During the 1600s, the quality of the water in England was such that it wasn’t suitable for drinking. It was much safer and healthier to drink distilled or boiled liquid, such as ale or spirits. 

This summary aims to describe common drinks in early 1600s England, that were drunk by both the men and women: 

1. Alcoholic Drinks
2. Non-Alcoholic Drinks
3. Not Yet Available Drinks!

1) Alcoholic Drinks

Unless people were lucky enough to have a fresh-water spring or well nearby, the quality of water in England was poor. This was especially true in cities such as London, and meant it was almost never drunk as a beverage. Instead, people relied on drinks that had been brewed.

Ale

The most widely drunk beverage was ‘ale’. It would have been part of all meals, including breakfast, regardless of social status or age (yes, children would drink it too!)

Not that all ale was the same. It wasn’t!

A small ale, typically drunk by children or servants, would have a relatively low alcoholic content at only 1-2% proof. 

For the main householders, the ale served as an everyday drink with meals, would be more like 2-3% proof. This is less than the strength of most ales and beers sold in the UK today.

Ales more akin to the 4-5% found in standard beers today would have been served in taverns and would have been the main beverage of working men. Many would most likely call into a hostelry on their way home from work or visit of an evening.

Stronger ales, and continental beers were also available, but not so readily drunk. The continental beers were brewed with hops and where becoming increasingly popular due to their longer shelf-life.

 Wine

Wine was the other main beverage available but as it was expensive, it was mostly drunk by the wealthier merchant class or aristocracy.

The most popular wine was Claret, which was imported from France. As with the ale, it was a little less alcoholic than the wines we drink today, averaging about 10-12% proof. Depending on the quality of the wine, and on personal taste, the wine could be drunk as it came, straight from the cask, or it may have been spiced and warmed, possibly mixed with sugar and citrus fruits (mulled wine springs to mind!)

There were also much stronger fortified wines, such as sack, which is similar to sherry today, and also most sweetened wines such as Madeira or Muscadel/Muskatel.

Cider

Drunk in rural area with access to plentiful supplies of fruit such as apples or pears, but less so in cities like London.

Spirits

By the 1600s, gin had not been developed, but an early form of distilled spirit was Aqua Vitae. This was made by distilling the alcohol from wine or ale. The resultant alcohol was then flavoured with herbs or spices, such as cloves, cinnamon, rosemary, thyme, or fennel. Although it could be drunk as a neat drink, perhaps after dinner, it was more commonly used medicinally, or as part of culinary dishes. 

Brandy

If merchants or others wanted to show off their wealth, serving top quality brandy after dinner was certainly one way to do it!

In the early 1640s, brandy would have been imported from France and even then, the best brandies came from regions such as Cognac and Armagnac.

Most imports came in through Dutch ports, and in places like Rotterdam or Amsterdam there was a secondary trade of redistilling French wine and selling it on as a cheaper brandy. 

This was no doubt welcomed by those without the means for anything better, but it may also have been bought by merchants who wanted something to offer their less welcome visitors!

Possets

This is really a generic term for a warm drink that could either be taken at leisure, or as a restorative remedy. The base was usually a mix of milk with wine or ale, flavoured with sugar and spices The spices would vary depending on the therapeutic need for the drink, or personal preference.

Caudles

Similar to possets, caudles were also warm spiced drinks based on ale, wine or sometimes milk. Unlike possets, they had egg yolks added for thickening, sugar, spices and sometimes grains such as oatmeal or bread. They were considered highly nutritious and were often used for the sick or weak, and after child birth. They could also be drunk on celebratory occasions or during the winter months when a warm drink was needed.

2) Non-Alcoholic Drinks

Herbal Infusions / Teas

These were probably forerunners to the tea we drink today, although herbal infusions, in the UK at least, are very much back in fashion. 

In the 1600s, they were just gaining popularity amongst the wealthy, principally for health purposes. Commonly drunk infusions were made of herbs such as chamomile or mint.

Hot chocolate

Hot chocolate was only introduced to England in the early 1600s and so was still relatively new and expensive at the beginning of the series. At the time, it was made from cocoa, sugar, and spices, and became a luxury drink amongst those with money.

Milk

In rural areas, milk or buttermilk would have been available from cows or goats, but in London it was a less common drink due to the inability to preserve it. None the less, milk was still used in possets and desserts, where presumably the process of heating added to its shelf life.

3) Not Yet Available Drinks!

There are two key drinks consumed today are missing from the list above. Tea and coffee!

Tea 

By tea, I mean black tea, the sort that is often referred to as English breakfast tea, and all the other variations such as Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Assam, etc. By the 1640s, the start of book 1, tea in the form of green tea, or oolong, was beginning to make an appearance thanks to importers such as the East India Company. It was still very expensive, however, and as such was something of a rarity even among the gentry.

Coffee

Coffee didn’t arrive in England until around the middle of the 17th century. This followed the end of the civil war and probably gained in popularity thanks to the emergence of coffee houses. These began to appear during the 1650s and 60s, in part because many taverns and inns had been closed down during the war, and remained closed during the years of Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate. Coffee houses gave men new places to meet and discuss the issues of the day. 

My new series will cover the time period of the Protectorate (1649-1660), and so tea and coffee will make an appearance in later books. I just don’t know how long it will take me to get there! 

If you’d like to learn more about life in 1600s England, click HERE.

For details of my previous series, click HERE.