Medieval peasants did not spurn water as a beverage because fish “did things” in it as some popular pub songs suggest, but it was dirty. Lacking much of anything else in reasonable abundance, one took their chances, although most people knew to boil water first before drinking it. As many pub songs also attest, alcohol was consumed in liberal quantities when available — up to a gallon per person each day! — but more for medicinal purposes than recreational. In this case, to ward off bubonic plague.
Plague water was a cordial made from a blend of wine and various botanicals. An old recipe from A Boke of Gode Cookery reads: “Take a pound of Rue, of Rosemary, Sage, Sorrel, Celandine, Mugwort, of the tops of red Brambles, of Pimpernel, Wild-draggons, Arimony, Balm, Angelica, of each a pound. Put these Compounds in a pot, fill it with White-wine above the herbs, so let it stand four days. Then still it for your use in a Limbeck.”
Plague Water (Modern Version) 1 ounce green Chartreuse 1/2 ounce Angostura (herbal bitters) 1/2 ounce pineapple juice 1/4 ounce lemon juice 1/4 ounce honey sage syrup To make the honey sage syrup: Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup honey and 1 heaping tablespoon rough-chopped fresh sage in a saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until warm. Lower heat to the lowest setting and let simmer, while stirring, for five minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool and strain into a clean bottle. To make the cordial: Combine the Chartreuse, herbal bitters, pineapple juice, lemon juice and honey sage syrup in a shaker of ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon, if desired.
Not surprisingly, frequent and sustained imbibement of alcoholic beverages resulted in drunkenness, whether intended or not. So, in addition to aiming to avoid the plague, melancholy, parasites, and whatever else may befall a member of the peasantry, certain medieval concoctions were formulated to ease morning-after woes. Ergo: The “hair of the hound” restorative emerged, loosely based on the like cures like theory in that partaking of the dog (booze) that sunk its “teeth” into you would fix a hangover.
One popular such concoction was Saffron Bitters. It sounds straight forward enough, but the traditional recipe contains an interesting ingredient – pulverized cochineal, a scaly insect from South America that feeds on prickly pear cacti. Before you wrinkle your nose too much, you should know that these bugs are the source of a widely used coloring agent known as carmine, or natural red number 4. Believe it or not, it’s found in many foods, beverages and cosmetics, from lipstick to and red velvet cake and frothy drinks sold by your favorite coffee purveyors.
Saffron Bitters 4 cups brandy 3 tablespoons chopped orange peel 1 teaspoon cochineal (optional) 1 teaspoon saffron threads 2 tablespoons gentian root To make the bitters: Combine all ingredients in a glass container with a cap, lid or cork. Set the container on a sunny windowsill and let infuse for 2-3 days. Strain, reserving the liquid in another clean container. Sweeten with honey, if you wish.
Mint-infused syrup has its origins in Morocco, where mint is without a doubt still the most consumed herb today. To make it, according to a 13th century manuscript, simply “take mint and basil, grapefruit and cloves, a fistful of each. Cook all covered in water until its substance separates. Add what is clarified from this to a pound of sugar. In the bag: An ounce of clove flowers. Cook all together until it becomes a syrup. Its benefits include liberating phlegm from the body and drying up phlegmatic urine. It fortifies the liver and stomach and makes the latter happy. In this it is admirable.”
As entertaining as the traditional recipe is to read, this modern, simplified version Is much more practical...
Mint Syrup 1/2 cup dried spearmint 1/2 cup dried basil Chipped peel from one grapefruit 1/2 cup whole cloves To make the syrup: Place all ingredients in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid in a second saucepan. Add 1 cup sugar to the pan and simmer, while stirring, until thickened and syrupy. Let cool, bottle and store in the refrigerator. To use, combine with gin for a gimlet, or use to make mojitos and whiskey sours.
Milk punch may not sound like it packs much of one, but it was actually quite potent very popular in the 1500s and 1600s, especially with sailors who rode the ocean waves of Southeast Asia for months at a time. Although they may not have been aware of it at the time, the juice of citrus fruits in the beverage helped them to keep scurvy at bay, while the addition of herbs and spices typically carried on board as cargo contributed to its revitalizing properties.
A t some point, milk punch made its way into homes of those who could obtain and afford its ingredients – typically a base of rum or brandy, blended with sugar, fresh oranges and lemons, and an assortment of exotic spices, such as ginger and nutmeg. This basic recipe hails from Ireland and is said to “keep years by land or sea.”
Irish Milk Punch 4 cups brandy or rum Peel of 2 lemons Peel of 1 orange Infuse the fruit peels in the brandy or rum in a glass container for 2 days. Strain, and to the reserved liquid add: 1/2 cup lemon juice 2/3 cup orange juice 3 cups boiling water 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 2/3 cup sugar Let this mixture steep for another full day. Then add 2 cups boiling milk (don’t stir or shake, just pour it in). Let the mixture rest for 12 hours or overnight. Strain trough a sieve then again through a double layer of cheesecloth. Repeat as necessary until the liquid is clear. Serve over ice.
REFERENCES CraftSeeker.tv: 10 Medieval Drinks That Became Modern Gode Cookery Presents: A Boke of Gode Cookery Presents 17th Century English Recipes The New York Times: Plague Water, Anyone? A Distillery Delves Into Medieval Mixology
