Clockwise from top left: antique pharmacy mortar and pestle; carafe of red wine; Georgian jelly glasses (see also following page); a Georgian ‘toleware’ spice dungeon; a nutmeg grater on a plate with nutmeg, long pepper, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon; vintage salt spoon; muslin (cheesecloth) spice bag.

16^th century

Ypocras Jellies

Mulled wine – called ‘ypocras’ in past centuries – has been around since the Middle Ages but mulled spirits predate even medieval times. There is a recipe for a fine spiced wine in a Roman cookery book (Apicius: De Re Coquinaria) that looks a lot like the recipe for ypocras. Ypocras was common enough in the fourteenth century to be mentioned by Chaucer and the first English recipe for it dates from that same period. The spice mixture for ypocras was known as ‘ypocras Gyle’ and usually contained cinnamon, cardamom pods and old varieties of pepper such as grains of paradise and long pepper. These spices were bruised using a mortar and pestle and left to steep in the red or white wine overnight, or possibly even longer, to soak up all the flavours.

Only the most noble and regal were able to afford ypocras, because in medieval times most spices were very expensive. The drink was usually taken at the end of a lavish meal as a digestive; later, the drink was turned into a jelly, which was eaten between courses. Unlike our mulled spirits today, it was enjoyed cold.

After the sixteenth century recipes for ypocras become richer, including more sugar, oranges, lemons, almonds and apples. Also ypocras jellies appear, with the earliest mention to be found in a book called A Collection of Ordinances and Regulations for the Government of the Royal Household, published in 1790. This book contains a menu with dietary prescriptions ‘to be served to the King’s Highnesse’ dating back to a 1526 manuscript. Here the jelly is served as the first dish in the second course. In a later work written by Elias Ashmole ( Institution, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Order of the Garter, 1672) we read that ypocras jelly was served to Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in Windsor Castle on Sunday, 29 May 1520, again in the second course of the dinner.

What we don’t know is how the jelly was served in this period: was it in dainty glasses, moulds or cups? We know too little of the period’s serving manners to be sure. For a specific recipe for ypocras jelly we have to wait until the Elizabethan period, although it is plainly called ‘jelly’.

To make Ielly.

Take Calves feete and fley them, and faire washe them, and set them on to seethe in faire licour, and faire scum them, and when they be tender sod, faire straine out the licour, and see your licour be verye cleere, and put your licour into a pot, if there be a pottle of it, put a pottle of claret wine unto it, and two pound Sugar, a quartern of sinamon, half a quartern of ginger, an ounce of Nutmegs, an ounce of grains, some long Pepper, a fewe Cloves whole, a few Coliander sads, a little salt, Isonglasse being faire washed and laid in water a day before, Turnsole being aired be the fier and dusted, and when they be wel sod, let it run through a bag, and put two whites of Egs in the bag.

A.W., A Book of Cookrye, 1584