Ingredients:
2.2l (three bottles) of decent red wine170g sugar (a brown cane sugar is best)1 tbsp grated ginger4 cinnamon sticks mashed in a pestle and mortar12 cloves1 tbsp galingale½ tsp each of cardamom, nutmeg, mace, long pepper (substitute whole black peppercorns if not available) and grains of paradise
Method:
Preparation
Pour the wine into a large pan and gently heat until it is just at the point of boiling. Add all the other ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and keep stirring for a few minutes before turning off the heat and allowing the mixture to cool.
Once the mixture has cooled, strain through a muslin cloth to remove the excess spices (one recipe tells you to save the spice mixture so that it can be added to your next stew).
Hypocras (or Ypocras as it was also known) was used as an aperitif, served either warm or cold with wafers, sweetmeats and comfits just before the main meal. Red wine gives you a pungent mixture. A lighter Ypocras can be made using a dry white wine (like a Sancerre) instead of red wine.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
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