flipMulsum, the Welcoming Honeyed Wine
Mulsum, the Welcoming Honeyed Wine
Why this dish? Mulsum, sweet wine with honey, traditionally opened the Roman cena: it was offered to guests upon arrival. Virgil, poet of the harvest and the vine in the Georgics, surely shared it during the literary evenings of Maecenas's circle.
A white wine sweetened with honey and scented with spices, served chilled — the quintessential Roman welcome drink, sweet and hospitable.
Approach, traveler, and accept the cup I offer you: it is mulsum, this wine we sweeten with honey to celebrate the guest who crosses the threshold. In the Georgics, I sang of the laborious bee and the vine; here they are united in your cup. A pinch of spice, a scent of distant sea — drink slowly, for wine loosens the tongue and invites the Muse. May the gods be favorable to you under my roof.
- •White wine — an amphora (base)
- •Honey — generous proportion (sweetness)
- •Pepper and nard (spices) — a pinch (fragrance)
Mulsum, the Welcoming Honeyed Wine
A white wine sweetened with honey and scented with spices, served chilled — the quintessential Roman welcome drink, sweet and hospitable.
Why this dish? Mulsum, sweet wine with honey, traditionally opened the Roman cena: it was offered to guests upon arrival. Virgil, poet of the harvest and the vine in the Georgics, surely shared it during the literary evenings of Maecenas's circle.
Approach, traveler, and accept the cup I offer you: it is mulsum, this wine we sweeten with honey to celebrate the guest who crosses the threshold. In the Georgics, I sang of the laborious bee and the vine; here they are united in your cup. A pinch of spice, a scent of distant sea — drink slowly, for wine loosens the tongue and invites the Muse. May the gods be favorable to you under my roof.
Ingredients (period version)
- White wine — an amphora (base)
- Honey — generous proportion (sweetness)
- Pepper and nard (spices) — a pinch (fragrance)
Ingredients
- Off-dry or semi-sweet white wine — 75 cl (1 bottle) (base)
- Liquid honey — 4 to 6 tablespoons (sweetness)
- Black peppercorns — 3 grains (fragrance)
- Cinnamon or bay leaf — 1 pinch / 1 leaf (spice)
Method
- Warm a glass of wine and dissolve the honey in it so it mixes well.
- Pour this mixture back into the rest of the wine and add the pepper and cinnamon (or bay leaf).
- Let infuse in the fridge for at least 2 hours, then strain to remove the spices.
- Serve chilled, in small cups, as a welcome drink.
How it was made : Romans rarely drank their wine pure: they cut it with water and often sweetened it with honey. Mulsum was sometimes made with must (unfermented wine) for a sweeter version. It was a marker of hospitality offered upon guests' arrival.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a sparkling version with a sweet sparkling wine and a lemon slice, under the name 'Augustus's Spritz'.
Sources : Virgil, Georgics, book IV (on bees and honey) · Apicius, De re coquinaria (conditum paradoxum)
Virgil · Charactorium
