Diluted Wine with Honey (Oinomeli)
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Dry red or white wine — 250 ml (1 cup)
- Water — 500 ml (2 cups)
- Honey — 3 tbsp
- Fresh mint leaves (optional) — a few
Method
- Warm a small amount of the wine gently and dissolve the honey into it.
- Combine with the remaining wine and the water in a jug.
- Stir well and add mint leaves if using.
- Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.
Introduction: Wine mixed with water and sweetened with honey, the standard everyday drink of ancient Greek adults.
Cultural Background: Drinking wine neat was considered a barbarian habit; Greeks diluted their wine with water, typically two or three parts water to one of wine, and honey was often added for a sweeter, restorative drink known as oinomeli.
Tips: Adjust the water-to-wine ratio to taste; a stronger mix was more typical of a symposium than an everyday meal.
Variations: A little grated cheese and barley meal stirred in transforms this into a version closer to the ceremonial drink kykeon.
Nutrition: Approx. 140 kcal per serving.
FAQs:
Q: Why was wine diluted?
A: Drinking wine undiluted was associated with excess and considered uncivilised by classical Greek standards.
Q: Was this drink alcoholic?
A: Yes, though the dilution with water and food kept intoxication in check for everyday drinking.
- Dry red or white wine — 250 ml (1 cup)
- Water — 500 ml (2 cups)
- Honey — 3 tbsp
- Fresh mint leaves (optional) — a few
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