Drinks Menu

The main drink of the Roman Empire and enjoyed by most Romans was wine. It was always watered down rather than poured straight from the bottle. Wines were described as black, red, white or yellow. Depending upon the season, Romans would drink wine mixed with other ingredients. Calda was a popular winter drink made from wine, water and exotic spices. Mulsum (also known as mead) was a popular wine and honey mixture.

The best wine-producing region in Italy was near the border between Latium and Campania. Vintages that were produced: Caecuban, Setian, Flaernian and Massic. In an upper-class house, the wine cellar contained glass jars carefully sealed with gypsum, a soft sulfate mineral that is largely used as fertiliser or a constituent in many forms of plaster or drywall. Once sealed with gypsum the jars were labelled showing when they were laid away.

Other Drinks

Some drinks were classed as ‘uncivilised’ or associated with barbarians. Beer was classed as a drink for barbarians.

Similarly, sheep or goats’ milk was considered uncivilised drinks; they were mainly used for making cheese or for other medicinal purposes. A popular mixed drink was Posca. This was composed of vinegar mixed with enough water to make it drinkable. Posca was largely a soldier’s or slave’s drink.