This was an Ice Dragon Pent project from 2013.
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16th Century Cordial
Purpose:
There are four bottles for this project:
1) Spiced red wine.
2) A cordial distilled from the same spiced red wine.
3) Spiced aged brandy.
4) Spiced vodka.
Please sample the beverages in the above order. First the original wine and compare its flavor to the distilled cordial. Then compare the cordial to the spiced bandy and finally to the spiced vodka. The goal is to see which one of the spirits is closest in taste to the distilled wine.
Introduction:
To begin with, allow me to define what a cordial is. A cordial is a flavored alcoholic beverage, normally wine, that has been distilled.[1] The majority of cordial recipes date to the end of the SCA period but there are enough recipes that we can conclude that they were well known and popular. Some modern cordials, such as Benedictine and Frangelico, date back to the 16th and 17th Century.[2] The theory of distilling itself dates back to the 4th Century BCE when Aristotle wrote Meteorology in which he details the specifics of the process.[3]The earliest European records of flavored alcohols were written by a Spanish alchemist by the name of Arnold de Vila Nova. In 1240 he wrote the Boke of Wine in which he details methods for flavoring alcohol and proposed the restorative and life giving properties of these beverages. One of Arnold’s students, Raymond Lully, proclaimed that their production was “a divinely inspired gift from Heaven.”[4] Legal documents dating to 1411 mention the distillation of wine into brandy in the Armagnac region of France.[5]
By the 14th Century, the drinking of these beverages had become very popular in Italy and had also spread into France. A Tuscany native, Catherine de Medici,[6] is often credited with bringing them with her to France. There is some discussion as to whether or not she was the first to introduce them to France, but there is no doubt that she certainly increased the popularity and acceptance of these drinks among the nobility of France.
Most of the surviving recipes offer cordials for medicinal use rather than recreational use, and most of these recipes are listed along side of those for liniments, surfeits, poultices and other medicinal tonics. It is more than likely that the liqueur evolved as a sweet beverage as to counter act the bitterness of the herbs and other ingredients. But is not my intention to reproduce a modern cough syrup, nor is it to flavor brandy or vodka and pretend that it’s period. This recipe will be made from infused wine and then distilled. The resultant cordial will be compared to similarly infused brandy and vodka. A post on the Gwyntarian Tunners Guild’s message board captures my feelings quite closely:[7]
If I may make a comment to this ‘I documented Brandy - used Vodka’ syndrome which is very common in the SCA, in A&S and in general: it DOES taste somewhat similar; but it’s generally only close, no cigar. If you have made the ‘recreation of a Period cordial’ your intent, it falls short of the mark, in that it is wrong, and/or undocumented. As an A&S judge, I have had to point that out, from time to time, especially when they use that old TI article as documentation. Not that Vodka isn’t in the general definition of distilled spirits, but Brandy is the spirit specified in period documents. Perhaps there is some cultural bias that keeps suggesting that substituting relatively modern, undocumented distillates in recipes calling for Brandy is desirable, but the research and making/testing of Cordials by Mistress Arwenna and the Gwyntarian Tunners Guild suggests otherwise. The main point is that philosophically, you’re pulling a ‘bait and switch’ of sorts, every time you substitute a modern equivalent ... for that called for in the Period recipes, when the Period ingredient is easily obtained. ... For me, though, it’s the equivalent of making a Rum cake, and throwing in Scotch instead, on the above theory. It may very well make a lovely cake, (I like Scotch), but it is no longer a Rum cake. (aside from the fact that Scotch is documentably Period, and Rum isn’t not.
Distillation:
To set the matter straight: distillation is illegal within the USA, and before I started this project I examined the law carefully. Article 10, Section 153 of the Special Provisions Relating To Illicit Alcoholic Beverages And Stills states the following:Any person who shall manufacture any illicit alcoholic beverage or who, not being duly licensed as a distiller under the provisions of the alcoholic beverage control law, shall own, operate, possesses or have under his control any still or distilling apparatus is guilty of a felony. “Still” or “ distilling apparatus” shall mean any apparatus designed, intended, actually used, or capable of being used for or in connection with the separating of alcoholic or spirituous vapors, or alcohol or spirituous solutions, or alcohol or spirits, from alcohol or spirituous solutions or mixtures, but shall not include stills used for laboratory purposes or stills used for distilling water, oil, alcoholic or nonalcoholic materials where the cubic capacity of such stills is one gallon or less.As I would only be distilling a liter of wine in a non-pressurized stock pot, and that I would not be selling the product nor transporting it across state lines, I feel that this is a safe project.
