Usquebaugh

The name is usquebaugh is believed to be derived from the Gaelic uisce bae meaning water of life or aqua vitae. It was often flavoured with liquorice, fennel or aniseed (or a combination of all three). By the eighteenth century it was frequently coloured with saffron too. Many recipes use brandy as the base, but vodka is also used. What follows is an amalgam of several recipes. From its appearance in domestic manuals of the time usquebaugh seems to have been popular both for r