Gladiator Gatorade
A refreshing, slightly smoky gladiator drink made with vinegar, honey, and culinary ash
City/Region: Rome
Time Period: 1st Century
Pliny the Elder writes of gladiators drinking “a lye of ashes” to refresh themselves after “being disabled at the games”. They probably weren’t drinking actual lye because that would do terrible things to your insides, but you can get culinary ash in place of that “lye of ashes”. If you make this, use culinary ash to be on the safe side. I mixed mine into some posca, a vinegar-honey drink that was the Gatorade of ancient Rome.
This gladiator Gatorade is refreshing with a bit of sourness from the vinegar and sweetness from the honey, and the ash adds a bit of smokiness at the end. Was it good? Not really. Was it better than I thought it would be? Definitely.
“For convulsions or contusions of the viscera, let the hearth be your medicine-box; for a lye of ashes, taken from thence, mixed with your drink, will effect a cure. Witness the gladiators, for example, who, when disabled at the games, refresh themselves with this drink.”
Ingredients:
- Water
- Wine vinegar
- Honey
- Culinary ash*
*It’s very important to use culinary ash.
Instructions:
- In a mixing glass, stir a small amount of honey and vinegar into the water. Taste and adjust the amounts to your liking.
- Add a small spoonful of the culinary ash and stir.
- Strain into a glass and serve it forth to a weary gladiator.