flipSpiced Honey Wine (Oinomeli of the Banquets)
Spiced Honey Wine (Oinomeli of the Banquets)
Why this dish? Aphrodite is present at every symposium, those banquets where wine mixed with water was drunk while singing of love. *Oinomeli*, wine sweetened with honey, opened the libations — and the first cup, it is said, often went to the goddess of desire and the "good spirit."
Red wine warmed, sweetened with honey and scented with a hint of cinnamon and thyme, served mixed with water in the Greek fashion. Warm, floral, slightly tart — the convivial drink of the ancient banquet.
Raise the cup, mortal, but remember: drinking pure wine is the business of barbarians; civilized Greeks mix it with water and sweeten it with my honey. At banquets, the first draught was poured to me and to the good spirit, before they sang of loves. Warm the wine without burning it, melt the honey into it, throw in a hint of fragrant bark — and let your tongue loosen! For under my gaze, wine does not intoxicate to lose men, but to bring them together.
- •Red wine — a pitcher (base)
- •Honey — to taste (to sweeten)
- •Water — to cut the wine (to temper the strength)
- •Cinnamon (cassia) and thyme — a pinch (flavoring)
Spiced Honey Wine (Oinomeli of the Banquets)
Red wine warmed, sweetened with honey and scented with a hint of cinnamon and thyme, served mixed with water in the Greek fashion. Warm, floral, slightly tart — the convivial drink of the ancient banquet.
Why this dish? Aphrodite is present at every symposium, those banquets where wine mixed with water was drunk while singing of love. *Oinomeli*, wine sweetened with honey, opened the libations — and the first cup, it is said, often went to the goddess of desire and the "good spirit."
Raise the cup, mortal, but remember: drinking pure wine is the business of barbarians; civilized Greeks mix it with water and sweeten it with my honey. At banquets, the first draught was poured to me and to the good spirit, before they sang of loves. Warm the wine without burning it, melt the honey into it, throw in a hint of fragrant bark — and let your tongue loosen! For under my gaze, wine does not intoxicate to lose men, but to bring them together.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine — a pitcher (base)
- Honey — to taste (to sweeten)
- Water — to cut the wine (to temper the strength)
- Cinnamon (cassia) and thyme — a pinch (flavoring)
Ingredients
- Full-bodied red wine — 75 cl (base)
- Honey — 4 to 6 tbsp (to sweeten)
- Water — 150 ml (optional, Greek-style) (to cut the wine)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (flavoring)
- Fresh thyme — 2 sprigs (flavoring)
Method
- Pour the wine into a saucepan with the cinnamon and thyme.
- Heat gently without boiling (the wine should only simmer), 5-8 min.
- Off the heat, stir in the honey until dissolved.
- Strain to remove the spices.
- Serve warm, mixed with a little hot water to soften, in wide cups. (Alcohol-free version: replace with warm red grape juice.)
How it was made : The Greeks drank their wine mixed with water (often 1 part wine to 2 or 3 water) in a large krater; drinking pure was considered barbaric and dangerous. *Oinomeli* (wine + honey) and spiced wines were common at symposia, where each banquet opened with libations to the gods.
The contemporary twist : Serve as a slightly chilled summer mulled wine in a wide cup, with a slice of preserved quince (recipe r4) at the bottom.
Aphrodite · Charactorium
