Judean Wine with Honey and Pomegranate
Light red wine lengthened with water, flavored with honey and fresh pomegranate juice. A festive drink, tangy and just sweet, as served in the cups of the court.
Light red wine lengthened with water, flavored with honey and fresh pomegranate juice. A festive drink, tangy and just sweet, as served in the cups of the court.
Raise the cup with me, but know that at our table we never drink wine pure: that is for barbarians. We cut it with spring water, sweeten it with a little honey and the clear blood of the pomegranate, that fruit whose seeds are countless as the blessings promised to my house. On the day they cried 'Long live King Solomon!', those cups overflowed. Drink with measure, and let joy be long.
- •Judean red wine — one measure (base)
- •Spring water — two measures (to dilute according to custom)
- •Honey — one spoonful (sweeten)
- •Pomegranate juice — as desired (acidity and color)
Judean Wine with Honey and Pomegranate
Light red wine lengthened with water, flavored with honey and fresh pomegranate juice. A festive drink, tangy and just sweet, as served in the cups of the court.
Why this dish? Judean wine, always diluted with water according to custom, accompanied every meal at the royal table. Sweetened with honey and brightened with pomegranate juice—the emblematic fruit of David and Solomon's palaces—it evokes the cups raised at Solomon's anointing, where Bathsheba saw her promise fulfilled.
Raise the cup with me, but know that at our table we never drink wine pure: that is for barbarians. We cut it with spring water, sweeten it with a little honey and the clear blood of the pomegranate, that fruit whose seeds are countless as the blessings promised to my house. On the day they cried 'Long live King Solomon!', those cups overflowed. Drink with measure, and let joy be long.
Ingredients (period version)
- Judean red wine — one measure (base)
- Spring water — two measures (to dilute according to custom)
- Honey — one spoonful (sweeten)
- Pomegranate juice — as desired (acidity and color)
Ingredients
- Light, low-tannin red wine — 200 ml (base)
- Cold water — 200 to 400 ml (to dilute to taste)
- Liquid honey — 1 tbsp (sweeten)
- Fresh pomegranate juice — 100 ml (acidity and color)
- Pomegranate seeds — 1 handful (decoration and crunch)
Method
- Dissolve the honey in a little warmed wine.
- Combine the honeyed wine, pomegranate juice, and water in a pitcher.
- Taste and adjust water to desired strength (traditionally one part wine to two parts water).
- Serve chilled in cups, sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.
- For a non-alcoholic version: replace wine with red grape juice and a splash of wine vinegar for acidity.
How it was made : Throughout the ancient Mediterranean, drinking wine undiluted was frowned upon: it was always cut with water. Honey served as the universal sweetener (cane sugar was unknown), and pomegranate, one of the seven emblematic species of the Promised Land, often flavored drinks and dishes.
The contemporary twist : Served on ice like an ancient spritz, with pomegranate seeds floating to the surface like red pearls.
Sources : Proverbs 9:5 (the mixed wine of Wisdom, attributed to Solomon) · Deuteronomy 8:8 (pomegranate among the seven species of the Promised Land)
Bathsheba · Charactorium