Cordial (medicine)

These were strictly used as alcoholic medicines, prescribed in small doses to invigorate and revitalise the heart, body and spirit as well as cure diseases.

By the 18th century cordials were being imbibed for their intoxicating effects and medicinal virtues, and were fast becoming recreational drinks, eventually evolving into liqueurs.

Cordials were used to renew the natural heat, recreate and revive the spirits, and free the whole body from the malignity of diseases.

Other early varieties of alcoholic cordials were flavoured with spices and herbal ingredients which were thought to settle the stomach after excessive eating.

The cordial was said to be made from the juice of Fire-Flowers that grew in the mountains of the sun, with a single drop curing almost any illness or injury, bringing people back from the brink of death in some cases.