WAIT is that why my grandma made "Bishop's Punch" for Christmas?? I thought she called it after her grandpa Bishop but now I think they just coincidentally had the same name! 😂
@@ChaosWolf1982Yep. And weirdly enough, there is a town in WV called Squire, but for some weird reason the locals pronounce it "Square." It used to mess me up every time I took an announcement down for a church or some other event from that area.
I always used to find the question: "Which celebrity would you like as a neighbor?" to be a silly question until I started watching Max's videos and now I can actually answer that question.
I think Max and Jose would be the best people to have a first dinner party with! Would be soooo much fun and you know the liquid refreshments would be awesome!
7:03 The hint is in the name. Seville oranges, as the name suggests, mostly came from Spain and for the next couple of centuries it's a lot easier to list the times when England and Spain _aren't_ at war with each other than the various wars (hot, cold, or undeclared).
Perhaps in part true, but not compleatly so, oranges used to be way more sour, and the replacment with lemons, not other similar citrus fruits like clementines etc, points to this aswell, that oranges by this point, almost 200 years or so later are to sweet.
@@Gnorg The seville orange is *still* sour so this explanation doesn't really ring true. Due to its inclusion as standard rations for the British Navy in 1795 to combat scurvy, lemons were starting to be widely cultivated around the empire and were to be found on essentially every ship making port during this time frame. They quickly began to gain popularity in England as their availability rose but this also resulted in an increase in their price which actually later encouraged the Navy to swap to limes in the 1860s because they were easy to grow en mass in India. The seville orange even to this day is grown almost exclusively in Spain and almost the entire lot of them are shipped to England for use. The early 1800s were a series of back to back wars between England and Spain so I think this is a far more likely reason for the swap from them to lemons.
I'm in Switzerland, and let me tell you, if you haven't tried gluhwein, mulled wine, smoking bishop or something like that, your life is incomplete. Best served just after coming in from a long, satisfying walk through the snow.
The oldest family recipe for gloegg I could find was a bit like that, except the liquor to add at the end was bathtub gin. "Make sure your guests can find their way home" was the last line.
Interestingly, they showed a version of it front and center in the 1999 Patrick Stewart version of "A Christmas Carol", when the Spirit of Christmas Present takes Scrooge for a visit to his nephew's home... only they heated it with a red-hot iron poker.
The red hot poker technique is still used (traditionally) with German Feuerzangenbowle (fire tong punch(bowl)) and it definitely has the same flavour profile as SB, but Rum is always added!
Omg "Smoking Bishop" confused me as heck when I was a kid when I read the book! Thanks for reminding me of an old memory and filling in a spot of my forgotten curiosity!
I remember my Mom made something similar when I was a kid. Would've been non-alcoholic, but the thumbnail brought back a distinct memory of oranges and cloves in a punch cooked on the stove. This was sometime in the 70's, and wasn't a yearly spectacle, so I can almost recall the aromatic of cloves and fruit. I wish she could've seen these videos. I can't escape the feeling that part of why I'm drawn to them myself is I know she would've absolutely loved Max and his demeanor.
I recently made my own version of Glühwein and I have been adding oranges to it in since forever. When I made it, I was with my father-in-law, and he found the oranges a bit weird, because he never had mulled wine with fruit before. Well, now I can tell him that there actually is an English recipe that calls for citrus in it :D
i live in germany and we put orange and lemon peel in glühwein as well. it would seem to me that red wine and citrus are a universally appealing mix, as sangria is the cold summer time equivalent in spain and protugal and also leans on the combination.
Sugar suggestion: Try bakers fine grain sugar for a clearer brew. Powdered sugar contains cornstarch to prevent caking, which clouds liquids it's dissolved in. I am definitely making this!
As a homesick grad student stuck in Japan over the holidays, I’m going to make this with yuzu instead of lemon and see how it turns out EDIT: Turned out good! Yuzu gives it a bit of bitterness and the aroma is wonderful. Next time I’ll use one yuzu instead of two, though, because it’s a bit overpowering.
@@karengerber8390 It's wonderful. In my opinion, the taste is somewhere between a lemon and a white grapefruit. There's a type of gummy candy from a brand called Kasugai, and one of the flavors they offer is yuzu. I recommend it!
I’m participating in a local theater production of “Christmas Carol” in the style of an old live radio show reading. During our first read through, we were all wondering what the heck Smoking Bishop was! It sounds tasty! Always enjoy your content, much love from Texas!
A heated taper is a red hot iron poker ,as used to mull wine . It boils the liquid instantly and vigorously amd may make a frothy , cream like texture. Bishop when described as wine with orange and sugar, sounds like it would be "by ship" , as they had to flavour and heat wines to remove bad taste and contaminants like mold ,dead bugs and dead or drunk rats and all their leavings. So that could be an avenue to explore.
I was listening to the audiobook of A Christmas Carol last night while fixing supper, and when he mentioned Smoking Bishop, I immediately thought that you should do an episode on it. So glad you did. Merry Christmas, Max!
You, Sir, are brilliant. I just ordered _A Christmas Carol_ on Audible to listen to while I do my Christmas baking. Thank you, good Sir, and _Merry Christmas._
A Christmas Carol is my second favorite book of all time behind To Kill a Mockingbird and I read it every year. After having great success with makin wassail last year this one was next on my list, but in this case I had no idea what is in it. I was on the way to a Christmas event at my parents' church last night when I got the notification and I was beyond hyped :)
Now that I know what it is I have to ask how he even knew about it. He was a penny pincher and did nothing with the holidays, how did he know about and how to make this very specific holiday drink ?_?...
When I read “A Christmas Carol,” I thought “a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop” must be a kind of pipe tobacco. It’s nicer to think of Scrooge and Cratchit talking over a nice cup of hot punch.
This is a great history of glühwein in England. This year, we are planning to make a Bratapfel Glühwein, or Baked apple mulled wine, for the holidays. Something that is served at Christmas markets in Hamburg Germany. It's probably true that this mulled wine developed based upon available ingredients and the Seville oranges would have been a rather interesting addition when they became available in England.
