Ane Other Sack Possot

This recipe comes from an early 18th-century Scottish household manuscript, dated circa 1706. At this time, possets were still popular as rich, comforting beverages or desserts, typically made from curdled milk, fortified wine, and aromatics. ‘Sack’ was a common English term for imported Spanish or Canary fortified wines—think of something close to modern dry sherry. Exotic ingredients like musk or ambergris were luxury flavorings, a testament to the reach and ostentation of wealthy households. Almonds and rose water also fit the profile of genteel, cosmopolitan kitchens. The recipe reflects both a medieval fondness for rich dairy drinks and the global connections of the early modern British Isles.

The original cook, likely taking charge in a well-appointed manor kitchen, would use a large brass or copper pot for gently heating cream and almonds. A wooden spoon or perhaps a whisk of birch twigs would be used to stir the mixtures. Almonds would be ground with a pestle and mortar, and the entire mixture strained through fine muslin or a linen cloth set over a bowl. A heat-proof bowl or posset cup (typically ceramic or pewter) would serve for presentation. Open hearths with adjustable cranes for suspending pots over the fire were standard, and careful hand-beating of eggs would be done with a fork or small whisk.