Method:
1) 1 liter of red wine spiced with three cloves, one large sprig of rosemary and 1 ounce of fresh ginger: strained.2) 1 liter of red wine spiced with three cloves, one large sprig of rosemary and 1 ounce of fresh ginger: distilled.
3) 375ml of VSOP[8] brandy spiced with one clove, one half sprig of rosemary and 1 half ounce of fresh ginger
4) 375ml of vodka spiced with one clove, one half sprig of rosemary and 1 half ounce of fresh ginger
I was unable to procure unflavored white (unaged) brandy to complete this project.
The project starts off with some home made wine that was vinted in mid 2010. The wine was made with 25 pounds of locally grown red, seedless grapes,[9] which were purchased at my corner farmer’s market, three gallons of water and one packet of Mutton’s wine yeast. The grapes were sufficiently sweet enough to not require any additional sugar to be added. Not owning a wine press, I stripped the grapes from their stems and mashed them, the grapes, in a mixing bowl with a potato masher. The juice, pulp, skins and stems were placed into a stockpot with 1/2 gallon of water and boiled to kill off any wild yeast. After boiling for one minute, the must was transferred into the primary fermenter, along with the additional 2.5 gallons of water. Since the wine was going to be fermented in plastic and glass, I added two ounces of oak chips (also boiled) to the fermenter. My hope was the oak would give the wine some additional flavor. After allowing the must to cool overnight, I pitched the wine yeast and left it alone for two weeks.
After two weeks I racked the liquid into the secondary fermenter and discarded the remains. After six months the wine was racked over into the tertiary fermenter. After an additional six months, it was racked into the quaternary fermenter. It was left in the quaternary fermenter for around 18 months before being bottled. The resulting wine is pale red, dry yet with a touch of sweetness and a bit acidic. As I do not know what variety of grapes I used were, I can do no more than call my wine “red.”
To finish up the cordial, I turned to a recipe from Maison Rustique:[10]
Take equal parts of cloves, ginger, and fowers of rosemary, infuse them in very good wine the space of eight days: distil the whole. This water comforteth the stomacke, assuageth the pains and wringings of the belly, killeth worms, and maketh fat folk to becom leane, or maketh fat the leane, if they drink it mixt with sugar.Two one liter bottles were filled with the wine and each one was spiced with three cloves, one large sprig of rosemary and 1 ounce of fresh ginger. The last time I made a cordial, I used ”two ounces of fresh ginger, two pinches of dried cloves (about 12 cloves) and four sprigs of rosemary, stems and all.” After distillation, the cordial had such a strong presence of cloves that it could have been used as a toothache remedy. Which was a good thing as the ginger would have burned one’s mouth.[11] Cutting back on the cloves will mean that the imbiber will be able to taste the rosemary and the ginger. I reduced the quantity of the rosemary and ginger so that they would not overpower the beverage.
Two 375ml bottles each of VSOP (aged) brandy and vodka (cheap) were spiced with one clove, one half sprig of rosemary and 1 half ounce of fresh ginger. I estimated the reduced amount of the spices based on the smaller amount of spirits and the higher alcohol content of each. I wanted a good comparison between the cordial and the infused spirits.
The spices were left to infuse for eight days before being strained out of the spirits and one of the two bottles of wine. The contents of the second bottle of wine was poured into a stockpot into which there was a brick topped with a ceramic bowl. The wine was brought to 170F[12], the lid placed on the pot and bags of ice placed on top of the lid. This method of low-pressure distillation is often used for home perfume and oil making. The instructions came from a cooking show on how to make home made rose water.[13]
At 170F the alcohol will boil off and rise to the top of the container, where it will condense when in contact with the cold lid and fall into the bowl, which is insulated from the heat by the brick. A turkey baster was used to transfer the cordial from the bowl into a waiting container and the ice was replaced as needed. After two and a half hours, less than a half a liter of clear liquid was distilled out of the wine.
