flipHippocras — Spiced Wine of the Serenissima
Hippocras — Spiced Wine of the Serenissima
Why this dish? Venice held the European monopoly on Eastern spices. In the palaces where Monteverdi's music was played — from the Ducal Palace in Mantua to Venetian festivities — hippocras, a sweet wine perfumed with cinnamon and cloves, closed the banquets along with musical entertainments.
A warm red wine sweetened with honey and sugar, infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, then filtered. The refined end-of-feast drink, reflecting the spice trade that made Venice's fortune.
When my madrigals ended and the torches dimmed, this spiced warm wine was presented to the guests. Choose a frank and generous wine, not too sharp, and heat it without ever boiling, lest you drive out its spirit. Throw in cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a veil of nutmeg, then honey for sweetness. Pass it through cloth until it is clear as crystal — only then is it worthy of a noble table.
- •Red wine — a good pitcher (base)
- •Honey — to your taste (sweetness)
- •Sugar — a little (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon — one stick (master spice)
- •Ginger — a piece (warmth)
- •Cloves — a few (spice)
- •Nutmeg — a grating (perfume)
Hippocras — Spiced Wine of the Serenissima
A warm red wine sweetened with honey and sugar, infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, then filtered. The refined end-of-feast drink, reflecting the spice trade that made Venice's fortune.
Why this dish? Venice held the European monopoly on Eastern spices. In the palaces where Monteverdi's music was played — from the Ducal Palace in Mantua to Venetian festivities — hippocras, a sweet wine perfumed with cinnamon and cloves, closed the banquets along with musical entertainments.
When my madrigals ended and the torches dimmed, this spiced warm wine was presented to the guests. Choose a frank and generous wine, not too sharp, and heat it without ever boiling, lest you drive out its spirit. Throw in cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a veil of nutmeg, then honey for sweetness. Pass it through cloth until it is clear as crystal — only then is it worthy of a noble table.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine — a good pitcher (base)
- Honey — to your taste (sweetness)
- Sugar — a little (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — one stick (master spice)
- Ginger — a piece (warmth)
- Cloves — a few (spice)
- Nutmeg — a grating (perfume)
Ingredients
- Full-bodied red wine — 1 bottle (75 cl) (base)
- Honey — 3 tbsp (sweetness)
- Sugar — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (master spice)
- Fresh ginger — 3 thin slices (warmth)
- Cloves — 4 (spice)
- Nutmeg — 1 pinch grated (perfume)
Method
- Pour the wine into a saucepan with honey and sugar.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Heat gently without ever boiling, stirring to dissolve the honey.
- Let infuse off the heat, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Filter carefully through a fine cloth until the wine is clear.
- Serve warm in small cups. (Non-alcoholic version: replace with warm red grape juice and the same spices.)
How it was made : Hippocras was filtered through a "Hippocrates' sleeve," a conical cloth bag from which it gets its name. A prestige drink in the 15th-17th centuries, it displayed a host's wealth in spices — a luxury that Venice, hub of Eastern trade, could flaunt without counting.
The contemporary twist : Serve chilled and filtered as a "period sangria" in summer, with a few bitter orange zests.
Sources : Platina (Bartolomeo Sacchi), De honesta voluptate et valetudine, 1474 · Le Ménagier de Paris, 1393 (hippocras recipe)
Claudio Monteverdi · Charactorium
