Hippocras
Simple Hippocras
Lord Aurelio Vitrisoni
August 2020
What is Hippocras?
Most simply, Hippocras is an alcoholic drink made by steeping spices in sweetened wine, first documented to England in 1390. After steeping for a day, the spices are filtered out by a conical cloth filter called a “hippocratic sleeve”, originally invented by Greek physician Hippocrates for use as a water filter.
Equipment
- Large mason jar
- Cheesecloth or coffee filters
- Measuring spoons
- Kitchen scale
- Mortar and pestle
- Small funnel
- Bottle stopper
- Fine grater (optional)
Ingredients
- 750ml dry red wine (I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon)
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg or ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
- 25 black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- ½ tsp grains of paradise
- ½ tsp ground ginger or ½” knob fresh ginger, grated
- 3” cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp dried rosemary
- 155g turbinado sugar
Making Hippocras
1. Make sure your mason jar or other interim container is clean.
2. Lightly crack all whole spices in a mortar and pestle. Do not grind them to a powder.
3. Pour spices and sugar into your clean jar.
4. Pour your wine over the spices and close the jar tightly.
5. Save the wine bottle and clean it for later use.
6. Dissolve the sugar by shaking the jar.
7. Place the jar in a cool, dark place for 24 to 48 hrs.
8. Place the funnel into your clean wine bottle, and line it with a coffee filter or 3-4 layers of cheesecloth.
9. Pour the wine slowly through the filter to remove the spices.
10. Repeat the step several times if necessary.
11. Discard the spices and used filters.
12. Cap the bottle and enjoy!
Hippocras History
Hippocras was not the first time humans have adjusted the flavor of wine with spices. Early Greek and Roman recipe books contained recipes for spiced wine, and a spiced drink called piment is known from the 12th and 13th centuries.
The first place that Hippocras is referred to by name is in an English recipe book called “The Forme of Cury”, from 1390.
Pur Fait Ypocras
Treys unces de canell & iii unces de gyngenuer, spykenard de spayn le pays dun denerer, garyngale, clowes gylofre, poeurer long, noiez mugadez, maziozame, cardomonij de chescun i quart’ douce grayne & de paradys, flour de queynel, de chescun dm unce de toutes soit fait powdour, &c.
To Make Hippocras:
Three ounces of cinnamon and three ounces of ginger, spikenard of Spain the size of a denier (a small french coin). Galangal, cloves, long pepper, nutmeg, marjoram, cardamom, a quarter ounce. 1/10th ounce Grains of paradise and powdered cinnamon, etc.
(Note that this recipe assumes the cook is familiar enough to know that this is a recipe for a wine-based beverage and includes no instructions for making it.)
Le Menagier de Paris, a French manuscript from 1393, contains a more detailed recipe:
“To make a lot of good hypocras, take an once of cinamonde, known as long tube cinnamon, a knob of ginger, and an equal amount of galangal, pounded well together, and then take a livre of good sugar; pound this all together and moisten it with a gallon of the best Beaune wine you can get, and let it steep for an hour or two. Then strain it through a cloth bag several times so it will be very clear”
Many other recipes for hippocras follow through the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, until it vanished from named use in the 18th century. The drink was extremely popular both for perceived medicinal and aphrodisiac properties, as well as being simply very good tasting.
Specifically, it was considered to be a balancing force for the humors. Wine was considered cold and wet, while spices like cinnamon, ginger, and sugar were thought to be dry and warming. This mixture could then be considered a “balancing” food and was both prescribed as a digestive aid as well as being frequently served at the end of feasts and large meals.
The spices used, their amounts, and the wine to which they are added vary wildly across recipes. However, a few commonalities emerge.
1. A wide variety of spices were used, but most common are Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Grains of Paradise, and Pepper (Long or otherwise).
2. The type of wine does not matter. Hippocras can be made with dry or sweet, red or white.
3. Hippocras was almost always additionally sweetened by honey or sugar.
4. The mixture of wine and spices was steeped for the period of about a day, sometimes heated and sometimes not.
5. The resulting drink was mostly, but not always, filtered through a cloth bag before drinking.
Therefore, the recipe presented on the first page is not a period one. It was given to me by Master Derian Le Breton, who created it in the spirit of many medieval hippocras recipes. It combines many of the common hippocras spices in ratios that he (and I!) find delicious. I encourage you to similarly modify and experiment with spices, wines, and amounts of sweetening until you find the mix that balances your personal humors best.