flipWine mixed with water for the symposion
Wine mixed with water for the symposion
Why this dish? Sappho is a banquet poet: her songs accompanied the symposion, the moment when wine mixed with water is shared while the lyre and poems circulate. Drinking wine neat was considered barbaric; measure, dilution and song are the very soul of the conviviality she celebrates.
Lesbos wine mixed with spring water in a large krater, sometimes sweetened with a little honey: not to get drunk, but to loosen speech, songs and confidences under the moon.
Pour, but pour with measure: here we do not drink raw wine like men without manners. In the krater I marry two parts spring water to one part of our Lesbos wine, and sometimes I melt a little honey to soften its harshness. Only then does the cup pass from hand to hand, and my lyre awakens — for wine without song is but a sad intoxication, and we sing of Aphrodite until the stars grow pale.
- •Lesbos wine — one part (base)
- •Fresh spring water — two to three parts (dilution)
- •Honey — to taste (sweetener (optional))
Wine mixed with water for the symposion
Lesbos wine mixed with spring water in a large krater, sometimes sweetened with a little honey: not to get drunk, but to loosen speech, songs and confidences under the moon.
Why this dish? Sappho is a banquet poet: her songs accompanied the symposion, the moment when wine mixed with water is shared while the lyre and poems circulate. Drinking wine neat was considered barbaric; measure, dilution and song are the very soul of the conviviality she celebrates.
Pour, but pour with measure: here we do not drink raw wine like men without manners. In the krater I marry two parts spring water to one part of our Lesbos wine, and sometimes I melt a little honey to soften its harshness. Only then does the cup pass from hand to hand, and my lyre awakens — for wine without song is but a sad intoxication, and we sing of Aphrodite until the stars grow pale.
Ingredients (period version)
- Lesbos wine — one part (base)
- Fresh spring water — two to three parts (dilution)
- Honey — to taste (sweetener (optional))
Ingredients
- Dry red or amber wine (Greek type, Limnio) — 20 cl (base)
- Fresh water — 40 cl (dilution)
- Thyme honey — 1 tsp (optional) (sweetener)
- Non-alcoholic version: grape juice + water — 20 cl juice to 30 cl water (family-friendly alternative)
Method
- Choose a dry, fruity wine (or grape juice for a non-alcoholic version suitable for school and family audiences).
- In a large container (the krater), pour the wine then the water, in a ratio of about one part wine to two or three parts water.
- To sweeten, dissolve a spoonful of honey in a little warm water before adding.
- Serve chilled in small cups, to share.
How it was made : The krater was used to mix wine and water; the master of the banquet decided the proportions, often around 1:3. Lesbos wine was famous throughout Greece. Sometimes honey, herbs or spices were added. Drinking wine undiluted was considered barbaric or the mark of a drunkard.
The contemporary twist : Serve the grape juice and honey version as a non-alcoholic "symposion" for the whole family, in shallow cups with a mint leaf.
Sappho · Charactorium
