"The days are short, the weather's cold,
By tavern
fires tales are told.
Some ask for
dram when first come in,
Others with
flip and bounce begin."
-New England Almanac for December 1704
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Migratory
formations
above, the crunch of leaves below, a chill across
the shoulders…the signs are certainly all there – it is time to close
up the Tiki bar and take ones libations indoors. And like my colonial
forebears, I seek that which will warm the soul as well as the belly.
One such elixir that fortified the American colonists against the
inevitable hardships of winter was their much cherished flip.
Originally concocted back in England, the drink became a mainstay of
colonial taverns, and publicans from Massachusetts to Georgia prided
themselves on the method of preparation and their particular house
recipes. |

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· 3 eggs
· 3 teaspoons sugar
· 1 jigger rum
· 1 jigger brandy
· 1 red-hot flip iron or poker heated in fireplace
· tall, all-pewter mug
· 12-16 ounces of ale
1. In a quart mug break three eggs
2. Add three teaspoons sugar and stir well
3. Add in the jigger of rum and the jigger of brandy, beating
meanwhile.
4. Fill remaining volume of mug with beer
5. Insert red-hot iron (loggerhead) until it hisses and foams.
The drink will
become only warm.
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Notes: Some recipes suggest
spicing with one or more of the following: nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon,
pumpkin or lemon peels.
This author prefers the mini-flip – same drink, but with no eggs. I
recommend using a strong seasonal ale and spice to taste. Finally,
there’s a practical use for that pewter tankard someone gave you so
many Christmases ago. |
From
Stagecoach and Tavern
Days by Alice Morse Earle
A fire and a loggerhead
are essential in the execution of flip.
To learn more about the history of Flip and other popular inebriants in
colonial America click here.
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