flipOinos — honeyed and resinated wine for libation
Oinos — honeyed and resinated wine for libation
Why this dish? Before every meal and every oracle, a libation of wine was poured to Apollo. At the symposion that followed the banquet at Delphi, they drank this same wine, always mixed with water, while singing the paean — the hymn proper to Apollo.
Red wine sweetened with honey and perfumed with a touch of pine resin and thyme, served mixed with water in a krater. The first cup, pure, was poured to the ground for the god before anyone drank.
Do not be a barbarian: only a man without measure drinks his wine neat like water. First pour a portion to the ground for me, in silence, then mix the rest with spring water in your krater. Sweeten it with honey if the grape was harsh, and let a hint of resin remind you of the scent of my forests. Drink slowly, singing the paean: wine loosens the tongue of the wise and confounds that of fools.
- •Red wine — one measure (base)
- •Spring water — two to three measures (mandatory dilution)
- •Honey — as desired (sweeten)
- •Pine resin (mastic/terebinth) — a hint (flavor, preservation)
- •Thyme or bay leaf — a sprig (aromatic)
Oinos — honeyed and resinated wine for libation
Red wine sweetened with honey and perfumed with a touch of pine resin and thyme, served mixed with water in a krater. The first cup, pure, was poured to the ground for the god before anyone drank.
Why this dish? Before every meal and every oracle, a libation of wine was poured to Apollo. At the symposion that followed the banquet at Delphi, they drank this same wine, always mixed with water, while singing the paean — the hymn proper to Apollo.
Do not be a barbarian: only a man without measure drinks his wine neat like water. First pour a portion to the ground for me, in silence, then mix the rest with spring water in your krater. Sweeten it with honey if the grape was harsh, and let a hint of resin remind you of the scent of my forests. Drink slowly, singing the paean: wine loosens the tongue of the wise and confounds that of fools.
Ingredients (period version)
- Red wine — one measure (base)
- Spring water — two to three measures (mandatory dilution)
- Honey — as desired (sweeten)
- Pine resin (mastic/terebinth) — a hint (flavor, preservation)
- Thyme or bay leaf — a sprig (aromatic)
Ingredients
- Full-bodied red wine — 250 ml (base)
- Water (still or spring) — 250 to 400 ml (dilution (to taste))
- Honey — 1 to 2 tbsp (sweetener)
- A few drops of mastic syrup or liqueur (optional) — 1 tsp (typical resinated note)
- Fresh thyme sprig or 1 bay leaf — 1 (aromatic)
Method
- Gently warm (do not boil) half the water and dissolve the honey in it.
- Pour the wine into a pitcher, add the honey water and the rest of the cold water according to the desired dilution.
- Add the thyme sprig or bay leaf, and the touch of mastic if using.
- Let infuse 10 minutes, remove the aromatic.
- Serve at cellar temperature in wide cups.
- For a non-alcoholic version, replace the wine with red grape juice and a splash of vinegar for acidity.
How it was made : The Greeks considered it barbaric to drink wine neat (akratos): it was always mixed with water in a large krater, in proportions debated during the symposion. Resin was used to flavor and preserve wine in amphorae — the direct ancestor of modern Greek retsina.
The contemporary twist : Summer iced version as an ancient spritz: rosé wine, sparkling water, honey and a bay leaf — serve well chilled.
Sources : Athenaeus of Naucratis, The Deipnosophists (wine-water mixing ratios) · Homeric Hymn to Apollo (libations and singing of the paean)
Apollo · Charactorium
