Posca was a popular drink among the lower classes of Ancient Rome. Posca comes from the Latin word potor (to drink). It’s basically sour wine mixed with water and herbs.

In Ancient Rome, it was dangerous to drink water. Today we have all sorts of filtration devices to clean the water. Unfortunately in Ancient Rome, water contained so much bacteria it could lead to diseases. One of the reasons why Posca wine was so popular was that it was a better alternative to water. The wine’s acidity took longer to spoil and it killed all the bacteria that could pose a danger to people.

The Roman armies were known to carry Posca wine on their military campaigns. It was considered a sign of poor disclipline to drink good wine. The higher ranking generals drank Posca wine to show that they were part of the “common man.”

You can try making some Posca wine by taking some old wine, mixing it with a cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of honey and 2 tbsp of crushed coriander seeds. Boil the honey with water and once it’s melted add the coriander seeds. Then strain the coriander seeds.