I am definitely a lover of wine. I visit wineries, attend
wine festivals and when I go to the Renn Faire, I imbibe in a glass or two of
mead. Lucky for me in my town there are several wineries! One of which has a
famous Mead, they sell to the Renaissance Festival … Yum! Since I’m a
historical writer, I often think about whether or not my characters would be
doing what I’m doing. What sort of drinks did they have back in medieval times?
Water – if water was boiled it could be
purified, but people rarely drank it and when they did it wasn’t always boiled
first. Water had too much bacteria in it. You know what went into the water? Shudder.
Water ways were treated as a sewage of sorts. Excrement, trash, carcasses…
Milk – Milk from animals was for children
only. Adults didn’t drink it—although they did enjoy almond milk. A milk-cow
was considered a prized possession. Especially if the family was starving and
the mother couldn’t nurse her baby. Those cows saved a lot of babies from
starvation. Milk was also provided by goats.
Ale – was made from grains and very thick. Think beer but not strained enough. Often they would drink watered down ale.
Wine – the poor had no wine. It was very expensive. The middle class had watered down local wine, and those with money generally had the good stuff. In England, for the nobility, wine was often imported from France or Italy. Funny that today, the French and Italian wines are still the top of the line.
Caudell – was wine or ale that was beaten with raw eggs to make a frothy beverage. I wonder if the guys who were trying to pump up their muscles devoured this drink often?
Ale – was made from grains and very thick. Think beer but not strained enough. Often they would drink watered down ale.
Wine – the poor had no wine. It was very expensive. The middle class had watered down local wine, and those with money generally had the good stuff. In England, for the nobility, wine was often imported from France or Italy. Funny that today, the French and Italian wines are still the top of the line.
Caudell – was wine or ale that was beaten with raw eggs to make a frothy beverage. I wonder if the guys who were trying to pump up their muscles devoured this drink often?
Cider – made from apples, but I wouldn’t
serve it to your children today although children in the medieval era often
drank watered down fermented—alcoholic—beverages, because it was safer. It was
usually mixed with mead or some other alcoholic beverage.
Mead – is an alcoholic beverage made from honey and grains. It was often flavored with hops to give it that bitter beer flavor.
Perry or Poire – pear juice…but again, not for modern kiddies. It’s fermented, and similar to the cider.
Spiced wine – also known as Clarey or Claret. It was wine spiced with cinnamon or honey, and other spices.
Distillates – these are alcoholic beverages made from grains, and very strong. Think of liquor. (Whiskey was made quite a bit in Scotland and Ireland!)
Murrey – blackberry wine
Prunelle – juice of wild plums and berries, fermented into a wine or liqueur
Melomel – this is mead that contains fruit, like berries.
Methegin – was a type of mead made with spices.
Hippocras – mix of wine and spices
Mead – is an alcoholic beverage made from honey and grains. It was often flavored with hops to give it that bitter beer flavor.
Perry or Poire – pear juice…but again, not for modern kiddies. It’s fermented, and similar to the cider.
Spiced wine – also known as Clarey or Claret. It was wine spiced with cinnamon or honey, and other spices.
Distillates – these are alcoholic beverages made from grains, and very strong. Think of liquor. (Whiskey was made quite a bit in Scotland and Ireland!)
Murrey – blackberry wine
Prunelle – juice of wild plums and berries, fermented into a wine or liqueur
Melomel – this is mead that contains fruit, like berries.
Methegin – was a type of mead made with spices.
Hippocras – mix of wine and spices
By the way, in medieval times it was okay to drink alcohol
with breakfast. Do you think I could get away with it, if I said I was doing it
for research? How did they function? Then again, if you were constantly
drinking alcohol, I suppose you built up quite a tolerance. It is said that
Queen Elizabeth I (Reigned 1558-1603) loved her cordials—a spiced liquor.
In my latest release, THE HIGHLANDER’S CONQUEST, my hero,
Blane, has names for various drinks, for example, water is The Drink of the
Gods. He teases the heroine, Aliah, throughout the book with his different
drink names for ale, wine and whisky. ’Twas a fun way to add in some humor and
in one scene…sensuality.
The Highlander’s
Conquest, Book Two: The Stolen Bride Series
What is a Highlander to do when he falls for the daughter of
his enemy?
Highland warrior, Blane Sutherland, has
one mission: disguise himself as an Englishman, cross the border and retrieve
Lady Aliah de Mowbray. Always up for a challenge, he agrees, pursuing his
conquest with vigor—and trying to deny the powerful desire that eclipses him
each time he touches his charge. A rogue of the highest order and a younger
son, he has nothing to offer a lady but a broken heart.
And what is a lady to do when she cannot trust her heart?
Aliah is skeptical of the English noble
who has come to take her to her father and sister in Scotland, but she pushes
her doubts aside. Without word in months, she must make certain her family is
safe, then she can return to England to join the convent to which she has sworn
to pledge her life. But then her escort reveals his true self—he’s a Highlander
and his kisses are more seductive than the sweetest of wines.
Surrender never tasted so sweet…
“An author with a natural gift for story telling…” ―Victoria
Roberts, acclaimed author of Temptation
in a Kilt
Now I am thirsty! Thanks for this informative post, Eliza.
ReplyDeletePerfect timing. My next book is going to be a medieval romance.
ReplyDelete