Red Wine:
Red wines were known in period:[14]... By the mid 13th century, three fourths of England’s royal wine came from Bordeaux, at a freight charge of 8 shillings the ton. The wine fleet convened twice a year; in October for the “vintage” shipping, and in February for the “rack” shipping of wine drawn off the lees. We have Bordeaux’s export figures for seven years of the early 14th century, averaging 83,000 tonneaux of 12 score and 12 gallons each. England took about half of this, and when the new wine arrived, last year’s was halved in price, or even just thrown away. These wines were the common drink, lower in status the Mediterranean and Rhenish wines, but they were plentiful and cheap. Bordeaux made three kinds of wines: white, red , and clairet. Until about 1600, clairet meant a light colored wine, ranging from yellow, as distinct from white, to pink. To get the desired pink color, called “partridge-eye”, red and white wines were often mixed. Red wines then would have been very light. They were only on the skins one day, and absorbed little color and tannins. After the wine was drawn off, the remainder, redder and coarser, was used for tinting wine, or sold cheaply as “vin vermeilh” or “pin pin”. This amounted to about 15% .
Herbs and Spices:
The medicinal properties of these three giants of flavor were well known:Rosemary:[15] Our garden Rosemary is so well known, that I need not describe it. Government and virtues : The Sun claims privilege in it, and it is under the celestial Ram. It is an herb of as great use with us in these days as any whatsoever, not only for physical but civil purposes. The physical use of it (being my present task) is very much used both for inward and outward diseases, for by the warming and comforting heat thereof it helps all cold diseases both of the head, stomach, liver, and belly. The decoction thereof in wine, helps the cold distillations of rheum into the eyes, and all other cold diseases of the head and brain, as the giddiness or swimmings therein, drowsiness or dullness of the mind and senses like a stupidness, the dumb palsy, or loss of speech, the lethargy, and fallen- sickness, to be both drank, and the temples bathed therewith. It helps the pains in the gums and teeth, by rheum falling into them, not by putrefaction, causing an evil smell from them, or a stinking breath. It helps a weak memory, and quickens the senses. It is very comfortable to the stomach in all the cold griefs thereof, helps both retention of meat, and digestion, the decoction or powder being taken in wine. It is a remedy for the windiness in the stomach, bowels, and spleen, and expels it powerfully. It helps those that are liver-grown, by opening the obstructions thereof. It helps dim eyes, and procures a clear sight, the flowers thereof being taken all the while it is flowering every morning fasting, with bread and salt. Both Dioscorides and Galen say, That if a decoction be made thereof with water, and they that have the yellow jaundice exercise their bodies directly after the taking thereof, it will certainly cure them. The flowers and conserve made of them are singularly good to comfort the heart, and to expel the contagion of the pestilence; to burn the herb in houses and chambers, corrects the air in them. Both the flowers and leaves are very profitable for women that are troubled with the whites, if they be daily taken. The dried leaves shred small, and taken in a pipe, as tobacco is taken, helps those that have any cough, phthisic, or consumption, by warming and drying the thin distillations which cause those diseases. The leaves are very much used in bathings; and made into ointments or oil, are singularly good to help cold benumbed joints, sinews, or members. The chymical oil drawn from the leaves and flowers, is a sovereign help for all the diseases aforesaid, to touch the temples and nostrils with two or three drops for all the diseases of the head and brain spoken of before; as also to take one drop, two, or three, as the case requires, for the inward griefs. Yet must it be done with discretion, for it is very quick and piercing, and therefore but a little must be taken at a time. There is also another oil made by insolation in this manner: Take what quantity you will of the flowers, and put them into a strong glass close stopped, tie a fine linen cloth over the mouth, and turn the mouth down into another strong glass, which being set in the sun, an oil will distil down into the lower glass, to bepreserved as precious for divers uses, both inward and outward, as a sovereign balm to heal the disease beforementioned, to clear dim sights, and to take away spots, marks, and scars in the skin.
Cloves:[16] It is vain to describe an herb so well known. Government and virtues: They are gallant, fine, temperate flowers, of the nature and under the dominion of Jupiter; yea, so temperate, that no excess, neither in heat, cold, dryness, nor moisture, can be perceived in them; they are great strengtheners both of the brain and heart, and will therefore serve either for cordials or cephalics, as your occasion will serve. There is both a syrup and a conserve made of them alone, commonly to be had at every apothecary’s. To take now and then a little of either, strengthens nature much, in such as are in consumptions. They are also excellently good in hot pestilent fevers, and expel poison.
