MITHRADATES VI is a vino amaro made with red wine from New York’s Finger Lakes region and aromatized with 34 unique botanicals. The grapes (Frontenac), harvested in 2021, were vinified and then fortified with various herbal extractions before resting in used bourbon casks and steel tanks. It is the second release of Forthave Spirits’ historical line, where ancient medicinal recipes are reinterpreted as digestivos.
Among the legendary remedies of the ancient world few experienced as long lasting a fame as Mitrhridatum. For nearly two thousand years, this elixir of long-life was sold and consumed as prescriptive medicine. During this time, it became one of the most coveted tonics well into the 19th Century, ingested by Julius Cesar, Charlemagne, and Queen Elizabeth I among others. The recipe is attributed to Mithradates VI, the king of Pontus in the first century BCE. He fought legendary wars with the invading Roman Empire. The lands of Pontus abounded in medicinal herbs, to which Mithridates took a keen interest. He became obsessed with botanicals, poisons and antidotes, and experimented with them enthusiastically. Mithridates combined these experiments in herbal remedies and poisons into one elixir. It consisted of aromatic and bitter herbs preserved in wine. Fearful of being poisoned, he ingested a microdose of it every day to develop an immunity from the deadly toxins as protection against assassination by Roman generals. Although Mithridates worked in secret, the original recipe is believed to have contained more than 50 ingredients. The recipe for Mitrhridatum was referenced widely in texts by Pliny the Elder, Plutarch, and Galen. It is with a nod to this history that we created our version of a digestivo inspired by Mithradatum.
As a vino amaro, or wine-based amaro, Mithradates VI has a vinous quality and is fortified with 34 botanical extractions. With notes of fig, cardomom, cedar, and mace, this vino amaro can be enjoyed many ways: neat; poured over ice with an orange twist; with a splash of club soda or tonic as refreshing spritz; or in place of red vermouth in many cocktails.