Here in Chile, that drink would be called "Navega'o", since apparently it was more a sailor's drink of preference on cold coastal nights. I can hardly relate it to Christmas, or the clergy, but that is the nature of recipes crossing the world.
I love the very low music in the background, it doesn't distract from the commentary or make it inaudible contrary to many programmes thèse days. Really appreciated!
When I was in Seville many moons ago, before you were born dear Max; two different store owners took us outside and were pointing to the oranges growing and kept pointing at the trees telling us not to eat them. Both of them were very anxious to get the point across. It was very sweet of them and that they pegged us as being foodies but neither of us had ever climbed a tree in our lives.
This drink could also be viewed as medicinal. Besides the soothing properties of steam, when you boil/simmer citrus rinds, you will extract a certain amount of quinine which helps with recovery. Also the oil of cloves is used as a topical anesthetic, so that could help soothe a sore throat. If you use honey instead of the sugar, you would also gain some of the medicinal properties of honey - one of which is that it is known for moisturizing dry throats (often used by singers).
I know that you've done buttered beer, but have you ever considered doing hot buttered rum? If I recall correctly it was popular in the colonial period in America. The idea of it intriges me but I've been too much of a coward to try it. Thanks for yet another excellent video!
It's delicious, and is still pretty commonly used both medicinally and just as a nightcap type drink in Appalachia. We usually add a dash of cinnamon too though.
@@FaeAstray I believe the first recipe I stumbled upon had cinnamon and other "Christmassy" spices in it. My favorite drink is spiced rum so it seems right down my alley.
Hot buttered rum is delicious and you should definitely try it. I say this as someone who basically hates 90% of all alcoholic drinks. The few others I've had that I actively like are things like peach belini and irish cream, very sweet drinks. The hot buttered rum isnt sweet per say, but the flavor and salt of the butter cuts down on that bitter alcoholic taste nicely.
@@medenadrakorus9542 I would recommend a pecan brandy called Rivulet (made in Louisville, KY) and the blueberry brandy from Starlight Distillery in Indiana. Been mixing the last one with homemade lemonade… 😁👍
Ah, "A Christmas Carol..." the reason that I need to make a Christmas goose one of these years. "There never was such a goose! Bob said there never was such a goose cooked- its tenderness and flavor, size and cheapness were themes of universal admiration!"
Just be aware that it is VERY greasy. When you roast it, put it on a rack. The fat however is delicious to use in other things. Serve with applesauce to help cut the fat a bit in the digestive system.
@@lenabreijer1311 "Eked out by the applesauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient meal for the entire family! Indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish, they had not ate at all at last... and yet everyone had had enough! And the youngest Cratchits in particular were steeped with sage and onion to the eyebrows!"
considering that historically this would've been heated by a fire, would it maybe have had a bit of a smokey flavor as well. I feel like the oils of the citrus would've been able to absorb at least a bit of that since fats are good at grabbing onto flavors around them
That's a great idea. I really enjoy both learning about and brewing historic beers, especially ancient beers. I've even tried a take on the Hymn to Nankasi and a couple bousa recipes, though I'm not sure of their historical accuracy and I wouldn't drink them often. I also brew makgeolli every winter (it tastes best when fermented in cold weather IMO), and was just thinking that the snow on the ground meant it was that time again. I would love to see what Max could do with any of those, especially given his resources (especially viewers that could help translate primary source material) and dedication to being thorough. There's also a whole tradition of Chinese (and much of Asia in general, I guess) medicinal wines I'd love to see Max's take on.
@@rezalustig6773 Depending on where they're from, all alcohol can be called spirits. Generally, everything stronger than a small/table/bread beer can be referred to as a spirit, and historically was in some places.
Another wonderful video, Max. One of the few channels where I click just for the creator themselves, doesn't matter what they're doing, and I'm always pleasantly surprised by what I learn.
I made a smoking bishop recipe last year (well, 2019... that counts as last year), and it instantly became one of my midwinter festival traditions. Lovely drink.
This is random but you’re adorable and have re booted my love of cooking new things. I use to try something new once a week and stopped for a while. This weekend I’m trying the ancient Roman Parthian chicken 🐔
Good luck. We tried it and have to say "Asafoetida" is an "acquired" taste. I now have a bag of the stuff in the cupboard where it looks at me reproachably whenever I ignore it for something else.
I read A Christmas Carol every year, so in 2018 I finally chose to make Smoking Bishop. Unlike the recipe Max used, I just got on the Internet and found the easiest instructions. For mine I use bottles of both port and red wine, and oranges are the only citrus added. Minus the mace, I use the other spices in Max's recipe. Yes, it is so good! The citrus does wonders to the alcohol. Boil until it smokes (for those using a laser thermometer, it should read 170F). Filter the Bishop with a fine sieve, and store in the fridge in the bottles in which the port and red wine came. This is a MUST beverage for Christmas and all winter. Thank you, Max, for researching it and making it! PS: My son loved the Legos display, for he too is an aficionado.
Church bishops were often noted for their appreciation of the finer things in life, including a winter warming potion containing expensive fruit, spices, and liquors. And I guess it's "smoking" once one heats it and burns off the alcohol.
We have a similar drink if not the same in Chile which is called "vino navegado" that could be translated as "sailed wine" in English, it has the same ingredients and it's also a warm drink specially popular on the south cold regions and during national festivities.
Torkoal, the coal pokemon and one of my favourites from the anime. When I was a kid I remember getting excited every time Torkoal came out, it was just a tortoise that expelled smoke but it was so chill and cool and since its not a "strong" or popular pokemon it felt nice to see it has its moments on the spotlight.
When I made my Wassail, I used oranges and brandy along with the fresh pressed cider and OJ. Plus a little pomegranate juice. And all the requisite spices, including a WHOLE nutmeg.
It's kind of a Christmas tradition for me to read A Christmas Carol every Christmas and I had always wondered what smoking bishop was. Thank you! And a Merry Christmas to you and your family Max!
@@adriancarlton-oatley9736 Excellent point. I've only made homemade jams and jellies a few times, but it was with my MIL who has been doing it for decades, and she made sure to teach me about adjusting the pectin based on the fruit used. It does seem that that bitterest fruit makes for the nicest preserves.
