Persian Mint Drink

[I. Marc Carlson]

<Moriel<C11Hartel at aol.com>>
>A long time Ansteorran friend has moved out of our fair kingdom and recently
>was asking for a recipe which I thought I had, but alas do not.  Does anyone
>have the recipe for the Persian Mint Drink that the Two/Three Sisters Tavern
>used to make?  Not only would I love to have it for my files, Lady Marsali
>Fox would be most thankful as well.  

I'm afraid I have no such recipe.  On the other hand, I *do* have a recipe
for a related drink, called Oxymel, which comes to us from the Romans, via
the Anglo-Saxons.  It is also related to a Scandinavian drink called
"Switchel".

In it, essentially, one blends one part "Acetum", or a wine vinegar, with
one (or more) parts honey to 4-40 parts water (and, if desired, a bit of 
salt).  Undistilled wine vinegar has, according to sources cited in "the
History of Military Medicine" (by Richard Gabriel and Karen Metz), all sorts of
good minerals and electrolytes that are removed in the distillation process
that make it extremely healthy, particularly after hot sweaty work. It is for
this reason that the Roman military carried it in their canteens (and some what
changes the whole essence of the whole "giving Vinegar to Jesus while he was on
the Cross" bit). 

I also suspect that it's the reason that the "mushroom tea" that is becoming
to popular is supposed to be good for you.  As it ferments, the fungus
produces a type of vinegar.

As with mixing "Gatoraid" drinks, there is a balance of Vinegar to water that
really depends on personal tastes, and how dehydrated one is.  In any case,
I understand that if you like vinegar, these things are pretty good, and
if you don't (and I don't) all I can say is that they don't taste as bad
as you think they are going to.

"Mihi Satis Apparet Propter     Diarmuit Ui Dhuinn
  Se Ipsum Appetenda Sapientia"	University of Northkeep/Company of St. Jude
 -- St. Dunstan			Northkeepshire, Ansteorra
				(I. Marc Carlson/IMC at vax2.utulsa.edu)