Hippocras, Spiced Wine of Great Tables
Red wine heated then infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and sugar, filtered until clear. A warm or room-temperature drink, also considered digestive.
Red wine heated then infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and sugar, filtered until clear. A warm or room-temperature drink, also considered digestive.
To close a banquet worthily, nothing beats hippocras. One takes good Castilian wine, melts sugar in it, then throws in cinnamon, ginger and cloves, those spices our merchants bring from afar at great cost. One lets the flavors unite, then passes it all through a woolen sleeve, again and again, until the wine is clear as ruby. Serve it warm to your guests: it warms the heart and helps the stomach after good cheer.
- •Red wine from Castile — a pitcher (base)
- •Sugar or honey — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon, ginger, cloves — to taste (spices)
- •Grains of paradise or long pepper — a pinch (spicy heat)
Hippocras, Spiced Wine of Great Tables
Red wine heated then infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and sugar, filtered until clear. A warm or room-temperature drink, also considered digestive.
Why this dish? Hippocras, sweetened and spiced filtered wine, closed noble feasts across Europe and Spain; on Isabella's table, where Castilian wine was served cut with water, this brew of precious spices honored distinguished guests.
To close a banquet worthily, nothing beats hippocras. One takes good Castilian wine, melts sugar in it, then throws in cinnamon, ginger and cloves, those spices our merchants bring from afar at great cost. One lets the flavors unite, then passes it all through a woolen sleeve, again and again, until the wine is clear as ruby. Serve it warm to your guests: it warms the heart and helps the stomach after good cheer.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine from Castile — a pitcher (base)
- Sugar or honey — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon, ginger, cloves — to taste (spices)
- Grains of paradise or long pepper — a pinch (spicy heat)
Ingredients
- Full-bodied red wine — 1 bottle (750 ml) (base)
- Sugar — 100 g (or 3 tbsp honey) (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Fresh ginger — 3 thin slices (spice)
- Cloves — 4 (spice)
- Black peppercorns or long pepper — 3 (heat)
Method
- Gently heat the wine with the sugar without boiling, until dissolved.
- Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pepper; remove from heat and cover.
- Infuse for 30 min to 1 h depending on desired intensity.
- Filter several times through a fine cloth (or coffee filter) until clear.
- Serve warm in small cups. (Alcohol-free version: replace with red grape juice.)
How it was made : Hippocras (named after Hippocrates, because of the filter called 'Hippocrates' sleeve') was drunk throughout medieval Europe. Repeated filtering through a woolen sleeve gave perfectly clear wine, a mark of refinement.
The contemporary twist : Served chilled in summer in a sugar-cinnamon-rimmed glass: a 'hippocras frappé' that surprises guests.
Sources : Le Viandier (Taillevent) · Ruperto de Nola, Llibre del Coch
Isabella I of Castile · Charactorium