You sir would have been an extraordinary history teacher. You have a very relaxed and natural style about you and that is a gift. Look foward to many, many more videos. Thanks.
These days Seville oranges are only available in the UK from the end of December til the middle of February and I assume that availability wouldn’t have been any wider in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This might explain the switch to lemons in the various recipes quoted. Excellent channel- keep up the good work.
Max, I just have to wish you and your husband Merry Christmas! Your videos are always educational and your recipes are easy to follow. But you, you are just fabulous! You take time to research everything, you learn languages, you're a great presenter, and you make me giggle! And you're handsome! Ah, Disney's loss is our gain. Wishing you continued success!!
I love your channel! I used to do a lot of cooking but then my body decided to have lots of chronic pain. Your videos are just the right mix of entertainment and food history to satisfy the cook in me! Thanks for the vids Max, and i hope you have a happy holiday season.
I think you might be right. Adding something hot into the liquid, instead of slowly heating by a fire, could be caramelising the sugars hence why you get this reaction.
One of my favorite moments from A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart was when Fred had his friend Topper insert a hot poker from the fireplace into the bowl of bishop to heat it up. I always found that to be a fascinating detail, and no other adaptation seems to show it.
Ever since watching the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol this year, which features and mentions a lot of Victorian Christmas food, I've suddenly found myself very curious about those foods. And your channel is teaching me a lot.
As usual, here I sit watching Tasting/Drinking History and am now drooling while imaging the possibilities 🙂. This one is a definite "gonna make this" recipe. Thanks for this , Max!
We host Christmas Party for our small college group (nine of us) every four years. This year 2022 I am planning a RUclips Christmas. Pulling my favorite recipes from channels I love. Had to have something from you, Max. I especially wanted to feature your book at our party, but it won't be out until April 2023! Very disappointing. So much to love about your channel! Congratulations on 1 million subscribers. We are one of them.
Already subscribed since you were on Townsend's. I'm so excited for this milestone. This is a fantastic channel full of history, humor, delicious, sometimes surprising historical foods, and great historical images. Also, you are a super nice real person. In this world of posers, you are most refreshing. 💖 Like your Lego disclaimer in this episode 🤣
Thank you much for this video. I had always wondered where my grandmother came up with her recipe for ' Sweet Soup' . It was actually a 'Smoking Bishop ' no alcohol. She added black Cherry jello instead. She got lazy in her old age and started slicing the lemon and orange. Thank you.
I made this for the first time for Thanksgiving. Then again for 2 nights of Chanukah. SIMILAR recipe to yours - we used clove-spiked oranges & Meyer lemons, fresh ginger, sugar, allspice, and Star Anise for the mulling - a Burgundy/Sangiovese mix for the wine, and a nice Ruby Port. It is AMAZING. It's SO much more subtle than you'd think! So many mulled wines are overwhelming with their spice, but Smoking Bishop is rich, full, and tasty. You taste the wine and port, not just a mouthful of spice. We're making it again for the holidays. For heating, we have a nice ceramic fondue pot, which kept it juuuuust right. OH - for a nice addition, toss in some fresh blackberries. You're an inspiration, Max, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEOS!
It's common, at least here in Italy, to burn out some of the alcohol in mulled wine. My guess is that a hot alcoholic beverage goes to your head more speedily than a room temperature version (due to vapors? Faster absorption? I don't know). So even a regular wine, when heated, would be more intoxicating than enjoyable.
Supposedly, hot beverages absorb faster because they don't need to be heated by your internals to your body temperature. I don't know enough about biology to know if it's true though, but I have a friend who swears by drinking hot water in the morning to hydrate faster.
As to why Seville oranges fell out of use, Spain (where you get Seville oranges) was wracked by civil war between 1833 and 1876, and which was particularly spicy around 1835. My guess is international trade is complicated during a civil war and what trade was happening was costly. Since lemons could be procured more cheaply from the Americas, the switch was made. The civil wars are called the Carlist wars if you are interested.
I would love to see Max collaborate with Glen and Friends Cooking. He also explores historic recipes for food and beverages, albeit, from more recent eras.
The recipe for this that I have used for a couple of years now has no cinnamon (a good thing since a dear friend is allergic and until she'd had my bishop she had never tasted any mulled wine). I also juice the roasted oranges, and to complete the set, I mix a bottle of claret (Bordeaux) to the Port. Granted this makes a lot of smoking bishop, but if you're having a party, then you want a lot. Now I forget where I got this recipe, but here it is for context. Love your videos Max. Keep up the good work. Ingredients 750 ml ruby Port 750 ml Bordeaux (Claret) wine 1 cup water 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated (or more to taste) 1/4 teaspoon allspice, ground (or more to taste) 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated (or more to taste) 4-5 oranges (I find Navel oranges a bit bland. Best if you can find good juice oranges) 20 cloves, whole Garnish: clove-studded orange slice Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C, gas mark 4). Wash and dry the oranges. Pierce and stud each orange with five cloves. Place oranges in a baking dish and roast until lightly browned all over, ~60 minutes. While the oranges are roasting add the Port, wine, water, sugar, and spices to a saucepan, and simmer over low heat. A crock pot could be used here, and the final product served in that to keep it warm. I always strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve when putting into another vessel prior to serving. Slice oranges in half, juice them, then add the juice into the wine and Port mixture
To get the traditional flavor, you have to roast the citrus over a hardwood fire, charcoal or otherwise. Smoking Bishop has a light, smokey taste from the fire roasted citrus, hence the name.
Max, I hope you hit a million subs. One thing that has always really impressed me about this channel, is the amount of detail that goes into the description citing sources, resources, and even advertisers. The transparency shows a great respect for your viewing audience. And even though the video is mostly a guy behind a table, it becomes obvious how much extensive work and great care that goes into the production of this show. You care about the material you are presenting. You listen to and communicate with your viewing audience. You retain a fun, dorky energy that appeals to us all yet retain the high level of intelligence required to properly present this material. TL;DR... if any channel deserves a million subs and that kind of attention, it is this one. I'm not super knowledgeable about food like a lot of your viewers. But I damn sure like to eat it. And I'm very glad I subscribed. Plus I'm always learning things as well! Thanks, best of luck on a million, and happy holidays. -- a fan.
