Ipocrasso — spiced mulled wine of the papal banquet
A wine perfumed with cinnamon, ginger, and clove, sweetened with sugar and filtered until clear. Warming and refined, it accompanied the confections of the buffet.
A wine perfumed with cinnamon, ginger, and clove, sweetened with sugar and filtered until clear. Warming and refined, it accompanied the confections of the buffet.
When cardinals and princes came to Us, We poured them this Italian wine that We had infused with noble spices: cinnamon, ginger, a little clove, and sugar in abundance. It was passed and repassed through the flannel sleeve until it was clear as a ruby. Drink it in moderation, for even God's gifts require temperance, but know that it gladdens the heart and loosens the tongues of ambassadors.
- •Italian red wine — a pitcher (base)
- •Sugar — generously (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon, ginger, clove — a good pinch (spices)
- •Long pepper grains — a few (spicy warmth)
Ipocrasso — spiced mulled wine of the papal banquet
A wine perfumed with cinnamon, ginger, and clove, sweetened with sugar and filtered until clear. Warming and refined, it accompanied the confections of the buffet.
Why this dish? At the banquets of the papal court and great Italian houses, the festivities concluded with *ipocrasso*, a sweetened and spiced Italian wine filtered through a cloth sleeve. For a Counter-Reformation pope receiving cardinals and ambassadors, it was the showpiece drink par excellence.
When cardinals and princes came to Us, We poured them this Italian wine that We had infused with noble spices: cinnamon, ginger, a little clove, and sugar in abundance. It was passed and repassed through the flannel sleeve until it was clear as a ruby. Drink it in moderation, for even God's gifts require temperance, but know that it gladdens the heart and loosens the tongues of ambassadors.
Ingredients (period version)
- Italian red wine — a pitcher (base)
- Sugar — generously (sweetness)
- Cinnamon, ginger, clove — a good pinch (spices)
- Long pepper grains — a few (spicy warmth)
Ingredients
- Full-bodied red wine (Italian preferred) — 75 cl (base)
- Sugar — 80 to 100 g (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Fresh ginger — 2 slices (spice)
- Cloves — 3 (spice)
- Peppercorns — 4 (warmth (optional))
Method
- Pour the wine into a saucepan with the sugar and all the spices.
- Heat gently without boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Let infuse off the heat, covered, for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Filter carefully through a fine cloth (the flannel 'Hippocratic sleeve') until clear.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature in small cups.
How it was made : *Ipocrasso* (hypocras) takes its name from the 'Hippocratic sleeve', the conical cloth filter used to clarify spiced wine. A medieval drink still in vogue in the Renaissance, it appeared in the banquets described by Scappi and symbolized the luxury of imported spices.
The contemporary twist : Non-alcoholic version for families: replace the wine with full-bodied red grape juice and proceed the same way — the spiced spirit remains intact.
Sources : Bartolomeo Scappi, Opera dell'arte del cucinare (1570)
Gregory XIII · Charactorium
