SC - RE:request to all members

[Olwen the Odd]

Michael Newton wrote:
> 
> On another list, the subject of Cordials as a period beverage came up. One
> gentle pointed out that they were medicial in period and not the pleasant
> tasting solutions they are now.
> Can somebody clear up the periodicity of cordials and what in period they
> were? When did they appear?

Cordials as most of us know them today (generally a flavored, sweetened
spirit, such as brandy with sugar syrup and crushed berries, suitably
aged and infused) seem to be post-period. 

Cordials in period, whether that term is used or not, seem to fall into
two basic categories: fermented beverages such as wine, ale or mead
sweetened and spiced to produce hypocras, braggot , etc. (see Le
Menagier and various contemporary English sources), and then there are
things like wine lees or actual wine or mead to which spices and other
ingredients are added, then distilled to produce lightly flavored raw
spirits, generally under the heading of aqua vitae, more or less similar
to modern gin. These last appear in recipe sources as of the early
seventeenth century, give or take a few years. 

Sweetened wines laced with fresh fruit, similar to modern cordials
except for their alcohol content, seem to show up mostly in the
seventeenth century. Digby has several such recipes, I believe.

I have a bit of a nervous tic on the subject of modern fruit (to say
nothing of chocolate) cordials for SCA use. They're tasty. They may or
may not have health benefits. Are they a thing medieval people drank?
The simple, short answer would be pretty close to, "No." As far as I can tell.

Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com