Mead: The Story of the World's Oldest Drink

Long before wine cellars and craft breweries, people discovered that honey and water, left alone, could turn into something new. That something was mead, often called honey wine, and it may be one of the oldest fermented drinks humans have ever made.

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What mead is

At its simplest, mead is honey diluted with water and fermented with yeast. The yeast eats the sugars in the honey and turns them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Mead can be sweet or dry, still or sparkling, light or strong, and it's often flavored with fruit, spices, or herbs.

A very old drink

Because honey was one of the few concentrated sweet foods available to early people, and because wild yeasts are everywhere, it's easy to imagine early humans stumbling on mead by accident: honey mixed with rainwater in a hollow log or a pot, left to ferment in the warmth.

Some of the oldest chemical evidence of a fermented drink comes from pottery found at Jiahu, a Neolithic village in China, dating back about 9,000 years. Residue in those jars pointed to a mixed drink made with honey, rice, and fruit. Mead and honey-based drinks later show up in ancient India, Egypt, Greece, and across Europe.

Where the word "honeymoon" might come from

A popular story says newlyweds were once given a month's supply of mead, one "moon," to celebrate their marriage and bring good luck. Historians aren't sure the story is true, and the word likely has other origins, but it's a sweet tale that has stuck around.

Why mead faded, and why it's back

As beekeeping gave way to cheaper cane and beet sugar, and as beer and wine became easier to produce on a large scale, mead became less common in many places. Honey was simply more expensive than grain or grapes.

In recent years, though, mead has enjoyed a real revival. Meaderies have opened across the United States, and many home fermenters have taken up mead making as a hobby.

Curious to try it yourself? A one-gallon mead making kit is an easy way to start, and The Compleat Meadmaker is a classic guide.

Types of mead you might see

• Traditional mead: Just honey, water, and yeast. The honey's own flavor shines through.
• Melomel: Mead made with fruit. (A cranberry melomel is what started our own celebration ritual.)
• Metheglin: Mead flavored with spices or herbs.
• Cyser: Mead made with apples or apple juice.
• Braggot: A cross between mead and beer.

The flavor starts with the honey

Just like wine reflects its grapes, mead reflects its honey. A light spring honey makes a delicate, floral mead, while a dark fall honey makes something richer and deeper. (Here's why local honey tastes different every season.) That's one reason small-batch, seasonal honey is so prized by mead makers. If you're brewing your first batch, our raw honey gives it a true taste of the season.

Wondering how honey lasts long enough to become a legend? Read Does Honey Ever Go Bad?