Ipocrasso, Spiced Wine for Grand Days
Red wine heated then steeped for a long time with spices — cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper — sweetened with honey and filtered until clear and fragrant. The warming digestive for great occasions.
Red wine heated then steeped for a long time with spices — cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper — sweetened with honey and filtered until clear and fragrant. The warming digestive for great occasions.
At the end of the convito, when the torrone and candied fruits are presented, it is time for ipocrasso. I take a good wine from the slopes of Pavia, melt honey into it, then throw in cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and let it marry overnight. In the morning, I strain it and re-strain it through a cloth bag until it is clear as varnish: only then is it worthy to be poured for my guests.
- •Red wine from the hills of Pavia — a pint (base)
- •Honey — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, long pepper, nutmeg — according to one's purse (signature spices)
Ipocrasso, Spiced Wine for Grand Days
Red wine heated then steeped for a long time with spices — cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper — sweetened with honey and filtered until clear and fragrant. The warming digestive for great occasions.
Why this dish? Hippocras was THE prestige drink of Renaissance tables, served at the end of the banquet with confectionery. For a well-off artisan like Gatti, who watered his table with a wine from the hills of Pavia, enhancing it with spices and honey on feast days was the mark of a house that entertains well.
At the end of the convito, when the torrone and candied fruits are presented, it is time for ipocrasso. I take a good wine from the slopes of Pavia, melt honey into it, then throw in cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and let it marry overnight. In the morning, I strain it and re-strain it through a cloth bag until it is clear as varnish: only then is it worthy to be poured for my guests.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine from the hills of Pavia — a pint (base)
- Honey — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, long pepper, nutmeg — according to one's purse (signature spices)
Ingredients
- Full-bodied red wine — 75 cl (1 bottle) (base)
- Honey — 80 g (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Fresh ginger — 4 slices (spice)
- Cloves — 4 (spice)
- Pepper (ideally long pepper) and nutmeg — a pinch each (spice)
Method
- Pour the wine into a saucepan, add honey, and heat gently without boiling.
- Add all spices, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for several hours (ideally overnight).
- Strain through a fine cloth or cheesecloth two or three times until clear.
- Reheat without boiling just before serving, in small cups.
How it was made : Hippocras (named after Hippocrates, due to the filtering bag called 'Hippocrates' sleeve') was widespread throughout medieval and Renaissance Europe. It was prepared cold by maceration or hot, always filtered for clarity, and it marked the wealth of the household by the quantity of spices, costly goods.
The contemporary twist : Non-alcoholic version: replace wine with red grape juice and a splash of balsamic vinegar, same spices — perfect for family and school audiences.
Bernardino Gatti · Charactorium
