If not mistaken, King William was the man who preceded Queen Victoria in her golden reign. He died without children and I like him as Peter Ustinov played him in the movie.
Peter Ustinov never did portray a character which was larger than him, as he always overshadowed everything in being Peter Ustinov.
The Queen should have named him Sir Peter as he did deserve it in being a grande performer of the stage.
I include some drinkeries things of both King William and the Pope, as both are a long ago base for what appears eggnog and almond milk which the powerful used to sip before their hearths as they ruled the world.
To make a Posset with Ale: King-William's Posset:—Take a quart of cream, and mix with it a pint of ale, then beat the yolks of ten eggs, and the whites of four; when they are well beaten, put them to the cream and ale, sweeten it to your taste, and slice some nutmeg in it; set it over the fire, and keep it stirring all the while, and when 'tis thick, and before it boils, take it off, and pour it into the bason you serve it in to the table.
To make the Pope's Posset:—Blanch and beat three-quarters of a pound of almonds so fine, that they will spread between your fingers like butter, put in water as you beat them to keep them from oiling; then take a pint of sack or sherry, and sweeten it very well with double-refin'd sugar, make it boiling hot, and at the same time put half a pint of water to your almonds, and make them boil; then take both off the fire, and mix them very well together with a spoon; serve it in a china dish.
A posset is defined as a sweet hot milk, curdled with ale or beer. So I guess this is like drinking hot cottage cheese with flavoring, a sort of curds and whey really, as if one pasturizes milk as it should be, and then adds vinegar by a quarter cup, you get milk to curdle, without needing the rennet, or the enzyme of stomach digestion to curdle the milk to make cheese.
I have done this many times and it produces a very nice cottage cheese, and if you allow it to age, it produces a cheese.
Interesting things the people were eating and drinking as a desert before ice cream, as ice was not available really in warm England and Italy.
I would love to have the time and money to try to make all of this stuff.
agtG
