flipKing's Hypocras
King's Hypocras
Why this dish? They say Charles VII cut his wine with water; but on great occasions, the close of a royal banquet called for hypocras, this sweetened spiced wine offered with dragées to aid digestion. A festive and ceremonial drink, befitting a coronation.
A red wine heated and infused with cinnamon, ginger, grains of paradise, and cloves, sweetened with sugar or honey, then filtered until clear and fragrant. Warm and comforting, sweet and spicy.
Here is the last offering of my feast, the one presented when the cloths are about to be lifted. My cupbearer poured the wine, steeped cinnamon, ginger, and grains of paradise in it, sweetened it with sugar, then let it run through the Hippocras bag until it was clear as ruby. Drink it warm, in small sips: it warms the stomach and fittingly closes a king's table. I who mixed water with my everyday wine did not refuse this nectar on evenings of celebration.
- •Red wine — a good pitcher (base of the drink)
- •Sugar (or honey) — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon — one stick (master spice)
- •Ginger — a pinch (warmth)
- •Grains of paradise (melegueta pepper) — a few grains (noble pungency)
- •Clove — two or three (fragrance)
King's Hypocras
A red wine heated and infused with cinnamon, ginger, grains of paradise, and cloves, sweetened with sugar or honey, then filtered until clear and fragrant. Warm and comforting, sweet and spicy.
Why this dish? They say Charles VII cut his wine with water; but on great occasions, the close of a royal banquet called for hypocras, this sweetened spiced wine offered with dragées to aid digestion. A festive and ceremonial drink, befitting a coronation.
Here is the last offering of my feast, the one presented when the cloths are about to be lifted. My cupbearer poured the wine, steeped cinnamon, ginger, and grains of paradise in it, sweetened it with sugar, then let it run through the Hippocras bag until it was clear as ruby. Drink it warm, in small sips: it warms the stomach and fittingly closes a king's table. I who mixed water with my everyday wine did not refuse this nectar on evenings of celebration.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine — a good pitcher (base of the drink)
- Sugar (or honey) — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — one stick (master spice)
- Ginger — a pinch (warmth)
- Grains of paradise (melegueta pepper) — a few grains (noble pungency)
- Clove — two or three (fragrance)
Ingredients
- Fruity red wine — 750 ml (base)
- Sugar — 80 g (or 3 tbsp honey) (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (master spice)
- Fresh ginger — 3 thin slices (warmth)
- Grains of paradise or long pepper — 1/4 tsp (pungency)
- Cloves — 3 (fragrance)
- Nutmeg — 1 pinch grated (roundness)
Method
- Gently heat the wine without boiling.
- Add the sugar and all spices, stir to dissolve.
- Let infuse off the heat, covered, for 1 to 2 hours to develop flavors.
- Strain carefully through a fine cloth (the ancient "chausse") until the liquid is clear.
- Rewarm slightly and serve warm in small cups.
How it was made : Hypocras takes its name from the "manche d'Hippocras" (Hippocras sleeve), a conical cloth bag used to filter the spiced wine. Recipes and proportions appear in the *Viandier* and the *Ménagier de Paris*: it was offered at the end of meals with chamber spices (dragées) to aid digestion. It was a marker of wealth, given the cost of spices.
The contemporary twist : Non-alcoholic version: replace wine with red grape juice and a splash of pomegranate juice, same spices — a "children's hypocras" for family tables.
Sources : Le Viandier de Taillevent · Le Ménagier de Paris (vers 1393)
Charles VII · Charactorium
