{"id":165,"date":"2026-04-17T01:40:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/?p=165"},"modified":"2026-04-17T01:40:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T01:40:25","slug":"jaspers-figgy-usquebath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/jaspers-figgy-usquebath\/","title":{"rendered":"Jasper&#8217;s Figgy Usquebath"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>My first history brewing project and first panel entry for the SCA East Kingdom Brewers Guild.<br><br><strong>Brewer:<\/strong> Jasper de l\u2019Estoile<br><strong>Recipe Source:<\/strong> Game of Brews &#8211; Usquebath, 1655<br>https:\/\/gameofbrews.com\/2016\/02\/22\/usquebath\/<br><strong>Recipe Name:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Jasper\u2019s Figgy Usquebath<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Original Recipe:<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>The term \u2018usquebath\u2019 in many spelling variations were found dating back as far as 1405. This is commonly translated as \u201cwater of life\u201d. This is the same translation as Aqua Vitae. However usquebath is described as strongly flavored and claimed as the original whiskey, whereas Aqua Vitea is described as fiery and capturing the spirit of life. The earliest published recipe for Usquebath I was able to locate was from the Complete Cook in 1655.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Usquebath Recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cTake two quarts of the best Aqua vitae, four ounces of scraped liquorish, and half a pound of sliced Raisins of the Sun, Anniseeds four ounces, Dates and Figs, of each half a pound, sliced Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, of each half an ounce, put these to the Aqua vitae, stop it very close, and set it in a cold place ten dayes, stirring it twice a day with a stick, then strain and sweeten it with Sugarcandy; after it is strained, let it stand till it be clear, then put into the glass Musk and Ambergreece; two grains is sufficient for this quantity.\u201d -Complete Cook, 1655<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Brewer\u2019s Notes:<\/strong> if you can use whole but crushed spices, such as cinnamon sticks and whole ginger, there will be less to try and strain out of the final mixture. I also substituted spikenard for the musk and ambergris- those are too expensive and rare even for my pantry!<br><strong>Ingredients:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2 quarts grain based spirits, such as vodka<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4 oz. licorice root<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd lb. each raisins, dates, and figs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4 oz. aniseed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd oz. each nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>natural sugar, to taste<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Musk and Ambergris, or spikenard (optional)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 cup water (this is what I have in my notes, but can\u2019t remember why! :D)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In a large jug or jar, combine the spirits with the spices and fruits. Cover, and either shake or stir at least once daily for ten days. The color will darken considerably as the mixture infuses. After 10 days, strain through a fine filter into a clean vessel, and add sugar to taste. The cordial is drinkable after the initial soaking period, but is far better after a month or more. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Redactions:<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>This was a modern interpretation of this recipe from the Complete Cook, 1655<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Usquebath Recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cTake two quarts of the best Aqua vitae, four ounces of scraped liquorish, and half a pound of sliced Raisins of the Sun, Anniseeds four ounces, Dates and Figs, of each half a pound, sliced Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger, of each half an ounce, put these to the Aqua vitae, stop it very close, and set it in a cold place ten dayes, stirring it twice a day with a stick, then strain and sweeten it with Sugarcandy; after it is strained, let it stand till it be clear, then put into the glass Musk and Ambergreece; two grains is sufficient for this quantity.\u201d -Complete Cook, 1655<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ambergris &#8211; Left out, it\u2019s illegal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Musk &#8211; Left out. It was from a gland of the Musk Deer and has been replaced by synthetic substitutes for use in modern perfumes. This was not something I was willing to chance to be safe for consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spikenard &#8211; left out &#8211; given as an alternative to Ambergirs and Musk<br>This is a rare himalayan flower, with potential psychological and cardiovascular effects. \u201cAccording to Holmes, spikenard has \u201cstrong, systemic relaxant, cooling\u201d abilities to treat intense and hot conditions.2 The herb affects the three major nerve plexuses \u2013 cardiac, solar, and sacral. Spikenard can relax the brain and cardiovascular system, acting as a \u201cstrong hypnotic cerebral sedative\u201d and a cardiovascular relaxant. It can be used for inflammatory conditions, pulling excess heat out of the head and upper body. Spikenard has also been used as a hair restorative, both to prevent graying and for alopecia. In Ayurveda medicine, the sun-dried roots were soaked in ghee (clarified butter) and then smoked to relieve asthma.\u201d [Hebalgram.org]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Backsweetning with sugarcandy &#8211; The product after infusion was already very sweet. Neither the original source recipe, nor the modern reference specified the amount of sugar for back sweetning and left it as \u201csweeten to taste.