Hippocras
Definition from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hippocras
Hippocras:
noun
hip·po·cras ˈhi-pə-ˌkras
: a mulled wine popular in medieval Europe
Etymology
Middle English ypocras, from Anglo-French ipocras, from Ipocras Hippocrates, to whom its invention was ascribed
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Citations:
[1] Ruperto, de N. (1529). LLibre del Coch. Guisados1-art. https://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MANUSCRIPTS/Guisados1-art.html
[2] S. Pegge, The forme of cury, a roll of Ancient English cookery : compiled, about AD 1390, by the master-cooks of King Richard II. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014.
[3] “The Book of Kervynge,” Medievalcookery.com, 1508. https://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/kervynge_1508.txt (accessed Feb. 04, 2024).
[4] “The Good Huswifes Jewell,” Medievalcookery.com, 1596. https://www.medievalcookery.com/notes/ghj1596.txt (accessed Feb. 04, 2024).
[5] L. J. Sass and P. Oldenburg, To the King’s Taste Richard II’s Book of Feasts and Recipes Adapted for Modern Cooking. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975.
[6] J. Prescott, “Le Viandier de taillevent (English Translation),” James Prescott - Le Viandier de Taillevent - Title Page and Table of Contents, https://jpnet.ca/data/viandier/viandier1.html (accessed Oct. 18, 2025).
From "le Viandier de Taillevent" d. 1315-1395, France [6]
217. Hippocras.
Take four ounces of very fine cinnamon, two ounces of fine cassia flowers, an ounce of selected Mecca ginger, an ounce of grains of paradise, and a sixth [of an ounce] of nutmeg and galingale combined. Crush them all together. Take a good half ounce of this powder and eight ounces of sugar [(which thus makes Sweet Powder)], and mix it with a quart of wine. (Edited from Power, p. 299.)
From "The Forme of Cury" d. ~1390, England [2]
From "Llibre del Coch" d. ~1490, Catalan (Spain) [1]
SPICES FOR HIPPOCRAS (8)
Five parts cinnamon, three parts cloves, one part ginger; half of the wine must be white and half of it red, and for one azumbre, six ounces of sugar, mix everything together and cast it in a small glazed earthenware pot and give it a boil, when it comes to a boil, [cook it] no more, strain it through your sleeve often enough that it comes out clear.
From "The Book of Kervynge" d. ~1508, England [3]
The original:
For to make Ipocras
Take gynger / peper / graynes / canell / synamon / suger and tornsole / than loke ye have fyve or syxe bag-ges for your Ipocras to renne it & a perche that yourrenners may hange on / than must ye have .vi. peautrebasyns to stande under your bagges / than loke yourespyce be redy / & your gynger well pared or it be beten to poudre / than loke your stalkes of synamon be wellcoloured & swete canell is not too gentyll in operacyonsynamon is hote and drye / graynes of paradico ben hote and moyste / gynger / graynes / longe peper and sy-ger ben hote and drye / tornsole is holsome / for reed wnecolourynge. Now know ye tha proporcyons of your Ipocras than bete your pouders eche by them selfe &put theym in bladders & hange your bagges sure thatno bagge touche other / but let eche basyn touche otherlet the fyrst basyn be of a galon and eche of the otherof a potell / than put in your basyn a galon of reed wy-ne put therto your pouders and styre them well / thanput them in to the fyrst bagge and let it renne / thanput them in to the seconde bagge / than take a pece inyour honde and assaye yf it be stronge of gynger / andalaye it with synamon / and it be stronge of synamon /alaye it with suger / and loke ye lette it renne thrughesyxe renners / & your Ipocras shall be the fyner / thanput your Ipocras in to a close vessell and kepe the re-ceyte / for it wyll serve for sewes / than serve your sove-rayne with wafers and Ipocras. Also loke your com-poste be fayre and clene / and your ale fyve dayes oldeor men drynke it / than kepe your house of offyce clene &be curtoys of answere to eche persone / and loke ye gy-ve no persone noo powled drynke / for it wyll breke thescabbe. And whan ye laye the clothe wype the borde clene with a cloute / than laye a cloth a couche it is called /take your felowe that one ende & holde you that otherende / than drawe the cloth strayght the bought on theutter edge / take the utter parte & hange it even / thantake the thyrde cloth and laye the bought on the inner edge / and laye estat with the upper parte halfe a footbrode / than cover thy cupborde and thyne ewery withthe towell of dyaper / than take thy towell aboute thynecke and laye that one syde of the towell upon thy lefte arme / and there on laye your soveraynes napkyn / and laye on thyne arme seven loves of brede with threor foure trenchour loves with the ende of the towell inthe lefte honde asn the maner is / than take thy salte sel-ler in thy lefte honde and take the ende of the towell inyour ryght honde to bere in spones and knyves / thanset your salte on the ryght syde where your soverayneshall sytte and on the lefte syde the salte set your tren-chours / than laye your knyves and set your brede onlofe by an other / your spones and your napkyns fayrefolden besyde your brede / than cover your brede andtrenchoures spones and knyves / and at every ende of the table set a salte seller with two trenchour loves / &yf ye wyll wrappe youre soveraynes brede stately yemuste square and proporcyon your brede and se thatno lofe be more than an other / and than shall ye makeyour wrapper manly / than take a towell of reynes oftwo yerdes and a halfe and take the towell by the en-des double and laye it on the table / than take the endeof the bought a handfull in your honde and wrappe ithard and laye the ende so wrapped bytwebe two to-welles upon that ende so wrapped laye your brede bo-tom to botom syxe or seven loves / than set youre bredemanerly in fourme / and whan your soveraynes table is thus arayed cover all other bordes wyth salte tren-choures & cuppes. Also se thyne ewery be arated withbasyns & ewers & water hote and colde / and se ye havenapkyns cuppes & spones / & se your pottes for wyne and ale be made clene and to the surnape make ye cur-tesy with a clothe under a fayre double napry / than ta-ke the towelles ende nexte you / & the utter ende of thecloth on the utter syde of the table and holde these threendes atones and folde them atones that a plyte passenot a foote brode / than laye it even there it sholde lye.And after mete wasshe with that that is at the ryghyeende of the table / ye muste guyde it out & the marshallmuste convey it / and loke on eche clothe the ryght sydebe outwarde and drawe it streyght / than must ye rey-se the upper parte of the towell and laye it without ongronynge / and at every ende of the towell ye must convey halfe a yerde that the sewer may make estate reve-rently and lette it be. And whan youre soverayne hatnwasshen drawe the surnape even / than bere the surna-pe to the myddes of the borde & take it up before youresoverayne & bere it in to the ewery agayne. And whanyour soverayne is set loke your towell be aboute yournecke / than make your soverayne curtesy / than unco-ver youre brede & set it by the salte & laye your napkynknyfe & spone afore hym / than knele on your knee tyllthe purpayne passe eyght loves / & loke ye set at the en-des of the table foure loves at a messe / and se that eve-ry persone have napkyn and spone / and wayte well to the sewer how many dysshes be covered and soo many cuppes cover ye / than serve ye forth the table manerlythat every man may speke you curtesy.Here endeth of the butteler and panteryeman of the seller and ewery.
From "The Good Huswifes Jewell" d. ~1596, England [4]
The original:
To make Hypocrase.
Take a gallon of white wine, suger two pound, of sinamon ij d. ginger ij d. long Pepper ij d. Mace ij d. not brused, Grainesij d. Gallingall j d.od. Cloues not brused, you must bruse euery kinde of spice a litle, & put them in an earthen pot all a day, & then cast them through your bags two times or more as you see cause, and so drinke it.