flipIppocrasso (spiced honey wine)
Ippocrasso (spiced honey wine)
Why this dish? The anchor reminds us: wine was one of the few constants on Michelangelo's table, and his shopping lists always mention "a jug of wine." *Ippocrasso*, wine sweetened with honey and scented with spices, was the festive version of daily wine throughout Renaissance Italy — a rare gesture of sweetness for such an austere man.
A red wine warmed and perfumed with cinnamon, ginger and clove, sweetened with honey then strained: a hot, spiced drink to sip.
Wine, I usually cut with water, for drunkenness is the enemy of work. But on feast days, we make *ippocrasso*: you gently warm the wine without boiling, melt in honey, cinnamon, a little ginger and clove, then strain it through cloth until it is clear as a stained-glass window. You drink it hot, in small sips — enough to warm the soul, not so much as to mislead the hand.
- •Red wine — one jug (base)
- •Honey — as desired (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon — one stick (spice)
- •Ginger — a little (spice)
- •Clove — a few (spice)
Ippocrasso (spiced honey wine)
A red wine warmed and perfumed with cinnamon, ginger and clove, sweetened with honey then strained: a hot, spiced drink to sip.
Why this dish? The anchor reminds us: wine was one of the few constants on Michelangelo's table, and his shopping lists always mention "a jug of wine." *Ippocrasso*, wine sweetened with honey and scented with spices, was the festive version of daily wine throughout Renaissance Italy — a rare gesture of sweetness for such an austere man.
Wine, I usually cut with water, for drunkenness is the enemy of work. But on feast days, we make *ippocrasso*: you gently warm the wine without boiling, melt in honey, cinnamon, a little ginger and clove, then strain it through cloth until it is clear as a stained-glass window. You drink it hot, in small sips — enough to warm the soul, not so much as to mislead the hand.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine — one jug (base)
- Honey — as desired (sweetness)
- Cinnamon — one stick (spice)
- Ginger — a little (spice)
- Clove — a few (spice)
Ingredients
- Full-bodied red wine — 75 cl (base)
- Honey — 3 to 4 tbsp (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (spice)
- Fresh ginger — 2 or 3 thin slices (spice)
- Cloves — 3 (spice)
- Orange zest (optional) — 1 strip (flavor)
Method
- Pour the wine into a saucepan with the cinnamon, ginger, cloves and zest.
- Heat gently without ever boiling, at a bare simmer, for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the honey and stir until fully dissolved.
- Let infuse off the heat for another 5 minutes.
- Strain through a fine cloth or sieve to clarify.
- Serve hot in small glasses or cups.
How it was made : Hypocras (*ippocrasso*) was one of the most prized beverages from the late Middle Ages through the Renaissance: the spiced wine was filtered through a "Hippocratic sleeve," a cloth cone, hence its name. Eastern spices — cinnamon, ginger, clove — were expensive and signaled a refined table. "Reconstruction": the principle and ingredients are documented; exact proportions varied from house to house.
The contemporary twist : Served in small glasses with a curl of dried orange peel, it's mulled wine before mulled wine — a Renaissance nod to winter markets.
Michelangelo · Charactorium