G'day Max I am Allan From Australia. Mate I have just recently discovered you're channel and I must say I am enjoying it. Thank you, I wish you much success in you're endeavours
The thing I love about your channel is the history. I love learning things and combining it with cooking is an A plus. I used to watch A Taste of History with Walter Staib, but can’t find it anymore. So I am thankful for your channel. Merry Christmas! 🎄🎄🎄
Love this! I'm set on making it this Christmas, might add some brandy for that extra kick. One correction, Wassail is pronounced as WASSLE. And wassail is amazing, too ♡
Max, I wish you would mention the like button, perhaps after the history section. I watch on my TV and have to pause to like. Congratulations on approaching 1 million, aka 1kk!
Very similar to my familiy's wassle(wassail). In that recipe we use English cider, Lemon juice, orange juice, cinnimon, nutmeg, and cloves. Though in the 80's my grandmother started to put pineapple juice in; improving upon the original.
I always make mulled wine and buttered rum during the holidays, I never knew about any of the other ecclesiastics! I'll have to look into some of the other styles this Yule!
Spiced wines are one of my absolute favorite things. Hot, cold, room temperature; red, white. All of them. This one sounds amazing and I'm definitely going to do this one for a belated Christmas with the family come mid-January.
Tasting History is closing in on 1 Million Subscribers! If you aren't subscribed, help us get to 1 million by Christmas by clicking subscribe.
Is this the same thing as wassail?
@@highlander723 it’s one version!
@@TastingHistory The one that my grandma used to make had eggs and apples?
Merry Christmas to you Maxie! (love the Torkoal plush you got too!)
How was it with the added alcohol? I'm thinking of making this for my Christmas party!
"Don't use an expensive bottle for this" - but it's snowing outside, and well, any port in a storm.
I C WAT U DID THAR
Groan
Ha! I like it!
(gives begrudging thumbs up, while chuckling and groaning at the same time)
Touche! :-D
I will forever cherish the moment when poor Max forgot that the name is a lighter and just described it as "click click flame" 🤣
I spent a good minute searching for this comment and I am not disappointed.😂
That term is going to become part of my vernacular, I'm sure.
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 vernacular? That's a Derby
Sort of like how the Welsh word for microwave is 'popty ping' - love it!
@@sarahwatts7152 ,
Thank you for teaching us Welsh!
"Click-click flame," a delightfully Dickensian manner of describing that confounding modern contraption
Like when Koko the gorilla would invent her own sign language names for things. :)
And we all knew what he meant :)
That is the funnest name. I may have to use it for my butane lighter I light the grill with.
I have Menopause brain, the feels.
@@nancymontgomery8897 Except she didn't and it was all a horrible scam full of abuse.
"She does add nutmeg... making it completely her own recipe, I guess."
[*Townsends internally*]
[GRATING INTENSIFIES]
WAIT is that why my grandma made "Bishop's Punch" for Christmas?? I thought she called it after her grandpa Bishop but now I think they just coincidentally had the same name! 😂
I have a great grandparent named Squire. They had some fabulous names in past times.
Family tradition is the best!!
@@bitchn_betty
A rather well known performer in the Southern Gospel genre of music is the late Squire Parsons.
@@ChaosWolf1982Yep. And weirdly enough, there is a town in WV called Squire, but for some weird reason the locals pronounce it "Square." It used to mess me up every time I took an announcement down for a church or some other event from that area.
I feel like we need a Lego tour and punch throughout history sampling.
Like a Lego building from the time in the background for drinking instead of the pokemon for eating.
Yes please!
Yes!!!!!
Yes!!!!
I was about to say the exact same thing 😃
I wish I was Max's friend. He just seems like he'd be a good guy to be friends with.
He seems like the kind of person who would show up at your door on Christmas Eve to give you a plate full of Christmas cookies.
@@marcz2903 Historically accurate Christmas cookies from some random past era. lol
Max reminds me of Alex Trebek from Jeopardy, someone who is both knowledgeable and cordial.
I always used to find the question: "Which celebrity would you like as a neighbor?" to be a silly question until I started watching Max's videos and now I can actually answer that question.
I think Max and Jose would be the best people to have a first dinner party with! Would be soooo much fun and you know the liquid refreshments would be awesome!
7:03 The hint is in the name. Seville oranges, as the name suggests, mostly came from Spain and for the next couple of centuries it's a lot easier to list the times when England and Spain _aren't_ at war with each other than the various wars (hot, cold, or undeclared).
I was going to make a similar comment. Thanks for getting there first.
So, basically, the same old story of substituting a culinary ingredient for another, currently not available one...
Perhaps in part true, but not compleatly so, oranges used to be way more sour, and the replacment with lemons, not other similar citrus fruits like clementines etc, points to this aswell, that oranges by this point, almost 200 years or so later are to sweet.
@@Gnorg The seville orange is *still* sour so this explanation doesn't really ring true. Due to its inclusion as standard rations for the British Navy in 1795 to combat scurvy, lemons were starting to be widely cultivated around the empire and were to be found on essentially every ship making port during this time frame. They quickly began to gain popularity in England as their availability rose but this also resulted in an increase in their price which actually later encouraged the Navy to swap to limes in the 1860s because they were easy to grow en mass in India. The seville orange even to this day is grown almost exclusively in Spain and almost the entire lot of them are shipped to England for use. The early 1800s were a series of back to back wars between England and Spain so I think this is a far more likely reason for the swap from them to lemons.
Yeah but they grew them in Morocco and France too, only a couple wars cut them off from both.
I didn’t feel very Christmasy, but this video got me in the spirit. I’m gonna make this, looks delicious!
Perhaps there's nothing like a spirit to get one in the spirit.
How about just wintery? I mean AFAIK, almost if not all nations celebrate Winter Solstice of some kind -- even Taiwan.
That’s the best compliment I can receive!
I love when I find a 'tuber I like in the comments of another! Love your work, Disturban. 💯
I'm in Switzerland, and let me tell you, if you haven't tried gluhwein, mulled wine, smoking bishop or something like that, your life is incomplete. Best served just after coming in from a long, satisfying walk through the snow.
