Purl

[2] Samuel Pepys recorded in his diary entry for February 19, 1660, "Thence forth to Mr Harper's to drink a draft of purle, whither by appointment Monsieur L'Impertinent".

The character Dick Swiveller makes a show of kindness by bringing from a public house a boy "who bore in one hand a plate of bread and beef, and in the other a great pot, filled with some very fragrant compound, which sent forth a grateful steam, and was indeed choice purl, made after a particular recipe which Mr Swiveller had imparted to the landlord, at a period when he was deep in his books and desirous to conciliate his friendship."

And, in the next chapter: "Mr. Swiveller emerged from the house; and feeling that he had by this time taken quite as much to drink as promised to be good for his constitution (purl being a rather strong and heady compound)...." Dickens described the final period of the drink in his last novel, Our Mutual Friend:[10] For the rest, both the tap and parlour of the Six Jolly Fellowship-Porters gave upon the river, and had red curtains matching the noses of the regular customers, and were provided with comfortable fireside tin utensils, like models of sugar-loaf hats, made in that shape that they might, with their pointed ends, seek out for themselves glowing nooks in the depths of the red coals, when they mulled your ale, or heated for you those delectable drinks, Purl, Flip, and Dog's Nose.

These he cuts and bruises and puts them into a clean Butt, and starts his mild brown, or pale Beer upon them so as to fill up the vessel, about the beginning of November, which he lets stand till next Season.

Was he to add a Pound or two of Galingal-Roots, to it, the Composition would be the better.Another way of making purl is described in Accum's Treatise on the Art of Brewing (1820): "Amber Ale, which is also called Two-penny, because it was sold for two-pence a pint, when porter was retailed at three-pence the quart, was formerly employed for making the liquor called Purl, or warmed two-penny beer, mixed with a small quantity of a bitter tincture: usually with tincture of bitter orange peels".

Artemisia maritima , the aromatic (and anthelmintic ) herb most frequently used to flavour purl: English common names include sea wormwood and old woman
A freshly-mulled pint of Dog's Nose (so called because wet and black), one of the mid-19th century descendants of the original (wormwood) purl, containing London porter , gin , brown sugar and sometimes also nutmeg