L'issue de table (closing drink of the meal)
Hypocras with Burgundy Wine
DrinkDocumented🍯 🌶️facile20 min (+ 2 h infusion)
A generous red wine, sweetened with honey and infused with cinnamon, ginger and grains of paradise, then filtered until clear and velvety. A festive drink, warm on the palate.
L'issue de table (closing drink of the meal)
A generous red wine, sweetened with honey and infused with cinnamon, ginger and grains of paradise, then filtered until clear and velvety. A festive drink, warm on the palate.
When the tablecloths are lifted and the pies broken, here comes my hypocras, and that is when a banquet becomes royal! I want it made of good Burgundy wine, sweetened with honey, and laden with cinnamon and maniguette to set the tongue ablaze. My cupbearers strain it through Hippocrates' sleeve until it is clear as ruby. Drink a cup to my health, but soberly, for it warms the blood more than you think!
Ingredients
- •Red Burgundy wine — a pitcher (base)
- •Honey (or sugar) — as needed (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon stick — a piece (dominant spice)
- •Ginger — a little (warmth)
- •Grains of paradise — a few grains (signature spice)
- •Cloves and nutmeg — a hint (perfume)
How it was made : Hypocras was filtered through a "Hippocrates' sleeve", a conical cloth bag that gave it its name. A medicinal-festive drink, it was believed to have digestive virtues. Recipes varied according to wealth: expensive sugar for the rich, honey for others.
Sources : Le Viandier de Taillevent · Le Ménagier de Paris (c. 1393) · Platine en françois (1505)