SC - question after recipe

[LrdRas@aol.com]

lilinah at earthlink.net wrote:

> Since distilling is illegal in the US, would making something by
> putting the herbs and vegetal matter in brandy, letting stand some
> length of time, then straining, make a product that is at least a
> little similar?

Well, for most cordials, you steep the herb, fruit, etc in an already
distilled spirit (brandy or ??). While one method is to put the
flavouring in the pre-distillate, you can still put them in the
distillate afterwards. It's the alcohol that acts as a solvent upon the
flavouring. One advantage of the latter method is the flavouring is not
subject to the heat of distillation, which, depending on the qualities
of the flavouring, may or may not be desirable. As I understand it, the
qualities of the _distilled_ alcohol on the herbs were desirable for the
medicine, not the process of distilling the herbs.
> 
> If there's a cordial competition in A&S, how can one make them
> authentically without distilling?

Use a mundanely legally distilled beverage. While modern techniques are
different, it seems marginal in relation to the illegality of doing it
all with period techniques. 
> 
> Would making them in some way similar the way i described, with
> explanations in one's documentation as to why one didn't follow the
> medieval recipe, be likely to be accepted? Otherwise there is no
> legal way to make these sorts of things in the US...

If your documentation specifies adding herbs and such prior to
distilling, such an explanation is acceptable, AFAIK. Specific A&S
competitions may be less reasonable. There is no way to be authentic
with that recipe without breaking mundane law, and that is more valued
that accuracy. It's basically saying you are aware of the accurate
method, and you would if you were allowed to do so, not because you
didn't do you homework, or made some unsubstantiated judgement call.

Seumas