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Wine Jug
Drinks Of
ROME
COMMON DRINKS
| LATIN OR COMMON NAME |
WHAT IT WAS |
| CALDA |
warm water and wine laced with spices,
typically a winter drink |
| MULSUM |
honeyed wine |
| AMARETTO |
A fragrant liqueur which is made from
almond's extract. Both the fragrance and taste remind one of marachino
cherry ice cream with vanilla overtones. Like all liqueurs it is
served in a small glass similar to a shot glass tho of course usually highly
decorative in style, which can have a short stem and base and either room
temp or chilled |
| POSCA |
vinegar mixed with enough water to make
it drinkable typically a soldier or slave drink |
| BEER |
was regarded as a barbarian drink (the
Celts drank it) |
| SHEEP OR GOAT'S MILK |
were considered uncivilized drinks;
they were used mainly for making cheese and for medicinal purposes
(And honestly since there were cattle in ancient Rome as well as asses
and horses, there should be no good reason to not believe that at some
point people also drank these milks as well) |
| MEAD |
a strong alcoholic beverage that is
made from honey. It is served either room temp, warmed or chilled and in
the tradition of the Northlands from whence the drink originates may be
served in a drinking horn or it may be served in a tankard or mug as well |
| JUICES |
APPLE, GRAPE, PEACH, PEAR, PLUM, CHERRY,
FIG, QUINCE, APRICOT, CHERRY, DATE, LEMON, ORANGE, POMEGRANATE, and various
BERRIES were all available tho some of these fruits would be imported. |
| HERBAL TEAS |
Various depending on what suits one's
tastes and the availablity of the herbs, tho what we know as regular or
'Chinese' tea was unknown in ancient Rome. Mostly tho, an herbal
tea was most likely used in a medicinal manner |
| COFFEE |
Tho unknown in Rome in our time period
of history as a concession to the modern coffee drinkers of our home and
visitors it will be served the usual ways, black, or with cream and sweetner
(usually honey as sugar was unknown in ancient Rome). Also,
it may have a liquer or some spices added to it. |
| WINES |
Wines were described as black, red,
white, or yellow.
The best wine producing region in Italy
was near the border between Latium and Campania. Vintages produced were:
Caecuban, Setian, Falernian, and Massic
There was a whole host of varieties
of wines and ways for wine to be served in various fashions...warmed, chilled,
room temperature, mulled, in goblets, glasses, tankards etc. Something
to keep in mind is that in casual drinking and during meals which were
not meant to turn into drunken orgies, the wine was usually watered to
some degree to prevent unwanted inebriation while providing a drink which
the Romans relished. This is a practise which continues to this day
in European Countries
Greek Wines:
As we know by ancient Greek literature
the best wines during Classical period were produced in the northern and
eastern Aegean islands (Thassos, Lesvos, Chios, Samos) in Macedonia, especially
in Chalkidiki, and in the overall Thrace area. The ancient Greek
wine was available in the three basic colors; the white, the red, and the
black. In taste was available in four categories; the sweet, the honeyed,
the ripe, and the soft. Wine was drunk diluted with water and was accompanied
by some elegant delicacies such as honey-pies, meat with oregano or thyme
always depending on the time and the purpose of the occasion.
In every great house, the wine Cellar
contained glass jars carefully sealed with gypsum, with labels showing
when they were laid away. The Cool Room and the upper Kitchen area
hold Amphoras of Wine whose contents have been filled from these containers
in the Cellar
Special Hint:
The Imperator LOVES for his wine
to be as chilled as possible and to be slave sweetened. He almost
always insists on this |
ROMAN WINES FOUND IN ANCIENT TIMES
Upcoming Shortly
GREEK WINES AND DRINKS FOUND IN ROME
Ouzo
This is a strong drink which is a type of
liquer made from the annisette plant. It has a strong licorice flavor.
Ouzo it is not produced in any other part of the world except Greece. Ouzo
is made from a precise combination of pressed grapes and herbs and berries.
It begins as alcohol made from grape skins or other local produce. It is
then brought together with herbs and other ingredients, including star
anise, coriander, cloves, angelica root, licorice, mint, wintergreen, fennel,
hazelnut and even cinnamon and lime blossom. The mixture is boiled in a
copper still, regulated by a taster. The resulting liquid is cooled and
stored for several months before it is diluted to about 80 proof, or 40
per cent alcohol.
It is usually served as an aperitif,
but is also used in some mixed drinks and cocktails. When mixing Ouzo with
water it will turn whitish and opaque. The reason is that the anise oil
dissolves and becomes invisible when mixed with a usual alcohol content,
but as soon as the alcohol content is reduced, the essential oils transform
into white crystals, which you cannot see through. Ouzo is often
consumed with fishy snacks. The best Ouzo it is considered that of
the island of Lesvos.
Mavrodafni
Mavrodafni is a very sweet red wine originating
from the Achaia region in Peloponnese, Greece. It has a very pleasant fruity
taste in combination with the most sensational herbaceous aromas.
Also known as Mavrodaphne it is a rich, dark dessert wine, similar to a
port.
Retsina
This traditional Greek wine has been resinated
treated with pine-tree resin. The resin gives the wine a distinctively
sappy taste. The best vintage is considered that of Attica. Retsina
was born of the need to preserve and ship wines in pine-pitch sealed vessels.
Ancient wines varied substantially in quality and tended to spoil. In efforts
to avoid this, wines were often adulterated with exotic ingredients, from
herbs to sea water. Due to the pine oils, Retsina was thought of as wood
nymph tears, though how it was collected from those shy nymphs is not recorded.
Retsinas are either white or rose and should be served cold.
Final Words On Drinks
Wines, mead, juices and milk are stored
in the Cold Room attached to the kitchen. As noted in the Wines section
Wines are kept in the Wine Cellar until desired to be consumed and then
brought up to the Cold Room and Kitchen where they are despensed into Amphoras
of a much more handlable size. The liqueurs are stored in the storage chamber
that's attached to the kitchen, coffee can be found at all times brewing
over the kitchen fire in a kettle. There are cooled goblets in the Cold
Room, to serve the liqueur, mugs and goblets can be found on the top kitchen
shelves, silverware can be found in bottom drawers in the kitchen cabinets...
Slave
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