surviving "Isotonic" roman drinks recipes

[Carlton Bach]

I'm not sold on the essential, energy-giving quality of honey. For one thing, it was something of a luxury good. Also, the antiseptic properties of honey are largely lost in dilution - watered honey, quite the reverse, makes an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and fungi (including, but not limited to, alcoholic fermentation). So while I'm not against the idea of adding honey to posca (honeywater - hydromel - was a known beverage), I'd caution against assuming it was universally done. Modern Europe has a much sweeter tooth than our ancestors because we can afford it.