Ginger:[17]Action, Medical Uses, and Dosage. Ginger is stimulant, rubefacient, errhine, and sialagogue. When chewed it occasions an increased flow of saliva, and when swallowed it acts as a stimulating tonic, stomachic, and carminative, increasing the secretion of gastric juice, exalting the excitability of the alimentary muscular system, and dispelling gases accumulated in the stomach and bowels. Prepared with rhubarb, in the form of cordial or syrup, few articles are more valuable in cholera morbus and cholera infantum, when there is coldness of the surface and extremities, and nausea and vomiting accompany. It is eminently useful in habitual flatulency, atonic dyspepsia, hysteria, and enfeebled and relaxed habits, especially of old and gouty individuals; and is excellent to relieve nausea, pains and cramps of the stomach and bowels, and to obviate tenesmus, and especially when those conditions are due to colds, or to the ingestion of unripe or otherwise unwholesome fruit. Ginger is occasionally of value in fevers, particularly where the salivary secretions are scanty and there is pain and movement of gases within the intestines. Here, though a stimulant, it will assist in producing sedation by re-establishing secretion and relieving the distressing gastro-intestinal annoyances.
Spicing wine was not an uncommon practice and it is believed to be the “father” of cordials and liqueurs. The spicing of wine is among the oldest of methods of fortifying the beverage and granting it better taste or medicinal properties. Specific commentaries and recipes for it can be found from early Roman Imperial times. Some spiced wines, such as hippocras,[18] were an industry into themselves by the 14th Century. A recipe from a collection of Norman French papers called “B. L. Additional 32085” dating to the reign of King Edward I[19] is as follows:[20]
28. ICI COMENCE COMENT L’EN DEIT FERE CLAREE. Pernez de kanele, de gyngivre, de maces, les deus parties; de gilofres, nois de muge, fuyle de Inde, la tierce partie; semence de fenoyl, anys, karewi, autaunt; kardamome, squinaunte, la quarte partie; spicanardi a la meitJ de tuttes les autres choses. E metez en pudre, e puys metez la pudre en une puche, e pernez vin blaunc ou vermail e versez desus la pudre e fetes coler com lescive, si averez claree; e taunt cum plus reversez e colez la chose avaunt colee, si averez vostre claree plus forte, e si vos n’avez pas tuz ces espices, pernez kanele e gingivre, maces, les deux parties; de gilofres e spicanardi a la meitJ de tuttes les autres choses, e metez en pudre, e colez cum devaunt est dist; si averez claree. Explicit.Sir Kenelm Digbie listed the following hippocras recipe:
28. HERE BEGIN INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING CLAREE. Take half a measure of cinnamon, ginger, and mace; a third of a measure of cloves, nutmeg, malabathrum; fennel, anise, and caraway seeds, in the same amount; cardamom and squinant, a fourth of a measure; and spikenard in the amount of half the quantity of al the other spices. Grind this into a powder, and then put the powder in a pouch, and take white or red wine and pour it over the powder, wring it through the cloth, and you will have claree; the more you repeat the process, the stronger your claree will be. If you do not have all these spices, take two measures of cinnamon, ginger, and mace, cloves and spikenard to half the quantity of all other ingredients; grind to a powder, and strain as described above, and you will have claree.
To make Ypocrasse for lords with gynger, synamon, and graines, sugour, and turnesol:and for comyn pepul, gynger, canell, longe peper, and clarifyed hony.John French’s second book, The Art of Distillation, is almost completely devoted to the distillation of medicinal tonics. Nine examples follow:
USQUE - BATH OR IRISH AQUA VITAE IS MADE THUS Take a gallon of small aqua vitae and put it into a glass vessel. Put thereto a quart of canary sack, two pounds of raisins of the sun stoned, but not washed, two ounces of dates stoned, and the white skins thereof pulled out, two ounces of cinnamon grossly bruised, four good nutmegs bruised, an ounce of the best english licorice sliced and bruised. Stop the vessels very close and let them infuse in a cold place six or eight days. Then let the liquor run through a bag called Manica Hippocratis made of white cotton. This liquor is commonly used in surfeits, being a good stomach water.
