Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Forty-Three

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

Bristol Milk

The dictionary defines this “a Spanish wine called sherry, much drunk at that place, particularly in the morning”. This term is first recorded back in 1634, and it’s also mentioned in the diaries of Samuel Pepys. This still exists in a derivative form as the branded drink of Bristol Cream, which is produced by John Harvey & Sons who had a base in Bristol. It’s thought to have become popular in Bristol as this was the main port that sherry was imported into and some mothers gave a little of it to their teething children.

Thinking about it, I’m not sure that I’ve ever tried Harvey’s Bristol Cream, which I’m not entirely sure is widely stocked in British pubs anyway.