13:13 CDT

Organization: University of Houston

 

  Since I've seen a few posts here asking for recipes, I decided to post two

here and make a few other recommendations.  If anyone is looking for a

specific recipe, mail to me and I'll mail it back.

 

First, the part that makes cordials sweet is sugar syrup. It is 1 cup of

sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water.  This makes about 2/3 cup sugar

syrup and for those of you who have made candy, this is very similar to

a recipe for rock candy. If any coridal is not sweet enough, just add a

little more sugar or sugar syrup, depending upon what you want to do with

it.

 

Second, the alcohol. Vodka is as pure an alcohol as most of us can get, and

since it will be flavored, don't worry about a high quality (or even a

medium) vodka.  Just get the cheapest stuff you can get. It will serve

quite nicely. Brandy and white wine are different. Get what you can afford.

A good brandy helps a liquor always.

 

  Since a lot of berries are in season, here is a raspberry recipe.

 

1.5 cups ripe raspberries

sliced and scraped peel of 1/2 lemon

3 cups vodka or 3 cups brandy or 2 parts vodka and 1 part brandy,

or substitute white wine for brandy

3/4 cup sugar syrup

 

Lightly crush the berries, add the lemon peel and berries to the

alcohol.  Steep for 2-4 weeks.  Strain and filter, squeezing all

the berries for the juice.  Add the sugar syrup and let it

mature for 4-6 weeks.

                                            

For Creme de Framboise, use all brandy and add 2 cups of sugar syrup.

 

  Another good recipe is the tangerines' one.

 

4-5 whole tangerines

4 whole cloves

3 cups vodka

1 cup sugar syrup

 

Pierce the tangerine peeling swith a fork and insert the cloves into

the indentions.  Steep in vodka for 10 days using enough vodka to

cover the fruit. Strain and filter. Add sugar syrup and mature

 

I disagree with this recipe since it calls for the whole tangerine.

The with pith (the white part between the skin and fruit) will

give anyone wine or liquor and bad taste (this is according to

all my taste testers who for once did not finish a sample bottle

like they usually do). Try this recipe by peeling the skin

very lightly so as not avoid the pith and juice the fruit in a

juicer or some other way.  Throw the juice and skin in together

with the alcohol and let it sit for 3 weeks before adding the sugar

syrup.  Then strain, filter, and mature,

 

3 cups brandy can be used for this recipe with a little more

sugar syrup also. Tastes different and maybe better.

 

If anyone wants any specific recipes, I have recipies for almost all fruits,

spices, and even some odd ones (like egg liquor). E-mail me for specific

and I'll post them.

 

William Silke, Ansteorra

 

 

From: lsteele at mtholyoke.edu (Lisa Steele)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Recipe for Cordials?

Date: 10 Nov 1996 15:51:19 GMT

Organization: Mount Holyoke College

 

shire2308 at aol.com wrote:

> My Lady and I wanted to make small cordials to place on all the tables at

> our upcoming wedding.

>

> Does anyone have a (relatively) precise recipe?  I've tried this excellent

> Peach one at Crown this year that almost knocked my socks off.

> Also, how early are "cordials"?

>

  My usual brew takes a good 12 - 16 weeks to prepare, so start early.

  You will need 2 large widemouth jars (I use spagetti sauce ones), a

clear alcohol of decent but not extravagant stock (I use Bicardi's or

Smirnhoff's), sugar, some filters, and whatever flavoring you like (I use

extracts and dried fruit).

  For my peach -- take 1 bag dried peaches, cut into small bits. Add 1

cup sugar. Add a teaspoon vanilla extract. Put in sauce jar and fill with

Bicardi's to rim. Put on shelf and shake vigorously 1x week for 6-8 weeks.

Now, strain the batch into another clean jar until clear. (The fruit

makes good ice cream topping) Heat 2 cups sugar to 1 cup water on stove

until clear. Add to jar until full to rim. Put back on shelf and shake 1x

week for another 6-8 weeks. Cordial is then done.

  I find it takes a good 6 months before it is a smooth as I like.

  --Esclarmonde

 

 

From: mjc at telerama.lm.com (Monica Cellio)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Recipe for Cordials?

Date: 10 Nov 1996 21:55:47 -0500

Organization: Telerama Public Access Internet, Pittsburgh, PA USA

 

If you're looking for period recipes, good luck; most of the ones I've

seen are of the form "take wine, do [something] to it, and distill".

Don't try this in the US.

 

Last summer I made a very tasty apricot cordial that was very simple:

take apricots, blanch them, put in jars (pack loosely to top), fill jars

with vodka, wait two months, remove fruit.  Note: this recipe didn't even

call for sugar.  I was sure it would be way too bitter, but I was wrong.

It's quite tasty, especially after a year.

 

A favorite of mine, which I learned from Thora Sharptooth, is horilka.

For a 2-gallon batch: take 1200ml of water, add spices, and boil; then

simmer 15-20 minutes. (Good spices include cinnamon (6-8 sticks), cloves,

a couple nutmegs, fennel, cardemon, allspice, mint... play with it).

Strain and mix with 1.5L honey, 2L apple juice or cider (no preservatives!),

juice of one lemon, some lemon peel (no zest), and -- only at the end --

3 liters vodka or brandy.  (I prefer brandy.)  Pour into jars and let

sit 6-8 weeks, then siphon the liquid off the dregs.  You *can* drink

it right away if you really want to, but if you bottle it and let it sit

for 6-8 months it'll be a lot better.

 

Ellisif

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjc/ellisif.html

 

 

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

From: lindahl at deshaw.com (Greg Lindahl)

Subject: Re: Recipe for Cordials?

Organization: D. E. Shaw & Co.

Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 05:14:17 GMT

 

<shire2308 at aol.com> wrote:

>My Lady and I wanted to make small cordials to place on all the tables at

>our upcoming wedding.

 

You may find the Medieval/Renaissance Brewing homepage to be a useful

source of information:

 

http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/brewing.html

 

Among other things it has a couple of cordial recipes, and the "Class

Notes: Basic Brewing" article by Tadhg macAedian uiChonchobhair

discusses cordials, among other items.

 

As always, if anyone knows of any useful additions to this page, I

would appreciate hearing about it.

 

 

From: Galen & Raven <galen at pa.net>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Recipe for Cordials?

Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1996 09:37:31 -0500

Organization: pa dot net(tm), A service of Cumberland Technologies Int'l

 

Dean Brocious wrote:

>

> Believe it or not there are some very simple and QUICK cordial recipes

> in most microwave cookbooks.  It is a place for you to start.  After you

> understand the process you will be amazed at the results.  A rule of

> thumb is: 1 cup sugar

>          750ml Vodka, Lt, Rum., or Grain Alcohol

>         1-2 cups fruit

> Place into large canning jar and put in a dark, cool place for 4 weeks.

> Shake every other day.  At the end of the month you may strain and use

> it or strain and set back in a dark, cool place untill you need it.

> In service to the East,

> Lady Raven

 

Another version is to fill the jar with fruit and alcohol and shake

daily for 4 weeks srtain and let sit for 1 month.  The sugar content

will sweeten the aordial.  For period references look for a book called

Glorious Liquors.  It has some interesting information.  Cordial making

is not as mead/ beer brewing and not as costly either.

Lady Raven

 

 

From: Marc Shapiro <mn.shapiro1 at mindspring.com>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Recipe for Cordials?

Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1996 22:02:18 -0500

Organization: MindSpring Enterprises

 

> On Sun, 10 Nov 1996 chirurgeon at aol.com wrote:

>

> > I read your cordial recipe and it sounds fairly easy.  I am looking for

> > documentation for cordials.  I have never researched these.

>

Check out the Web page listed below (either one will reach the same set

of pages).  In the section on Research Papers is a link to "Alcoholic

Drinks of the Middle Ages" which has a chapter on cordials.  This

includes history, a little 'How to" and some period recipes, as well.

While your at it, check out the rest of the link, which has similar

information for wine, beer, mead, whisky, brandy and vinegar.

 

This link is the complete text of the CA #60 of same name.

 

The site also has links to other sites on the theme of brewing and

vinting with lots of information to be had.  The Cider and Perry sites

have some nice info on traditional methods, as I recall.

--

Marc Shapiro                                       

mn.shapiro1 at mindspring.com

 

THL Alexander Mareschal       Canton of Kappelenburg       Kingdom of

Atlantia

           http://www.mindspring.com/~mn.shapiro1/index.html    

           http://www.geocities.com/Paris/1265/index.html

 

 

From: L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt <liontamr at postoffice.ptd.net>

Date: Sun, 1 Jun 1997 07:23:24 -0500 (CDT)

Subject: SC - Galingale Liqeur Receipt at last

 

Hi folks. I had a few requests from this news group, so even though it's not

food per se, here's my Galingale Liqeur recipe, and a couple bonuses. I'd

appreciate credit when sharing the recipes with others.

 

Thanks. BTW, not necessarily period in any way.

 

Aoife

 

AOIFE'S GALINGALE LIQEUR

 

1 tsp. Dried Galingale

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger grated

1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick

1 clove

6 dark raisins

1 1/2 cups neutral spirits

Simple Syrup

Glycerine if desired

 

Combine all in a non-metal (glass is best) container and seal tightly. Let

steep at room temperature for one week, shaking a few times every day. At

the end of the week, strain and filter if necessary. Add 1 1/2 cups of

simple syrup (equal portions of sugar and water, heated and stirred until

all sugar is dissolved, then cooled). Add the smoother (glycerine), if

wanted. Let mature for at least 2 weeks before serving. Color may change

through storage (darkening or lightening). This does not affect the quality

of the liqeur.

 

Variants: Use double the galingale for "Fire Water", or if your galingale is

old. In addition, extra raisins or 2 roughly chopped walnut halves add

complexity. Adjust the amount of simple syrup to your taste and the strength

of your galingale, which can vary considerably.

 

 

A few Bonus Recipes:

 

AOIFE'S RAISIN AND WINE LIQEUR

 

1/2 cup black raisins

Juice of 1 lemon

1 inch stick cinnamon

1 c. Liebfraumilch wine

1 c. neutral spirits

pinch of ground ginger

pinch of ground cloves

1 1-inch square strip of lemon zest

1 1/2 c. simple syrup OR Mild Honey to taste

 

Combine the above, except for syrup or honey,  in an airtight container

(glass is best), and let mull 2 weeks, shaking a few times every day. Strain

and filter. Add 1 1/2 cups simple syrur or slightly less Mild Honey, to

taste. Mature 2 weeks

 

 

AOIFE'S SAGE AND LEMON LIQEUR

 

12-14 fresh sage leaves

Zest of one lemon (no white at all)

1 1/2 cups white wine

1 1/4 cups neutral spirits

juice of 1 lemon

1 clove

6 white raisins if desired (for viscosity)

1 cup of simple syrup

 

Combine all but the syrup in an airtight container (glass is best). Allow to

mull for 2 weeks. Stain and filter. Add the simple syrup and let mature for

about 1 month.

 

 

From: "Peggy A. Stonnell" <izzie at vcn.bc.ca>

Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 06:54:40 -0700 (PDT)

Subject: Re: SC - Galingale Liqeur Receipt at last

 

On Mon, 2 Jun 1997, Stephanie Rudin wrote:

>      In liquer recipes, what do you use as a neutral spirit?  I have heard

>      that some people use vodka.  Are there others that work?

>      

>      Mercedes

      

Everclear or 190 proof grain alchohol.  You cut with an equal amount of

distilled water.  

 

For some of my liquers I use white rum.  It has its own flavour, but

experimentation has shown that to not be a problem depending on what sort

of flavour you are going for.

 

Isobe fitz Gilbert

 

 

From: Mark Schuldenfrei <schuldy at abel.MATH.HARVARD.EDU>

Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 10:23:39 -0400 (EDT)

Subject: Re: SC - Galingale Liqeur Receipt at last

 

       In liquer recipes, what do you use as a neutral spirit?  I have heard

       that some people use vodka.  Are there others that work?

 

I have used vodka. Other items I have known to be used include brandy, pure

alcohol diluted to half strength, fortified wines and rum.  I think that is

the list.  I cannot tell you with authority which is more accurate for what:

I'll leave that to Adamantius, the man with most of the answers. (:-)  Or, I

can check with some brewer friends that I trust heavily.

 

                                             Tibor

 

 

From: PETERSR at spiegel.becltd.com (Peters, Rise J.)

Date: Mon, 02 Jun 1997 11:40:02 -0500

Subject: Re: SC - Galingale Liqeur Receipt at las

 

I have had better luck using grain alcohol than vodka; I find that it

imparts less of a "bite" in the taste of the finished product.

 

Caitlin

 

 

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Date: Tue, 03 Jun 1997 22:05:53 -0400

Subject: Re: SC - Galingale Liqeur Receipt at last

 

Martin G. Diehl wrote:

> As to taste, the Everclear has a rougher taste than the vodka, and I

> haven't been able to get rid of it.

 

Just out of curiosity, how long are you aging your liquers?  Many

recipes seem to feel that their products are good to drink after about

six weeks, but I tend to find them harsh and unpleasant until at least

six months have passed. A year would be better.

 

Adamantius

 

 

From: L Herr-Gelatt and J R Gelatt <liontamr at postoffice.ptd.net>

Date: Tue, 3 Jun 1997 22:04:40 -0500 (CDT)

Subject: SC - Re: sc-liqeurs

 

>I have used Everclear (TM) and diluted it down to the desired proof

>(usually 80 proof....40% alcohol).  NEVER USE IT WITHOUT DILUTING IT

>FIRST!!!!!                                  Since it has no real flavor (like vodka) it allows the flavor

>of the fruit, spices, nuts, etc to shine through.

>meadhbh

 

Actually, although I brew, I don't drink much. But I have some very happy

friends!

 

Since they were my recipes, I  get dibs on the reply:

 

Everclear is dangerous stuff, and besides that, does give a harsh edge to a

liqeur. I think that would be like using artificial maple flavored

sugar-free syrup on your pancakes. You could do it, but once you had the

real thing, you'd never go back.  I sugest a high quality Vodka or White

Rum, if you can. Vodka for robust flavors, Rum for mellow flavors. Also,

Brandy makes a nice Eau-de-Vie (sugarless fruit flavored liqeur). Wine is

nice when boosted with a higher alcohol, but rarely works well on its own.

It's the alcohol that extracts the flavor.

 

Aoife-

 

 

From: "Melissa Martines" <melissa.martines at mail.corpfamily.com>

Date: Wed, 04 Jun 97 09:16:09 CST

Subject: SC - Cordials

 

     One base that I'd like to suggest for coridals is brandy -- it is my

     understanding that is is more period than Everclear, Vodka or white

     rum.  If you don't like the after taste of a brandy cordial, try white

     brandy.  I've had some great results using it.

    

     Also, I thought that if you distilled a wine (either by freezing or

     the more traditional method) you were creating a brandy, not a

     cordial.  I could be wrong about that.  Any comments?

    

     Lady Morgan MacBride

     Shire of Glaedenfeld

     Meridies

 

 

Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 22:03:14 -0400 (EDT)

From: ALBAN at delphi.com

To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu

Subject: Re: period cordials

 

<< Does anybody know of any earlier documentation for fruit based cordials...

or do we just continue to let them go by because they are fairly easy to make

and quite delicious? :)

The earliest I know is Sir Walter Raleigh's Cordial, from Digby (I think I

recall). >>

 

and Lord Ras replied

>>Frangelica and Benedictine is documentable If you hadn't tho't of this yet,

<< 

 

Near as I know, Benedictine is an herbal-type liqueur; dunno about

Fra Angelico.

Fruit liqueurs? I ran across, and use, a French "drink" called

(loosely translated) "Old Man's Cup". What you do is, basically,

take the first fruits of the season, and make jams, jellies, pies,

and such. What's left over you toss into a large glass or ceramic

container, add a bit of sugar, and cover with brandy. As spring

turns into summer turns into fall, you keep adding more fresh

fruit left over from the harvest, sugar, and more <hic> brandy.

By the time Christmas comes around, you have alcoholic fruits

just right for eating or adding into confections, and a incredibly

fruited liqueur.

I don't have a date for this; but I'd be surprised if people in period

didn't have something similar.

 

(You can also use rum, but rum is very late in period....)

 

Alban

 

 

From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>

Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 22:29:52 -0700 (PDT)

Subject: Re: SC - Strawberries

 

At 4:01 PM -0600 6/18/97, Jamey R. Lathrop wrote:

>                                            "Conradus Gesner reporteth, he knew a woman that was cured of the

>pimples on her face, onely by washing it with Strawberrie-water:  and yet

>it was very homely and rudely distilled, betwixt two platters, and not in

>a limbeck."

 

Now that is interesting. I strongly suspect it is the same low tech

distillation method described in the _Ain I Akbari_--and some modern living

in the wilderness book I read.

 

Take a reasonably convex bowl and a flatter bowl. Put your liquid in the

former. Put a rock in the middle. On the rock put a cup. Cover the convex

bowl with the flatter bowl, also with the convex side down. Fill the

flatter bowl with cold water.

 

Heat the liquid. The vapors condense on the bottom of the flatter bowl,

run down to its low point at the middle, and drip off into the cup sitting

below it on the rock in the middle of the convex bowl. Voila--distillation

without a still.