The oldest family recipe for gloegg I could find was a bit like that, except the liquor to add at the end was bathtub gin. "Make sure your guests can find their way home" was the last line.
You know you are in trouble when a make sure your guests can get home warning is in the recipe.
Interestingly, they showed a version of it front and center in the 1999 Patrick Stewart version of "A Christmas Carol", when the Spirit of Christmas Present takes Scrooge for a visit to his nephew's home... only they heated it with a red-hot iron poker.
One of my favorite versions!
And it looks like a clip from that version where they show the poker. I love this version, we watch it every year around Christmas
@@TastingHistory Mine will forever be the Muppet version, but anything with Patrick Stewart is good to me!
The red hot poker technique is still used (traditionally) with German Feuerzangenbowle (fire tong punch(bowl)) and it definitely has the same flavour profile as SB, but Rum is always added!
@@MsKathleenb I love the Muppet version. ❤️🎄
Omg "Smoking Bishop" confused me as heck when I was a kid when I read the book! Thanks for reminding me of an old memory and filling in a spot of my forgotten curiosity!
I remember my Mom made something similar when I was a kid. Would've been non-alcoholic, but the thumbnail brought back a distinct memory of oranges and cloves in a punch cooked on the stove. This was sometime in the 70's, and wasn't a yearly spectacle, so I can almost recall the aromatic of cloves and fruit.
I wish she could've seen these videos. I can't escape the feeling that part of why I'm drawn to them myself is I know she would've absolutely loved Max and his demeanor.
I recently made my own version of Glühwein and I have been adding oranges to it in since forever. When I made it, I was with my father-in-law, and he found the oranges a bit weird, because he never had mulled wine with fruit before. Well, now I can tell him that there actually is an English recipe that calls for citrus in it :D
Nice save lol
I've also always done my Glühwein with Oranges. Didn't even know this isn't common 😂
People in England typically do put strips of orange zest or candied citrus peel in mulled wine.
i live in germany and we put orange and lemon peel in glühwein as well. it would seem to me that red wine and citrus are a universally appealing mix, as sangria is the cold summer time equivalent in spain and protugal and also leans on the combination.
@@siiri2052 That's actually true, I never thought of it that way.
Sugar suggestion: Try bakers fine grain sugar for a clearer brew. Powdered sugar contains cornstarch to prevent caking, which clouds liquids it's dissolved in. I am definitely making this!
As a homesick grad student stuck in Japan over the holidays, I’m going to make this with yuzu instead of lemon and see how it turns out
EDIT: Turned out good! Yuzu gives it a bit of bitterness and the aroma is wonderful. Next time I’ll use one yuzu instead of two, though, because it’s a bit overpowering.
Have some sympathy from a fellow student who is homesick herself and may be stuck in, as it happens, Germany over the holidays.
Yuzu is wonderful. Not available as a whole fruit in Scandinavia, but we can purchase yuzu juice. Going to try out this flavoring.
Thank you for teaching about Yuzu.
Prompted me to do some research...
@@karengerber8390 It's wonderful. In my opinion, the taste is somewhere between a lemon and a white grapefruit. There's a type of gummy candy from a brand called Kasugai, and one of the flavors they offer is yuzu. I recommend it!
I’m participating in a local theater production of “Christmas Carol” in the style of an old live radio show reading. During our first read through, we were all wondering what the heck Smoking Bishop was! It sounds tasty! Always enjoy your content, much love from Texas!
A heated taper is a red hot iron poker ,as used to mull wine . It boils the liquid instantly and vigorously amd may make a frothy , cream like texture.
Bishop when described as wine with orange and sugar, sounds like it would be "by ship" , as they had to flavour and heat wines to remove bad taste and contaminants like mold ,dead bugs and dead or drunk rats and all their leavings. So that could be an avenue to explore.
Aaaah, things like these really do make a cold snowy day into something quiet and special.
That warm filling feeling of a hot deliciously flavored beverage is pretty hard to beat.
Right. It’s getting cold enough for snowy owls to come visit in Michigan, and drinking this after work or something sounds like heaven.
I was listening to the audiobook of A Christmas Carol last night while fixing supper, and when he mentioned Smoking Bishop, I immediately thought that you should do an episode on it. So glad you did. Merry Christmas, Max!
You, Sir, are brilliant.
I just ordered _A Christmas Carol_ on Audible to listen to while I do my Christmas baking.
Thank you, good Sir, and _Merry Christmas._
@@nautifella And Merry Christmas to you!! Christmas 🎄🎄🎄
Wow, I love coincidence.
A Christmas Carol is my second favorite book of all time behind To Kill a Mockingbird and I read it every year. After having great success with makin wassail last year this one was next on my list, but in this case I had no idea what is in it. I was on the way to a Christmas event at my parents' church last night when I got the notification and I was beyond hyped :)
Now that I know what it is I have to ask how he even knew about it. He was a penny pincher and did nothing with the holidays, how did he know about and how to make this very specific holiday drink ?_?...
When I read “A Christmas Carol,” I thought “a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop” must be a kind of pipe tobacco. It’s nicer to think of Scrooge and Cratchit talking over a nice cup of hot punch.
Until seeing this, I too had always thought it to be some no-longer-made variety or blend of pipe tobacco. Quite surprised to find otherwise!
This is a great history of glühwein in England. This year, we are planning to make a Bratapfel Glühwein, or Baked apple mulled wine, for the holidays. Something that is served at Christmas markets in Hamburg Germany. It's probably true that this mulled wine developed based upon available ingredients and the Seville oranges would have been a rather interesting addition when they became available in England.
"A click-click flame" may in fact be the cutest thing I have ever heard. God I love this channel.
A Christmas Carol is one my favorite holiday stories; I would totally listen to Max read the whole story.
Here in Chile, that drink would be called "Navega'o", since apparently it was more a sailor's drink of preference on cold coastal nights.
I can hardly relate it to Christmas, or the clergy, but that is the nature of recipes crossing the world.
In the southern hemisphere I assume it must be more popular in June than in December.
