Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 162

The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the current health crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored….

Huckle My Buff

This not very delicious sounding drink is defined by Grose as “beer, egg and brandy, made hot”. And it has come back into existence over recent years thanks to Jamie Oliver who made a modern version of the cocktail. It’s thought to have originated in Sussex in the eighteenth century, although it lingered on until at least the nineteenth century.

The standard way, or at least one way, of making this concoction is to pour a pint of beer into a saucepan, chuck three eggs in, a big dash of brandy, 1oz of sugar and 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to make it, although I’d be willing to prepare it if I can find some idiot willing to try it. It’s probably a good way to get rid of a beer that Greene King make to be fair…

The Argus have a story about the modern preparation of this drink as well when it was part of an event held by Harveys of Lewes.