AQUA CELESTIS IS MADE THUS Take of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmegs, zedoary, galangal, long pepper, citron pill, spikenard, lignum aloes, cububs, cardamum, calamus aromaticus, germander, ground pine, mace, white frankincense, tormentil, hermodactyls, the pith of dwarf elder, juniper berries, bay berries, the seeds and flowers of motherwort, the seeds of smallage, the seeds of fennel, seeds of anise, the leaves of sorrel, the leaves of sage, the leaves of felwort, rosemary, marJoram, mints, pennyroyal, stechados, the flowers of elder, the flowers of red roses, the flowers of white roses, of the leaves of scabious, rue, the lesser moonwort, agrimony, centory, fumitory, pimpernel, sow thistle, eyebright, maidenhair, endive, red launders, aloes - of each two ounces, pure amber, the best rhubarb - of each two drams, dried figs, raisins of the sun, stoned dates, sweet almonds, grains of the pine - of each an ounce. Of the best aqua vitae to the quantity of them all, of the best hard sugar a pound, of white honey half a pound. Then add the root of gentian, flowers of rosemary, pepperwort, the root of briony, sow bread, wormwood - of each half an ounce. Now before these are distilled, quench gold being made red hot, oftentimes in the aforesaid water, put therein oriental pearls beaten small an ounce, and then distill it after 24 hours infusion. This is a very cordial water, good against faintings and infection.
AQUA IMPERIALIS IS MADE THUS Take of the rind of citrons dried, oranges, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon - of each two ounces; of each half a pound of the roots of flowers-de-luce, the roots of cyprus, the roots of calamus aromaticus, the roots of zedoary, the roots of galangal, the roots of ginger; two handsful each of the tops of lavender, the tops of rosemary; of the leaves of the bay tree, of the leaves of marjoram, of the leaves of balm, of the leaves of mint, of the leaves of sage, of the leaves of thyme, flowers of white roses, flowers of damask roses, of each half a handful; rose water, four pints; the best white wine, a gallon. Bruise what must be bruised. Then infuse them all 24 hours, after which distill them. This is of the same virtue as the former.
AQUA MIRABILIS IS MADE THUS Take a dram each of cloves, galangal, cububs, mace, cardamum, nutmeg, and ginger; half a pint of the juice of sallendine; a pint of the spirit of wine; three pints of white wine. Infuse all these 24 hours, and then distill off two pints by alembic. This water is very good against wind in the stomach and head.
DR. STEPHEN’S WATER IS MADE THUS Take a gallon of gascoigne wine; a dram each of ginger, galganal, cinnamon, nutmeg, grains, aniseed, fennel seeds, carroway seeds; a handful each of sage, red mints, red roses, thyme, pellitory, rosemary, wild thyme, chamomile, and lavender. Beat the spices small and bruise the herbs, letting them macerate 12 hours, stirring them now and then. Distill them by an alembic or copper still with its refrigeratory. Keep the first pint by itself, and the second by itself. Note that the first pint will be hotter, but the second the stronger of the ingredients. This water is well known to comfort all the principal parts.
A FAMOUS SURFEIT WATER Take of red poppy cakes (after the water has been distilled from them in a cold still) not over dried two pounds. Pour upon them of the water of red poppy a gallon and a half, canary wine three pints. Add to them of coriander seeds bruised four ounces, of dill seed bruised two ounces, of cloves bruised half an ounce, of nutmeg sliced an ounce, of rosemary a handful, three oranges cut in the middle. Distill them in a hot still. To the water put the juice of six oranges and hang in it half an ounce of nutmeg sliced and as much cinnamon bruised, two drams of cloves, a handful of rosemary cut small, sweet fennel seeds bruised an ounce, of raisins of the sun stoned half a pound, being all put into a bag, which may be hung in the water (the vessel being close stopped) the space of a month, and then be taken out and cast away, the liquor thereof being first pressed out into the foresaid water. This water is of wonderful virtue in surfeits and pleurisies, composes the spirits, causes rest, helps digestion if two or three or four ounces thereof be drunk, and the patient composes himself to rest.