 

David/Cariadoc

http://www.best.com/~ddfr/

 

 

From: afn03234 at freenet2.afn.org (Ronald L. Charlotte)

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Gold Beverage from Alexis

Date: 26 Jun 1997 11:46:52 GMT

 

   I finally found the time to bash my way through the typeface for this

recipe.  If there are any typo's, sorry, but the spell-check just

doesn't work for one of these puppies...  There is one character that

stumped me, it's like a letter "o" with a leading tail.  Based on

context elsewhere in the book, I interpreted it as a shorthand for the

"ou" sound. Whether I guessed right is open to question, it appears at

the front of words such as ourinall (which I guess to be the name of a

piece of glassware).

 

     al Thaalibi ---- An Crosaire, Trimaris

     Ron Charlotte -- Gainesville, FL

     afn03234 at afn.org

 

 

EXCERPTED FROM:

_The Secretes of the Reverende Maister Alexis of Piemount_

                               ANNO 1558

Reprinted in 1975 by Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Ltd., Amsterdam

                           ISBN 90 221 0707 8

 

 

     To dissolue and reducie gold into a potable licoure, whiche

conferueth the youth and healthe of a manne, as well taken by it self,

as mingled with the forsaied licour, spoken of in the second Chapiter of

this presente booke, and will heale euery disease that is thought

curable, in the space of seuen daies at the furthest.

 

     Take a glasse full of the Juice of Limons, and heate it over the

fire, until it beginne almoste to seeth: then take it from the fire, and

strain it three or fower times through a Linnen clothe, and afterwarde

distille it through a long gutter of Felte: then take twoe pounde of

rawe Honnie, and sette it on the fire in a pot, miryng with it the said

Juice of Lemons, and adding thereunto halfe a pounde of common saite,

that is clene, white and well beaten: mire well all together, and let it

seeth faire and softly, untill there remaine no more skum of the Honnie.  

Then take that remaineth in the pot, and distill it in a ourinall of

glasse, making but a smalle fire at the beginnyng, encreasyng it by

litle and litle, and at the ende greate and sharpe: and whe all is

cooled again, open the violle, and powre the water out of the recipient,

into an other violle, stoppyng ith sure for takyng vente. This dooen, ye

muste breake the ourinall of glasse, and take the lies that shall remain

in the bottome, and put it into a covered pot, the whiche pot you must

couer ouer and ouer with claie or morter, to the entente it maie the

better endure the fire: and after put it into some fournesse, where

glass is made, or into a potters fournesse or Lime kill, or some other

semblable thing, so that it maie be in a greate fire, by the space of

twoe or three daies. And after that the saied substaunce shall be taken

out again, stampe it well, and for a pounde of the same, put in fower

vnces of Manna, and twoo ounces fo Suger candie, and if there be more or

less of the substaunce, ye must put in a food proportion of the of the

Manna and Suger candie, in equall quantitie with the substaunce.  Then

put al into an other ourinall of good glasse, well claied, and powre

upon it the water, whiche you kept before in the violle, puttung

thereunto twise as moche fine Aqua vite, as was in the saied first

violle. And hauyng trimmed and sette the ourinall of Glasse upon the

fournesse, with his limbecke, and his recipient, and well closyng all

the jointes with claie or morter, ye shall make the matter distill faire

and softly, with a smalle fire: for it will easely distill: when it will

distill no more, augemnt your fire, so that ye maie distill all that is

possible.  But yoou must leaue the water, with the violle, upon the

fournesse, without mouyng it any whit, untill you will put it in

experience.  This doen, take fine golde foile, that is of xxxiiv Carates

well fined with Antimonium: and take of the saied foile, what quantities

ye will, in a cup of glasse, in minglyng them well with Honnie, or with

Julep roset or Violet, as men are wont to dresse it to write withall,

whereof we will put parfitely all the maners and fasions, in the fift

boke of this volume.   And after you have well ounmired, and purged it

from thesaied Honnie with hotte water, as shall bee saied in the same

place, you shall put them to stille in a ouiolle of glasse: and then

hauing taken of the recipiente, put the saied water into a long necked

glasse, well stopped with white ware, hauyng firste put upon the saied

gold which is in the ouiolle, the height of five fingers of the saied

water: and then set to the limbeck with his recipiet, stoppyng well with

claie the jointes, makyng the water, whiche shall be oupo the said gold

to distill with a small fire, not augmenting it at the ende, to make all

to distill: and care not if the gold remain some what moist.  This doen,

take awaie the Limbeck fro the ouille, whthout takyng  awaie or untiyng

the recipiente from the said Limbeck, not sturryng the water out of the

recipient.  But take some man to helpe you, who, whiles you take the

Limbeck of from the ourinall, shall powre upon the saied gold, the same

water that you kept in the ouiolle, stopped with white ware: & let hym

put in as moche as at the firste tyme, that is to saie, the heighte of

five fingers: then immediatly set the Limbeck oupon the ourinall again,

closing well with claie the jointes or sides a newe, makyng the

distillation as afore, and so consequently, ountill all the water of the

saied ouille, bee distilled upon the saied gold.  And finally, ye shall

powre the gold out of the ouille into a glasse, somewhat greate, to

holde the water that you have distilled into it at divers dimes, as we

have said in the Chapiter before: then set to the Limbeck with his

recipient, and see that by the space of xv or xx daies, the water of the

bathe be hotte, without seethyng so that yet nothing maie distille.  

then after make the water to seeth, and distille all that maie be

distilled: and in the bottome of the ouille , the golde will remaine

dissolued into a licoure moste precious, whiche you must keepe in some

little glasse well stopped.  And if you will have it yet finer, you maie

make it without takyng it out of the said glasse, in puttyng to it again

the saied water, and distillyng it a freshe, not kepyng (for all that)

the water from seethyng, as you did before, but make it seeth and

distille all at ones and this distillyng you maie reiterate as often as

you will: for the oftener it is distilled, the better it is.  Thus doing

ye shall have a right, naturall, and perfite potable golde, whereof some

what taken alone, euery monthe ones or twise, or at the leaste with the

saied licoure, whereof wee have spoken in the seconde Chapiter of this

booke: is verie excellente to preserue a mannes youth and health, and to

heale in a fewe daies, any disease rooted in a manne, and thought

incurable.  The saied gold will be also good and profitable, for divers

other operations & effectes as goed wittes & diligent searchers of the

secretes of nature, maie easely judge. In this same maner (observyng all

thynges diligently) a man maie make of silver beaten into a foile, to

have likewise a potable silver, of a mervetlous vertue, yet not soche as

the golde: And I assure you, that I sawe above. v. yeres ago, and

Englishe man have a water made of silver, paradventure, trimmed &

dressed after an other sort, according to divers different waies,

tending (notwithstandyng) all to one ende, with the whiche water the

saied Englishe man did many thinges, estemed as miraculous, in healing

many painfull diseases and infirmities of man.

 

 

From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)

Date: Wed, 25 Jun 1997 20:30:48 -0400

Subject: Re: SC - documenting cordials

 

<snip>>

>                                            I will be teaching a local-level A&S class on making cordials in

>the near future; and I need to know a good place to start looking for

>documentation.  A book title or two would suffice; though I see no need to

>reinvent the wheel, I wouldn't ask y'all to do it for me either...

><snip>

>                                                     - kat

 

Hello!  I have a chapter on documented cordials and other distilled

beverages in my book "A Sip Through Time".  Two good late-period sources I

found are:

 

Hess, Karen, ed. Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery, and Booke of

Sweetmeats:  being a Family Manuscript, curiously copied by an unknown Hand

sometime in the seventeenth century, which was in her Keeping from 1749,

the time of her Marriage to Daniel Custis, to 1799, at which time she gave

it to Eleanor Parke Custis, her grandaughter, on the occasion of her

Marriage to Lawrence Lewis.  Columbia Univ. Press.  New York, 1981.  The

recipes contained in the MS. are dated 1550 to 1625 by the editor.  The MS.

contains many recipes for wines, mead, cordials, etc.

 

and

 

Plat, Sir Hugh. Delightes for Ladies, To adorne their Persons, Tables,

Closets, and Distillatories:  with Beavties, Banqvets, Perfumes & Waters

Printed by Humfrey Lownes.  London, 1609.

 

There is also a mention in Gerard's Herball (Gerard, John.  The Herball or

Generall Historie of Plants.  London, 1597.  Rpt. Walter J. Johnson, Inc.

Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Ltd.  Keizersgracht 526, Amsterdam, 1974.), p. 734:

 

"There is drawne out of Wine a liquor, which the Latines commonly call Aqua

vitae, or water of life, and also Aqua ardens, or burning water, which as

distilled waters are drawne out of herbes and other things, is after the

same manner distilled out of strong wine, that is to say, by certaine

instruments made for this purpose, which are commonly called Lembickes."

 

Hope this helps!

 

Sincgiefu

(Cindy Renfrow)

renfrow at skylands.net

http://www.alcasoft.com/renfrow/

 

 

Date: Sun, 3 May 1998 11:25:08 -0400

From: "LHG, JRG" <liontamr at ptd.net>

Subject: SC - Galingale Liqeur, etc.

 

Hallo. Please respect the copyright for the recipes (mine). I would

appreciate copies if they are published anywhere in hard-form. Pls. include

the contact information (liontamr at ptd.net) in case of questions.

 

Aoife (L. Herr-Gelatt)

 

***Aoife's Original Galingale Liqeur****

 

1 tsp. very fresh dried galingale chips or more to taste (lots will make it

fire-water, little will make a nice mild spiced beverage)

1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger

1 clove

6 dark raisins

1/2 inch piece of stick cinnamon

1 1/2 cups neutral spirits (I prefer Rum)

Combine these ingredients in an airtight vessel and let mull, shaking

occaisionally, for 2 weeks. Strain and filter. Add 1 1/2 cups simple syrup

and 2 tsp. glycerine if desired. Allow to mellow 1 month (this will be

variable. The taste changes over time. The fresher the galingale, the

harsher the taste is before maturation and the nicer the final product!).

 

***Aoife's Raisin and Wine Liqeur***

 

1/2 cup Dark Sweet Moist Raisins

Juice of 1 lemon

1 inch stick cinnamon

1 cup Liebfraumilch

1 cup neutral spirits (rum)

1 clove

a pinch of ground ginger

Combine and let mull 2 weeks in an airtight vessel, shaking occaisionally.

Strain and filter.Add 1 1/2 cups simple syrup or extra mild honey. Let

mature 2 weeks.

 

***Aoife's Sage-Lemon Liqeur***

 

A small bunch of fresh morning-picked garden sage (10-12 large leaves),

rinsed lightly,or the equivalent sized bunch of smaller leaves

1 1/2 cups neutral spirits (Vodka)

Juice and zest of 1 lemon (no white or seeds)

1 clove

 

Combine ingredients in an airtight vessel and allow to mull until there is

no fresh green in the sage leaves (about 1 1/2-2 weeks). Strain and filter.

Add 1 1/2-2 cups simple syrup (to taste). This is ready to drink in 2

months maturation time. *If desired, add 1 tsp glycerine or add 6 white

raisins to the sage mixture in the mull, for a nicer viscosity. Raisins

will alter the tast.

 

Aoife

 

 

Date: Wed, 6 May 1998 10:57:43 -0400

From: Christi Redeker <Christi.Redeker at digital.com>

Subject: SC - List Non-Topic Item

 

About 4 years ago a lady in Caerthe,

Mistress Mirianna (sp) taught me how to make cordials with the following

recipe:

 

4 cups sugar

4 cups milk

4 cups vodka

4 cups fruit

 

I found that this was very good, but I had a hard time finding a container

that the lid would not pop off of, does anyone have any suggestions on a

container?  Also, if I was to add some vanilla to this would it change the

time you leave it sit?

 

Gratefully,

Murkial af Maun

 

 

Date: Wed, 06 May 1998 16:54:04 -0400

From: Chris Peters <cpeters at cinemagnetics.com>

Subject: Re: SC - List Non-Topic Item

 

Christi Redeker wrote:

> I am not on the brewing list and I have just a

> quick question about cordials.  About 4 years ago a lady in Caerthe,

> Mistress Mirianna (sp) taught me how to make cordials with the following

> recipe:

> 4 cups sugar

> 4 cups milk

> 4 cups vodka

> 4 cups fruit

 

Sounds yummy.

 

> I found that this was very good, but I had a hard time finding a container

> that the lid would not pop off of,

 

It may be going through a secondary ferment. Easiest way is to attach a ferment

lock to it and let the carbox dribble away. You didnt say what kind of

containers your using but all you do simply drill a hole at the top, insert

rubber grommet and then the lock. You can also do quick and dirty which is to

drill hole, put a ballon with a pinhole through the top through said hole and

attch using food grade silicone. either way works although I personally am more

comfortable with the former.

 

> does anyone have any suggestions on a container?

 

I use 2 litre crocks from lechters or industrial/deli pickle jars heavily

bleached/sterilized.

 

> Also, if I was to add some vanilla to this would it change the

> time you leave it sit?

 

It shouldn’t. Also do sniff taste tests to determine when you have enough

bouquet/flavor. When it tastes right to YOU then remove.

 

SCA - Padrhaig ne Killkenny

Mundanely - Chris Peters

http://www.cyburban.com/~chatelaine

 

 

Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 10:19:56 -0500

From: mfgunter at fnc.fujitsu.com (Michael F. Gunter)

Subject: Re: SC - Rose Petal Liqueur

 

> >>(Just put up a new batch of Rose Petal Liqueur as a gift to Her Highness

> this weekend.)<<

> Lucky Princess! Can we have the recipe, please?

> Renata

 

This recipe is very simple and can be made even simpler. To do it the

correct way take a couple of pounds of organic rose petals (dried or fresh)

and steep them in hot water for about half an hour. Strain out the petals and

mix with sugar to make a thick syrup. Boil this and you should get a dusky rose

colored syrup. Mix with vodka about 50/50 depending on the taste. Bottle and let

sit for about six months is best. The vodka mellows and the rose takes on a

cinnamon-rose flavor. This method is slower but far superior to this next, quick

recipe.

 

Go to a Middle Eastern market and get bottles of Rose Syrup. Mix about 50/50 with vodka. Bottle. This is palatable within a few days but is better after a month or two. This is what I did for Her Highness since I was pressed for time. But even with it being this raw I still had people that tasted it offering me money for a bottle.

 

Part of the fun is letting people taste it and then having them try to guess what it is. Ladies seem to prefer the liqueur more than men.

 

This is a very easy and rare cordial to make and very popular whenever I do it.

 

Gunthar

 

 

[submitted by "Philippa Alderton" <phlip at bright.net>]

From: Gaylin Walli <g.walli at infoengine.com>

To: herbalist at Ansteorra.ORG

Subject: HERB - RECIPEBoom Boom Tummy Cordial (long)

Date: Thursday, November 05, 1998 3:11 PM

 

Here's the recipe for the cordial that my husband started calling

"Boom Boom." I didn't really know until this year that my

experiment had been successful. You see, when I first started

using this cordial, I did it with the intent of finding

something that would settle my stomach and taste pleasing. My

husband didn't know this at the time. With the initial help of

my grandma and my mom, I've been making it for a few years now.

My husband finally said to me this year, "You know, whenever

I get sour tummy, that cordial of yours seems to help."

 

And here I just thought it tasted good. It certainly doesn't

last long at our house or camp. It also takes a while to mature,

so you probably want to start it early (i.e. it's probably too

late to start it for the holiday season of 1998). Oh yes,

the reason it's called "Boom Boom"....it sneaks up on you and

goes boom boom boom if you're not paying attention to how

much you drink. :) -- jasmine at infoengine.com

 

PSI'm told this recipe is pretty close to a recipe that was

published in an old Herb Companion Magazine under the title

"Thunder of Zeus." I have that issue on back order. My mother

and grandmother were the originators of this recipe when it

was handed down to me, so I suspect the recipe is an older one

that was published sometime during my grandmother's lifetime

in an old woman's magazine. :)

 

 

BOOM BOOM or Jasmine's Sour Tummy Cordial

 

Equipment:

 

  !--> a safety-approved kitchen fire extinguisher

 

     a mortar or a heavy object with a flat bottom and a plastic bag

     measuring spoons

     a large, non-reactive pan (one that can hold all the brandy)

     a gallon-sized glass jar with a non-metal sealable top

        and preferably a very wide mouth-opening

     a large funnel (optional)

     a non-reactive metal spoon

     measuring cups

     a small knife

     a fine mesh strainer or several large coffee filters

     bottle for final storage

 

Ingredient set #1:

 

     1 litre brandy

     2 rounded tablespoons whole coriander seeds

     1 rounded tablespoon whole cumin seed

     6 whole cloves (or less to taste)

     1 small cinnamon stick (about 2 or 3 inches long)

 

Ingredient set #2:

 

     1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar

     2 cups filtered water

     1/2 a vanilla bean, split

     1 bottle dry white wine (not sweet!)

 

 

*WARNING*:

 

You're working with alcohol. Alchol can catch fire even if you're

using an electric stove. In fact, any heat source can start it.

Use common sense caution and extreme care when working with the

brandy in this recipe. Have the fire extinguisher ready and

reachable. Know how to use it. In the event that your brandy

catches fire, USE THE EXSTINGUISHER, NOT A TOWEL. If you're not

familiar with standard kitchen fire safety, call you local

public library or fire fighting education office and ask for a

pamphlet before starting this recipe.

