In modern society alcoholic coolers, gin and tonic, campari and beer are only a few of the ‘drinks’ enjoyed when friends get together for an evening on the town. Wine is normall, though not always, reserved for mealtimes. So what did the Roman men and women drink when they went out at night? There must have been something other than wine or water on the drinks menu when the guys got together at the baths or, for that matter, when the girls got together – after all, if one takes into account how hot it can get in Italy during the summer and how sophisticated Roman society was, there had to be.

• CALDA was warm water and wine laced with spices and was,  typically, a winter drink.
• MULSUM - was simply honeyed wine.
• PASCA – was was a drink made from watering down acetum, a low quality wine similar to vinegar, typically served to soldiers and slaves.
• VINO, VIN (WINE) – was watered down wine because,while Romans loved wine,  they drank it watered down, spiced or heated.  Undiluted wine was considered barbaric and wine concentrate diluted with water was also common.

Interesting things to know about the Roman drinking habits:

• Beer was regarded as a barbarian drink because the Celts drank it.
• Wines were divided into black, red, white, or yellow wines.
• The best wine-producing regions in Italy was on the border between Latium and Campania.
• Vintages produced were: Caecuban, Setian, Falernian, and Massic
• Sheep or goats’ milk were considered uncivilized drinks and were used mainly for making cheese or for medicinal purposes
• In every great house, the wine cellar contained glass jars carefully sealed with gypsum, the labels showing when they were stored.