A PECTORAL WATER Distill green hysop in a cold still until you have a gallon and a half of the water. To this put four handfuls of dried hysop, a handful of rue, as much of rosemary, and horehound, elecampane root, bruised, and of horse-radish root, bruised, of each four ounces, of tobacco in the leaf three ounces, aniseed bruised two ounces, two quarts of canary wine. Let them all stand in digestion two days and then distill them. In the water that is distilled put half a pound of raisins of the sun stoned, of licorice two ounces, sweet fennel seeds bruised two ounces and a half, ginger sliced an ounce and a half. Let them be infused in frigido the space of ten days. Then take them out. This water sweetened with sugar candy and drunk to the quantity of three or four ounces twice in a day is very good for those that are ptisical. It strengthens the lungs, attenuates thick phlegm, opens obstructions, and is very good to comfort the stomach.
A VERY EXCELLENT WATER AGAINST THE WORMS Take of worm seed eight ounces, the shavings of harts-horn two ounces, of peach flowers dried an ounce, of aloes bruised half an ounce. Pour on these the water of tansy, rue, peach flowers, and of wormwood, of each a pint and a half. Let them, being put into a glass vessel be digested the space of three days. Then distill them. Cohobate this water three times. This water is very excellent against the worms. It may be given from half an ounce to 3 ounces, according to the age of the patient.
A WATER AGAINST THE CONVULSIONS Take of ros vitriol (which is that water that is distilled from vitriol in the calcining thereof) two quarts. In this put of rue a handful, juniper berries bruised an ounce, of bay berries bruised half an ounce, piony berries bruised six drams, camphor two drams, rhubarb sliced an ounce. Digest these four days in a temperate balneum. Then distill them in a glass vessel in ashes, and there will come over a water of no small virtue. It cures convulsions in children, especially. It helps also the vertigo, the hysterical passion, and epilepsy. It is very excellent against all offensive vapors and wind that annoys the head and stomach. It may be taken from two drams to two ounces.The following diagram was given in F. B. Wright’s Distillation of Alcohol And De-Naturing. He lists his source as a 17th century book, but does not list the title. Wright lists the following components
V a wooden vat having a tight fitting cover a, through the center of which a hole has been cut. The wide end of a goose neck of copper pipe g is securely fitted over this aperture, the smaller end of this pipe passes through the cover of the retort R extending nearly to the bottom; wis the steam supply pipe from boiler; M the rectifier consisting of a cylindrical copper vessel containing a number of small vertical pipes surrounded by a cold water jacket; o the inlet for the cold water which circulates around these small pipes, discharging at n; the pipes in M have a common connection to a pipe p, which connects the rectifier with coil in cooler C; s is a pipe to the receptacle for receiving the distillate; u cold water supply pipe to cooler, and W discharge for warmed-up water, k discharge for refuse wash in vat V. The operation is as follows: The vat Vis nearly filled with fermented mash and retort R with weak distillate from a previous operation. Steam is then turned into the pipe; discharging near the bottom of the vat V and working up through the mash. This heats up the mash and the vapors escape up g over into R where they warm up the weak distillate. The vapors thus enriched rise into M, where a good percentage of the water vapor is distilled, that is, condensed by the cold water surrounding the small pipes. The vapor then passes over through C into the coil, where it is liquified and from whence it passes by pipe s into the receiver. The cold water for cooling both M and C can be turned on as soon as the apparatus has become thoroughly heated up.
My method was as different from Wright’s description as possible. As I have already described, my “still” is a low pressure one, unlike the one described by Wright. With the lid placed on the pot, the internal pressure does increase, but not by much, as there is no mechanism to enclose the pressure: hot air can still escape from around the lid. However, the slight increase of internal pressure does serve to allow the alcohol vapor to boil off faster and be retained long enough to condense against the cold lid.
Observations and Conclusions:
The wine and cordial were transferred to nice containers while the infused spirits were left in their original containers. This was done for two reasons: 1) I wanted to ensure that they would not be confused for other beverages. 2) I did not have any clean, nice bottles available for them.
1) Spiced wine: The wine, which was slightly sweet to begin with, ended up with a strong flavor of clove and ginger. The aroma was very mild.