I love the very low music in the background, it doesn't distract from the commentary or make it inaudible contrary to many programmes thèse days. Really appreciated!
When I was in Seville many moons ago, before you were born dear Max; two different store owners took us outside and were pointing to the oranges growing and kept pointing at the trees telling us not to eat them. Both of them were very anxious to get the point across. It was very sweet of them and that they pegged us as being foodies but neither of us had ever climbed a tree in our lives.
I usually make mine in a crockpot. Makes heating and reheating much easier
I do the same, plus you have that lovely aroma all day long.
This drink could also be viewed as medicinal. Besides the soothing properties of steam, when you boil/simmer citrus rinds, you will extract a certain amount of quinine which helps with recovery. Also the oil of cloves is used as a topical anesthetic, so that could help soothe a sore throat. If you use honey instead of the sugar, you would also gain some of the medicinal properties of honey - one of which is that it is known for moisturizing dry throats (often used by singers).
Max: "You can use any citrus fruit you like..."
Me: LIME IT IS!
kumquat
Whatever Jared Rydelek ate this time
Blood Orange! Because it’s officially blood orange season
If you like it REALLY sour and bitter - bergamot orange.
Good luck poking four cloves into a kumquat!
I was focusing so much on the wine and citrus I didn't notice your green and red clothing combo. You are a mesmerizing presenter, Max.
That picture of a monk sneaking wine has got to be my favorite medieval painting of all time
I know that you've done buttered beer, but have you ever considered doing hot buttered rum? If I recall correctly it was popular in the colonial period in America. The idea of it intriges me but I've been too much of a coward to try it. Thanks for yet another excellent video!
It's delicious, and is still pretty commonly used both medicinally and just as a nightcap type drink in Appalachia. We usually add a dash of cinnamon too though.
@@FaeAstray I believe the first recipe I stumbled upon had cinnamon and other "Christmassy" spices in it. My favorite drink is spiced rum so it seems right down my alley.
Definitely need to get that on the schedule
Hot buttered rum is delicious and you should definitely try it. I say this as someone who basically hates 90% of all alcoholic drinks. The few others I've had that I actively like are things like peach belini and irish cream, very sweet drinks. The hot buttered rum isnt sweet per say, but the flavor and salt of the butter cuts down on that bitter alcoholic taste nicely.
@@medenadrakorus9542 I would recommend a pecan brandy called Rivulet (made in Louisville, KY) and the blueberry brandy from Starlight Distillery in Indiana. Been mixing the last one with homemade lemonade… 😁👍
Ah, "A Christmas Carol..." the reason that I need to make a Christmas goose one of these years.
"There never was such a goose! Bob said there never was such a goose cooked- its tenderness and flavor, size and cheapness were themes of universal admiration!"
@@WinstonSmithGPT i like duck, so I knows i'm gonna likes me some goose.
Just be aware that it is VERY greasy. When you roast it, put it on a rack. The fat however is delicious to use in other things. Serve with applesauce to help cut the fat a bit in the digestive system.
@@lenabreijer1311 "Eked out by the applesauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient meal for the entire family! Indeed, as Mrs. Cratchit said with great delight surveying one small atom of a bone upon the dish, they had not ate at all at last... and yet everyone had had enough! And the youngest Cratchits in particular were steeped with sage and onion to the eyebrows!"
I really want to try goose one of these years! When I tried duck, I absolutely fell in love with it.
@@SarafinaSummers I like to think of duck as pork... with wings. ^w^
considering that historically this would've been heated by a fire, would it maybe have had a bit of a smokey flavor as well. I feel like the oils of the citrus would've been able to absorb at least a bit of that since fats are good at grabbing onto flavors around them
You should do either an ancient Mesopotamian/Egyptian beer or Makgeolli, at some point. Easy homebrewing with plenty of history to talk about.
Yeah that Korean rice spirit is fairly easy to make. Maangchi has a recipe video for it on her channel.
@@brissygirl4997 Love me some Maangchi. Though Makgeolli isn’t actually a spirit (you’re probably thinking of Soju).
@@rezalustig6773 The one Maangchi makes is fermented
That's a great idea. I really enjoy both learning about and brewing historic beers, especially ancient beers. I've even tried a take on the Hymn to Nankasi and a couple bousa recipes, though I'm not sure of their historical accuracy and I wouldn't drink them often. I also brew makgeolli every winter (it tastes best when fermented in cold weather IMO), and was just thinking that the snow on the ground meant it was that time again. I would love to see what Max could do with any of those, especially given his resources (especially viewers that could help translate primary source material) and dedication to being thorough. There's also a whole tradition of Chinese (and much of Asia in general, I guess) medicinal wines I'd love to see Max's take on.
@@rezalustig6773 Depending on where they're from, all alcohol can be called spirits. Generally, everything stronger than a small/table/bread beer can be referred to as a spirit, and historically was in some places.
Another wonderful video, Max. One of the few channels where I click just for the creator themselves, doesn't matter what they're doing, and I'm always pleasantly surprised by what I learn.
Thank you so much!
I made a smoking bishop recipe last year (well, 2019... that counts as last year), and it instantly became one of my midwinter festival traditions. Lovely drink.
You should try a posset, it’s quite similar to the buttered beer recipe you did a few years back, kinda the medieval equivalent of eggnog
I love posset! The dessert kind instead of the beverage kind.
This is random but you’re adorable and have re booted my love of cooking new things. I use to try something new once a week and stopped for a while. This weekend I’m trying the ancient Roman Parthian chicken 🐔
A crowd favorite !
Good luck.
We tried it and have to say "Asafoetida" is an "acquired" taste. I now have a bag of the stuff in the cupboard where it looks at me reproachably whenever I ignore it for something else.
I read A Christmas Carol every year, so in 2018 I finally chose to make Smoking Bishop. Unlike the recipe Max used, I just got on the Internet and found the easiest instructions. For mine I use bottles of both port and red wine, and oranges are the only citrus added. Minus the mace, I use the other spices in Max's recipe. Yes, it is so good! The citrus does wonders to the alcohol. Boil until it smokes (for those using a laser thermometer, it should read 170F). Filter the Bishop with a fine sieve, and store in the fridge in the bottles in which the port and red wine came. This is a MUST beverage for Christmas and all winter. Thank you, Max, for researching it and making it! PS: My son loved the Legos display, for he too is an aficionado.