\u201d I chose to use a simple syrup, and found a ratio of 4 parts infused spirit to 1 part simple syrup made for a harmonious blend while retaining the strong flavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aqua Vitea &#8211; \u201cthe best Aqua Vitae\u201d &#8211; From the English Housewife this is the \u201cclear\u201d hearts from a distillation. Modern suggested substitution is vodka. This becomes a rabbit hole as vodkas are not equal and a likely of a lower proof. Everclear at 90+% might have been a better substitute. I suspect producing a spirit of 90+% ABV at volume was not attainable in the 16th century. A logical target would have likely been a 70% ABV spirit.<br>It is known that proof has an effect on the efficacy of extraction and contents extracted in an infusion. The recipe referred to \u201cgrain based spirits, such as vodka\u201d. However modern vodka is anything distilled at &gt;=90%(USA) or &gt;=92%(EU) and without flavor or aging in oak. [BAM]. This resulted in making multiple variations, and the version using figs and the mystery sugar source won the taste test for my palette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1 cup of water was omitted. I suspect the the original recipe was a too strong and viscous for the recipe author, or the author needed additional volume to cover the dry ingredients. In both case I found the additional water to be unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Actual Produced Recipe<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Figgy Granite State Usquebath<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2 quarts Granite State Vodka (mystery sugar source)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4 oz. licorice root<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8 oz. raisins<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8 oz. dates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8 oz. figs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4 oz. aniseed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>0.38 oz. ground nutmeg,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd oz. cinnamon sticks hammered,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd oz. ginger (frozen)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Each was stored in the fridge for 10-12 days and stirred by spoon twice a day.<br>Then it was strained and pressed through heavy cheese cloth, for approximately 90% liquid extraction. The strained liquid was allowed to settle in the fridge for another week, and then decanted into clean bottles as a clear liquid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Ingredient Sources<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>All utilized ingredients were readily available through the local grocery or liquor store while the licorice root and aniseed were sourced through online retailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Period processes<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>This recipe picks up after the production of Aqua Vitae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The period process was to soak ingredients in the Aqua Vitae for ten days in a cold place. Then strain, allow to clear, and bottle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was not specified how cold, cold was. For cold, a refrigerator at 38F was used. Period practice would likely have been in cellar, cave, or outside in cooler seasons. The refrigerator may have provided a more stable temperature fluctuation or lower temperatures than we achieved in the 1600\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No detail on the specific method of straining was provided. When strained via gravity alone, half of the liquid volume was left in the solid ingredient. To simulate squeezing a cloth ball, I used a small fruit press with a cheese cloth liner. This is similar in effectiveness to the twist, squeeze, repeat process that was likely used in period. Aqua Vitae was a precious liquid and losing half the volume would likely not have been acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Period equipment<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Period equipment utilized would be a sealable water tight container, a stick, a strainer (likely fabric), and a cool location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Liberty was taken in the use of a refrigerator as a substitute for a \u201ccold place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Presentation<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Aqua Vitae and Usquebath are frequently cited as being used in moderation. Often as a dose a day to keep your \u201chumors\u201d balanced, or as needed to drive off a bad \u2018humor\u2019. Other references claimed a spoonful or two will do you good, while more would bring you troubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With this in mind, I assume the household package size would be more than a handful of doses, but less than you would have for mead or wine. Using modern sizing, 375ml bottles felt about the correct size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What to do next time<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Replace vodka with unaged or lightly aged whiskey from non-corn grains. The expectations are:<br>The additional \u2018spice\u2019 from the whiskey will better balance the sweetness extracted from the dates and raisins and help mellow the harsh intensity of anise and licorice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using a grain based spirit distilled between 60-80% ABV will bring a considerable amount of grain flavor to the final product vs. just contributing alcohol. This should dramatically change the overall perception of the recipe from a strong herbal medicinal drink to a more savory and hearty elixir closer to strongly herbed bread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I believe distilling a whiskey base as a single run on a pot still will produce a more authentic aqua vitae and this a more authentic usquebath as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Additional Information<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Usquebath appears to be another generic term for flavored spirit. The term itself was found with many spelling and pronunciations dating back to the early 1400s. They all seem to translate to \u201cwater of life\u201d. However \u201cwater of