 

     If you have small children, I suggest you plan to make

this recipe when they're either out of the house or will be

asleep for more than an hour. Leaving the stove even for a moment

could mean the difference between safety and a major house fire.

If this sounds like an overreaction, it's not. This is meant to

scare you. I've personally witnessed these fires in action.

 

 

Preparation and Hints:

 

    In a mortar or in a plastic bag with a heavy object, bruise

or crush (not grind) all the spices in ingredient set 1 except

for the cinnamon stick. The spices should still be recognizeable

as spices, albeit in pieces. You want to release the essential

oils and flavors of the spices, but you don't want them so small

that they will significantly cloud your cordial. Place these

bruised spices in your pan.

 

DO NOT turn on your stove yet.

 

    Away from the stove, pour the brandy into the pan, being careful

to dry up any splatters and spills before you place the pan on the

stove. Be sure to wipe the bottoms AND sides of the pan.

 

    Place the pan on the stove and turn the heat to low or

medium low. Watch the pan carefully to assure the brandy does not

catch fire. This is especially true if you use a gas stove. When

the brandy is very warm (more than lukewarm, but not hot enough to

burn your finger), turn off the heat and remove the pan from the

stove.

 

     Away from your stove, pour the brandy into your gallon-sized

jar. If you have a large funnel with a large opening at the bottom,

one large enough for the spices to slide through without clogging,

use that (Hintcar repair stores sell these). If you don't have

a funnel, pour carefully. An extra set of hands can be invaluable

at this point.

 

     Cap the jar, preferably with a plastic threaded cap if you

can find one. Metal caps often react with the substances in your

jar if jostled and can cause either an off taste or rust bits

in your liquid. If you can't find a glass jar this big, use a

large, FOOD-GRADE (non-reactive) plastic tub with a strongly sealed

lid.

 

    Store this jar for at least 1 month (preferably 2 or more) in a cool,

dark place. An unused closet is a good choice. After one month's time,

drag that jar back out of the closet. From ingredient set 2, take

the sugar and water and place them in a saucepan on low. Stir the

mix until the sugar is dissolved in the water. Split your vanilla

bean down its length and add it along with the sugar syrup to the

jar with your brandy mix. Add your bottle of dry white wine. Give

it all a quick stir with your spoon, cap it again, and put it back

into the cool, dark place for at least 2 more months though you can

let it go longer with no ill effects. (I've done this second storage

for as short as one month, but it doesn't taste as good to me.)

 

     When you can't wait any longer, take the jar back out and filter

out the solids. While coffee filters work okay, I find it best to

filter the mixture thorugh a fine strainer first and then filter it

again through coffee filters (I've also used cheesecloth before).

 

     Bottle the filtered liquid (I prefer dark glass). Enjoy!

 

 

Choosing the right alcohol:

 

     Over the years that I've made this, it's been tough to recreate

the exact recipe twice. I've learned this is mostly due to the brandy

and wine I've chosen. I prefer to use a moderately expensive brandy.

Cheaper brandies, in my experience, often contain off flavors that I

don't like in my cordials. Professionals may disagree with me on this

point, though, so use a brandy you like, even if it's the cheap stuff!

 

     Wine is a little bit tougher to choose than brandy. I prefer to

buy the most expensive bottle of dry white I can afford. I'm usually

lucky enough to find one in the $10-12 range that suits my purposes.

Again, though, if you find a fantastic buy at $3 and you really like

the taste, by all means use it. If, however, you really don't buy wine

that often, ask your local wine reseller for help. They're usually

quite knowledgeable.

 

     My favorite wine choices so far include a number of Chardonnays

and a good Seyval Blanc. I wouldn't use a riesling and certainly not

a White Zinfande or a blush wine. Some chablis wines are okay, but many

aren't my first choice. I also wouldn't choose any wine that was described

as "fruity". Look for the words "crisp" or "dry" in the wine's

description.

 

 

[Contributed by: "Philippa Alderton" <phlip at bright.net>]

From: Gaylin Walli <g.walli at infoengine.com>

To: herbalist at Ansteorra.ORG

Subject: Re: HERB - RECIPE: Boom Boom Tummy Cordial (long)

Date: Thursday, November 05, 1998 3:37 PM

 

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa spoke thusly:

>Mm... This sounds delicious. I'm looking forward to trying it...

 

:) Oh goody! Let me know when you finish. I'd love to hear how

it turned out.

 

>in re: funnels & cordials:

>When I've made cordials, I found that a canning funnel (made of glass,

>looks like a funny teacup with a wide opening in the bottom to fit into a

>canning jar) is invaluable. You can even use it for straining if you put a

>cone-shaped coffee filter inside it before pouring.

 

I've tried this before with mixed results. You need to find the

right sized jar opening for your purposes or the canning funnel

most people use will be too small. That is, it will slip through

the jar opening and you'll need to fish it out. Learned this one

the hard way.

 

Also, the coffee filters. I've found they simply don't work in the

canning funnels because they slip through when they get wet even

if you have the cone-shaped kind and even if you have the right

jar opening. I've also found that coffee filters seem to clog

faster with the spices when the sugar syrup is mixed in the solution.

That's why I suggested filtering once through fine mesh and another

time through filters. My favorite filter of all time is a brewing

filter. But it's large enough that I always need an extra set of

hands to hold it while I pour the liquid.

 

>I've also found useful a canning-jar sized mini strainer--

 

I've used these too. With great success if the jar opening is

small enough and you pour slowly. Typically, though, the strainer

is too small for the jar or the straining holes are too large

for my purposes and I get bits of spice in the cordial.

 

I've just recently received as a gift a very nice larger fine

mesh strainer for cooking. I'm sure it was original intended

for other purposes, but I'm dying to try it with the cordial

because the holes look small enough.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm sure they'll help people!

 

Jasmine

 

 

Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 11:41:28 -0600

From: a14h at zebra.net (William Seibert)

Subject: Re: SC - Re: Honey recipe

 

M'lord Ras and Good Gentles of the List,

 

His Grace Cariadoc has included a recipe for lemon syrup in his Miscellaney

(http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/drinks.html#5) fron an Andalusian book,

there is further evidence of the use of fruit flavored syrups in the AlQanun Fi

AlTibb (The Law of Medicine) by Abu Ali al-Hussain Ibn Abdallah Ibn Sina

(937-1037 ce).  This book contains a large number of prescriptions for various

ills, among which are a number of what we would call cordials.

 

wajdi balgarbi

 

 

Date: Sun, 07 Feb 1999 18:24:26 -0500

From: capriest at cs.vassar.edu (Carolyn Priest-Dorman)

To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu

Subject: Re: liquers/cordials

 

>Does anybody have a source for period liquer/cordial recipes?

>Morgaine of Glastonbury

 

|   AUTHOR: Arnaldus, de Villanova, d. 1311.

|    TITLE: The earliest printed book on wine,

|    PLACE: New York,

|PUBLISHER: Schuman's,

|     YEAR: 1943

| PUB TYPE: Book

|   FORMAT: 44 p., facsim. ([30] p.), incl. front. (port.) 1 col. illus. 26

|           cm.

|    NOTES: Translation and facsimile of Der tractat Arnoldi de Noua villa,

|           von bewarug vn beraitug der wein, 1478, Wilhelm von Hirnkofen's

|           version of the Tractatus de vinis.

|           "Limited to three hundred and fifty copies."

|  SUBJECT: Wine and wine making.

|           Wine -- Therapeutic use.

|    OTHER: Hirnkofen, Wilhelm von, called Renwart, fl.1478, tr.

 

The reference, Arnaldus of Villanova's book about wines and

winemaking, also contains several medicinal cordial recipes.  Mainly they

involve steeping herbs in wine for various health reasons.  There are no

SCA-style sweet cordials in the book, but there is one that I'm very fond

of, called something like "wine that's good for the whole body."  It's wine

boiled with sugar, rose water, and some spices, and you're supposed to drink

a few ounces of it at a time.

 

Carolyn Priest-Dorman                Thora Sharptooth

capriest at cs.vassar.edu                Frostahlid, Austrriki

 

 

Subject: Rose liqueur recipes

Date: Mon, 07 Jun 1999 06:52:01 -0700

From: "Stephanie Dale Ross" <aislinncc at mailcity.com>

Organization: MailCity (http://www.mailcity.lycos.com:80)

To: SCA-dist2 at onelist.com

CC: Stefan at texas.net

 

Zahedan Liqueur

(Peach and Rose Petal Liqueur)

 

Into a gallon jar, put a quart of vodka or grain alcohol. Add:

1 lb honey

2 to 3 handfuls scented rose petals

1 doz peaches, halved, with pits, and a few pits broken open

 

Let this stand for two months, shaking it every second day, and then strain. In Zahedan, the rose petals were still in the bottles.

 

Rose Cordial

 

This recipe comes from _Directions for Cookery_, by Miss Leslie, 1830.

 

Take 1 qt rose petals and put them into a glass gallon container.

Pour over them a little more than 1 qt lukewarm water. Cover and let stand 24 hours.

Strain into another glass vessel, sqeeezing out every drop from the rose petals.

Pick another qt of rose petals and put those into the rose water. let stand for 48 hours, and strain and squeeze. Repeat until the water is as rose-scented as you like.

Now add 1/2 to 1 lb sugar and 1 to 2 qts brandy, vodka, or grain alcohol, one stick of cinnamon and 1 oz coriander. Cover well and let stand 3 to 4 weeks, then strain and bottle.

 

(*sigh*, wouldn't you know, that wasn't the recipe I wanted to copy. Here is the other Persian one.)

 

Armenian Rose Liqueur

 

This liqueur should be made early in June (time to get started is NOW! *wink*).

Pick two dozen highly scented roses. Pick them early in the morning before the sun draws out their perfume. it is also advisable not to pick them the day after a rain.

Separate the petals and and remove the white and yellow parts from the ends, the stamen region. Be sure the petals are dry, then put them into a glass gallon jar and pour a qt of neutral spirits over them. Cover well and put in a dark place. Stir once or twice a week for four weeks.

Then take another doz roses, removing the white parts. Dissolve 3c sugar in 2c water in an enamel pan with a well-fitting cover, and put in the rose petals. Cover the pot, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for one hour. Now strain both the rose-petal spirits and the rose-petal syrup into a suitable jar, so that the two blend. Cover the rose liqueur lightly for about 12 hours, then put into bottles and cork well. This will be a drink that can truly be called nectar.

 

All these recipes are from _Folk Wines, Cordials and Brandies_ by M.A. Jagendorf, 1963. No ISBN info.

 

He has some rose wine recipes too... If you get a chance, check this one out of the library. I rescued my copy from my local community college library where it was languishing from disuse. The book is 398 pages of interesting and doable recipes.

 

If anyone has a honeysuckle wine recipe, I would be interested in having it posted. Please! I might get up the nerve to brave the ticks and go honeysuckle flower picking if I can find a decent recipe. Thanks in advance!

 

Aislinn

 

 

From: Timothy Green <timgreen at eriecoast.com>

To: SCA-dist2 at onelist.com <SCA-dist2 at onelist.com>

Date: Sunday, July 11, 1999 2:27 PM

Subject: [SCA-dist2] RE: Lemon Cordial

 

>                     *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

>                              Lemon Cordial

>Recipe By     : Making Cordials & Liqueurs at Home, J.P. Farrell

>Serving Size  : 1   Preparation Time :0:00

>Categories    :

>  Amount  Measure      Ingredient -- Preparation Method

>-------- ------------  --------------------------------

>   4                    Lemons -- Or

>   1 1/2  Tsp          Lemon Extract

>   1                    Fifth         Vodka Or Brandy

>   1      Cup          sugar syrup or honey

>Peel the lemons, avoiding the white pith.  Steep the peel in the alcohol

>base for two weeks;strain through cheesecloth and then add the sugar

>syrup or honey. If using lemon extract, steep in the alcohol.  If using

>honey and don't want it cloudy, let it sit for two weeks and then siphon

>off the clear liquid.

 

 

Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 21:17:55 -0400

From: "Robert Newmyer" <rnewmyer at epix.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Lemon Cordial -?-

 

Recipe for Limoncello (from Fine Cooking - March 97)

makes 3 quarts

 

15 lemons

2 bottles 100 proof vodka (750 ml each)

4 cups sugar

5 cups water

 

    Scrub lemons, using warm water and a brush, to remove any wax or

pesticide residue. Remove zest from lemons using a vegetable peeler. Avoid

including the white pith, as this adds bitterness. Add the zest to half of

the vodka. Wait 40 days and then add second half of the vodka and sugar

syrup. Sugar syrup is made by combining the sugar and water in a saucepan,

bring to boil and cook about 5 minutes. Wait another 40 days then strain out

zest and bottle. Can be stored at room temperature, but keep a bottle in the

freezer for serving.

 

    I just sampled my own batch, and at 0 deg. F. it is still liquid and

very good. A friend tells me that in Italy they sell something like

cake-type donut holes dipped in limoncello. Sounds tasty. I have no

documentation on this recipe. It seems fairly modern. I imagine that a

version with brandy and honey was an earlier variant.

 

               Griffith Allt y Genlli, Blak Rose, East

               Bob Newmyer

 

 

Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 13:47:59 -0500

From: Melissa Martines <mmartines at brighthorizons.com>

Subject: SC - Lemon Cordial

 

A note of caution:  I judged a lemon cordial once that included the peel

along with the juice in the recipe and had a taste very similar to Pledge.

I was the first judge to take a sip, and after one look at my face, the

others didn't even want to try it (although several did).  We concluded that

possible pith left on the lemon peel or even the peel itself was too

overwhelming in the cordial, although the juice might be nice.  Don't have

any documentation for it, though.  Sorry.

 

THLady Morgan MacBride

Meridies

 

 

Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 18:41:26 -0400

From: "James R. May" <robmay at home.com>

Subject: SC - Lemon Cordial

 

I served my lemon cordial to several ladies at last Gulf Wars and had one

lady abscond with the whole bottle. I peeled a whole bag of lemons and

covered them with a half gallon of Stolichnaya Vodka. After four weeks, I

strained, filtered, and sweetned with 50/50 sugar syrup and honey. Aged for

one month, then racked off of sediment from the lemons and honey.

 

Jehan Yves

 

 

Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 19:51:15 -0400

From: "Robert Newmyer" <rnewmyer at epix.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Lemon Cordial

 

>A note of caution: I judged a lemon cordial once that included the peel

>along with the juice in the recipe and had a taste very similar to Pledge.

>I was the first judge to take a sip, and after one look at my face, the

>others didn't even want to try it (although several did).  We concluded that

>possible pith left on the lemon peel or even the peel itself was too

>overwhelming in the cordial, although the juice might be nice.  Don't have

>any documentation for it, though.  Sorry.

>THLady Morgan MacBride

>Meridies

 

    The recipe I supplied to the list is from a native of Sorrento, Italy.

As this recipe is flavored entirely with lemon peel, they seem to have

developed a taste for lemon oil. I think part of the problem is that we

(Americans)  associate lemon oil only with cleaning products, and not with

food. I noticed that after aging for about a year the lemon oil note is more

subtle. The proportion of peel in this recipe seems about right to me. The

pith (white stuff) will add bitterness and should not be used. Also, I would

only drink this cordial chilled, optimally from a freezer.

 

               Griffith Allt y Genlli, Blak Rose, East

               Bob Newmyer

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 14:50:44 PDT

From: "Bonne of Traquair" <oftraquair at hotmail.com>

Subject: vodka for bandy in cordials was Re: SC - Groundhog-Cordial

 

Being much fonder of brandy than of vodka, I can't imagine why the

substitution is considered better.  There is talk of vodka being more

neutral.  In my opinion, it is so neutral that a certain richness of flavor

is lost in the end product.

 

When I was a teen, I discovered that vanilla beans in brandy made a much

better vanilla extract than the stuff in the tiny bottle in the store, and

in the end not that much more expensive.

 

Bonne

 

>In a public offering to a few sites, (Middlebridge, etc)

>Lord Mikal Isernfocar called Ironhawk wrote:

>"...First, the basic ingredient of most home made cordials today is

>commercially available distillates, usually brandy, vodka or gin

>(according to your personal tastes) or possibly pure grain alcohol.  Any

>of these is acceptable as a period substitute since most of our period

>recipes refer to using double or triple distilled brandy."... Then he

>goes on to say, "The recipes offered here are based on 80 proof vodka."

>G'day Mike, et al,

>If I may make a comment to this 'I documented Brandy - used Vodka'

>syndrome which is very common in the SCA, in A&S and in general:

>it DOES taste somewhat similar; but it's generally only close, no cigar.

>If you have made the 'recreation of a Period cordial' your intent, it

>falls short of the mark, in that it is wrong, and/or undocumented. As an

>A&S judge, I have had to point that out, from time to time, especially

>when they use that old TI article as documentation. Not that Vodka isn't

>in the general definition of distilled spirits, but Brandy is the spirit

>specified in period documents. Perhaps there is some cultural bias that

>keeps suggesting that substituting relatively modern, undocumented

>distillates in recipes calling for Brandy is desirable, but the

>research and making/testing of Cordials by Mistress Arwenna and the

>Gwyntarian Tunners Guild suggests otherwise. The main point is that

>philosophically, you're pulling a 'bait and switch' of sorts, every time

>you substitute a modern equivalent (and Vodka IS, if only in name) for

>that called for in the Period recipes, when the Period ingredient is

>easily obtained. Also, in the opinion of the Guild, Brandy does a better

>job. (and tastes as 'neutral', especially if you use the Christian Bros

>crystal) Those who have spent their lives drinking Vodka will of course

>swear that it tastes the more neutral, at worst the same, maybe better.