Church bishops were often noted for their appreciation of the finer things in life, including a winter warming potion containing expensive fruit, spices, and liquors. And I guess it's "smoking" once one heats it and burns off the alcohol.
We have a similar drink if not the same in Chile which is called "vino navegado" that could be translated as "sailed wine" in English, it has the same ingredients and it's also a warm drink specially popular on the south cold regions and during national festivities.
The "click click thing" had me laughing. It's Friday. I understand. Lol!
Torkoal, the coal pokemon and one of my favourites from the anime. When I was a kid I remember getting excited every time Torkoal came out, it was just a tortoise that expelled smoke but it was so chill and cool and since its not a "strong" or popular pokemon it felt nice to see it has its moments on the spotlight.
Merry Christmas to you and the entire family.
Also click click flame is my new favorite!
' click click flame' made me almost spit my coffee, so well done, sir!!
Merry christmas, genuinely the earliest I've been to a video!
Merry Christmas, William!
When I made my Wassail, I used oranges and brandy along with the fresh pressed cider and OJ. Plus a little pomegranate juice. And all the requisite spices, including a WHOLE nutmeg.
It's kind of a Christmas tradition for me to read A Christmas Carol every Christmas and I had always wondered what smoking bishop was. Thank you! And a Merry Christmas to you and your family Max!
Made this Saturday for the D&D group. Labeled as 'Smoking Cleric' it was well liked. Used clementine instead or oranges as it was what we had.
Seville oranges all being used in marmalade is a pretty good theory, Seville orange marmalade is relatively common in the UK
They are too bitter to eat but are good for marmalade as they have more pectin than sweet oranges, to help the marmalade set.
@@adriancarlton-oatley9736 Excellent point. I've only made homemade jams and jellies a few times, but it was with my MIL who has been doing it for decades, and she made sure to teach me about adjusting the pectin based on the fruit used. It does seem that that bitterest fruit makes for the nicest preserves.
Best tv show to watch during breakfast 🥐🍳
You sir would have been an extraordinary history teacher. You have a very relaxed and natural style about you and that is a gift. Look foward to many, many more videos. Thanks.
These days Seville oranges are only available in the UK from the end of December til the middle of February and I assume that availability wouldn’t have been any wider in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This might explain the switch to lemons in the various recipes quoted.
Excellent channel- keep up the good work.
I shall be getting pleasantly merry with some of this on Christmas day, thank you Max and José!
🥳🥳
Max, I just have to wish you and your husband Merry Christmas! Your videos are always educational and your recipes are easy to follow. But you, you are just fabulous! You take time to research everything, you learn languages, you're a great presenter, and you make me giggle! And you're handsome! Ah, Disney's loss is our gain. Wishing you continued success!!
I will take that compliment for him 🥰 Thank you for supporting
I love your channel! I used to do a lot of cooking but then my body decided to have lots of chronic pain. Your videos are just the right mix of entertainment and food history to satisfy the cook in me! Thanks for the vids Max, and i hope you have a happy holiday season.
I might be kidding myself, but heating with a poker seems to introduce more dark caramel flavours into the mulled wine.
It fills the house... with 4 flavours. Four of a kind to be exact.
I think you might be right. Adding something hot into the liquid, instead of slowly heating by a fire, could be caramelising the sugars hence why you get this reaction.
@@peachesandcream8753 It certainly has enough sugar for that to happen, white sugar + fructose from the citrus + whatever is in the alcohol.
One of my favorite moments from A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart was when Fred had his friend Topper insert a hot poker from the fireplace into the bowl of bishop to heat it up. I always found that to be a fascinating detail, and no other adaptation seems to show it.
This truly is one of my favourite channels this time of year!
Ever since watching the Patrick Stewart version of A Christmas Carol this year, which features and mentions a lot of Victorian Christmas food, I've suddenly found myself very curious about those foods. And your channel is teaching me a lot.
I made this with Seville oranges and Meyer lemons. I didn't have a fine sugar, so I used honey instead. It was amazing!
As usual, here I sit watching Tasting/Drinking History and am now drooling while imaging the possibilities 🙂. This one is a definite "gonna make this" recipe. Thanks for this , Max!
We host Christmas Party for our small college group (nine of us) every four years. This year 2022 I am planning a RUclips Christmas. Pulling my favorite recipes from channels I love. Had to have something from you, Max. I especially wanted to feature your book at our party, but it won't be out until April 2023! Very disappointing. So much to love about your channel! Congratulations on 1 million subscribers. We are one of them.
Already subscribed since you were on Townsend's. I'm so excited for this milestone. This is a fantastic channel full of history, humor, delicious, sometimes surprising historical foods, and great historical images. Also, you are a super nice real person. In this world of posers, you are most refreshing. 💖 Like your Lego disclaimer in this episode 🤣
Thank you much for this video. I had always wondered where my grandmother came up with her recipe for ' Sweet Soup' . It was actually a 'Smoking Bishop ' no alcohol. She added black Cherry jello instead. She got lazy in her old age and started slicing the lemon and orange. Thank you.
I made this for the first time for Thanksgiving. Then again for 2 nights of Chanukah. SIMILAR recipe to yours - we used clove-spiked oranges & Meyer lemons, fresh ginger, sugar, allspice, and Star Anise for the mulling - a Burgundy/Sangiovese mix for the wine, and a nice Ruby Port. It is AMAZING. It's SO much more subtle than you'd think! So many mulled wines are overwhelming with their spice, but Smoking Bishop is rich, full, and tasty. You taste the wine and port, not just a mouthful of spice. We're making it again for the holidays. For heating, we have a nice ceramic fondue pot, which kept it juuuuust right. OH - for a nice addition, toss in some fresh blackberries. You're an inspiration, Max, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEOS!
It's common, at least here in Italy, to burn out some of the alcohol in mulled wine. My guess is that a hot alcoholic beverage goes to your head more speedily than a room temperature version (due to vapors? Faster absorption? I don't know). So even a regular wine, when heated, would be more intoxicating than enjoyable.
