Posca, vinegar water of the camps
The drink of the humble and the legionary: water mixed with vinegar and sweetened with a little honey and herbs. Tart, refreshing, it quenched thirst and purified water.
The drink of the humble and the legionary: water mixed with vinegar and sweetened with a little honey and herbs. Tart, refreshing, it quenched thirst and purified water.
You who think that Augustus' daughter drinks only rare wines, know that on the banks of the Rhine, among the standards and the mud, I raised to my lips the same posca as my legionaries. Water, a splash of vinegar, a hint of honey to avoid a grimace—that is what refreshes a soldier and consoles a wife far from Rome. Drink: it is harsh, but it is honest, like the men who acclaimed me.
- •Pure water — a pitcher (base)
- •Wine vinegar — a splash (antiseptic acidity)
- •Honey — a little (sweetener)
- •Herbs (mint, coriander) — a few sprigs (flavor)
Posca, vinegar water of the camps
The drink of the humble and the legionary: water mixed with vinegar and sweetened with a little honey and herbs. Tart, refreshing, it quenched thirst and purified water.
Why this dish? Agrippina shared camp life on the Rhine with Germanicus and was acclaimed by the legions. Posca, the refreshing and antiseptic drink of soldiers, reminds her of those years when she lived close to the troops, even preventing, according to Tacitus, the destruction of a bridge over the Rhine.
You who think that Augustus' daughter drinks only rare wines, know that on the banks of the Rhine, among the standards and the mud, I raised to my lips the same posca as my legionaries. Water, a splash of vinegar, a hint of honey to avoid a grimace—that is what refreshes a soldier and consoles a wife far from Rome. Drink: it is harsh, but it is honest, like the men who acclaimed me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Pure water — a pitcher (base)
- Wine vinegar — a splash (antiseptic acidity)
- Honey — a little (sweetener)
- Herbs (mint, coriander) — a few sprigs (flavor)
Ingredients
- Fresh water — 1 litre (base)
- Red wine vinegar — 3 to 4 tbsp (acidity)
- Honey — 1 to 2 tbsp (sweetener)
- Fresh mint — a few leaves (flavor)
- Coriander seeds, lightly crushed — 1 pinch (flavor)
Method
- Dissolve the honey in a little warm water.
- Add the vinegar, then top up with fresh water.
- Flavor with the mint and crushed coriander seeds.
- Let infuse in the refrigerator for 1 hour, taste, and adjust the sweet-sour balance.
- Strain and serve well chilled.
How it was made : Posca was the ordinary drink of Roman soldiers and the lower classes, distributed in camps. The vinegar made the water safer to drink. According to the Gospels, this is the drink a soldier offered Christ on the cross—evidence of its ubiquity in the army.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a pitcher with ice cubes and cucumber slices: an ancient 'switchel', refreshing in summer.
Sources : Tacitus, Annals, I-II (Agrippina on the Rhine) · Plutarch, Cato the Elder (posca of soldiers)
Agrippina the Elder · Charactorium