flipOxymel — Honey and Vinegar Drink
Oxymel — Honey and Vinegar Drink
Why this dish? The mixture of honey and vinegar cut with water was the refreshing and invigorating drink of the Ancients, prized by doctors and workers alike. For Heron, bent over his calculations under the Alexandrian heat, a cup of oxymel refreshed the mind without weighing down the hand.
A clear drink of honey and vinegar lengthened with fresh water, lively and tart, barely sweet. It was drunk to refresh and revive — an ancient soda, in short.
Water alone tires, wine too soon blurs the figures I trace. So I marry honey and vinegar in water, dosing one against the other until sour and sweet hold each other in balance — exactly like two counterweights on the same beam. A cup at the height of the heat, and the mind stays clear to follow a demonstration. Measure in everything: that is the first of my machines.
- •Honey — one part (sweetness)
- •Wine vinegar — half a part (acidity)
- •Fresh water — in abundance (diluent)
Oxymel — Honey and Vinegar Drink
A clear drink of honey and vinegar lengthened with fresh water, lively and tart, barely sweet. It was drunk to refresh and revive — an ancient soda, in short.
Why this dish? The mixture of honey and vinegar cut with water was the refreshing and invigorating drink of the Ancients, prized by doctors and workers alike. For Heron, bent over his calculations under the Alexandrian heat, a cup of oxymel refreshed the mind without weighing down the hand.
Water alone tires, wine too soon blurs the figures I trace. So I marry honey and vinegar in water, dosing one against the other until sour and sweet hold each other in balance — exactly like two counterweights on the same beam. A cup at the height of the heat, and the mind stays clear to follow a demonstration. Measure in everything: that is the first of my machines.
Ingredients (period version)
- Honey — one part (sweetness)
- Wine vinegar — half a part (acidity)
- Fresh water — in abundance (diluent)
Ingredients
- Honey — 3 tbsp (sweetness)
- Wine vinegar (or cider vinegar) — 2 tbsp (acidity)
- Fresh water — 500 ml (drink)
- Mint leaves (optional) — a few (freshness)
Method
- Dissolve the honey in a little warm water until fully dissolved.
- Add the vinegar and mix.
- Dilute with fresh water, taste and adjust the honey/vinegar balance.
- Serve well chilled, optionally with a few mint leaves.
How it was made : Oxymel (oxymeli, "sour-sweet") was both an everyday drink and a remedy recommended by Greek physicians, notably in the Hippocratic tradition and by Galen. Posca, its honey-less cousin, was the drink of soldiers and common people.
The contemporary twist : Served over ice in a glass, with a splash of sparkling water: the ancient "switchel," Mouseion style.
Hero of Alexandria · Charactorium