2) Cordial: The cordial was a little bit sweet and a touch harsh. The liquid was clear; all traces of its original color were gone. The aroma was subtle and the flavor of the cloves, rosemary and ginger helped smooth out the “new” bite of the cordial.
3) Brandy: The brandy was sweet and smooth. The flavors of the herbs and spices were plesant on the tongue, although there was a definite aroma and flavor of vanilla, which is missing from the wine and the cordial.
4) Vodka: The vodka offered nothing to the flavor or aroma of the final product; in fact it degrades the beverage. The vodka was very harsh and the aroma was decidedly one of alcohol. The burning overbite of the vodka all but overpowers anything the herbs and spices added. The end result was something that, to my taste, was medicinal. I do not think that this would be improved by using better vodka.
My conclusion is that when reproducing a period cordial, without resorting to distillation, one should choose spirits that are closest to what one is trying to reproduce. Cordials based upon the distillation of wine, one should only use brandy and never vodka. Distillation, either using period equipment or the method that I used, is not a perfect method: all of the alcohol (and alcohol soluble flavors and oils) is not removed from the remaining liquid. Even modern fractional distillation equipment, used by chemical labs, cannot perfectly separate alcohol from water in one pass. In addition to alcohol (and alcohol soluble flavors and oils), water is also distilled along with water soluble flavors and oils.
When I distilled the wine, some of the sugar, in solution with the water, was condensed into the collection bowl along with the alcohol. Also, some of the flavor of the wine was distilled. The water soluble sugar, tannins, and oils are enhanced, along with the alcohol soluble flavors, by the higher alcohol content of the cordial. I estimate that the distillation converted the 12% ABV wine into a 20 to 25% ABV spirit while removing the predominate, and overpowering, flavors of the wine and of the herbs and spices. The result is a beverage where subtle flavors become more pronounced.
Vodka is distilled several times to remove impurities. Even the cheap vodka that I used was distilled three times. The result is a spirit with no flavor other than alcohol. Some people will say that that is the point: use a spirit with no flavor of its own so that one can only taste whatever is being infused into it. My counterpoint, and the purpose of this project, is to show that we want the flavors of the wine. We want the sugars and the tannins and the aromas that the wine gives up, when distilled. While the majority of period cordials recipes were for medicinal use, that does not mean that they tasted like medicine, or that our reproductions should taste like medicine. Many vodka-based modern cordials, including those entered into SCA A&S completions, include sugar or honey as an ingredient to counteract the harshness of the vodka. Why use vodka, then?
Commercial brandy is the best choice for wine-based cordial reproductions. It carries the subtle flavors of the wine from which it was distilled, it is naturally sweet, it is a period beverage for the regions where the recipes originate and it is the product of distilling wine. I would have preferred to have used white (unaged) brandy for this project as the aging process does add additional flavors. The brandy that I used was aged for five years in oak. The oak did give the brandy an additional vanilla flavor[21] and the aging did mellow the flavors. For some reason, none of the liquor stores I visited carried white brandy that was unflavored; I did not want to use peach, peppermint or mango flavored bandy. I believe that infused white-brandy would best represent distilling infused wine.
