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What was it that drove the early American
settlers of New England to drink? Was it the wailing winter winds? The
arduous work of daily survival? The life-risking journeys on wobbly
wooden wheels or in tattered boots through rimy, rigorous and unpaved
trails? Or perhaps a person drank not only to ease the physical ailments
and discomforts of hard work and hard weather but to ease the mental
stresses as well. One might say that a greybeard jug of ale or a pewter
monteith full of punch could have been a parson’s muse, a connection
with the spirits to give an inspirational lift to his sermons, which in
turn would raise the morale of his fellow townspeople. After all, early
on taverns were purposefully built in close vicinity to the
meeting-house and there is even documentation that before the
meeting-house was built, religious services were often held in the
taverns.
Ah, to warm the body and soul with potations both traditional and
experimental. If the New World was like a teenager experiencing growing
pains, then surely there would have been some experiments with beverages
going on in the woods. Syllabub, posset, mead, elixirs, caudles, crèmes,
ratafias, spirituous waters, flip, cider, perry, ale, beer, wine and
medicinal drinks were some of the libations that the newly liberated
would linger over when necessity or leisure allowed.
Wealthy men imported their own wines and spirits from abroad, but
ordinary householders bought theirs from the grocer or made them at
home. Women were usually responsible for making such drinks. Beer was
the first beverage to be brought into New England. Shortly thereafter,
colonists learned to use Indian corn in the making of beer. According to
John Hull Brown, author of Early American Beverages, beer and wine could
be made with just about anything. There are beer recipes made from
various tree twigs, bark, and pumpkin and pear parings. Wines were made
out of dandelions, elderberries, currants, and other fruits. There is
even a recipe recorded for tobacco wine! That would send today’s Surgeon
General over the edge! But what a way to kill two birds with one stone -
a drink and a smoke in one glass. The lyrics from this old song
reiterates the inventiveness of beverage making:
“Oh we can make liquor
to sweeten our lips
Of pumpkins, of parsnips,
of walnut-tree chips.”
Traditional beverages that were brought over from the old country, such
as ale, beer and wine, were good kin to the early American settlers. If
you owned a pewter montieth, a wine/punch bowl with scalloped rim, (Rev.
Adonijah Bidwell owned four!) you might as well bring the recipe for a
good punch out to the fringe of civilization with you. By the way, the
word “monteith” was named after an innovative and fashionable dandy from
England, Mr. Monteith, who sported a waistcoat with scalloped edges.
Bidwell House’s restorers, Jack Hargis and David Brush, would have
appreciated Mr. Monteith’s fashion influence on pewter design!
Cider was also a popular beverage. Orchards were plentiful and hard
cider was easy to make. Even children would partake in a bit of hard
cider with their breakfast. Maybe our elders knew more about keeping a
child quiet and content than we do!
It would have been fun to play colonial chemist and bring booze to
Bidwell for our 18th Century cooking program. But alas, I found myself
indulging in the health conscious ways of our time (besides the
elderberries are not ripe enough for wine making). Perhaps we could jump
on the bottled water bandwagon with the various early American drinks
and start a new niche, “Bid Your Body Well: Bidwell Flavored Waters.” On
my hunt to bring the visitors at Bidwell a good sampling of
non-alcoholic beverages (no early American O’Doul’s that I know of), I
came across many delicious but subtle waters and teas. I prepared
Flaxseed Lemonade, Appleade, a medicinal herb tea of hawthorn leaves,
sage, lemon balm, and mint, and a ginger water. All beverages were
sweetened with either molasses or honey.
Bibliography
Belden, Louise Conway. The Festive Tradition: Table Decoration and
Desserts in America, 1650-1900. W.W. Norton & Company. 1983
Brown, John Hull. Early American Beverages. Bonanza Books. 1966
Recipes to Wet Your Whistle
Medicinal Herb Tea: Take of hawthorn leaves, dried two parts, sage and
balm one part; mix these well together, and they will make an excellent
and pleasant tea, particularly wholesome to nervous people.
Flaxseed Lemonade: Pour one quart of boiling water over four
tablespoonfuls of whole flaxseed, and steep three hours. Strain and
sweeten to taste, and add the juice of two lemons. Add a little more
water if the liquid seems too thick. This is soothing in colds.
Oatmeal Caudle: Take a quart of ale, a pint of stale beer, and a quart
of water; mix all together and add a handful of fine oatmeal, six
cloves, two blades of mace, some nutmeg, and eight allspice berries
bruised. Set over a slow fire, and let it boil for half an hour,
stirring it well all the time; then strain through a coarse sieve, add
half a pound of sugar, or to taste, a piece of lemon-peel. Pour into a
pan, cover close, and warm before serving
Posset Ale: Boil a pint of new milk with a slice of toasted bread,
sweeten a bottle of mild ale, and pour it into a basin with nutmeg or
other spices, add the boiling milk to it, and when the head rises serve.
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