Subject: Device for heating drink (19th C)

From: [email-masked] (Barry Shein)
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1993 04:03:47 GMT

I was channel surfing on the local cable and ran into a play that
appeared to be set in England in the 19th century or thereabouts.

At one point one character offers the other something to drink,
perhaps tea, pours a tankard full, pulls an iron out of the fireplace
and jams it into the tankard apparently heating the drink up for him.

Well, it seems like something anyone could come up with who happened
to have a straight iron (a poker would do if it fit) and a fireplace
around. But is this some standard device with a name? Just curious.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

Software Tool & Die    | [email-masked]          | uunet!world!bzs
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From: [email-masked] (Nick Maclaren)
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 1993 19:57:39 GMT

>around. But is this some standard device with a name? Just curious.

It wouldn't have been tea.  Beer, wine or cider, perhaps.  This is the
traditional way of mulling these drinks and I have seen the term
"mulling iron", but there were no doubt many others.  I don't know if
any were more standard.

Nick Maclaren
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street,
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England.
Email:  [email-masked]
Tel.:   +44 223 334761
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