Ipocrasso, Evening Spiced Wine
A red or white wine infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and sugar, filtered until clear. Served hot or cold, it was enjoyed at the end of the meal as a fragrant digestif.
A red or white wine infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and sugar, filtered until clear. Served hot or cold, it was enjoyed at the end of the meal as a fragrant digestif.
The Moor gave me a vineyard beneath the walls of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and believe me, I watch every vine. Of this wine, here is what I make in the evening: I marry it to cinnamon, ginger, and clove, melt in a little sugar, then pass it again and again through a cloth sleeve until it is clear as glass. Drink a cup after supper: it warms the stomach and loosens the mind for those who still wish to think before night.
- •Tuscan or Lombard wine — a pitcher (base)
- •Cinnamon stick — a piece (master spice)
- •Ginger — a little (warmth)
- •Cloves — a few (flavor)
- •Sugar — to taste (precious ingredient) (sweetness)
Ipocrasso, Evening Spiced Wine
A red or white wine infused with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and sugar, filtered until clear. Served hot or cold, it was enjoyed at the end of the meal as a fragrant digestif.
Why this dish? Ludovico Sforza gave Leonardo a vineyard near the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan; he valued it so much that he mentioned it in his will. Ipocrasso, a sweet spiced wine filtered through a cloth sleeve (the 'sleeve of Hippocrates'), crowned the meals of the time.
The Moor gave me a vineyard beneath the walls of Santa Maria delle Grazie, and believe me, I watch every vine. Of this wine, here is what I make in the evening: I marry it to cinnamon, ginger, and clove, melt in a little sugar, then pass it again and again through a cloth sleeve until it is clear as glass. Drink a cup after supper: it warms the stomach and loosens the mind for those who still wish to think before night.
Ingredients (period version)
- Tuscan or Lombard wine — a pitcher (base)
- Cinnamon stick — a piece (master spice)
- Ginger — a little (warmth)
- Cloves — a few (flavor)
- Sugar — to taste (precious ingredient) (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Fruity red wine (or semi-sweet white) — 75 cl (base)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Fresh ginger — 3 thin slices (warmth)
- Cloves — 3 (flavor)
- Sugar (or honey) — 60 to 80 g (sweetness)
- Grated nutmeg — 1 pinch (roundness)
Method
- Pour wine into a saucepan, add sugar and spices.
- Heat gently without boiling and let infuse over very low heat for 20-30 minutes.
- Filter carefully through a clean cloth (the authentic 'sleeve of Hippocrates') or a coffee filter until clear.
- Serve hot in winter, or chilled in summer. Consume in moderation — adult beverage.
How it was made : Ipocrasso (hypocras) took its name from the conical cloth filter attributed to Hippocrates. It was the quintessential festive drink of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance; each household kept its own spice recipe. Sugar, still rare and expensive, signaled a wealthy table — common folk sweetened with honey or saba (reduced grape must).
The contemporary twist : For a family-friendly non-alcoholic version, replace the wine with red grape juice infused with the same spices: same fragrant warmth, accessible to children.
Sources : Le Ménagier de Paris, late 14th century (hypocras recipe) · Platina (Bartolomeo Sacchi), De honesta voluptate et valetudine, 1474
Leonardo da Vinci · Charactorium