SC - Re: cordials

[Ian Gourdon]

> 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