Wine Mixed with Water, Honey, and Eastern Spices
A wine diluted with water, sweetened with honey, and scented with cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of coriander. Sweet and spicy, warm or cool, to drink and to offer. (Non-alcoholic version possible with grape juice.)
A wine diluted with water, sweetened with honey, and scented with cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of coriander. Sweet and spicy, warm or cool, to drink and to offer. (Non-alcoholic version possible with grape juice.)
One recognizes a civilized table by the way one drinks. Never pure wine — that I leave to peoples without manners. I marry it with spring water, I sweeten it with honey from my hills, I perfume it with spices that my ships bring from the East. The first cup I pour for the gods; the second I raise to my guest. Drink slowly, stranger, and listen to the sea.
- •Wine — one measure (base)
- •Spring water — two to three measures (dilution)
- •Honey — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon, cardamom, coriander — a pinch (Eastern aroma)
Wine Mixed with Water, Honey, and Eastern Spices
A wine diluted with water, sweetened with honey, and scented with cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of coriander. Sweet and spicy, warm or cool, to drink and to offer. (Non-alcoholic version possible with grape juice.)
Why this dish? At Dido's table, wine was not drunk pure like a barbarian: it was mixed with water, sweetened with honey, and perfumed with spices from the Phoenician trading posts of the East. The same cup served to pour a libation to the gods before being brought to the lips.
One recognizes a civilized table by the way one drinks. Never pure wine — that I leave to peoples without manners. I marry it with spring water, I sweeten it with honey from my hills, I perfume it with spices that my ships bring from the East. The first cup I pour for the gods; the second I raise to my guest. Drink slowly, stranger, and listen to the sea.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wine — one measure (base)
- Spring water — two to three measures (dilution)
- Honey — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon, cardamom, coriander — a pinch (Eastern aroma)
Ingredients
- Red or sweet white wine (or grape juice for non-alcoholic version) — 250 ml (base)
- Water — 500 ml (dilution)
- Honey — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Cinnamon stick — 1 (aroma)
- Cardamom pods, crushed — 3 (aroma)
- Coriander seeds — 1/2 tsp (aroma)
Method
- Gently heat the water with honey, cinnamon, cardamom, and coriander, without boiling, for 10 minutes to infuse the spices.
- Strain and let cool slightly.
- Mix with the wine (proportion about 1 part wine to 2 parts infused water); adjust honey to taste.
- Serve warm in winter, or chilled in summer in an earthenware cup.
- To offer a libation: first pour a few drops on the ground before drinking.
How it was made : In Mediterranean antiquity, drinking wine undiluted was considered crude: Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans mixed it with water (often 1 part wine to 2 or 3 parts water), sometimes sweetened and spiced. Eastern spices (cinnamon, cardamom) circulated via Phoenician trade routes. Ritual libation preceded consumption at banquets.
The contemporary twist : Serve the non-alcoholic version with grape juice and sparkling water, ice cubes, and a zest, like an "ancient cocktail" for the whole family.
Dido · Charactorium
