To Make A Salsa Drink

This recipe hails from the household manuscript of Beulah Hutson, circa 1680, a period when medical and culinary boundaries blurred. England’s fascination with botanical remedies flourished, and 'Salsa' drinks were touted as daily tonics thought to cool the blood and purify the body. The ingredients, a reflection of trade networks and colonial interests, marry the local (agrimony, rhubarb) with global newcomers like sarsaparilla and China root. Such concoctions were often part of aristocratic or well-to-do households’ repertoire, bridging health, hospitality, and kitchen experimentation.

Preparation would involve a large copper or earthenware cauldron for slow simmering over an open hearth or gentle coals. Ingredients were measured by the handful or by weight using simple hand-held scales. A mortar and pestle was used to bruise seeds, while a sharp knife or herb cutter prepared roots and rhubarb. Straining was done with linen cloths or fine sieves, and the final brew stored in green glass bottles or stoneware jugs sealed with waxed cloth or cork.