>For me, though, it's the equivalent of making a Rum cake, and throwing

>in Scotch instead, on the above theory. It may very well make a lovely

>cake, (I like Scotch), but it is no longer a Rum cake. (aside from the

>fact that Scotch is documentably Period, and Rum isn't).

>A little off topic, perhaps, but I just hate to see the SCA populace

>think it's All-The-Same. It's not.

>--

>Ian Gourdon of Glen Awe

>- Companion of the order of the Greenwood Company

>http://web.raex.com/~agincort

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 21:08:53 -0400

From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)

Subject: Re: SC - SCA cordials ......Rum?

 

>Recently I had a brainstorm.  Instead of the vodka called for in my favorite

>peach cordial recipe, I used dark rum, and added a stick of cinnamon to each

>bottle.  Talk about layers of flavor!  The dark, smooth flavor of the rum,

>then the sweet, fruity flavor of ripe peachs, all overlaid with a slight zing

>of cinnamon. Indescribable!

 

Rum is too late, but cordials are not.  Here's one from c. 1550 to 1625:

 

# 281  A CORDIALL WATER - c. 1550 to 1625

Take burrage & buglos flowers, as many as will [gap in MS] a still, & put

thereto as much sack & clare[t] as will wet them well.  & to every pinte of

[cordial] water, you must put 2 ounces of white sugar candie & one grayne

of ambergreece, finely beaten.  ye sugar candy must be put into ye glass

bottles & let ye water distill upon it very gently.

(From Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery, ed. by Karen Hess.)

 

There are some recipes out there.  Don't get discouraged.

 

<snip>

In my last entry, for "color and appearance" the comment was

>that it was "ugly, but probably acceptable for the period."  It was an

>hyppocras and cream.  Red wine and cream.  What did they expect the color to

>be?

>Mordonna

 

Probably they expected it to be clear.  I did some red wine & cream

hippocras awhile back & it looked like $%^*^.

 

Cindy Renfrow/Sincgiefu

renfrow at skylands.net

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Jul 1999 22:18:14 -0400

From: renfrow at skylands.net (Cindy Renfrow)

Subject: Re: SC - SCA cordials ......Rum?

 

>I'm not, but AFAIK neither sack nor claret is a distilled spirit.

>Mordonna

 

Then how about this one?  Plat (1609) has a few recipes too.

 

# 289  TO MAKE CINNAMON WATER - c. 1550 to 1625

 

Take a gallon of muskadine, malmsey, or sack & put it in A vessill yt may

be close covered, & put to it into ye vessell a pound of bruised cinnamon.

let it stand 3 dayes, & every day stir 2 or 3 times.  then put it in a

limbeck of glass, stoped fast.  set it in a brass pot full of water,1 & put

hay in ye bottome & about ye sydes.  then make ye pot seeth, & let it

distill in to a glass kept as close as may be.  shift ye glass every houre

after ye first time, for ye first will be ye strongest, & ye last will be

very weak.

 

(From Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery, ed. by Karen Hess.)

 

Cindy

 

 

Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 08:45:00 -0700

From: "Christi Rigby" <christirigby at pcisys.net>

Subject: RE: SC - winter thoughts

 

Lorix asked for recipe for my strawberry apple cordials. Easy easy!  I got

this from an event 7 years ago or so.  Can't even remember who gave the

class.  The recipe was so easy I never wrote it down.

 

4 cups milk

4 cups sugar

4 cups cut up fruit

4 cups Vodka

 

Mix all together in a sealable container.  Open and stir every week or so.

After a month fit cheese cloth in a strainer and pour through, wringing out

the cheese cloth as you go.  Pour into bottles and serve to the people who

spent hours helping you blow up your air bed at Estrella.

 

Last part of that sentence is optional.

 

Murkial

 

 

Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 09:13:18 -0800

From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <xtal at sigenetics.com>

Subject: RE: SC - Christmas Dinner and Gifts/Fig Brandy

 

Lady Katherine McGuire writes:

>  Was Fig Brandy available in our "period"? If so does one use "dried" figs

> or fresh?

 

The short answer is No.

 

Fruit was cheap and distillates very expensive. As near as I can tell, it

simply never occurred to medieval/renaissance people to put the two

together. I've been looking for a primary source for fruit-in-hard alcohol

reference for more than three years and have not found one. The only

fruit-in-wine documentation I have been able to find is in a very late

English book* (written by an elderly Italian remembering his youth)

referring to the Italian practice of soaking peaches in wine to render them

edible, with a humorous comment that nobody throws away the wine afterwards.

 

Source:

*Castelvetro, Giacomo (1546-1616) _Brieve racconto di tutte le radici, di

tutte l'herb et di tutti i frutti, che crudi o cotti in Italia si mangiano_

c. 1614.  Translated by Riley, Gillian. _The Fruit, Herbs & Vegetables of

Italy_. Published by Viking Penguin Inc., New York. 1989 (excellent text of

Italian/English foods eaten in late period, many just post-period pictures,

while written in Italian the intended audience was English, excellent for

late period vegetarians)

 

Crystal of the Westermark

 

 

Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 13:25:15 -0500

From: "Daniel Phelps" <phelpsd at gate.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Christmas Dinner and Gifts/Fig Brandy

 

Was written:

>Fruit was cheap and distillates very expensive. As near as I can tell, it

>simply never occurred to medieval/renaissance people to put the two

>together. I've been looking for a primary source for fruit-in-hard alcohol

>reference for more than three years and have not found one. The only

>fruit-in-wine documentation I have been able to find is in a very late

>English book* (written by an elderly Italian remembering his youth)

>referring to the Italian practice of soaking peaches in wine to render them

>edible, with a humorous comment that nobody throws away the wine

afterwards.

 

Check out "Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book; Elizabethan Country House

Cooking" Hilary Spurling, ISBN 0-670-81592-6, page 170 with regard to

Ratafia the making there of.

 

Daniel Raoul le Vascon de Navarre' called many things by many people but by

the English, Leadenpenny.

 

 

Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 11:17:49 -0800

From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <xtal at sigenetics.com>

Subject: RE: SC - Christmas Dinner and Gifts/Fig Brandy

 

I have checked out _Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book_, and almost had heart

failure until I read the text extra carefully and discovered the

cherries-in-brandy recipe was a 18th century addition. I like Fettiplace,

but it's a source you have to be careful with.

 

Happy mundane new year,

Crystal of the Westermark

 

 

Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2000 10:54:26 -0800

From: "Crystal A. Isaac" <xtal at sigenetics.com>

Subject: RE: SC - Fig Brandy

 

There is !buckets! of documentation for putting expensive spices into brandy

or wine. Please check your local library for a really cool book by Arnald of

Villanova* who has extensive recipes of flavored brandy or wine for taste

and medicinal purposes. Spices in wine was a conspicious-consumption thing,

to the point where (I've been told by a scholar I trust) there's 16th

century German law about how much flavored brandy you can serve to your

guests.

 

Hess's MWBoC** is a cool source and I've taken several beverages from it,

but there's no fruit-in-hard-alcohol recipes in it.

 

Crystal of the Westermark

 

*Arnald of Villanova, (1235-1311). _The Earliest Printed Book on Wine_.

translated from the German edition by Sigerist, Henry E. Published by

Schumanís New York 1943. There were only a few copies (50, I thnk) of this

volume published. There's one at The University of Califorina at Berekely,

in with the ordinary collection. If anybody can find a translation from the

orginal Latin, I'd love to hear about it.

 

**Hess, Karen. Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery and Booke of Sweetmeats.

Published by Columbia University Press. NY 1995. ISBN 0-231-04931-5 (pbk.)

 

 

Date: Sun, 5 Mar 2000 19:48:40 EST

From: Seton1355 at aol.com

Subject: SC - question after recipe

 

From  A BOKE OF GODE COKERY

 

HERB CORDIAL  

 

1/4 cup honey

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. caraway seeds

1/2 tsp. whole cloves

2 sticks of cinnamon

2 1/2 cups 100-proof vodka

1 whole nutmeg, broken

7 cardamom pods, crushed

3 whole allspice

peel of 1/2 lemon

peel of 1/2 orange

1/2 vanilla bean, broken

Simmer all but vodka for 15 minutes. Cool. Pour into glass container along

with vodka. Let stand 3 weeks. Strain through cheese cloth and leave until

clear.

 

QUESTION;  What can I use in place of the vodka. I don't want this to be

alcoholic.  Also, was vodka period? P Seton

 

 

Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 13:32:41 -0700

From: "Christi Rigby" <christirigby at pcisys.net>

Subject: RE: SC - question after cordial recipe

 

Ann said:

>I just posted a peach cordial recipe that I had worked on w/ Murkial.

>It's on my web page: http://www.nmia.com/~ariann/

 

So you all know, this recipe came from a Laurel at a cooking collegium in

Caerthe (I think it was Mistress Mirianna Wren) and the collegium was at

least 6 years ago.  I never received any documentation on this, so I

couldn't help you with finding it at all.  If anyone knows how to get ahold

of Mistress Mirianna, she may remember and be able to help.

 

But other than being not period, it is delicious and makes great gifts.

 

Murkial

 

 

Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 20:51:28 GMT

From: "Liam Fisher" <macdairi at hotmail.com>

Subject: Re: SC - question after recipe

 

>magdlena at earthlink.net writes:

><< Tastes disgusting, even in cordials. >>

>Agreed. Everclear leaves a perception that is unpleasant to the senses. More

>accurately that perception really is not taste. It is tasteless, odorless and

>without distinctive character. (A description that also describes vodka

>according to federal law, BTW.)

 

It would also have a tendency to ignite from just about any nearby source,

especially if warmed to bring out the character of the cordial unless it is

very dilute.  Vodka and brandy ignite too, but not THAT easily.  Everclear

also has a tendency to remove a bit TOO much of what you want to bring out

from cordial ingredient, including hallucinogens and toxins from seeds and

pits if not handled correctly.

 

Cadoc

- -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Cadoc MacDairi, Mountain Confederation, ACG

 

 

Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 18:38:55 -0800From: "James F. Johnson" <seumas at mind.net>Subject: Re: SC - Brandy use in cordial makingLrdRas at aol.com wrote:> tori at panix.com writes: > << Of the modern brandy choices (of which there are way too many), which is>  a good choice to use for cordials? >>> > I would say cognac or Napoleon would be ideal but use any brandy that you> feel comfortable with and which produces in your opinion a good finished> products. I have tasted cordials made with the least expensive types of> brandies and with the most expensive types. Both seemed tasty. ;-)A similar discussion a while back on the Hist-Brewing list pointed outthat 'aqua vitae' tends to be the _local_ distilled spirit duringhistoric times and later became geographic specific. There was nociteable source provided for this, but seems reasonable (uisge, aquavitae, vodka all relate to 'water'). It was suggested to use thetraditional spirit of whatever region from which the recipe came from.I've been using inexpensive domestic vodka for my experiments with aBarenjaeger clone, and bought a fifth of inexpensive French brandy for ablackberry-honey-brandy cordial with seems quite nice, except the honeyis dominate right now. I would suggest the same as for cooking wines. If the taste is eitherneutral or supportive in straight form, use it. If it tastes badstraight, don't use it, and give consideration to a flavour that may notcompliment the other flavour of the cordial.Seumas

 

Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 11:14:12 -0500

From: "Jeff Gedney" <JGedney at dictaphone.com>

Subject: Re: SC - question after recipe

 

For spices I'd use a good unflavored 100 proof vodka.

While many period "aquavitae" recipes are wine based, that is not

necessarily the defining characteristic. The term "Aquavitae" appears

to have been applied to any ardent distilled alchohol.

There are plenty of examples of Grain-based Aquavitae's in late period.

 

Some commercial Vodkas are made from grains (not always from potato

as popular myth would have it) Therefore, IMHO, a good quality vodka is

a perfectly reasonable substitute for period Aquavitae, unless the origin

of the aquavitae is given in the recipe.

Vodka Vibarowa is made form rye, for example.

Many premium Polish vodkas are made from fruits as well as grain, too, in

recipes that are very close to what I have seen of period recipes.

 

If you do some research into the Vodkas available in your area, you may

be able to find some that duplicate nicely the flavors of many AquaVitae

called for in period recipes and extractions.

 

Brandu

 

 

Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 14:03:06 EST

From: LrdRas at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - Re: aqua vitae

 

CorwynWdwd at aol.com writes:

<< I would be GLAD to use a spirit

distilled from wine if someone could point out to me one that I could use

that wasn't aged and colored to begin with. >>

 

Christian Brothers makes and sells a clear brandy that has not been aged in

wood.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 17:17:13 -0500

From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Re: aqua vitae

 

LrdRas at aol.com wrote:

> Christian Brothers makes and sells a clear brandy that has not been aged in

> wood.

>

> Ras

 

Ras, does anybody import marc brandy into the U.S.? This is a French

product distilled not from wine, but from wine lees, IIRC, then sold

pretty much raw. Grappa might be another option, being the Italian

equivalent. That, I'm pretty sure, is widely available in the U.S.

 

Adamantius

 

 

Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 17:27:05 -0500

From: Angie Malone <alm4 at cornell.edu>

Subject: Re: SC - Re: aqua vitae

 

>Ras, does anybody import marc brandy into the U.S.? This is a French

>product distilled not from wine, but from wine lees, IIRC, then sold

>pretty much raw. Grappa might be another option, being the Italian

>equivalent. That, I'm pretty sure, is widely available in the U.S.

>Adamantius

 

Yes, Grappa is available in most every liquor store, only not very

inexpensive.  Even the lower proof, (around 80 proof) is still fairly

expensive, only not as expensive as the 100 proof.  These prices are in

Central NY, your prices may vary.  For the curious, grappa is distilled

from the grape squeezings left over after the grapes have been squeezed for

wine.

 

I have heard that grappa is generally an after dinner drink, sometimes

chilled.  I don't know if that is true or not.  I myself enjoy another

after dinner drink, espresso with a shot of anisette.

 

      Angeline

 

 

Date: Sat, 18 Mar 2000 11:38:11 -0500

From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler at chesapeake.net>

Subject: Re: SC - Greetings!

 

> ekoogler at chesapeake.net writes:

> <<  if anyone knows

>  anything about an Italian liquor called Limoncello.  I found the recipe

>  in a recent Saveur magazine. >>

> Recipe, please?

> Ras

 

Here goes:

                                LIMONCELLO

                                    from Saveur, Jan-Feb 2000, p. 76

 

Makes 2 bottles

 

The recipe adapted from Naples at Table:  Cooking in Campania by

Arthur Schwartz (HarperCollins, 1998)

 

8-12 lemons washed.

4 cups Everclear or other neutral high-proof alcohol

2 1/2 cups sugar

 

1.  Zest lemons, avoiding white pith.  Put zest into a large glass jar with a

tight-fitting lid and add alcohol (there should be enough to cover the zest.

Set aside in a cool, dark place for 2 - 4 days (The higher the proof of the

alcohol, the faster the essence of lemon will be extracted)  When zest turns

pale and alcohol has a deep yellow color, strain through a sieve and store in

another glass container.  Discard zest.

 

2.  Combine sugar and 6 cups of water in a medium saucepan over medium heat--do

not boil.  Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is clear, about 10

minutes.  Allow to cool.

 

3.  Pour syrup into lemon-infused alcohol (mixture will turn cloudy) and sample

it.  Adjust flavor to your palate by either diluting with water or adding more

alcohol in small quantitiies.  Then pour liquer into 2 clean, dry 750 ml.

bottles.  Close with corks or screw tops.  Set aside for a week to allow liqueur

to mellow.

 

I made this and gave it to a number of folks for Twelfth Night...and it was

pronounced very tasty.  I'm not really experienced in making cordials and

liqueurs, but this was easy enough even for me!

 

Enjoy!!!

 

Kiri

 

 

Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2000 11:49:07 -0500

From: "Daniel Phelps" <phelpsd at gate.net>

Subject: SC - Re: Lemon Liqueurs

 

"Classic Liqueurs" lists a version of the Italian lemon liqueur Dopio

Cedro which sounds very much like the recipe you provided.  Perhaps

Dopio Cedro's lineage is older but the book provides no history.

 

"The Penguin Book of Spirits and Liqueurs" lists both a Corsica and a

Greek lemon liqueur described as follows:

 

"In Corsica a type of digestive liqueur known as Cedratine is made from

the sweet lemon, and Kitron, a distillate of brandy with lemon leaves is

a Greek citrus liqueur."

 

No history provided for either of these either although the book does

have the history of other liqueurs and I will check on the periodicity

of any included.

 

"Larousse Gastronomique" lists a Lemon liqueur or ratafia, Ratafia de

Citron which is made with the peel and juice of lemons, in the same way

as Orange liqueur.  It provides no history either.

 

Regards liqueurs in general, Younger in his "Gods Men and Wine" states

that "Liqueurs - sweetened, aromaticized alcohol - spread in the 14th

century from Italy to France but their popularity was never comparable

with that of brandy, and the great days of liqueurs, as we understand

them, was not to arrive for another four hundred years."

 

"The Penguin Book of Spirits and Liqueurs" says that Catherine de Medici when

she went to France to marry Henri II introduced liqueurs to France.

