Fancy a 2,800 Year-Old Cocktail? | Wine Enthusiast
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Fancy a 2,800 Year-Old Cocktail?

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Dr. Patrick McGovern, an alcohol archeologist, believes booze played an integral part in human development. He argues that humans started farming to grow grain not out of a need for food, but primarily to make fermented beverages. Because just like us, they wanted to drink.

The Daily Mail reports on Dr. McGovern’s fascinating findings from his study of residue in vessels and pottery fragments. With results from this data, he was able to revive ancient drink recipes. These concoctions can be found in his new book, Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Recreated ($26.95, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.).

“Taking all the available evidence we have, we wanted to see if we could recreate the drinks and make something that’s palatable for the modern human,” said Dr. McGovern.

With just some doum palm fruit, chamomile and a few other ingredients, you could, of instance, make Ta Henket, the oldest known wine in Egypt, which dates back 18,000 years. Meanwhile, ingredients like Muscat grapes and saffron have also been used to recreate a drink that has been named the Midas Touch—something akin to a combination of beer, wine and mead, dating back to 700 B.C.

And in case you’re hungry, don’t worry. All of Dr. McGovern’s recipes come with food pairings.

We do not have any 18,000-year-old wines to recommend yet. But we do have some tips on starting your own age-worthy wine collection.