Mead, the drink from the age of dragons*, conquests and war is about to be reinvented for the modern market.

The fermented honey drink is alleged to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in existence and there’s a good claim that it could be one of the most popular too. Back when Kings and Queens ruled with an iron fist and waged war on neighbouring nations, mead was commonplace in the taverns of Great Britain.

But as the centuries went by the drink’s popularity waned, in part thanks to increased taxation and regulation. For a while now it’s been considered an afterthought in the mind of both producers and consumers.

However thanks to the megalith of extravagantly brilliant modern television (and literature) that is Game of Thrones, the antiquated drink is about to make a comeback.

“People are not looking at it and thinking what is that,” says Sophia Fenton of the Cornish Mead company. “They are now thinking ‘there’s a man who slays dragons…who drinks that.’ It is not now seen as a dusty item on the shelf.”

It’s a bit tricky pinpointing when and where mead originated from, but some of the earliest references to the quaffable alcoholic beverage are in the literary works of Chaucer and it even pops up in the epic Old English poem Beowulf. But there’s a chance that it can be traced back even further! Honey fermentation has been mentioned in Chinese texts that are believed to be 11,000 years old.

“It is the grandfather of all alcoholic beverages,” notes Sarah Thompson of the Lurgashall Winery.

“Gins, stouts and even vermouth have had their revivals and now its mead’s turn.

“It was one of the forgotten gems.”

Mead was, once upon a time, linked with romance and married. In fact, the term ‘honeymoon’ was formed due to its association with mead. Newly married couples were traditionally given a month’s supply of the drink.

It remains popular with newlyweds and wedding parties, but the typical mead buyer is becoming a lot more diverse as the drink begins to populate cocktail menus, wine lists and back bar bottle coolers.

*Dragons may not be real, unfortunately.

photo: Alberto Alerigi (Creative Commons)