SC - Feast Beverages

[allilyn at juno.com]

His Grace writes:
>>
I introduced sekanjabin to the SCA for the specific purpose of replacing
iced tea (Salaamallah, I believe, independently introduced it, probably
for the same purpose). Like iced tea it is a cold drink that is very
inexpensive and very little trouble. Unlike iced tea, it is a drink that
was in common use in period--albeit in the civilized world, not among the
Franks.<<

Sekanjabin is well received in summer in AEthelmearc, and has the
advantage of varying in taste with the type of mint and the type of
vinegar.  Two summer feasts proved to me and my assorted cooking staff
that it is well worth the money to find and buy the imported red wine
vinegar from Modena, Italy.  It's supposed to be aged in wood casks, as
finer liquors are, and has a much smoother taste than the
set-your-teeth-on-edge sharpness of many grocery store vinegars.  Make it
up a week or three in advance, and it's one less thing to worry about. 
Stretch your cooking staff on the day by assigning the mixing job to a
non-cook. 

 If we are going to leave lapses in our authenticity, then a period drink
that might have been known to crusaders, even if they didn't go out to
the kitchen and make some, is better than something more blatantly
modern. 

 The possibilities exist for all sorts of delicious iced herb teas,
though.  It just doesn't have the caffeine, and M. Christianna can
probably give us an herb suggestion to keep us bright-eyed and
busy-tailed.

There's also apple juice and other fruit juices.  I haven't come across
documentation for herb-tea/fruit juice punch, as I have for sweet
cordials of herbs to drink, but, again, if we have to comply with modern
law and not serve alcoholic beverages to everyone in Hall, then we need
to stay a little closer to possibilities.

Regards,
Allison,     allilyn at juno.com


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