flipClaret Negus — Hot Spiced Bordeaux Wine
Claret Negus — Hot Spiced Bordeaux Wine
Why this dish? Hume was a passionate connoisseur of claret from Bordeaux, imported to Scotland thanks to the old 'Auld Alliance' between France and Scotland; hot and spiced, it was the drink of long evenings of philosophical conversation.
A Bordeaux claret warmed with sugar, lemon and nutmeg — the 'negus' fashionable in 18th-century Britain. Sweet, fragrant and slightly tangy, it comforts against Scottish chills.
Let us draw our armchairs near the fire, the night will be long and the discussion even better. Here is my claret from Bordeaux — the very one that our old ties with France procure for us so cheaply — which I warm with a little sugar, a lemon zest and a hint of grated nutmeg. Beware of letting it boil: one warms the wine, one does not murder it. A glass of this, and metaphysics itself becomes pleasant company.
- •Claret from Bordeaux — 1 bottle (base)
- •Loaf sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Lemon — 1 (acidity and aroma)
- •Nutmeg — a grating (spice)
- •Hot water — a little (stretches the negus)
Claret Negus — Hot Spiced Bordeaux Wine
A Bordeaux claret warmed with sugar, lemon and nutmeg — the 'negus' fashionable in 18th-century Britain. Sweet, fragrant and slightly tangy, it comforts against Scottish chills.
Why this dish? Hume was a passionate connoisseur of claret from Bordeaux, imported to Scotland thanks to the old 'Auld Alliance' between France and Scotland; hot and spiced, it was the drink of long evenings of philosophical conversation.
Let us draw our armchairs near the fire, the night will be long and the discussion even better. Here is my claret from Bordeaux — the very one that our old ties with France procure for us so cheaply — which I warm with a little sugar, a lemon zest and a hint of grated nutmeg. Beware of letting it boil: one warms the wine, one does not murder it. A glass of this, and metaphysics itself becomes pleasant company.
Ingredients (period version)
- Claret from Bordeaux — 1 bottle (base)
- Loaf sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Lemon — 1 (acidity and aroma)
- Nutmeg — a grating (spice)
- Hot water — a little (stretches the negus)
Ingredients
- Red Bordeaux wine — 75 cl (base)
- Sugar — 3 to 4 tbsp (sweetness)
- Lemon (zest + juice) — 1 (acidity and aroma)
- Nutmeg — a good grating (spice)
- Boiling water — 25 cl (stretches the negus)
Method
- Pour the wine into a saucepan with the sugar and lemon zest.
- Heat gently without ever boiling, until the sugar dissolves (60-70°C).
- Add the lemon juice, hot water and grated nutmeg.
- Taste, adjust sugar, serve immediately in heat-resistant glasses.
How it was made : The 'negus' takes its name from Colonel Francis Negus (died 1732) who supposedly popularized this wine cut with hot water and spiced. Claret from Bordeaux was the drink of choice for Scottish elites thanks to trade privileges inherited from the alliance with France.
The contemporary twist : Served in a small digestif glass with a long spiral of lemon zest, it is a 'designer mulled wine' that differs from the classic Christmas market version.
Sources : Ernest Mossner, The Life of David Hume (1954) · F. Marian McNeill, The Scots Cellar (1956)
David Hume · Charactorium
