2. INDEX 1- A drop of History (Introduction) 2- The drinks & the Status 3- Wine vs. Water 4- Recipes 5- Interesting facts 6- References 7- Enclosed Files

3. A drop of History Since ancient times, people of every race and culture have enjoyed refreshing beverages and those living during the Renaissance Age were no exception. In this age the Catholic Church was very strong and it had the power to decide the type of diet that the population had to eat, it could be by censure or by periods of fast.

4. Renaissance drink recipes often called for wine, spices, fruits, and generous amounts of sugar or honey for sweetening, and people's taste in the Renaissance Era often demanded beverages to be very sweet indeed. Water was not clean in Renaissances times and people therefore drank wine and ale.

5. The Drinks & the Status The rich people drank both and the poor just drank ale. Honey was used to make a sweet alcoholic drink called mead which was drunk by all the people. In this age the Italians rules the world of the kitchen, but only in food, mean while the Spanish wines were taking strength in Europe. In that time the sugar was something expensive, so it was a sign of richness, that's the reason why the most of the greatest drinks of this age had a lot of sugar, they also used to sprinkle sugar on the pasta.

6. Wine vs. Water Wine was generally imported from the continent although some fruit wines were produced in England. Ales were brewed with malt and water, whilst beer contained hops that held a bitter flavor. Other flavors were added to ales and beers such as bayberries, orris, or long pepper. Consumption of weak, low-alcohol drinks during the Tudor period has been estimated at around one gallon per person per day.

7. In this period we could see the boom of the Spanish wines between the royal families, and also at that time is when some classic sweet-wines appears like the Sherry or Jerez in Spanish and the Riojano. Below, you will find authentic recipes for popular drinks from that era. Try one of these historic drink recipes for your next Medieval Banquet, or Renaissance Faire.

8. Mead Mead is that we called in Spanish “aguamiel” Take five quarts and a pint of Water, and warm it, then put one quart of Honey to every gallon of Liquor, one Lemon, and a quarter of an ounce of Nutmegs, it must boil till the scum rife black, that you will have it quickly ready to drink, squeeze into it a lemon when you turn it. It must be cold before you turn it up.

9. Chaculato This Renaissance hot chocolate recipe is one of the earliest of its type published during the XVII century is when the chocolate from America started to be famous in the European courts. Take half a Pint of Claret Wine, boil it a little, then scrape some Chaculato very fine and put into it, and the Yolks of two Eggs, stir them well together over a flow Fire till it be thick, and sweeten it with Sugar according to your taste. Almond Milk This Renaissance almond milk recipe makes a delicious, warm beverage that was enjoyed by both the young and old alike. Take Jordan Almonds blanched and beaten with Rose water, then strain them often with fair water, wherein hath been boiled Violet Leaves and sliced Dates; when your Almonds are strained, take the Dates and put to it some Mace, Sugar, and a little Salt, warm it a little, and then drink it.

10. Limonado History records that honey-sweetened lemonade was sold by licensed vendors on the streets of Paris as early as 1676. This historic Renaissance lemonade recipe was published just four years previously. Take one Quart of Sack, half a Pint of Brandy, half a Pint of fair Water, the Juyce of two Limons, and some of the Pill, so brew them together with Sugar, and drink it.

11. Hypocras Hippocras, sometimes spelled hipocras or hypocras, is a drink made from wine, possibly heated, and mixed with spices, most notably cinnamon. Its invention was traditionally attributed to the Greek physician Hippocrates. For three quarts/liters of hippocras § 3 litres of white or red wine § 180 grams brown sugar, or alternatively, honey § 3 large soup spoons of honey, or alternatively, some fruit syrup § 30 grams powdered or grated cinnamon § 2 large soup spoons fresh grated ginger § 1 coffee spoon grated nutmeg § 1 coffee spoon mace (spice), plus cloves and cardamom, everything being crushed to powder § 1 pinch black pepper

12. Process Crush all the spices in a mortar, and put it in a large bowl. -Moisten the mix with a small amount of wine. -Add the sugar. (If you use honey, heat it in a bain-marie to make it liquid.) -Heat the wine on a very low fire. Do not let it boil. -Add the spice soup to the hot wine. Pour the mix into jars and let it rest for a week, then strain and filter before bottling. Let the hippocras rest for at least a month before drinking. Sealed bottles will keep for years, but once opened, the contents are better drunk within the week.

13. Interesting Facts In the Early-Modern-English style of writing, it was the practice to use a "long-s" character, which has the "appearance" of the letter f with a half-crossbar on the left-hand side. Since not all computer fonts display the long-s character properly, a standard letter f is used in the recipe text as a simple approximation.