Supposedly, hot beverages absorb faster because they don't need to be heated by your internals to your body temperature. I don't know enough about biology to know if it's true though, but I have a friend who swears by drinking hot water in the morning to hydrate faster.
BUt how do you burn out alcohol in a wine? They're not nearly high enough ABV to ignite.
@@DIEGhostfish It burns when it's simmering, thanks to vapors. As Max's video shows.
@@fedra76it I thought he had a spirit in there instead of just a wine. Sorry.
@@DIEGhostfish No problem at all :)
Thanks for reminding me that I need to get everything together for my wassail. There's nothing better this time of year.
So….by asking us to try this, Max is, quite literally “pushing the mulled wine”, a la Mel Brooks’ History of the World! 😆
My husband made this 4 years ago for Christmas and it was one of the most delicious, fund drinks I've ever had!
As to why Seville oranges fell out of use, Spain (where you get Seville oranges) was wracked by civil war between 1833 and 1876, and which was particularly spicy around 1835. My guess is international trade is complicated during a civil war and what trade was happening was costly. Since lemons could be procured more cheaply from the Americas, the switch was made. The civil wars are called the Carlist wars if you are interested.
so many episodes recently, fantastic!
I would love to see Max collaborate with Glen and Friends Cooking. He also explores historic recipes for food and beverages, albeit, from more recent eras.
Max - I love your channel sir. Brings warmth to the soul, history learnin' to the mind, and smile to the face.
Took Smoking Bishop to a Christmas Ugly Sweater Party last night.... HUGE HIT! Thanks Max
I just want to say your channel is such a pocket of joy on the internet! Thanks for always bringing happiness max :)
Lol, have a friend who just calls lighters "flickities". It's one of those words that is easy to forget, not being onomatopeia
The recipe for this that I have used for a couple of years now has no cinnamon (a good thing since a dear friend is allergic and until she'd had my bishop she had never tasted any mulled wine). I also juice the roasted oranges, and to complete the set, I mix a bottle of claret (Bordeaux) to the Port. Granted this makes a lot of smoking bishop, but if you're having a party, then you want a lot. Now I forget where I got this recipe, but here it is for context. Love your videos Max. Keep up the good work.
Ingredients
750 ml ruby Port
750 ml Bordeaux (Claret) wine
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon allspice, ground (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated (or more to taste)
4-5 oranges (I find Navel oranges a bit bland. Best if you can find good juice oranges)
20 cloves, whole
Garnish: clove-studded orange slice
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C, gas mark 4).
Wash and dry the oranges. Pierce and stud each orange with five cloves.
Place oranges in a baking dish and roast until lightly browned all over, ~60 minutes.
While the oranges are roasting add the Port, wine, water, sugar, and spices to a saucepan, and simmer over low heat. A crock pot could be used here, and the final product served in that to keep it warm. I always strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve when putting into another vessel prior to serving.
Slice oranges in half, juice them, then add the juice into the wine and Port mixture
Hot toddies, mulled wines and ports and honey meads... love em all!
I love the Torkoal on the back table, as always, very appropriate 👍
To get the traditional flavor, you have to roast the citrus over a hardwood fire, charcoal or otherwise. Smoking Bishop has a light, smokey taste from the fire roasted citrus, hence the name.
Max, I hope you hit a million subs. One thing that has always really impressed me about this channel, is the amount of detail that goes into the description citing sources, resources, and even advertisers. The transparency shows a great respect for your viewing audience. And even though the video is mostly a guy behind a table, it becomes obvious how much extensive work and great care that goes into the production of this show. You care about the material you are presenting. You listen to and communicate with your viewing audience. You retain a fun, dorky energy that appeals to us all yet retain the high level of intelligence required to properly present this material. TL;DR... if any channel deserves a million subs and that kind of attention, it is this one. I'm not super knowledgeable about food like a lot of your viewers. But I damn sure like to eat it. And I'm very glad I subscribed. Plus I'm always learning things as well! Thanks, best of luck on a million, and happy holidays. -- a fan.
G'day Max I am Allan From Australia. Mate I have just recently discovered you're channel and I must say I am enjoying it. Thank you, I wish you much success in you're endeavours
The thing I love about your channel is the history. I love learning things and combining it with cooking is an A plus. I used to watch A Taste of History with Walter Staib, but can’t find it anymore. So I am thankful for your channel. Merry Christmas! 🎄🎄🎄
You and this channel are truly treasures, the epitome of RUclips content 😃🖒
Thank you for putting the recipe in the description!! ♥️♥️♥️
Gonna make this in my tasting history shirt and Santa hat tonight 😍
Ayooo the frequency of these uploads are amazing binge watching every single one of these!!
Love this! I'm set on making it this Christmas, might add some brandy for that extra kick. One correction, Wassail is pronounced as WASSLE. And wassail is amazing, too ♡
Several years ago I made Dickens's own rum punch for Christmas! Not a big hit, but I was so excited to light the punch.
This looks great!
Also, Shad gave you a lovely shout-out in his video today!
I’ll have to find that!
"A click-click flame" - Max. I died! thank you for the laughs and great history and recipes.
Max, I wish you would mention the like button, perhaps after the history section. I watch on my TV and have to pause to like. Congratulations on approaching 1 million, aka 1kk!
Very similar to my familiy's wassle(wassail).
In that recipe we use English cider,
Lemon juice, orange juice, cinnimon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Though in the 80's my grandmother started to put pineapple juice in; improving upon the original.
I always make mulled wine and buttered rum during the holidays, I never knew about any of the other ecclesiastics! I'll have to look into some of the other styles this Yule!
Spiced wines are one of my absolute favorite things. Hot, cold, room temperature; red, white. All of them.
This one sounds amazing and I'm definitely going to do this one for a belated Christmas with the family come mid-January.
“Smoking” bishops would help church attendance for sure.
“Whoever hits this Boof shall have eternal life”-Jesus, probably
"Love the brocade gown, and the matching hat and slippers are to die for. But OH MY GOD, YOUR PURSE IS ON FIRE!" -- A drag queen's first high mass.