"Het Pint;— Grate a nutmeg into two quarts of mild ale, and bring it to the point of boiling. Mix a little cold ale with a considerable quantity of sugar and two eggs well beaten. Gradually mix the hot ale with the eggs, taking care that they do not curdle. Put in a half pint of spirits, and bring it once more nearly to boil; and then briskly pour it from one vessel into another till it becomes smooth and bright."
"The cook and housewife's manual, by Margaret Dods, 1826, page 337.
I've no idea why that one has a Dutch name.
"Ale Posset.—Boil a pint of new milk with a slice of bread, sweeten and season a bottle of mild ale in a china basin or dish, and pour the boiling milk over it. When the head rises serve it."
"The cook and housewife's manual, by Margaret Dods, 1826, page 337.
Come to think of it, I don't have any bottles of Mild Ale, either. I've finished off the last of the Pretty Things X Ales. Who would have thought that soemthing once as common as Mild Ale would now be sio difficult to find?
The het pint is the Scottish equivalent of the English wassail bowl. Het is supposedly a dialect form of hot. Get half a gallon of the strongest ale you can find and then top it up with whisky. Just to guard against the danger of sobriety. Certainly sounds like a Scottish party.
ReplyDeleteBarm,
ReplyDeleteyou're totally right. In a day or two I'll have a post that explains more of this great tradition.
Happy Krimbo, by the way. Hope to share a few beers and whiskies in 2013.