 

As this thread has piqued my interest I will check further on the

history of liqueurs perhaps it is an appropriate subject for an article

for TI.

 

Daniel Raoul

 

 

Date: Fri, 23 Jun 2000 22:47:59 +0200

From: "Cindy M. Renfrow" <cindy at thousandeggs.com>

Subject: Re: SC - Liqueurs

 

Plat's Delights for Ladies has a large section on distilled items.

This is From Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery, ed. by Karen Hess:

 

# 290  TO MAKE CINNAMON WATER - c. 1550 to 1625

 

Put 3 quarts of red rose water & one quart of white wine into a limbeck of

glass.  yn bruise 2 pound of cinnamon & put therein, & let it stand 12

hours in luke warme water close stopt.  then still it in water on a gentle

fire, but it may not be taken out of ye glass reserve, the first comeing

of, for it will be much ye better.

 

Cindy Renfrow/Sincgiefuc

indy at thousandeggs.com

Author & Publisher of "Take a Thousand Eggs or More, A Collection of 15th

Century Recipes" and "A Sip Through Time, A Collection of Old Brewing

Recipes"

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 20:22:12 EDT

From: LadyPDC at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - Liqueurs

 

kareno at lewistown.net writes:

>   Dearest  Jadwiga,  

>      What makes you think that your favorite modern Vodka is  *not*  grain

>  based?  It very well could be  -- I know there is a least  one brand that

>  is,  (but can't remember which  --  yhoo hoo!  Constance,  what is that

>  brand?)  and aam willing to reference that there is more than one maker of

>  Vodka that uses grain as a base.

>  

>  Caointiarn  

 

The brand is "Ketel One" and is made entirely from wheat.  The Ketel One

Distillery was chartered in 1591 (not 1691 as it says on the labels - gov

approval mixup so they just left the labels as they were).  Ketel One Vodka

is made today (so they tell me) using the same ingredients and processes as

when they were chartered.  And is still owned by the same family.

 

Also, the founder was apprenticed for 11 years prior to the chartering.  He

apprenticed in France with a "master distiller".  The name of "Ketel One"

comes from the fact that his first job as an apprentice was to watch Kettle

#1.  When he was made a master distiller himself, his former master gave him

the kettle which was his first responsibility and told him to go forth and

make something of it.  He returned to his home and did so.

 

BTW - he also experimented and researched on flavored "cordials" made both by

distillation and infusion of various herbs and fruits in his vodka.  His

descendant is copying the original books he kept records of such experiments

in and sending them to me.   Can't wait to see them.

 

And one more note - those of you who are looking for references to cordials

etc should also look in Gerard's herbal.  Esp under grapes but also under

plums and several other fruits and (I believe) under barley.  You will find

not only reference to brandy and whiskey distilled in period but also mention

of flavored cordials and aquaviteas with multiple comments as to the fact

that they should not be over used or taken casually "as the more vulgar are

prone to do".  Seems obvious that they were also being used recreationally or

such warnings and so many of them would not be needed.

 

Constance de la Rose

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 17:27:05 -0700 (PDT)

From: Terri Spencer <taracook at yahoo.com>

Subject: Fwd: Re:  SC - Liqueurs

 

I could not find a recipe for rose water made with alcohol or

distilled from wine, ale, or anything but fair water.  I found I

misremembered the references to purchased waters - they were from

Martha Washington's Booke of Cookery (not Markham), and include:

 

"Spirit of Roses is for opening ye lungs and healing ye ulserations

of them, & is good for preventing ye infirmeties of them, & to keep

ye breasts from corrupting. to be taken in the morning, fasting, & at

4 in ye afternoon, & last at night, a good spoonfull at a time."

It sure sounds like a prescription.  Virtues are also listed for

spirits of cinnamon, clary, mint, saffron, rosemary flowers & beazor.

This recipe is given a few pages earlier:

To Make Cinnamon Water Without Distilling it

 

Take one quart of brandy, & halfe a dram of oyle of cinnamon, & a

pinte of water, & halfe a pound of white sugar.  boyle ye water &

sugar together, & mix ye oyle & sugar together, yt is with a little

of ye sugar before you put it to ye rest, then mix them alltogether,

& set it by till it be cold. & then bottle it up.

 

So if spirits of roses and cinnamon existed in period to be purchased,

and this is one way to make spirit of cinnamon, then one could make

spirit of roses the same way.  Logical?

 

Temair

 

 

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 22:04:40 EDT

From: LrdRas at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - herbed wine/liqueur

 

Mastercahankyle at cs.com writes:

<< Your Herbed Liquor falls in the same class as

cordials which were first made especially as medicines.

Cahan >>

 

Examples are Benedictine, Frangelico, Jagermeister, etc. Jagermeister still

is a great remedy for a bloated stomach. 1 tsp. when symptoms appear.

 

Ras

 

 

Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 17:36:38 -0400

From: Ian Gourdon <agincort at raex.com>

Subject: SC - Re: cordials

 

> Your Herbed Liquor falls in the same class as cordials which were first made especially as medicines. Cahan

>Examples are Benedictine, Frangelico, Jagermeister, etc. Jagermeister still

>is a great remedy for a bloated stomach. 1 tsp. when symptoms appear.

>Oops.  Hadn't seen this bit.  Thak you!  Do we have any period recipes, or

>other suggestions that healthy people used them? >>

>the term cordial implies that these liquers were originally intended to "warm

>the heart" or some such, but don't quote me on that.  These folks know I am

>not the world's best etomologist...

>Balthazar of Blackmoor

 

Not to push the Brandy issue again, but I tend to make the

cordial I have the docs for, and the following led me to

brandy (Christian Bros clear) and it is unflavored. One of

the Gwyntarian Tunners Guild members, THL Nigel FitzMaurice,

did this research on the history and development of

Cordials; a sampling: "...a number of recipes are

transcribed from various common books dating from the late

14th century.

... all taken from four different manuscripts (Harleian

2378, the Johnstone Manuscript, Sloane 521, and Sloane 2584). Each of these works are privately produced formularies describing a wide variety of medicinal

preparations, presenting several hundred leaves each both in Latin and Middle

English.

...They were selected as clear examples of medicines on

their way to becoming liquers."  

                

.............................................................

from #5: Harl. 2378 p.278

           trans after original:"A precious water to clear a mans sight

           and destroy the pain in a mans eye. - Take red rose, wood-sage

           (which some call capillus vereris), fennel, ivy, vervain, eyebright,

           endive, and betony; of each equal amounts, so that you have in all 6

           handfulls; and let them rest in wine a day and a night. The

           second day still them in a distillator; the first water that

           you produce shall be the color of gold, the next of silver,

           the 3rd of balm; this precious water may serve to ladies instead

           of balm."

           further: "Another point which we shall see repeated in all these

           recipes is that, for the most part, the part of the plant to be used

           is not specified, and we are left to guess whether the root, the

           stalk, the seeds, or the flowers are meant."

                

..........................................................

#9. Johnstone Ms. P. 258. (probably 1400-1450, as it is the last entry)

         Trans: "For to make aqua vite. - Take sage, and fennel-rotes

         and persley-rotes and rosemaryne and tyme and lavender, each

         in equal amounts. Wash them and dry them, and then grind

         them a little in a mortar and add a little salt. Then put it

         in the body of the distillator and pour in wine (red or

         white), then place it in a pot of ashes over the furnace and

         make a gentle enough fire underneath that when the

         distillator begins to drip, look that it drips no faster

         than you can say "one-two-three" between the drops. And so

         distill it all together, then take the water that is

         distilled, and distill again if you like, and take a little

         spoonful every day while fasting."

 

Sounds a lot like the Benedictine style of Liqueur was well

rooted in the 14th century.

- --

Ian Gourdon of Glen Awe, OP

Known as a forester of the Greenwood, Midrealm

http://web.raex.com/~agincort

 

 

Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 14:08:09 -0700 (PDT)

From: Gabrielle Bombard <KiaraPanther at excite.com>

To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu

Subject: Re: Old world Fruit (liqueurs and desserts)

 

actually, there is a liquer recipe from Elizabeth's court that uses

Strawberries.  But I hate strawberries.

 

--Kiara

 

On Tue, 12 Sep 2000 16:19:08 -0400, sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu wrote:

 

>  Another comment on this topic, from a different perspective.  If you

>  want to document a dessert or liqueur, you should probably go further

>  than documenting the existence of the fruit that you use.  Liqueurs

>  using fruit are especially troublesome, as I know of no period recipes or

>  references to fruit-based liqueurs.  Spice and herb infusions in alcohol

>  abound, and were generally medicinal in nature.  Whether they were

>  medicinal in the "wink, wink" sense of the work, we may never know, but

>  they are generally listed in health handbooks rather than cookbooks.

>  There is certainly no indication in any period source that I have seen that

>  they took fruit, soaked it in spirits and then mixed it with a sugar water

>  solution to produce what we refer to as "liqueur."  If and when anyone out

>  there finds any evidence to the contrary, please let us all know!

>           -----Gille MacDhnoiull

>                   AEthelmearc

 

 

Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 21:17:50 -0500

From: "Helen Schultz" <meistern at netusa1.net>

To: <sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu>

Subject: Re: Old world Fruit (liqueurs and desserts)

 

In the book, "Take a Buttock of Beefe," by Verity Isitt, on page 174, is a

recipe called "A Cordial Water of Sir Walter Raleigh.  It reads...

 

"Take a Gallon of Strawberries, and put them into a pint of Aqua vitae, let them

stand so four or five daies, strain them gently out, and sweeten the water as

you please, with a fine Sugar, or else with perfume."

 

Now, I am not sure what Aqua vitae is (and I am hoping someone else on the list

will), but the modern redaction of this recipe (given on the next page) suggests

using brandy.

 

KHvS (who has done some cordials, but never for competition)

 

> >Could you please tell me where I might find this information?

> >Magdalena

> >

> >actually, there is a liquer recipe from Elizabeth's court that uses

> >Strawberries.  BUt I hate strawberries.

> >

> >--Kiara

 

 

Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2000 08:59:19 -0400

From: Wade Hutchison <whutchis at bucknell.edu>

To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu

Subject: Re: Old world Fruit (liqueurs and desserts)

 

So it's not a tincture if you mix the herbs/spices in wine and then

distill the mixture to a higher strength alcohol? We need a good

term for this then.  And, no, I've never seen one that included

sweetening it with sugar or honey after the distillation, either.

 

There are at least two sources out there for a whole variety of

medicinal 'waters,' but they are both out of reach for the moment.

Terence Scully, in his book on the Vivendier, says teasingly in the

introduction that the MS was in a folio that also contained a

list of medicinal waters.  Of course, he didn't translate that part,

but we do have good documentation as to where it is.

 

The second source, also very obscure, is a book of Islamic herbal and

spice liqueur recipes (yes, I know _Islamic_!). Not to tease you

all, but this souce was relayed to me by someone on the home brew list -

I'll have to dig through my email archives for more information.

 

Finally - the following was posted to the Rialto about a year ago,

and has another late period fruit-based cordial! I haven't unravelled

this one yet, so I don't know how it comes out.

         -----Gille MacDhnouill

 

 

>The following is as close to word for word as the squint provoking

>type face of the original photo-repro volume would allow.  There were

>a couple of other liquor recipes in this book, but this one is one of

>the most convoluted (which was why I transcribed it, forcing myself to

>make out the words made it easier to grasp).

>EXCERPTED FROM:

>_The Secretes of the Reverende Maister Alexis of Piemount_

>                                ANNO 1558

>Reprinted in 1975 by Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Ltd., Amsterdam

>                            ISBN 90 221 0707 8

>      To dissolue and reducie gold into a potable licoure, whiche

>conferueth the youth and healthe of a manne, as well taken by it self,

>as mingled with the forsaied licour, sponken of in the second Chapter

>of this presente booke, and will heale euery disease that is thought

>curable, in the space of seuen daies at the furthest.

>      Take a glasse full of the Juice of Limons, and heate it over the

>fire, until it beginne almoste to seeth: then take it from the fire,

>and strain it three or fower times through a Linnen clothe, and

>afterwarde distille it through a long gutter of Felte: then take twoe

>pounde of rawe Honnie, and sette it on the fire in a pot, miryng with

>it the said Juice of Lemons, and adding thereunto halfe a pounde of

>common saite, that is clene, white and well beaten: mire well all

>together, and let it seeth faire and softly, untill there remaine no

>more skum of the Honnie.  Then take that remaineth in the pot, and

>distill it in a ourinall of glasse, making but a smalle fire at the

>beginnyng, encreasyng it by litle and litle, and at the ende greate

>and sharpe: and whe all is cooled again, open the violle, and powre

>the water out of the recipient, into an other violle, stoppyng ith

>sure for takyng vente. This dooen, ye muste breake the ourinall of

>glasse, and take the lies that shall remain in the bottome, and put it

>into a covered pot, the whiche pot you must couer ouer and ouer with

>claie or morter, to the entente it maie the better endure the fire:

>and after put it into some fournesse, where glass is made, or into a

>potters fournesse or Lime kill, or some other semblable thing, so that

>it maie be in a greate fire, by the space of twoe or three daies. And

>after that the saied substaunce shall be taken out again, stampe it

>well, and for a pounde of the same, put in fower vnces of Manna, and

>twoo ounces fo Suger candie, and if there be more or less of the

>substaunce, ye must put in a food proportion of the of the Manna and

>Suger candie, in equall quantitie with the substaunce.  Then put al

>into an other ourinall of good glasse, well claied, and powre upon it

>the water, whiche you kept before in the violle, puttung thereunto

>twise as moche fine Aqua vite, as was in the saied first violle. And

>hauyng trimmed and sette the ourinall of Glasse upon the fournesse,

>with his limbecke, and his recipient, and well closyng all the jointes

>with claie or morter, ye shall make the matter distill faire and

>softly, with a smalle fire: for it will easely distill: when it will

>distill no more, augemnt your fire, so that ye maie distill all that

>is possible.  But yoou must leaue the water, with the violle, upon the

>fournesse, without mouyng it any whit, untill you will put it in

>experience.  This doen, take fine golde foile, that is of xxxiiv

>Carates well fined with Antimonium: and take of the saied foile, what

>quantities ye will, in a cup of glasse, in minglyng them well with

>Honnie, or with Julep roset or Violet, as men are wont to dresse it to

>write withall, whereof we will put parfitely all the maners and

>fasions, in the fift boke of this volume.   And after you have well

>ounmired, and purged it from thesaied Honnie with hotte water, as

>shall bee saied in the same place, you shall put them to stille in a

>ouiolle of glasse: and then hauing taken of the recipiente, put the

>saied water into a long necked glasse, well stopped with white ware,

>hauyng firste put upon the saied gold which is in the ouiolle, the

>height of five fingers of the saied water: and then set to the limbeck

>with his recipiet, stoppyng well with claie the jointes, makyng the

>water, whiche shall be oupo the said gold to distill with a small

>fire, not augmenting it at the ende, to make all to distill: and care

>not if the gold remain some what moist.  This doen, take awaie the

>Limbeck fro the ouille, whthout takyng  awaie or untiyng the

>recipiente from the said Limbeck, not sturryng the water out of the

>recipient.  But take some man to helpe you, who, whiles you take the

>Limbeck of from the ourinall, shall powre upon the saied gold, the

>same water that you kept in the ouiolle, stopped with white ware: &

>let hym put in as moche as at the firste tyme, that is to saie, the

>heighte of five fingers: then immediatly set the Limbeck oupon the

>ourinall again, closing well with claie the jointes or sides a newe,

>makyng the distillation as afore, and so consequently, ountill all the

>water of the saied ouille, bee distilled upon the saied gold.  And

>finally, ye shall powre the gold out of the ouille into a glasse,

>somewhat greate, to holde the water that you have distilled into it at

>divers dimes, as we have said in the Chapiter before: then set to the

>Limbeck with his recipient, and see that by the space of xv or xx

>daies, the water of the bathe be hotte, without seethyng so that yet

>nothing maie distille.  then after make the water to seeth, and

>distille all that maie be distilled: and in the bottome of the ouille

>, the golde will remaine dissolued into a licoure moste precious,

>whiche you must keepe in some little glasse well stopped.  And if you

>will have it yet finer, you maie make it without takyng it out of the

>said glasse, in puttyng to it again the saied water, and distillyng it

>a freshe, not kepyng (for all that) the water from seethyng, as you

>did before, but make it seeth and distille all at ones and this

>distillyng you maie reiterate as often as you will: for the oftener it

>is distilled, the better it is.  Thus doing ye shall have a right,

>naturall, and perfite potable golde, whereof some what taken alone,

>euery monthe ones or twise, or at the leaste with the saied licoure,

>whereof wee have spoken in the seconde Chapiter of this booke: is

>verie excellente to preserue a mannes youth and health, and to

>heale in a fewe daies, any disease rooted in a manne, and thought

>incurable.  The saied gold will be also good and profitable, for

>divers other operations & effectes as goed wittes & diligent searchers

>of the secretes of nature, maie easely judge. In this same maner

>(observyng all thynges diligently) a man maie make of silver beaten

>into a foile, to have likewise a potable silver, of a mervetlous

>vertue, yet not soche as the golde: And I assure you, that I sawe

>above. v. yeres ago, and Englishe man have a water made of silver,

>paradventure, trimmed & dressed after an other sort, according to

>divers different waies, tending (notwithstandyng) all to one ende,

>with the whiche water the saied Englishe man did many thinges, estemed

>as miraculous, in healing many painfull diseases and infirmities of

>man.