In conclusion: for reproducing wine-based cordials; distilling wine is the best option, albeit the most illegal, infusing white brandy would be the second best choice and then aged brandy. Vodka should not be used.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Anonymous. All Liquored Up! “The Herb Source” Volume 6 Issue 2 Oct. 2002
Culpeper, Nicholas. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal And English Physician; Wherein Several Hundred Herbs; With A Display Of Their Medicinal And Occult Properties; Are Physically Applied To The Cure Of All Disorders Incident To Mankind: To Which Are Added Rules For Compounding Medicines; Forming A Complete Family Dispensatory, And System Of Physic. To Which Is Annexed The British Florist Or Flower Garden Displayed; In Which The Most Ornamental Plants Will Be Accurately Represented In Their Natural Colours; With Their Names, Class, Order, Characters, Plans Of Growth, And Times Of Flowering; Together With The Most Approved Methods Of Culture. 1814
Culpeper, Nicholas. The English physitian: or an astrologo-physical discourse of the vulgar herbs of this nation. London : Peter Cole, 1652., 1652. Yale Medical School: http://www.med.yale.edu/library/historical/culpeper/culpeper.htm
Digbie, Sir Kenelme, The Closet of the Eminently Learned Digbie Kt Opened: Whereby is Discovered Several ways for making of Metheglin, Sider, Cherry-Wine, &c. together with Excellent Directions for Cookery: As also for Preserving, Conserving, Candying, &c. First edition, London, 1669. Transcribed by Joyce Miller
Felter, Harvey Wickes and Lloyd, John Uri. King’s American Dispensatory. 1898. Scanned version by Henriette Kress. 1999
FitzMaurice, Forester Nigel. A Miscellany of Early Cordials. Http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/precwat.html
FitzMaurice, Forester Nigel. A Recipe For Spiced Wines. Http://web.raex.com/~obsidian/spcwine.html
Frangelico Online. Http://www.frangelico.com/default_en.asp
French, John. The Art of Distillation. Or, A Treatise of the Choicest Spagyrical Preparations Performed by Way o£ Distillation, Being Partly Taken Out of the Most Select Chemical Authors of the Diverse Languages and Partly Out of the Author’s Manual Experience together with, The Description of the Chiefest Furnaces and Vessels Used by Ancient and Modern Chemists also A Discourse on Diverse Spagyrical Experiments and Curiosities, and of the Anatomy of Gold and Silver, with The Chiefest Preparations and Curiosities Thereof, and Virtues of Them All. All Which Are Contained In Six Books Composed By John French, Dr. of Physick. London. Printed by Richard Cotes and are to sold by Thomas Williams at the Bible in Little-Britain without Aldersgate, 1651. Http://www.levity.com/alchemy/jfren_ar.html
Frisinger, H. Howard. Aristole’s Legacy in Meteorology. “Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society:” Vol. 54, No. 3, pp. 198–204.
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Hobbs, Christopher. Vitex: The Chaste Tree. (Pharmacy in History.) 1998
Liebault, John and Stevens, Charles. Le Maison Rustique or The Convntry Farms. Translated into English by Richard Surflet. Arnold Harfield. London. 1606
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MacMillan, Lord Alistair. Wine. “Scum” Volume 1, number 16
Pichon, Jerome. Le Menagier de Platina. 1394. Translation by Janet Hinson, 1844. Annotated and posted by David Friedman and Elizabeth Cook. Http://www.best.com/~ddfr/Medieval/Cookbooks/Menagier/Menagier.html
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Toussaint-Samat, Maguelonne. History of Food. Translated from the French by Anthea Bell. Barnes & Noble Books. 1992.
Wilson, C. Anne. Food & Drink in Britain: From the Stone Age to the 19th Century. Academy Chicago Pub. 1991
The World of Benedictine. Http://www.benedictine.fr/anglais/histoire_frame.html.
Wright, F. B. A Practical Handbook On The Distillation Of Alcohol From Farm Products Including The Processes Of Malting; Mashing And Mascerating; Fermenting And Distilling Alcohol From Grain, Beets, Potatoes. Molasses, Etc.. With Chanters On Alcoholometry And The De-Naturing Of Alcohol For Use In Farm Engines, Automobiles, Launch Motors, And In Heating And Lighting; With A Synopsis Of The New Free Alcohol Law And Its Amendment And The Government Regulations. 2nd Edition. Spon & Chamberlain. New York. 1907
[1] a flavored non-distilled alcohol is hippocras
[2] 1517 and 1676 respectively
[3] Frisinger
[4] Anonymous
[5] Hannum, pp. 62
[6] Ibid., pp 5, 145.
[7] Ian Gourdon July 4, 1999
[8] Very Superior Old Pale, aged at least five years in wood
[9] I do not know what variety the grapes were, except that they were not Welch’s grape jelly flavor grapes.
[10] Liebault and Stevens
[11] Take that, Vernors!
[12] Measured using a digital thermometer.
[13] Good Eats: Switched on Baklava, aired in 2008.
[14] MacMillan, see also the documentation for the Red Wine used for this project.
[15] Culpeper, Culpeper’s Complete Herbal
[16] Culpeper, The English physitian
[17] Felter and Lloyd
[18] a spiced and sweetened wine, often served steaming hot
[19] 1272-1307
[20] Hieatt and Jones, provided by FitzMaurice
