Posset
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A posset (also spelled poshote, poshotte) was a British hot drink of milk curdled with wine or ale, often spiced, which was popular from medieval times to the ?19th century. The word is mainly used nowadays for a related dessert similar to syllabub.
To make the drink, milk was heated to a boil, then mixed with wine or ale, which curdled it, and the mixture was usually spiced. [2] It was considered a specific remedy for some minor illnesses, such as a cold, and a general remedy for others, as even today people drink hot milk to help them get to sleep.
Contents
History
The OED traces the word to the 15th century.
In 16th-century and later sources, possets are generally made from lemon, or other citrus, juice; cream and sugar. Eggs are often added, as well.
In the Forme of Cury "possynet" in the 18th century is referenced as part of a sauce made from stuffing, drippings, and meat gelatin for serving over goose. In this case, the posset might have served as a form of thickener, comparable in function to a modern white sauce of milk, butter, and flour.
The preparation of posset could be elaborate, and the word "posset" became a verb, meaning to coddle or pamper someone by taking trouble to make them comfortable.
"Posset sets" for mixing and serving possets were popular gifts, and valuable ones (often made of silver) were heirlooms. Such sets contained a posset "pot," or "bowl," or "cup" to serve it in, a container for mixing it in, and usually various containers for the ingredients, as well as spoons. The posset set that the Spanish ambassador gave Queen Mary I of England and King Philip II of Spain when they became betrothed in 1554 is believed to have been made by Benvenuto Cellini and is of crystal, gold, precious gems, and enamel. It is on display at Hatfield House in England and consists of a large, stemmed, covered bowl, two open, stemmed vessels, a covered container, three spoons, and two forks.
The word 'posset' is mostly used nowadays for a cold set dessert loosely based on the drink, containing cream and lemon, and similar to syllabub.
In fiction
Lady Macbeth uses poisoned possets to knock out the guards outside Duncan's quarters, "The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores. I have drugg'd their possets That death and nature do contend about them, Whether they live or die." Macbeth Act II, Scene ii
References
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