Cock Ale
England, circa 1670s CE
- 8 gallons ale
- 1 large cock
- 2 qts. sack
- 1 lb. dates
- 4 lbs. raisins
- 2 nutmegs
- 2 cloves
- 4 flakes mace
Take one large cock, the older the better.
Properly caw and gut the bird.
Grind the cock down with a mortar making sure to split the bones. If using a live cock, skip these first steps and proceed to below.
Place cock in a canvas bag, along with your raisins, nutmeg, cloves, mace and dates.
Measure out two quarts of the finest Sack (fortified wine) and set aside.
Take eight gallons of partially fermented ale in a ten gallon barrel and unseal.
Lower the cock bag and put your Sack into the cask and re-seal.
When fermentation is complete, unseal cask, remove cock bag, and strain ale to remove particulates. Bottle and serve.
Drink to absorb the characteristics of a cock.
Think you're tough? Not if you haven't had a frosty pint of Cock Ale you're not. At least, according the brewers in the late 17th century.
Cock Ale was all the rage in England when it hit the scene in the late 1600s and was drank all the way through the late 1700s. The first recipe appeared in diplomat and philosopher Kenelm Digby's Closet Opened in 1669.
The brew was later described as "pleasant" and "provocative" into the 1700s by fans and admirers. We've also heard through the grapevine that this raisin-chicken beer was preferred over wine by King William III.
But why? Was it the flavor profile? The drinkability? The way it paired with a nice Bubonic Plague?
Nope. People drank it because they wanted to absorb the powers of a rooster. It was basically Red Bull for 17th century dudebros, wings and all.
See, The English believed an already macho man could guzzle down a few pints of Cock Ale and get extra doses of strength and courage. I mean, We've all felt a little more "vigorous" after a few beers, but just imagine the unparalleled might you'd feel if your suds were steeped in dead bird.
It's likely this alleged boost to your stamina was the reason Cock Ale was also used as a cough syrup. It was said to be "good against a Consumption, and to restore a decay'd Nature," by John Nott in Cooks and Confectioner's Dictionary back in 1723.
Now before you go drowning Foghorn Leghorn in your Bud Light, you should know that Cock Ale was pretty much out of the picture by the late 1700s.
But that doesn't mean it's not still with us.
Rumor has it, Cock Ale inspired the word "cocktail," which was first recorded in 1803 around the time the drink fell out of favor.
