'Elixir of Long Life' recreated using 19th century recipe: Medicinal brew of alcohol and herbs was once used as a 'miracle cure'

• Archaeologists are to recreate a drink once found in a 150-year-old bottle
• It was dug up with 100s of others beneath a construction site in New York
• Called Elixir of Long Life, the drink was classed as a 'miracle cure' and believed to be capable of helping people cheat death
• The drink contained various herbs and copious amounts of alcohol
• Chrysalis Archaeology has released the ingredients to make the drink

The find of hundreds of bottles detailing drinking and eating habits from 150 years ago was made during an excavation under the construction site in Chinatown, New York.

HOW TO MAKE THE ELIXIR OF LONG LIFE FOR YOURSELF

Ingredients
Aloes -  0.46 ounces (13 grams)
Rhubarb - 0.08 ounces (2.3 grams)
Gentian - 0.08 ounces (2.3 grams)
Zedoary (also known as white turmeric) - 0.08 ounces (2.3 grams)
Spanish saffron - 0.08 ounces (2.3 grams)
Water - four fluid ounces (114 millilitres)

Grain alcohol (vodka, gin) - 12 fluid ounces (240 millilitres)
Method
Squeeze out the liquid from the aloes.

Crush the rhubarb, gentian and saffron together and then mix them with the aloe liquid.

Then let the mixture sit for three days but shake it every so often.

It will then need to be filtered before it can be served.

The site had previously been a German beer garden and music hall established in 1858 called the Atlantic Garden.

One of the bottles found was a small greenish bottle that, upon closer inspection, seemed to have once contained a drink intended to grant the consumer a longer life.

 

The team behind the find at Chrysalis Archaeology decided to find out for themselves what exactly the drink was.

They tracked down the recipe from a medical guide and found it contained ingredients still in use today.

‘We decided to engage in our own brand of experimental archaeology,’ president of Chrysalis Alyssa Loorya told DNAinfo.

‘We wanted to know what this stuff actually tasted like.’

The drink itself contains a few herbs and a lot of alcohol, with the team suggesting it is best to drink it one drop at a time rather than in gulps.

A second drink, known as Dr Hostetters Stomach Bitters, another popular medicine used to apparently cure ailments, was also unearthed.

This contains gentian root, orange peel, cinnamon, anise, coriander seed, cardamom seed, peruvian bark, gum kino, grain alcohol, water and sugar.

The team are planning to recreate both drinks in the coming weeks - although they’ve also released recipes for both so that people can make the cocktails themselves.

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The find of hundreds of bottles detailing drinking and eating habits from 150 years ago was made during an excavation under a construction site in Chinatown, New York (shown). The site had previously been a German beer garden and music hall established in 1858 called the Atlantic Garden

The team tracked down the ingredients for the drink and have released them so that others can make it for themselves. The ingredients include rhubarb (left) and aloes (right), with some of the ingredients perhaps surprisingly still in use today - although not in so-called miracle cures

 

 

A second bottle once containing a drink known as Dr Hostetters Stomach Bitters, another popular medicine used to apparently cure ailments, was also unearthed (pictured). It is a bit harder to make, though, with ingredients including peruvian bark and gum kino

Such miracle concoctions were apparently quite common in the 19th century and they were often found in bars.

‘Long before the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] was formed, doctors and chemists of the late 19th century invented a number of interesting concoctions to treat common ailments,’ Chrysalis wrote on their blog.

‘Bottled in glass and given almost comical names, they were sold at neighbourhood apothecaries.

‘Practicing our own brand of experimental archaeology, we’ve decided to recreate the past based on medicine bottles we recently found at an archeological site.

‘We’re excited that we’ve tracked down actual recipes for an “Elixir of Long Life” and “Stomach Bitters” to match up with labels on our old bottles.

‘Since both formulas required copious amounts of alcohol as a medium, it may have been difficult for consumers to determine whether the ‘active ingredients’ were actually effective. ‘

The team also added that, perhaps surprisingly, many of the ingredients are still used today.

‘Gentian, for example, is still used to stimulate appetite and treat gastric complaints and jaundice.’

Cinnamon, meanwhile, is believed to reduce blood-sugar levels, while aloe is popular for treating burns says the team.

‘We’re not expecting the results of our experiment to extend life expectancy or threaten the modern gastroenterologist’s salary range,’ they add, ‘but at least we’ll show off our chemistry prowess and relive the meticulous work and interesting fragrances of yesteryear’s snake oil industry.’