life\u201d is also the translation given to Aquavite, which is the distillate of a fermented product and is an ingredient used in ssquebath recipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many Irish whiskey distilleries make the claim that Usquebath is what became the modern whiskey. That claim seems to only go as deep as it contains alcohol distilled from grain and was kept in oak barrels. The reason for oak barrels is they were readily produced for storing wine, held significantly more volume and were much more durable than ceramic vessels. Usquebath recipes are from a time period when distillation production volumes were increasing and trade range had expanded greatly making the use of larger oaken barrels feasible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The recipes available in English or translated to English are more in line with the production of gin, or a vodka infusion. The recipes share that Aquavitea, usually the \u201cbest portion\u201d (e.g. the hearts), were called for, and multiple fruits, herbs, flowers, and other plant matter was added to it. If this was in the collection path from distilling Aquavitea, it would be akin to the gin process. If the additions were left to soak in the distillate and later strained then it would be akin to making an infusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have not found descriptions of how Usquebath was stored at the personal scale other than \u201ca well stopped vessel.\u201d From Aquavitae, which was recorded as being stored in \u201ca well stopped vessel\u201d and consumed daily in small dosages like \u201ca spoonful or two will do you.\u201d My interpretation is usquebath was used similarly and was an attempt to make aqua vitea a more broad spectrum cure-all and to taste more appealing. Like a Flintstone\u2019s chewable vitamin, vs 14 different pills that all taste awful if chewed. So most likely usquebath was stored in the home as one would store other liquids used for cooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another commonality is that usquebath was local or at least regional, and at least a portion of its ingredients were locally foraged or determined by what was in season or in storage at the time of production. Or as a sign of wealth and exotic, by what was being imported from trade like raisins, figs, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>That morning we had wandered the coast, roadside and woods of Islay\u2019s Rinns in search of herbs with which to distil this, our own <a href=\"https:\/\/scotchwhisky.com\/magazine\/from-the-editors\/15634\/why-can-t-whisky-be-like-usquebaugh\/\"><em>usquebaugh<\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>I won\u2019t give you the exact recipe, only to say that the following were picked: angelica seed, wild thyme leaf and flower, bramble leaf, creeping thistle tops, meadowsweet flowers, hog seed and wood avens.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>https:\/\/scotchwhisky.com\/magazine\/from-the-editors\/20369\/recalling-scotch-s-usquebaugh-roots\/<\/strong><br><strong>Bibliography and Glossary<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>uisce beatha<\/em> (pronounced <em>ish-ka ba-ha<\/em>) means \u201cwater of life.\u201d &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/garavans.ie\/blogs\/the-history-of-irish-whiskey-from-monks-to-modern-times-1\/garavans-blog?srsltid=AfmBOoqW1ji3fJ4LahehH_Y7wtVKoaQpkiddmdWB2dw62KiAbJJ48Jsi\">https:\/\/garavans.ie\/blogs\/the-history-of-irish-whiskey-from-monks-to-modern-times-1\/garavans-blog?srsltid=AfmBOoqW1ji3fJ4LahehH_Y7wtVKoaQpkiddmdWB2dw62KiAbJJ48Jsi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/gameofbrews.com\/2016\/02\/22\/usquebath\/\">https:\/\/gameofbrews.com\/2016\/02\/22\/usquebath\/<\/a><br>Original inspiration and modern interpretation without requiring direct distillation of spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.herbalgram.org\/resources\/herbclip\/herbclip-news\/2021\/spikenard-jatamansi\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ttb.gov\/system\/files\/images\/pdfs\/spirits_bam\/complete-distilled-spirit-beverage-alcohol-manual.pdf\">https:\/\/www.ttb.gov\/system\/files\/images\/pdfs\/spirits_bam\/complete-distilled-spirit-beverage-alcohol-manual.pdf<\/a> Beverage Alcohol Manual &#8211; USA TTB definition of spirits<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The English House Wife<br>Original publishing available via Internet Archives<br><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_the-english-housewife-_markham-gervase_1660\/page\/n15\/mode\/2up\">https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/bim_early-english-books-1641-1700_the-english-housewife-_markham-gervase_1660\/page\/n15\/mode\/2up<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The English House Wife<br>Reprint, edited with notes by Micheal R. Best<br>ISBN-13 \u200f : \u200e 978-0773511033<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles: Founded Mainly on the Materials Collected by the Philological Society, 1926<br><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/oedxaarch\/page\/n1057\/mode\/1up\">https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/oedxaarch\/page\/n1057\/mode\/1up<\/a><br><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/bcf8d76e-8518-4bfb-86e4-68ba367642fe\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My first history brewing project and first panel entry for the SCA East Kingdom Brewers Guild. Brewer: Jasper de l\u2019EstoileRecipe Source: Game of Brews &#8211; Usquebath, 1655https:\/\/gameofbrews.com\/2016\/02\/22\/usquebath\/Recipe Name: Jasper\u2019s Figgy Usquebath Original Recipe: The term \u2018usquebath\u2019 in many spelling variations were found dating back as far as 1405. This is commonly translated as \u201cwater of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,18,11],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-as","category-brewing","category-sca","tag-sca"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166,"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions\/166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jwas.dev\/jasper\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}