Re Eau Ardent - Re: SC - Re: Duel - Recipe Three

[Decker, Terry D.]

> > IIRC, spirits with enough proof to light begin appearing commonly in the
> > mid-15th Century.  However, the first European distillation of brandy
> occurs
> > about 1300 in France and the Arabs had capacity to distill alcohol as
> early
> > as 800.  I don't believe freezing gets the distillates high enough to
> burn.
> > 
> > Bear
> 
> Perhaps one's definition of "commonly" is the key here. I've seen a couple
> of
> other references to eau ardent, or aqua ardent, in period sources, and if
> I
> remember correctly, there is a recipe for aqua vitae somewhere in Curye On
> Inglysch, essentially a distillate of spiced wine. And I could be wrong,
> but
> the chastelets recipe occurs in the late 14th century, but then again even
> if
> brandy distillation occurs in France at a given date, I understood it to
> have
> been practiced earlier in places like Ireland. I wonder if I've been
> misinformed, or if you are reading from a French (and therefore
> Franco-centric, as I've yet to see a French source that wasn't) source?
> 
> Adamantius
> -- 
> Phil & Susan Troy
> 
> troy at asan.com
> 
The 1300 date is certainly Franco-centric, probably apocryphal, and likely
close to correct.  It represents the experimental distillation of brandy at
the Montpellier medical school by Arnaldus de Villa Nova.  Also
apocryphally, the external condenser still, which can conserve volatile
liquids like alcohol is supposed to have been developed by the physician
Salernus (d. 1167).  So we are talking about 250 years of sketchy records,
which means that alcohol volatile enough to burn was probably distilled in
the 13th Century.    

I've been working backward on the rules, regulations and commentary about
alcohol from a trade perspective and I haven't been checking the cookbooks,
which is why I said "commonly" available.  My sources are fairly limited and
mostly Central European, and if you can remember where you found the
references to Irish distillation, I would appreciate knowing.

I do like the idea of a burning a castle for a centerpiece.

Bear
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