>--

>   al Thaalibi ---- An Crosaire, Trimaris

>   Ron Charlotte -- Gainesville, FL

>   ronch at gator.net or afn03234 at afn.org

 

At 04:51 PM 9/12/2000, you wrote:

>Um. Actually, if someone has documentation for anything TINCTURED in

>alcohol, rather than distilled in alcohol, especally with sugar added, I

>would like to see it. Culpeper talks of tinctures but he is post-period.

>few mentions of something soaked in wine, or boiled in wine, is the

>closest I can come. I haven't been able to find mentions of sweetened herb

>or spice tinctures..

>Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise       jenne at tulgey.browser.net

 

 

Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 13:16:21 -0500

From: "Stephen Mills" <Mills_14008 at email.msn.com>

To: <sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu>

Subject: Almond Spice  Cordial

 

Start with a clean quart canning jar with seal lid and ring

 

Add 1 cup almonds(cracked is best), 1 cup sugar,3 cloves, 1/2 cinnamon

stick,3 scrapes nutmeg(whole nut).

 

Add vodka to neck of jar. Set aside in a dark place,

shaking daily until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside in a dark place for 1

month. Taste for flavor. If the flavor is pleasing to you, stop and place

into permanent container. I use brown ale bottles with the white flip top

stoppers. If you feel that the flavor is too weak or still taste the bite of

the vodka, remove spent nuts and replace with fresh almonds (1 cup) and set

aside for another month. Continue in this way until you like the taste. You

might need to had a small amount of glycerine to make a smooth mouth. I did not, but then again I used a total of three(3) sets of nuts for my last batch. This left a beautiful amber cordial.

 

When your cordial is finished, strain through a couple of coffee filters to

render it clear with no particulate material. The more you strain it the

clearer and more pleasant it will be.

 

After the nuts are strained out-do not throw them away. If you sugar them,

they make great munchie treats or can be attractively packaged and given for

gifts. Just be sure to warn that they are highly potent. I use them as

munchies when people visit our pavilion.

 

Lady Clare

 

 

Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 01:40:28 EST

From: <Seobhan at aol.com>

To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu

Subject: Pomegranate Cordial

 

<< How about a pomegranate cordial? >>

 

I tried this recipe on the recommendation of Misress Cassandra Von Verden, a

wonderful brewmistress originally of Oertha and now residing in the central

West (Cynagua, I believe.)  It is a wondrfully tart liqueur with a jewel tone

colour.

 

2 large ripe pomegranates

1 to 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, to taste

3/4 cup water

2 cups vodka or light rum

1 tbsp glycerine (I don't use because I like the tartness)

 

Place only the seeds in an aging container and discard the peel, white

membranes and center.  Crush the seeds slightly. Heat the sugar in hot water

until well dissolved. Pour Vodka and cooled sugar-water over seeds. Stir &

let cool completely. Cap and place in a cool, dark place. Let age 1 month.

After initial aging, strain through a fine wire-mesh strainer. Discard seeds.

Clean aging container. Place strained liqueur into container. Add glycerine &

age at least one more month.  Restrain through cloth until clear. Rebottle as

desired.  

 

Lady Seobhan Irvin of Drum

Oerthan Brewer's Guildmistress

 

 

Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 22:29:33 EDT

From: LadyPDC at aol.com

Subject: Re: SC - Cordials

 

I have stayed out of this discussion for a bit mostly because I am recently

out of the hospital and don't have the energy to go dig out all of the

documentation.   However, briefly, ....

 

1.  Liqueur as a word was not used until the 17th century and would not be

documentable even as a word to describe the product.  Cordial, on the other

hand was used as a word to describe a flavored distillate which was usually

used for a "medicinal" purpose as early as the 9th century that I have found

documented and perhaps even earlier.

 

2.  The term "used medicinally" can be very misleading.  When used with a

modern understanding we assume that it was only used to treat illness and in

small amounts and disagreeable flavorings. However, if you read the herbals

and medical treatises you will find quite a different "view" on the

terminology of "used medicinally".  For instance, most people modernly would

view sipping a peach cordial during dinner to be using it "recreationally".  

But several herbals specifically suggest that peach cordials be consumed with

a meat course to aid in digestion and they list this under "medicinal"

applications.  (yes, I am speaking of period herbals)  Perhaps (and IMO) the

difference is not so much in the fact that cordials weren't used in period

except as medicine as it is in a difference of terminology's as to what is

medicine.

 

3.  There is one period reference which I can pull off of the top of my head.

(I will research the others when I can physically get out of bed).  About a

year and 1/2 ago I started work on some cordial entries.  The main complaint

I heard was that vodka was not period and shouldn't be used in "liqueurs".  

The first bit of research was in the OED where I learned about the words

liqueur and cordial as referenced in #1 above. Then I started trying to find

out if vodka was period.  I started by searching for charter dates on

distilleries.  I found one which listed a charter date of 1691.  I wrote to

the head of that distillery and learned that the actual charter date is 1591

and that it has been in the same family since that time.  I also learned that

the founder worked as an apprentice to a master brewer in France for twelve

years prior to founding the distillery.  I now have a copy of that original

charter (so wheat vodka produced by Ketel One Distillery is period) as well

as the first few pages of the journal which the founder kept of his time as

an apprentice.  I also have the first few pages of his "recipe" book which he

compiled over his lifetime as a brewer.  The owner and current head of the

family is sending me copies of these documents a few pages at a time as they

are brought out from the vault and hand copied. He is doing this because he

is thrilled that anyone is interested in such things.  Hopefully I will soon

have many period cordial recipes to share with you all.

 

However, to get back on point, the first few pages of the apprentice journal

from approx. 1577 note that his master and journeymen have once again failed

to produce a cordial which can either duplicate or exceed that which is

produced by the Brothers of the Benedictine orders.  That the current line of

thought among the master brewers is that said Brothers are using both methods

of the still and those of the infusers in combination to produce their "very

popular" draught.  He also mentions that two much sugar must have been added

in the infusing process as the latest attempt is much sweeter than that

produced by the Benedictine Brothers.

 

Though I have, as yet, only a few pages of each of these two documents, they

would seem to bear out the evidence found in other herbals that cordials were

used in more than a strict (modern) medicinal sense and that they were indeed

also produced by the use of infusion and the addition of sweetener to an

alcohol base.

 

I would also note that at least 3 herbals warn against those who would use

these cordials "overmuch"  (Gerard, Culpepper, and Gregory just to mention

three I remember mentioning it outright though I am sure that there are

others)  Such warnings would not be needed if there were not people using

such cordials in a social rather than a medicinal way.

 

Yes, I could go on about this all day.  And possibly will when I have the

physical strength to do so.  Suffice it for now to say that I disagree with

the assumption that cordials are not period and assert that they were period

and were used more than medicinally though I suspect that they were used less

than we often use them late at night in the campfire circles at camping

events. ;)

 

Constance de la Rose

 

 

Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2001 19:42:36 EDT

From: Daniel W Stratton <agincort at juno.com>

Subject: SC - Re: cordials

 

  One of the Tunners Guild members, Ld. Nigel FitzMaurice, has done

  some really interesting research on the history and development of

  Cordials in the Middle Ages; his work is:

  Precious Waters - A miscellany of early cordials by Forester Nigel

FitzMaurice

  Mundanely Bruce Gordon, his manuscript is available online at

  http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/precwat.html

  A few excerpts relating to his cordial research follow:

    "...a number of recipes are transcribed from various common books

dating from the late 14th century.

  ... all taken from four different manuscripts (Harleian 2378, the

Johnstone Manuscript, Sloane 521, and Sloane 2584).

 

  Each of these works are privately produced formularies describing a

wide variety of medicinal preparations, presenting several hundred leaves

each both in Latin and Middle English.

 

  ...They were selected as clear examples of medicines on their way to

                   becoming liqueurs."

 

  The (secondary) source for the Manuscripts:

  Henslow, G. Medical Works of the Fourteenth Century. Burt Franklin,

  N.Y., N.Y. 1972 (reprint  of the 1899 edn.). This work is a compilation

 

  of four Mediaeval formulary manuscripts (Johnstone Mss., Harl. 2378,

  Sloane 2584, and Sloane 521). Each is an extract, being those  recipes

  which were written in English, rather than Latin or French. Original

  spelling,  grammar, and syntax is preserved throughout. An appendix,

  listing all the botanics  mentioned in the works together with

  supplementary information, is included.

  ..................................

  Commentary that Cordials were distilled:

  from #5: Harl. 2378 p.278

  "A precious water to clear a mans sight and destroy the pain in a mans

eye. - Take red rose, wood-sage (which some call capillus vereris), fennel,

ivy, vervain, eyebright, endive, and betony; of each equal amounts, so that

you have in all 6 handfuls; and let them rest in wine a day and a night.

The second day still them in a distillator; the first water that you

produce shall be the color of gold, the next of silver, the 3rd of balm; this

precious water may serve to ladies instead of balm."  (further:) "Another point which we shall  see repeated in all these recipes is that, for the most part, the part of the plant to be used is not specified, and we are left to guess whether the root, the stalk, the seeds, or the flowers are meant."

  ........................................

  Commentary about the distilling process itself:

  #9. Johnstone Ms. P. 258. (probably 1400-1450, as it is the last entry)

 

      Trans: "For to make aqua vitae. - Take sage, and fennel-rotes

     and persley-rotes and rosemaryne and tyme and lavender, each

      in equal amounts. Wash them and dry them, and then grind

       them a little in a mortar and add a little salt. Then put it

        in the body of the distillator and pour in wine (red or

      white), then place it in a pot of ashes over the furnace and

        make a gentle enough fire underneath that when the

        distillator begins to drip, look that it drips no faster

      than you can say "one-two-three" between the drops. And so

          distill it all together, then take the water that is

        distilled, and distill again if you like, and take a little

              spoonful every day while fasting."

..........................

  Other research: Sugar and it's development:

     "The sugarcane plant, indigenous to southern Asia, was first used

for the production of sugar between the 7th and 4th century B.C. in northern

India. Cane cultivation eventually spread westward to the Near East and was

introduced to the Mediterranean region by the Arabs, giving rise to a cane

sugar industry that flourished there until the late 1500's.

 

      Columbus introduced sugarcane to the New World on his second voyage

  in 1493, when it was first planted on the island of Hispaniola. Soon,

it seems, Isabel and her children became very fond of cane sugar and ate it

seemingly at every meal.

 

      Within the first ten years of the 16th century, (1509) a sugar cane

  processing factory was established in the New World.

 

      During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Spanish, English, and

French all established sugar production in their Caribbean island colonies."

                        -1996 Louisiana State University Libraries, etc.

  ...........................

  Rawcliffe, Carole.  Medicine & Society in Later Medieval England. Alan

  Sutton Publishing       Ltd., United Kingdom, 1995.  ISBN 0 86299 598

  Chapter: The Apothecary, p. 150.  "The use of sugar in pharmacy had

  been pioneered by the Arabs, who were thus able to extend the Greek

  pharmacopoeia by mixing different combinations of herbs, spices and

  animal products with a sweet-tasting powder or syrup base."

 

  -  M. Levey, _Early Arab Pharmacoloogy_, Leiden, 1973, pp. 52-3.  G. E.

  Trease, 'The Spicers and Apothecaries of the Royal Household in the

Reigns of Henry III, Edward I and Edward II', Notingham Medieval Studies, III,

1959, p. 22.

.................................................

Ian Gourdon of Glen Awe

OP, Midrealm Forester

 

 

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 17:42:02 EDT

From: Daniel W Stratton <agincort at juno.com>

Subject: SC - re: cordial research

 

I shared a bit of the cordials discussion with my friend Bruce (THL Nigel

FitzMaurice), and he wanted to respond in general, so feel free to

contact him directly. - Ian Gourdon

 

- -------- Original Message --------

From: "Bruce R. Gordon" <obsidian at raex.com>

 

      It depends to a large extent on what you mean by "Cordial". I have been

doing extended research in this area, and some of the things I have

encountered:

1). Benedictine as a proprietary brand dates from 1509 (i.e. Benedictine

was being produced commercially and sold under that name from the early

16th century). -- tertiary source --

2). I have uncovered a recipe for Aqua Vite (containing among other

things very explicit directions for how to distill it) dating from the

period 1400-1450. -- primary source. online as #9 at

http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/precwat.html --

3). I have also a very strange-tasting concoction (I've made it myself)

dating from c. 1375-1400 which is called in the source a "Cardiacle". --

same primary source as mentioned in #2 above, also online at the same

address, #8 --

4). In general, strong waters and cordials seem to emerge out of a

medicinal background, circa 1300-1450. Originally formulated as tonics

and prescriptive medications, they seem to increasingly have taken on a

more recreational life of their own from the 15th century on -- no

particular sources per se, just the impression I get from the research

I've been conducting --

 

Nigel FitzMaurice (Midrealm)

 

  > Lady Mercedes of this list did a class on cordials for Northkeep

  > Winterkingdom a few months ago.  She expressed forcefully that

  > cordials are NOT period. Although after a sip or two of my strawberry

  > cordial, who cares?

  > Liadan

.................................................

Ian Gourdon of Glen Awe

OP, Midrealm Forester

 

 

Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2001 14:44:46 +0200

From: tgl at mailer.uni-marburg.de

Subject: SC - cordial research

 

I should like to make some remarks on the post to the list and to the

paper mentioned there (http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/precwat.html).

 

<< I have also a very strange-tasting concoction (...) dating from c.

1375-1400 which is called in the source a "Cardiacle". >>

 

_Cardiacle_ is not the name of the concoction but the name of a cardiac

passion (OED) it is used for/against. Thus, you should change the

translation of the title in #9 ("For the cardiacle") from "A cordial" to

something like "For the cardiac passion/trembling of the heart".

 

<< ... showing the essential elements of a cordial; distinctive

flavoring elements in an alcoholic vehicle >> (commentary to #6, a

flavoured wine)

 

If _this_ is the criterion for a cordial: flavoured wines (herbs,

spices, drugs) are known since antiquity from several medical and

agricultural authors (e.g. Cato #122). Henry Sigerist, in his

introduction to "The earliest printed book on wine", says that some of

them were drunk as "appetizers" (p. 12 with footnote 12).

 

Re #4, #5  (Harl. 2378):

<< Despite the fact that this formula calls for use as an ointment, I

felt compelled to include it anyway, because not only is it a very tasty

sounding preparation ... >>

 

Frankly, to say that ointments, fragrances and other stuff designed for

external application, can be used as cordials, because we know nowadays

that the ingredients used for these ointments, fragrances etc. might be

used for cordials too, is questionable, unless there is further

evidence. At any rate, without further evidence I would not say that

these recipes for external application are "clear examples of medicines

on their way to becoming liqueurs", as stated in the introduction.

 

<< I have uncovered a recipe for Aqua Vite (containing among other

things very explicit directions for how to distill it) dating from the

period 1400-1450. >>

 

This in spirit with the chronology of aqua vitae texts. Taddeo Alderotti

is said to have written his aqua vitae treatise in 1280. The text was

soon copied and thereby shortened, enlarged, changed etc. There are

vernacular versions in German from the 14th century onwards (ed. by Keil

in Centaurus 7/1, 1960, 53-100). The German texts usually only mention

the medical benefits, not the technique of distilling. The Latin text of

Taddeo Alderotti was published by Karl Sudhoff and E.O. von Lippmann. I

did not see it yet, but in case someone wants to take a look: in "Archiv

f¸r Geschichte der Medizin 7, 1914, 379-389".

 

<< Originally formulated as tonics and prescriptive medications, they

seem to increasingly have taken on a more recreational life of their own

from the 15th century on -- no particular sources per se, just the

impression I get from the research I've been conducting -- >>

 

To go beyond impression, you could check whether or not the use of aqua

vitae is subject to legislation, mirroring actual practice. Keil, in his

Centaurus article, mentions an old German dissertation: Erich Johannes

Rau: ƒrztliche Gutachten und Polizeivorschriften ¸ber den Brantwein im

Mittelalter. Med. Diss. Leipzig 1914. I gather from this title that

there were laws/ legal instructions in the (late) Middle ages regulating

the use of brandy. Perhaps, there are English books or articles on the

same subject, too.

 

Thanks for sharing your paper and best wishes,

Thomas

 

 

Date: Sun, 30 May 2004 21:19:51 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Krupnik?

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

> Stefan li Rous wrote:

> Ok, what is this "Krupnik"? Is it period? And how do you make it?

 

This is one of those searches that's hit or miss as to what

that recipe might have been.

 

POLAND

Fire Vodka

(Krupnik)

 

       1-1/2 cup honey

       2/3 cup water

       1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

       1/4 tsp. nutmeg

       8 sticks cinnamon

       2 whole cloves

       3 strips lemon peel

       1 bottle vodka

 

Combine honey with the water, vanilla, spices and the lemon peel in a

large saucepan. Bring this to a boil cover, and simmer for about 5 min.

Add vodka, remove from the heat serve hot or cold.

http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/poland/krupnik.html

-----------------

from http://www.vodkaphiles.com/recipeout.cfm?ID=70

 

comes this site where

you must be 21 years of age or older to visit this site.

because The Vodkaphiles website is sponsored by Russian Life magazine.

