SC - Re: cordials in history

[lilinah at earthlink.net]

Ian Gourdon of Glen Awe wrote:
>"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."
>(various cautions follow, on translating Middle English, and
>the changes in plant names, etc)

Recipes snipped

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?

If there's a cordial competition in A&S, how can one make them 
authentically without distilling?

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...

Anahita al-shazhiyya