Each recipe in this booklet includes a transcription of the historical recipe, complete with its original spelling and punctuation (or lack thereof). This transcription appears with a modernized and tested recipe that readers are encouraged to try for themselves. Many of the recipes originally contained ingredients that are poisonous or impossible to acquire, so the modern versions rely on ingredients that approximate the flavor profiles of the originals. Each recipe also includes historical context and information about the distillation process from members of the project team.

Three entries include bespoke cocktail recipes—one-of-a-kind creations developed by Tattersall’s co-founder and chief operator, Dan Oskey, for this project. Consider them to be serving suggestions, just in case you aren’t quite sure what to do with your historically inspired saffron bitters. We have also included information on some unique distillations Tattersall developed for the tasting event, such as Plague Water and Water of Flowers. These appear in the Bonus Material for reference only.

How might today’s spirits compare to their 1700s predecessors? In truth, they probably tasted pretty dissimilar.

Because at-home distillation is illegal, these recipes involve the use of ready-made distilled alcohols as either a base for infusions or as a component for mixing. Which raises the question: how might today’s spirits compare to their 1700s predecessors? In truth, they probably tasted pretty dissimilar. In the 1800s, the invention of the column still made it possible to produce purer, higher quality spirits than one could achieve with the earlier pot still. Also around this time, alcohol producers started to realize the importance of removing the “heads” and “tails” from distilling runs. This meant that in the 1600s and 1700s a number of toxins—such as acetone, the stuff in nail polish remover—produced at the beginning and end of the run made their way into the final product. Today, alcohol producers tend to cut out the “heads” and “tails.” As a result, 1700s rum probably tasted much richer, and “funkier,” than modern equivalents (and made for some nasty hangovers).

Additionally, it is unlikely that the historical ingredients in these recipes would have had exactly the same qualities as those we can obtain today. Wild foraged herbs may most closely approximate the historical herbs, but the genetic modifications to farmed ingredients, either through scientific methods or simple selection for traits over generations, mean that today’s orange is unlikely to be exactly the same as a 1700s orange. Regardless, the act of making and the experience of tasting these recreated recipes are powerful ways to increase our understanding of the ways people in the past experienced global flavors while treating their illnesses—and their palates.