Krupnik (Polish fire Vodka)

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cup honey 2/3 cup water 1 tsp. vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean

1/4 tsp. nutmeg 8 sticks cinnamon 2 whole cloves 3 strips lemon peel 1

bottle vodka (1 litre)

 

Combine honey with the water, vanilla, spices and the lemon peel in a

large saucepan. Bring this to a boil cover, and simmer for about 5 min.

Add vodka, remove from the heat serve hot or cold. enjoy :D

 

-----------------------------

 

Hot Vodka with Honey

Krupnik

 

2 Tbs of cold water       1 small cinnamon stick

2 cups sugar                10 peppercorns

4 cups boiling water      20 allspice berries

1/4 vanilla bean            1 1/3 cup honey

1/4 nutmeg                   orange rind

2 cloves                       2 cups vodka

Heat sugar in 2 Tbs of water until it dissolves, then stir in the

boiling water. Add vanilla bean, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon stick,

peppercorns, and allspice berrier. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for

5 minutes. Strain the caramel mixture and return to the pan. Stir in

honey and orange rind and heat, stirring, until the honey has completly

dissolved. Bring to a boil. remove the pan from the heat and gradually

stir vodka. Serve hot or cold.

 

http://www.polstore.com/html/christmasrecipes.html

 

---------------------------

 

Krupnik

(Fire Vodka)

 

1 1/2 cups (375 ml.) honey

2/3 cup (150 ml.) water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

8 sticks cinnamon

2 whole cloves

3 strips lemon peel (2 in. long)

1 bottle (750 ml.) vodka     

     

      Combine honey with the water, vanilla, spices and lemon peel in a large

saucepan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 min. Add the vodka,

remove from heat. Serve hot or cooled. Makes about 1 quart (1 l.).

 

http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/suchgo/kuchnia.htm

Lithuanian honey vodka, is  Krupnikas according to the web.

There's also a Krupnik (Polish Mushroom Barley Soup) which has a lot of

recipes too.

 

The Poles claim that  they were making vodka in the 8th century and it dates in print back to a 16th century herbal, so who knows if a honey flavored vodka is period or not. The vanilla of course could be a later addition.

 

Johnnae llyn Lewis

 

 

Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2004 09:21:04 -0800 (PST)

From: Huette von Ahrens <ahrenshav at yahoo.com>

Subject: Reusing jars for cordials, was [Sca-cooks] food safe

      temperature

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

--- "Martin G. Diehl" <mdiehl at nac.net> wrote:

> In my "Beginning Cordial Making" class, I stress that

> soda bottles are not suitable.  As another example,

> Classico spaghetti jars (and some others) are equivalent

> to canning jars ... but you need to use a new band and

> lid -- you can't reuse the original lid/cap.

 

First off, Classico spaghetti _sauce_ jars, don't

come with a band and lid, they just come with

a lid.  Secondly, you can use the old lid in

making cordials if it has been thoroughly cleaned

and you put a layer of Saran Wrap between it and

the jar.  Saran Wrap [or one of its competitors]

is food grade plastic, is thin enough to use

underneath the old lid and still keep a good

seal, won't impart other flavors or a nasty

metalic taste, will keep bugs and germs for

getting in, and costs a lot less that buying

canning lids.  Oh, and by the way, canning bands

don't have to

be new to be used.  They just have to be clean.

They just hold down the canning lids. The

canning lids do have to be new for each use.

 

Huette, who cans and makes cordials, although

not usually on the same day.

 

 

From: primusomega at gmail.com

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Cinnamon cordial recipe wanted

Date: 17 Jun 2005 09:51:41 -0700

 

Good Gentles,

 

Grab a printer or pen and paper. These are the basics of a few

diferent recipes that are made in Italy and from what I can tell are

period.

 

Lemoncello:

 

the upper rind of three lemons (green/yellow color better than all

yellow). I do mean only the upper rind NO PULP. this should be about

300 grams in weight add 100 ml of 85-95% pure grain alochol and let

sit for 2 weeks aggitating daily (Grappa can be used though it takes

a bit longer and you need to know which grape types go well with

lemon). Then heat 300ml of water and suspend in solution 100 grams

sugar (I use Fructose most of the time) in it. Before that is heating

yoou should have removed the fluid from the bottle with the lemon rind

and have the extract in another bottle ready for the pour and being

able to seal it quickly. When you have the sugar in full suppesension

you pour the fluid directly into the bottle containing the extract and

seal ASAP. Wrap with a towel and agitate. Then place in a spot to

cool. Allow three to four hours for it to cool and your done.

 

There are items I am not mentioning; just as they where not told to me

by those that I learned from. Experiment and learn Just avoid the Pulp

as it bitters the drink and is really NOT good.

 

The above done with 200 grams of hazel nuts broken down to a coarse

granular structure and left for 4-6 weeks makes a wonderful base for

many different hazelnut liquors.

 

When making the bitter based on bay (Laurel) leaves you want the

mature older leaves on the tree as it gives a smoother bitter. Also

adding very small amounts of ginger, cardamon and pepper to this make

a wonderful drink.

 

The stems of artichokes mixed with the outer leaves make a wonderful

old style Italian country Bitter.

 

All the above are based on variations of the lemoncello ratios.

 

Agrummi

 

3 skins of clementines

1 rind of orange

1-2 rind of lemon

 

Follow Lemoncello recipe above and modify to taste

 

For Grand Marquis type drink use above with a 1:1 of the quality of

brandy you enjoy ( the better the brandy the better the results).

 

Well that is enough for now from Italy.

 

Take care and enjoy.

 

In Service of the Dream,

 

Lord Micheal Mac á Bhaird

Order of the Andelcap

Lecce Italy

Drachenwald

 

 

From: David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.nopsam.com>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Cinnamon cordial recipe wanted

Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2005 14:55:00 -0700

 

primusomega at gmail.com wrote:

> Grab a printer or pen and paper. These are the basics of a few

> diferent recipes that are made in Italy and from what I can tell are

> period.

...

 

> Agrummi

>

> 3 skins of clementines

> 1 rind of orange

> 1-2 rind of lemon

>

> Follow Lemoncello recipe above and modify to taste

 

I'm not absolutely certain, but I'm pretty sure that clementines are

well out of period. Some sources date them to the beginning of the 20th

century. I would be surprised if they were available in Italy i our

period.

--

David/Cariadoc

www.daviddfriedman.com

 

 

From: primusomega at gmail.com

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Cinnamon cordial recipe wanted

Date: 13 Jun 2005 06:36:48 -0700

 

Well,

 

My recipe is not available for outside the family. Here are some things

that can help in making said cordial:

 

We Italians use one of two things for cordials (modern) that is either

grain alcohol (95% pure)or Grappa (40-50%).  When using cinnamon

bruising the sticks is very useful or soaking them a bit in the spirits

and then extracting for a moment to "crack" them (breaking them

longitudinal). The usual time for letting them sit is anywhere from 2

to 6 weeks (again as staed above the longer the stronger). The amounts

used vary from 100 to 300 grams.

 

After the extracting period is done the next most common part is the

dilliution. Usually 100-150 grams sugar of some sort (we use fructose)

and equal parts water to the original amount of raw spirits (we usually

start with 300ml).

 

In period the preferred Italian base was Grappa and Brandy from what

research we have been able to find. Grappa tends to be the better as it

has less signature flavors of its own (again depending on the grappa).

One material used very rarely was Aqua Vitae. That was used usaully

when a batch of the above had not turned out right.

 

I hope this helps and If you wish more information please ask.

 

In Service to the Dream,

 

Micheal Mac á Bhaird

 

 

From: Ted Eisenstein <alban at socket.net>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Cinnamon cordial recipe wanted

Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 12:43:24 -0500

 

> We Italians use one of two things for cordials (modern) that is either

> grain alcohol (95% pure)or Grappa (40-50%).  When using cinnamon

> bruising the sticks is very useful or soaking them a bit in the spirits

> and then extracting for a moment to "crack" them (breaking them

> longitudinal). The usual time for letting them sit is anywhere from 2

> to 6 weeks (again as staed above the longer the stronger). The amounts

> used vary from 100 to 300 grams.

 

Just to be clear: that's 100-300 grams of cinnamon, right?

(Yeah, _I_ know grams-for-solids and liters-for-liquids is the usual

case, but with some beginning brewers you never know what might

happen. <grin>)

 

And how much liquor do you put that cinnamon in for the extraction?

 

Alban

 

 

From: primusomega at gmail.com

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Cinnamon cordial recipe wanted

Date: 13 Jun 2005 11:31:45 -0700

 

yes that is in grams and 300ml of extraction fluid. though the weaker

the fluid you might want a mild (50-100ml) increase.

 

Micheal

 

 

From: jk <klessig at cox.net>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Cinnamon cordial recipe wanted

Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 13:00:39 -0700

 

David Friedman <ddfr at daviddfriedman.nopsam.com> wrote:

> jk <klessig at cox.net> wrote:

>> There is one in one of K Digbys books that I used to have a copy (the

>> recipie not the book, that was in the rare book room of the Lib of

>> Congress) .

>>

>> "cat_herder" <cat_herder at comcast.net> wrote:

>> >I've been looking around for a cinnamon cordial recipe and haven't

>> >been happy with what I found on the web.

>> >

>> >Several years ago I was at a feast and one of the ladies bought several

>> >kinds of cordials; two were cinnamon cordials, one made from "Red

>> >hots" and the other from "cinnamon sticks". I loved the cinnamon

>> >stick one, with a woodsy taste. Does anyone have a recipe they will

>> >share?

>> >

>> >Tamara

>>

>> jk

>So far as I know, there is only one book associated with Digby that has

>recipes in it--_The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Opened_, which is his

>recipe collection published after his death.

>Checking through the index, I can't find anything that looks like a

>cinnamon cordial. The closest thing is the Aqua Marabilis at the back,

>which does have cinnamon and is distilled--but the cinnamon is only one

>of a long list of ingredients.

 

????????

How about this one?

 

Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665

Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665.

" Choice and experimented receipts in physick and chirurgery, as also

cordial and distilled waters and spirits, perfumes and other

curiosities / collected by the honourable and truly learned Sir Kenelm

Digby, Kt., Chancellour to Her Majesty the Queen Mother  "

 

jk

 

 

From: Robin Carroll-Mann <rcmann4 at salmon.earthlink.net>

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

Subject: Re: Cinnamon cordial recipe wanted

Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2005 04:04:13 GMT

 

On Sun, 12 Jun 2005 23:34:12 -0700, David Friedman

<ddfr at daviddfriedman.nopsam.com> wrote:

>> Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665

>> Digby, Kenelm, Sir, 1603-1665.

>> " Choice and experimented receipts in physick and chirurgery, as also

>> cordial and distilled waters and spirits, perfumes and other

>> curiosities / collected by the honourable and truly learned Sir Kenelm

>> Digby, Kt., Chancellour to Her Majesty the Queen Mother  "

>Interesting--I hadn't seen that one. From the dates I'm seeing, it looks

>as though it's another posthumous publication.

>Now I have to figure out how to get my hands on it. Thanks.

 

A Google search indicates that this book is in the Early English Books

Online database.  Check to see if a university library near you is a

subscriber to EEBO.

 

Brighid ni Chiarain (mka Robin Carroll-Mann)

Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom

To email me, remove the fish

 

 

Date: Tue, 20 Dec 2005 22:47:43 -0500

From: Patrick Levesque <petruvoda at videotron.ca>

Subject: Re: Role of Raspberry Cordial [Sca-cooks] Patting myself on

      the   back

To: "Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>"

      <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Here's some of the documentation I presented with a cordial in a  

recent A&S contest - hope it answers a few question

 

Petru

 

---

 

The French translation of Enchirid, ou Manipul des miropoles  (published by

Michel Dusseau in 1561) clearly details the procedure through which wine is

distilled into wine spirits in pp.101-102. Distillation allows one to

extract the pure liquor (in the case of spirits, the Quintessence) of any

given substance. This liquor can afterwards be used in subsequent  

remedies.

 

Pure liquors are especially necessary for infusions. As described again by

Dusseau beginning at p.93, infusion is to imbue [the properties] of one or

many things in a clean liquor, such as, for example, the one distilled above

(this is obviously not restricted to alcohol, it also includes clean water,

clean milk, etc...). He also notes that the infusion must be done on ³hot

ashes, or in the sun, depending on the time when it is made² (sur cendres

chaudes, ou au soleil, selon le temps qu¹il sera ordonné). (p.94).

 

 

The recipe from this cordial comes from Les Délices de la Campagne, a

cookery manual dated to 1654, redacted by Nicolas de Bonnefons.

 

The recipe for “Eau Clairette” goes thus: “Elle se fait en prenant deux

pintes de bonne eau de vie, une livre des plus belles cerises de

Montmorency, auxquelles vous osterez les queues, sans les écacher, une livre

de sucre, demy once de bonne canelle, demy once de cloud de girofle, vous

mettrez le tout infuser au Soleil, pendant les jours caniculaires, dans une

bouteille de verre, la bouchant bien avec la cire ou liege, et le parchemin

mouillé, vous la renverserez tous les jours, afin que le marc se mesle

bien...”

 

“It is made with two pints of good spirits, a pound of the nicest

Montmorency cherries, from which you remove the stems, without breaking the

skin; a pound of sugar, half an ounce of good cinnamon, half a ounce of

cloves, let everything infuse under the sun, during the warm days, in a

glass bottle, stopping it well with wax or cork, and wet parchment, and turn

it upside down everyday so that the marc is properly mixed...”

 

The weight of the pound varied in period between 380 and 550 g, in different

areas, but since the modern value (454g) could have been used in period, I

stuck with that value. As for the pinte, I adopted the ancient value of

0,474 liter (about half a quart).

 

Clearly, between 1561 and 1654, cordial making leaves the apothecary¹s shop

to become part of the domestic sphere. This process already seems well

underway in 1572. This year marks the publication of La Maison Rustique by

Jean Liebault. This is a treatise on domestic economy which involves all

necessary aspects one must know to run an efficient rural manor.  There is an

extensive segment on distillation, where the  necessary implements (still et

al) are described, as well as the procedures to follow to extract wine

spirits (pp.160a to 165b for the equipment, the description of the process

begins on p.167b, but the pages between 169b and 177a are missing from the

facsimile). Interestingly, the infusion of spices into distilled spirits

appears in this section as well (pp.166a-b). However, this is done as a

first step in the subsequent distillation process that is meant to extract

the essence of the spices. On page 168a we find a way in which distilled

waters and alcohols may be flavoured: either add the desired spices in a

cloth bag, or coat the equipment with it to imbue the flavour unto your

liquid. It is also recommended to leave them under the sun in a glass vessel

as a means to improve the quality of the end result.

 

In other areas of the world (namely, England) there are already two sources

documenting domestic consumption of alcoholic beverages in period, the

Johnstone Ms, and the Sloane 521 Ms. (both are reference on Forrester Nigel

FitzMaurice¹s website http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/precwat.html). The

formere is dated to the 15th century, the second to 1565.

 

> Please help enlighten me as I am rather ignorant of this part of the

> alcoholic beverage world.  To what use would the raspberry cordial have been

> used?  Would it have been a  medicinal?  What sort of maladies would it have

> been prescribed for?  Would it have been a recreational beverage instead?

> What part(s) of time and region would I find it?

> I really am trying to build my knowledge base about such products as I wane

> a little too ignorant when the conversation moves to cordials and such like.

> I have a vague understanding that in their beginning they were ostensibly

> something like tonics for maladies and health restoratives/protectives.  Not

> a lot of solid info besides what can be gleaned in the Florilegium.  I think

> the conversation could be worth redux?

> Heck, even the bibliography or info from your docs could be useful  

> to me in my stage of ignorance.

> niccolo difrancesco

> Beer, wine, mead . . . no flavored spirits yet.

 

 

Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 09:15:19 -0500

From: Elaine Koogler <ekoogler1 at comcast.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Patting myself on the back

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Stefan li Rous wrote:

> Congratulations on the cordial. But why were you aging it for 3

> years? Did you just set it aside and forget about it? (That's the

> only way a pair of my mead bottles ever got to be aged several

> years). I have always heard that cordials didn't need a long aging

> time. Did you taste it through the aging process? If so, did you

> notice the aging changing the taste?

 

We accidentally left a bottle of Phillip's Krupnik set for several

years.  The main difference we noticed was that it was substantially

smoother.

 

Kiri

 

 

Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 05:59:25 -0700

From: "Sue Clemenger" <mooncat at in-tch.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Patting myself on the back

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

When I was more actively involved in making cordials, I noticed a distinct

difference in mellowing time, depending on the fruit.  Fruits that were

sharper or more acidic (huckleberries, raspberries, cranberries) took a lot

longer to lose that unpleasant edge....

 

--Maire

 

 

Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 16:32:22 -0200

From: "Lady Ro" <ladyro at comcast.net>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] re: Cordials

To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

Stefan inquired:

> Congratulations on the cordial. But why were you aging

> it for 3  years? Did you just set it aside and forget

> about it? (That's the  only way a pair of my mead bottles

> ever got to be aged several  years). I have always heard

> that cordials didn't need a long aging time. Did you

> taste it through the aging process? If so, did you

> notice the aging changing the taste?

 

This started out as an A&S class (Nov 2001), where I THOUGHT I would learn

stuff about cordial infusions that I didn't already I know.  I didn't.  (And

my knowledge THEN was slight - it's only a tad more in depth now - very back

burner for a long bit this has been.)  It's not to a period recipe that I

know, and I made about a half gallon of this liquer.

