flipMulsum — welcome honeyed wine
Mulsum — welcome honeyed wine
Why this dish? Mulsum traditionally opened the cena: it is the cup that Clodia, a renowned and free-spirited hostess, offered her guests upon arrival. Wine — the very wine Catullus invokes so often in his poems to Lesbia — was at the heart of her sociability.
Wine sweetened with honey and spiced with aromatics, served chilled upon guests' arrival: the quintessential welcome drink, sweet and aromatic.
When you cross my threshold, I don't leave you with a dry throat: hold out your cup. I have the wine mixed with good beaten honey — you must whip it until it froths — a hint of pepper, a shard of cinnamon, and it's always cut with water, for drinking neat is the business of barbarians. Catullus sang of me a thousand times while raising this wine; whether he adored me or cursed me, his cup never stayed full for long. Drink slowly, and let's talk.
- •Wine — a small amphora (base)
- •Honey — generously (sweetness)
- •Pepper — a few grains (spice)
- •Cinnamon or nard — a shard (perfume)
- •Water — to dilute (dilution)
Mulsum — welcome honeyed wine
Wine sweetened with honey and spiced with aromatics, served chilled upon guests' arrival: the quintessential welcome drink, sweet and aromatic.
Why this dish? Mulsum traditionally opened the cena: it is the cup that Clodia, a renowned and free-spirited hostess, offered her guests upon arrival. Wine — the very wine Catullus invokes so often in his poems to Lesbia — was at the heart of her sociability.
When you cross my threshold, I don't leave you with a dry throat: hold out your cup. I have the wine mixed with good beaten honey — you must whip it until it froths — a hint of pepper, a shard of cinnamon, and it's always cut with water, for drinking neat is the business of barbarians. Catullus sang of me a thousand times while raising this wine; whether he adored me or cursed me, his cup never stayed full for long. Drink slowly, and let's talk.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wine — a small amphora (base)
- Honey — generously (sweetness)
- Pepper — a few grains (spice)
- Cinnamon or nard — a shard (perfume)
- Water — to dilute (dilution)
Ingredients
- Sweet red or white wine — 75 cl (base)
- Honey — 100 g (sweetness)
- Black peppercorns — 4 (spice)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 small (perfume)
- Water (optional, to dilute when serving) — to taste (dilution)
Method
- Gently warm a ladleful of wine with the honey until fully dissolved, without boiling.
- Add the crushed peppercorns and cinnamon, and let infuse off the heat for 10 minutes.
- Pour back into the remaining wine, stir, and strain.
- Let rest for a few hours (preferably in a cool place), then strain again.
- Serve chilled, diluted with a little water to respect Roman custom.
How it was made : Mulsum (honeyed wine) was traditionally prepared with about one part honey to four parts wine, sometimes beaten to make it frothy. It was served as an aperitif (the promulsis). Pliny and Columella give recipes; cutting wine with water was a mark of civility, while drinking it neat was considered excessive.
The contemporary twist : Serve over ice as a Roman spritz, lengthened with sparkling water and a twist of zest, like an ancient vermouth before dinner.
Sources : Columella, De re rustica, XII; Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, XIV
Clodia Metella · Charactorium
