It's nearly impossible not to overindulge over Christmas – if you've managed to wake up today totally hangover-free and with no "festive bloat" whatsoever, you clearly have more self-control than I'm blessed with.
But if you have helped yourself to a couple too many pigs-in-blankets, Loughborough University has your back. Dr Sara Read, a lecturer in English, has helpfully adapted a 300-year-old remedy for overeating known as "surfeit water" using modern and reasonably easy-to-source ingredients.
"Over indulgence of food and drink was generally known as a surfeiting and was often associated with the Christmas festivities," Dr Read explains. "Cures to ease the symptoms of a surfeit – a heavy stomach and vomiting – included a medicated drink, known as a surfeit water."
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You can watch Dr Read make a modern take on "surfeit water" in the video below.
And here is the full list of ingredients.
Pint of brandy
Tablespoon of rose water
Half a tablespoon of cloves
Half a tablespoon of ground nutmeg
Heaped tablespoon of chopped ginger
Two cinnamon sticks
Sugar to taste
Red food colouring (in place of poppy petals)
Tablespoon of rose water
Half a tablespoon of cloves
Half a tablespoon of ground nutmeg
Heaped tablespoon of chopped ginger
Two cinnamon sticks
Sugar to taste
Red food colouring (in place of poppy petals)
If you were following the 300-year-old surfeit water recipe properly, you'd put all the ingredients in a jar, then leave them to infuse for seven to 10 days. But if, like me, you don't have that long to wait, you can probably whack it all together now and skip the infusing stage. Dr Read recommends pouring the liquid through a muslin cloth or coffee filter to get rid of any particles before serving.
But is that much brandy really the answer to festive excess? I'm willing to give it a go.
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