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Spiced Wine

Apicius 1.1 · 4th century AD

Latin

I. CONDITVM PARADOXVM. conditi paradoxi conpositio: mellis pondo XV in eneum uas mittuntur, praemissis uini sextariis duobus, ut in cocturam mellis uinum dequoquas. quod igni lento et aridis lignis calefactum, commotum ferola dum quoquitur. si efferuere coeperit, uini rore conpescitur, praeter quod subtracto igni in se redit. cum perfrixerit rursus accenditur. hoc secundo ac tertio fiet, ac tum demum remotum a foco postridie despumatur, tum piperis uncias quattuor iam triti, masticis scripulos III, folii et croci dragme singulae. dactilorum ossibus torridis quinque, isdemque dactilis uino mollitis, intercedente prius suffusionem uini de suo modo ac numero, ut tritura lenis habeatur. his omnibus paratis supermittis uini lenis sextaria XVIII; carbones perfecto aderunt duo milia.

English

Spiced wine suprise: 15 pounds of honey are put into a bronze vessel, having first added 2 sextarii of wine, so that you boil down the wine while the honey cooks. Heat it over a slow fire of dry wood, stirring with a stick while it cooks. If it begins to boil over, it is checked with a splash of wine, and besides, once the fire is drawn back it settles of itself. When it has cooled it is heated again. Do this a second and a third time, and only then take it off the hearth; the next day skim off the froth. Then 4 ounces of pepper already ground, 3 scripula of mastic, one dram each of folium [malabathrum leaf] and saffron, five toasted date-stones, and the same dates softened in wine — first pouring wine over them in the right amount and number so that a smooth paste is obtained. When all this is prepared, pour over 18 sextarii of mild wine. If it turns out bitter, charcoal can be used.

Mulsum, or honey mixed with wine, was a popular Roman aperitif. When mixed with pepper and other spices, the result is a conditum. What makes this conditum paradoxum, or “surprising”, is unclear.

The original recipe is very sweet by modern standards, but comparable with other surviving recipes for mulsum and conditum. Following the modern recipe in The Classical Cookbook, I’ve cut down on the honey to make something more palatable to modern tastes.

Ingredients

  • 1 bottle dry white wine
  • 150g honey
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tejpat leaf
  • Pinch saffron powder
  • 1 fresh date, with roasted stone
  • Pinch mastic

Method

  1. Pit the date and roast the stone in the oven for 10 minutes
  2. Put 150 ml of wine and all of the honey in a saucepan and bring to the boil
  3. Remove from the heat and add the seasonings, including both the date flesh and roasted date pit.
  4. Once the wine-honey mixture is cold, add the rest of the wine and allow to stand overnight. Strain through a fine sieve and serve.