 

Well, my husband HATES sweet drinks, and my friends and I are not big

drinkers, either.  So it sat for quite a bit.  I tasted it periodically,

starting at 4 months (recommended by the class teacher).

 

Man, it would bite your head off at 4 months!!! At 6 months it was still

mean as a rattlesnake.  (During the first aging, I was diagnosed with

cancer, and have spent a lot of time since in chemo, so the cordial sat a

lot more than it might have otherwise.)

 

At Christmas 2002(it would have been 13 months old then) it was a tad

mellower - but clearly a "made at home by loving hands" kinda thing.

 

Christmas 2004, it was mellow, and tasty, but still had a bit of a bite.

About August of this year, in a birthday salute to my friend Nichola (her

brand new out for Laurel okaying SCA name - I finally drug her in, and I'm

getting her into period cooking.  I am a Bad Influence....) we  

toasted her with some of it.

 

SHE says it's better than bought Chambord. I don't know that I would go

THAT far.... I tried it again the other night, and it's right where I wanted

it to be - smooth, the alcohol is noticeable, but not in a bad way, more in

a you wouldn't mistake this for raspberry juice way.  But, like Maire's -

You can taste the raspberry!

 

Ro

 

 

Date: Thu, 29 Dec 2005 11:47:23 -0500

From: "Jeff Gedney" <gedney1 at iconn.net>

Subject: [Sca-cooks] Horilka (was "re: Vanilla Extract --Thank you!")

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

 

> A haroka is a beverage made of sprits, herbs and honey and

> drunk by madmen.

> I know, I've made and drunk them. Supposedly Scandinavian,

> but I have no primary sources.

 

I think you are looking for "Horilka".

I seem to recall that is it originally a honey and vodka

cordial that originated in eastern Europe.

 

It may have been introduced to SCA usage by Vladislav

Poleski in the East Kingdom in the early 1970's.

(yes, I remember that personally... Crap I'm old! when

did that happen? ) Certainly the description of

"drinking it to go mad/berserk" was a common phrase

of his back then.

I can't find any earlier SCA references [other] than ol' Vlad.

 

Although it must be pointed out that the term "Horilka"

also seems to be used in the Ukraine for just the vodka.

 

Vodka, literally "water", is used for the neutral spirits

of grain on either side of the Ukraine, and seems likely

to be the earlier variant, linguistically, but many sources

put the origin of vodka in the Ukraine and Horilka as the

earlier term. It is hard to know. "Vodka" appears as a

term in the 1400s - It's funny how often terms for spirits

are related to water: vodka, whiskey, akavit, eau d'vie. )

 

Capt Elias

Dragonship Haven, East

(Stratford, CT, USA)

Apprentice in the House of Silverwing

 

 

Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:19:24 -0800

From: Dragon <dragon at crimson-dragon.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] The benefits of Anise

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

V A wrote:

> Hey, cool -- another folk remedy gets verified by modern  

> science. ;-)  In

> Lebanon, anise "tea" (just whole aniseseeds steeped in hot water)  

> is used as

> a panacea for headaches, stomachaches, cramps, and whatever else  

> ails you.

> My mom used to make it for me as a kid whenever I had a cold.  When  

> I got to college I discovered it worked on hangovers too. ;-)

> Now the question for us is, what did medieval people think about the

> curative properties of anise...?

---------------- End original message. ---------------------

 

Anise has been used for a long time as a digestive aid. With

Artemesia absinthum (Common Wormwood) it is one of the two primary

flavoring ingredients in absinthe which was originally used as a

digestive aid and anti-parasite tonic. It is used in a lot of other

liqueurs that started out as tonics and curatives, including pastis,

anisette, ouzo, and Chartreuse, all of which date from period. I know

it is also used for soothing coughs.

 

I know that there are references to it in medical texts from

classical times but I don't think Culpeper mentions it.

 

Dragon

 

 

Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:27:55 -0400

From: "Elaine Koogler" <kiridono at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] scotch flower cordial

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

This is a recipe I acquired at a Midrealm Cooks' Symposium a couple of years

ago.  It involves steeping rose hips, lavender, elderflower and pot marigold

in Scotch for about 6 weeks, then pulling the flowers out and adding a

simple syrup.  I let it age for about 2 years.

 

My research has told me that cordials were used mostly for medicinal

purposes toward the end of our period...which means that one like this that

was used for strictly enjoyment didn't really exist.  However, Bear's

suggestion that I look at documenting my method of making the cordial seems

like a thought....so I guess it's back to the books for me.  My main source

of information is Cindy Renfrew's "A Sip Through Time."

 

Kiri

 

On Sun, Jun 22, 2008 at 1:42 PM, emilio szabo <emilio_szabo at yahoo.it> wrote:

<<< I have a scotch flower cordial that has turned out

much better than I thought it would and would like

to enter it in an upcoming competition. While I know

I cannot document the cordial itself, it would be great

if I could at least document the ingredients. >>>

 

What is a scotch flower cordial?

 

Which kind of ingredients (in which kind of combination) is it all about?

(And where did you look for documentation up to now?)

 

Ignorantly yours,

 

E.

 

 

Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 15:41:41 +0100

From: "Christina Nevin" <cnevin at caci.co.uk>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] OOP -- Cherry Liqueur

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

<<< Only I've never made liqueur.  I know it involves alcohol, sugar, fruit,

and time, but I don't know what quantities of any of these things is

best.

 

Anyone have any advice?

 

Arwen

Caerthe, Outlands >>>

 

Normally what I do is make these in old jam jars. For cherries I use

brandy, and a light rum for peaches. I usually use gin or vodka for

berries. I'm not sure what I'd use for white grapes, possibly vodka. I

usually leave them for 6 months to a year (though they can be used after

2 - 3 when the sugar is dissolved) and they make very welcome gifts.

 

Fruit Liqueurs

 

Fill 2/3 of the jar with cleaned and stoned fruit (depends on the fruit

if I skin it).

Top that up with sugar syrup to about 1/3 of the jar.

Then fill the rest of the jar up with alcohol.

Put the lid on tightly and don't forget to label it with date and

contents.

Give it a good shake, then put it away in a dark cupboard for about 3

months.

Give it a shake once a week or so.

When ready, drink the alcohol and use the fruits on ice cream. Yum!

 

Important! A lot of people say that because vodka is tasteless (which is

a lie), it doesn't matter what quality it is for liqueurs. This is

wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Use cheap spirits and your liqueurs

will taste awful, no matter what the quality of the rest of the

ingredients is like. Rule of thumb: if you wouldn't drink it straight,

don't use it.

 

Lucrezia

 

 

Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 20:44:09 -0600

From: "Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps" <dephelps at embarqmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] liquor and fruits

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

<<< I was wondering what "anisette" was, but rather than just asking

here, I did some web searches. Then I noted that Morgana said "home

brewed anisette". >>>

 

Anise flavored drinks have a long history.  While slightly out of period

reportedly a flask of such was discovered when the "Vasa" was raised.  I

suspect that rather than an anisetta it was more of a sambuca/ouzo/arak type

drink.

 

Daniel

 

 

Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:10:03 -0600

From: "Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps" <dephelps at embarqmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Non Medicinal Cordials

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

You might try looking for ratafias(sp) in late period sources.  The only

possible extant sample that I know of came from the just out of period

"Vasa" ship recovery.  Reportedly, by the person who sampled it, it was

clear and seemed to be like arak or ouzo.  Don't know the proof but it was

in a small sealed flask.

 

Daniel

 

 

Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:38:48 -0500

From: "Kingstaste" <kingstaste at comcast.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Non Medicinal Cordials

To: "'Cooks within the SCA'" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Funny, the ratafia I had was dark brown and sort of thick, like a cordial.

A nasty-tasting cordial.

 

Christianna

 

 

Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:17:33 -0600

From: "Daniel & Elizabeth Phelps" <dephelps at embarqmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Non Medicinal Cordials

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

Hmmm...  now that I think on it the stuff in the flask was not identified as

a ratafia.

 

Daniel

 

 

Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 11:27:30 -0500

From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at att.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] 14th century English banana recipe

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

<<< But where is the documentation on the "maraschino cherry"?

Stefan >>>

 

Maraschino is a cordial made from the pits of marasca cherries.  Maraschino

cherries are cherries that have been preserved in the cordial.  The presence

of the cordial was presumably first noted at the Zadar Dominican monastery

early in the 16th Century.  One of the uses for the cordial was preserving

marasca cherries. Large scale commercial production of maraschino is an

artifact of the 18th Century and commercial maraschino cherry production

appears to be primarily 19th Century.  The modern maraschino cherry was

"Americanized" in the early 20th Century.

 

Bear

 

 

Date: Sun, 5 Apr 2009 22:47:06 -0500

From: "Terry Decker" <t.d.decker at att.net>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] maraschino cherries

To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

 

<<< When you say "own juice", do you mean the cherry juice? or the  Maraschino

cordial juice?

 

Stefan >>>

 

From the way they advertise it, it is the cherries own juice rather than

maraschino liqueur.

 

Bear

 

 

From: V O <voztemp at yahoo.com>

Date: May 21, 2009 2:29:52 PM CDT

To: stefan at florilegium.org

Subject: Item on your site - cordials

 

Good Day!

I was just contacted by someone looking to make the cordial listed at the bottom of the message here.   There are few alterations to the recipe that is given.  She is very close but, it is only a week in the container and not a month!  No it is not a period recipe, but it sure is good.

This is my answer to the lady looking for information;

Ok, they got the recipie basically right but not the procedure.  

4 Cups milk

4 Cups sugar

4 Cups Rum

1 pound of fruit, (I usually use one bag of frozen or the equilivant of fresh.)  

 

Mix in a air tight or sealable container open and stir or just shake daily.  After ONE WEEK, (not one month!) strain thru coffe filters, and just let them sit and drip until all the liquid has gone thru, do not force it.  This can be time consuming, I will usually have several bowls, not too big, with all my strainers over them, then very carefully put 2-6 coffee filters in them (What ever the strainer will hold with out too much bunching or smooshing together.) Take a soup ladel and spoon in one scoop at a time to each filter.  I will also have the bottles with a funnel in them and one filter one scoop of stuff and let it drip.  Towards the bottom of the mix it can take up to a couple of hours to filter thru, so often I will let it sit over night.  Make sure your animals can't get too or spill these.  DO NOT wring out the filters, however tempting it is!!  If you get any of the cloudy stuff in the bottle/bowl you must re-filter it again.  The

stuff left in the filters looks really gross, just throw it away, there is nothing else you can do with it.  

 

Now that sounds complicated, but it is really the easiest thing to make in the world.  I got the recipe out of a sunset magazine and kind of made it my own.  They used orange slices, I changed it to use any other fruit.  Strawberry is really good, Blackberry is the best.  I have made peach and spiced peach (very yummy! use cinnamon and clove or what you would put in a peach pie)  Raspberry is yummy, and I have even made cactus fruit.  (interesting but wouldn't make it again) Blueberry is not the best.  Any fruit you can think of, I think will work with this.  Although Fig?  Humm I may have to think about that for a while, it might actually work................  Bananna is the one I can't imagine in it.

 

I think since the original recipe called for oranges any citrus would be good, lemon was widely used in the middle east, and I think it would be yummy.  

 

I also use rum over vodka, vodka works but rum is smoother.  I also think if I used rum with the blueberry it might have been better than the vodka, havn't tried that yet.  

 

Yes use whole milk, do not use any other, it dosn't work.  Any rum or vodka, I use what ever is cheapest.  

 

I use those gallon jars you can get at the store in the bulk section, usually with pickles.  Clean and sterialize very well, you do not want any pickle juice flavor in it.  Just wash jar and lid in a dishwasher on the hottests, longest cycle.  Smell the jar if you get any whiff of pickle wash again.  These jars hold the whole recipe with room to shake them.  This way you don't have to open it up and stir.  

 

This can be drunk as soon as you filter it, but I have found if it sits a while it just gets better. But because of the milk factor don't let them go over 4-5 months and once I open the bottle after filtering and sealing I refridgerate the left over (If there is any).  This is fabulous in champane!  Pour a shot into a glass of champagne and gently stir, Yummy!!  Serve in shots or small glasses, a little goes a long way and you won't know what hits you because the alcohol % doesn't seem to be as much as it really is.  Over ice or chilled is best.  

 

The recipe make about 2 1/2 to 3 bottles of stuff.  

 

Make sure anybody who is lactose intolerant dosen't drink it, they will have a big problem with the milk protiens in it.  

 

I called it Mirianna's good stuff because I couldn't think of any other name for it when people asked.

 

Have fun and let me know what you do with it.

 

Mirianna Wrenne

Outlands

voztemp at yahoo.com

<<< Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 08:45:00 -0700

From: "Christi Rigby" <christirigby at pcisys.net>

Subject: RE: SC - winter thoughts

Lorix asked for recipe for my strawberry apple cordials. Easy easy!  I got

this from an event 7 years ago or so.  Can't even remember who gave the

class. The recipe was so easy I never wrote it down.

4 cups milk

4 cups sugar

4 cups cut up fruit

4 cups Vodka

Mix all together in a sealable container.  Open and stir every week or so.

After a month fit cheese cloth in a strainer and pour through, wringing out

the cheese cloth as you go.  Pour into bottles and serve to the people who

spent hours helping you blow up your air bed at Estrella.

Last part of that sentence is optional.

Murkial >>>>

 

 

Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:26:01 -0400

From: Johnna Holloway <johnnae at mac.com>

To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Simple Syrup Question

 

On Oct 13, 2009, at 2:08 PM, Jill B wrote:

<<< I make cordials and use a home made simple  

syrup and I made some about 3 months ago, went to use it and it has  

"stuff" in it - stuff meaning not floaters like dirt, but like a  

"film" floating throughout.  I sterilize my bottles, etc and I have  

never seen this before...I was wondering, should I just dump it out?  

or can it be re-heated and main question is - any ideas as to what  

happened?  I have been making it for years and never seen this  

before.... >>>

 

It's probably mold. They ran test here on how to prevent eventual mold  

in the mixtures.

http://www.alcademics.com/2009/08/simple-syrup-its-good-to-be-rich.html

 

Here's a recipe that won't grow mold or so they say--

In this article we will explain how to make a Simple Syrup.

 

What You Will Need:

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1/4 cup corn syrup

1oz vodka

 

Preparation:

 

First, place the sugar and water in a pot and heat it up. Stir the  

mixture until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Next add the alcohol and corn syrup and continue to stir. Use a funnel  

and pour the mixture into a bottle to cool. The simple syrup that  

we're making won't crystallize due to the corn syrup and won't grow  

bacteria or grow mold thanks to the single oz of vodka in the mix. You  

have successfully made yourself a simple syrup additive for mixing  

drinks.

 

http://www.infobarrel.com/How-To_Make_Simple_Syrup_for_Bartending

 

Johnnae

 

 

From: Logan <Logan at ebonwoulfe.com>

Subject: RE: The Triskele Tavern Cordials and apple pie

Date: December 24, 2010 11:30:41 PM CST

To: the-triskele-tavern at googlegroups.com

 

<<< Do any good gentles have a recipe for cordials and the drink known as apple pie? i would love to make some by February and possibly host a cordial making party in Palm Bay? i thank everyone for their indulgence and time.

Alesone >>>

 

Anyway, a simple google search for apple pie liquor came up with dozens or recipes.  A quick review of ingredients and this seems to be pretty common:

 

6 cans frozen apple juice concentrate

18 cups water

1 gallon apple cider

750 ml Everclear

7 cinnamon sticks

4 cups sugar

4 cups brown sugar

Take all the ingredients excluding the Everclear and combine in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Add the Everclear

 

 

From: Angharad Macfhearguis <alianoredeclare at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: The Triskele Tavern Cordials and apple pie

Date: December 25, 2010 9:55:02 AM CST

To: The Triskele Tavern <the-triskele-tavern at googlegroups.com>

 

I use one gallon apple cider, one gallon apple juice, 4 cups white

sugar, 4 cups brown sugar, one split vanilla bean, approximately a whole bottle of McCormicks cinnamon sticks and one whole nutmeg. Dissolve the sugar as you are slowly bringing mixture to a

rolling boil. Simmer for approx 45 min. and then allow to cool to room

temp.  Add 190 proof everclear.(I use a 750ml bottle).  Its been

fairly well received, LOL!  Enjoy!

 

 

From: Daughter of Odhin <daughterofodhin at gmail.com>

Subject: Re: The Triskele Tavern Cordials and apple pie

Date: December 25, 2010 3:47:40 PM CST

To: the-triskele-tavern at googlegroups.com

 

This is the recipie I used

Liqueur (Meilach) Recipe (modified for taste)

________________________________

 

3 - 4 pounds apples (if the apple has a mild flavor, like use more apples)

2 cups vodka

2 cups brandy

1 – 1 Sugar Syrup

I use one cup of sugar syrup to every cup of alcohol.

 

Cut apples into wedges, put in jar. Pour vodka and brandy over apples.

Cap and age in a cool place for one month. Strain and filter. Combine

sugar and water, boil, cool. Combine liqueur and syrup into aging

container, age for a month. Strain as needed.

 

Variation: Spiced apple. Add two 3" cinnamon sticks, 10 whole cloves,

remove spices when filtering/squeezing apples.

 

(When I make the Christmas Apple Pie one, I use this variation.)

 

Wulflinde

 

<the end>



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