How to Make Non-Alcoholic and Alcoholic Medieval Hippocras

Hippocras is a wine sweetened with spices and sugar. "Sangria, punch and bishop wine all are descendants of spiced wines that have been drunk since Antiquity." (Muusers)

When hippocras was historically made, the lords received hippocras made with sugar, while the lower ranked people received hippocras made with honey. For more information on the history of hippocras, please visit here.

Many historical recipes exist for this delicious drink!
 

"To make Hypocrase.
Take a gallon of white wine, suger two
pound, of sinamon ij d. ginger ij d. long
Pepper ij d. Mace ij d. not brused, Graines
ij d. Gallingall j d.od. Cloues not brused,
you must bruse euery kinde of spice a litle, &
put them in an earthen pot all a day, & then
cast them through your bags two times or
more as you see cause, and so drinke it." (Dawson)

  ("Ypocras")

A French recipe from 1847 and its translation can be found here. Various other historical recipes can be found here. "The first recipe of hippocras (ypocrasse or ypocras) was written in English, in the Forme of Cury in 1390:

Pur fait Ypocras:
Treys Unces de canell. Et iij unces de gyngener. spykenard de Spayn le pays dun deneres. garyngale. clowes, gylofre. poivr long, noiez mugadez. maziozame cardemonij de chescun i.qrt douce grayne [?] de paradys flour de queynel de chescun dimid unce de toutes. soit fait powdour and serve it forth. 

Our proposed translation:

To make hippocras. Three ounces of cinnamon and three ounces of ginger. One denier (penny) worth of spikenard of Spain. Galangal, cloves, long pepper and nutmeg. Marjoram and cardamom, a quarter ounce for each. Grains of paradise (or guinea grains) and cinnamon flower, a tenth ounce for each. So make the powder and use it." (Hunt)

Hippocras recipes can also be found in these historical books:

• 1393, Ménagier de Paris: pour faire ung lot de bon ypocras.
• 15th century, the printed edition of the Viandier de Taillevent: ypocras. 
• 1500,  A Noble Book of Festes Royalle and Cokery, Richard Pynson
• 1508, The booke of Kervinge and Sewing
• 1529, Libro de guisados, Ruperto de Nola (version in castillan of Llibre del Coch)
• 1555, La pratique de faire toutes confitures, condiments, distillations d'eaux odoriférantes & plusieurs autres recettes très utiles (6 recipes of hipocras and one receipe of piment).
• 1593, Secreti, Stefano Francesco di Romolo Rossetti 
• 1596, The Good Huswifes Jewell, Thomas Dawson
• 1600, Le théâtre d'agriculture et mesnage des champs, Olivier de Serres.
• 1607, Le trésor de santé.
• 1660, Le confiturier françois, Massialot
• 1689, Le sieur de La Varanne, recipe of white hipocras
• 1692, La Maison réglée d'Audiger: to make a good white and red hipocras
• 1723, The cooks and confectioners Dictionary, John Nott
• 18e?, Le Petit Albert: to make rapidly an excellent hipocras
• 1768, Le Cannameliste français
• 1850, La cuisinière de la campagne et de la ville (The country and city cook).

One easy recipe for hippocras can be found here, which also suggests using grape juice instead of wine for a non-alcoholic version.


For today's adventure in the kitchen, I chose to interpret and recreate May's Ipocras "Otherways" recipe:

Otherways.

Take to a pottle of wine, an ounce of cinamon, an ounce of ginger, an ounce of nutmegs, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, seven corns of pepper, a handful of rosemary-flowers, and two pound of sugar. (May)


My interpretation of the above recipe:

750 mL white wine (or use white grape juice for a non-alcoholic drink)
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp ginger
2 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground clove
3 peppercorns
1 sprig rosemary
1 3/4 cup sugar

Mix the ingredients together and bring to a boil. Boil for about 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let sit for 2 hours. Bottle and serve chilled. This can also be served warm, similar to mulled apple cider.

If the above recipe is too thick to your liking, please dilute it with water to suit your taste.

For video instructions on the above recipe, please visit here.

* The original recipe calls for a pottle of wine. A pottle is an Old English term that equals 2 quarts (1.9 Liters). * 

Works Cited

Dawson, Thomas. The Good Huswifes Jewell. 1596. http://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/ghj1596.txt. 4 February 2020.

Hunt, Leah. "Hippocras." https://www.oldcook.com/en/medieval-hippocras. 4 February 2020.

May, Robert. The Accomplisht Cook. England, 1660. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22790/22790-h/cook1.html. 4 February 2020.

Muusers, Christianne. "Hippocras, a Medieval Digestive." 25 November 2019. https://coquinaria.nl/en/hippocras-mp/. 4 February 2020.

"Ypocras." Historic Food. https://www.historicfood.com/Ypocras.htm. 4 February 2020.