I’m going over Labyrinth of Words and this passage caught my eye:

Athenaios, Deipnosophistai 11.465a–b
Φανόδημος δὲ πρὸς τῷ ἱερῷ φησι τοῦ ἐν Λίμναις Διονύσου τὸ γλεῦκος φέροντας τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐκ τῶν πίθων τῷ θεῷ κιρνάναι, εἶτ’ αὐτοὺς προσφέρεσθαι· ὅθεν καὶ Λιμναῖον κληθῆναι τὸν Διόνυσον, ὅτι μιχθὲν τὸ γλεῦκος τῷ ὕδατι τότε πρῶτον ἐπόθη κεκραμένον. διόπερ ὀνομασθῆναι τὰς Νύμφας καὶ τιθήνας τοῦ Διονύσου, ὅτι τὸν οἶνον αὐξάνει τὸ ὕδωρ κιρνάμενον. ἡσθέντες οὖν τῇ κράσει ἐν ᾠδαῖς ἔμελπον τὸν Διόνυσον, χορεύοντες καὶ ἀνακαλοῦντες Εὐανθῆ καὶ Διθύραμβον καὶ Βακχευτὰν καὶ Βρόμιον.

Phanodēmos says that at the sanctuary of Dionysos in Limnai, the Athenians bring the gleukos from the pithoi and mix it for the God, and then partake of it themselves. From this Dionysos was also called Limnaios, because the gleukos, having been mixed with water, was then for the first time drunk mixed. For this reason the Nymphs were also called the Nurses of Dionysos, because water, when mixed in, increases the wine. And so, taking delight in the krasis, they celebrated Dionysos in songs, dancing and invoking him as Euanthēs, Dithyrambos, Bakcheutas, and Bromios.

A couple things stand out. First: ἐν Λίμναις. This takes place in the famous temple of Dionysos “in the swamps” where the central rites of Lenaia and Anthesteria were celebrated. And if there’s any doubt Phanodēmos mentions πίθοι in the very next sentence. Of course it’s too early yet as the pithoi are filled with γλεῦκος— must/new wine. Only after discussing the addition of water does Phanodēmos say:

τὸν οἶνον αὐξάνει τὸ ὕδωρ κιρνάμενον
“water, when mixed in, increases the wine.”

Which produces the interesting formula: 

gleukos + krasis = oinos

But first:

τῷ θεῷ κιρνάναι, εἶτ’ αὐτοὺς προσφέρεσθαι

They mix it for the God (τῷ θεῷ), and then they themselves partake of it. 

There is a proper order to things.

First, the krasis is performed for/on Dionysos.

Then human drinking follows the divine mixing.

This krasis involves combining:

τὰς Νύμφας καὶ τιθήνας τοῦ Διονύσου

Dionysos, his Nymphs and Nurses, which metaphorically represent water stirred/mixed into the γλεῦκος so that it may become οἶνος. Which puts us in Lenaia rather than Anthesteria territory. The mentions of Νύμφας καὶ τιθήνας (Nymphai and Nurses) is followed by Phanodēmos’ evocative explanation:

ὅτι τὸν οἶνον αὐξάνει τὸ ὕδωρ κιρνάμενον
because water mixed into it increases the wine.

After looking at this for a while I realized that with some “delightful mixing” of my own I could produce the following chant:

ἡσθέντες τῇ κράσει
Βρόμιος.
Βακχευτάς.
Διθύραμβος.
Εὐανθής.
τὸν οἶνον αὐξάνει τὸ ὕδωρ.

Or in English:

Delighting in the krasis.
Bromios.
Bakcheutas.
Dithyrambos.
Euanthēs.
Water increases the wine.

What I particularly like is that the chant is not invented out of whole cloth. Every divine name comes directly from the ancient ritual testimony; I’ve simply taken Phanodēmos’ reported sequence— ἀνακαλοῦντες Εὐανθῆ καὶ Διθύραμβον καὶ Βακχευτὰν καὶ Βρόμιον —and turned it around so that the invocation opens with Bromios, “roaring/storming” and resolves into Euanthēs, “blossoming/beautiful growth.” And that last line elevates it from a mere string of epithets to a profound expression of Dionysian philosophy: mixture is not diminution; mixture is increase.

But let’s break it down further:

κρᾶσις → Mixture, the joining of differences
Βρόμιος → Roaring, the first violent eruption
Βακχευτάς → Bakchic Frenzy, transformation begins within
Διθύραμβος → Song of μεταβολή, transformation directed out into the world through song
Εὐανθής → Blossoming, transformation becoming generative
τὸν οἶνον αὐξάνει τὸ ὕδωρ → the Nymphs enter the wine and increase it

What’s especially beautiful is that the circle isn’t closed by returning to the original condition.

Increase has occurred.

You return to the beginning with more than you began with.

So instead of a circle— you end up with a spiral. 

And the pivot between one and another cycle is αὐξάνει.

Which looks like:

mixture → transformation → flourishing → augmentation → renewed mixture.

Which is an extraordinarily compact ritual expression of Dionysos as movement through opposition.

Wine/water isn’t an opposition that gets resolved by one defeating the other. They undergo krasis, and the result is auxēsis.

And suddenly ἡσθέντες τῇ κράσει feels like exactly the right opening— not merely an instruction to enjoy the mixed wine, but almost the principle governing everything that follows:

Delight in the mixture.
Because the mixture increases.

So what do you guys think? Come Lenaia will you be using this chant:

ἡσθέντες τῇ κράσει
Βρόμιος.
Βακχευτάς.
Διθύραμβος.
Εὐανθής.
τὸν οἶνον αὐξάνει τὸ ὕδωρ.

—

Delighting in the krasis.
Bromios.
Bakcheutas.
Dithyrambos.
Euanthēs.
Water increases the wine.