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What did the Vikings and ancient Greeks have in common? A love of mead.
Yes, mead. You probably have three questions when it comes to mead. You probably have three questions when it comes to mead.
- I’ve only heard of this in books and movies. Is it actually drinkable?
- I only like whiskey/wine/gin. Is mead for me?
- Can mead be used in a cocktail?
Luckily, the answer is yes to all three!
Described as the perfect blend between wine and beer, mead is seeing a resurgence in the global alcohol industry. In short, mead was created 3 thousand years before the invention of the wheel. It is thought that mead was invented when rain fell into a pot of honey. Nowadays, the process is more refined. As they say, the better the honey, the better the mead.
Kinsale Meadery sources most of its honey from Spain. This ensures that the company can stick to EU sources of honey. Orange blossom honey in particular, is used to make their popular Atlantic Dry Mead. For a traditional style honey mead, the honey is mixed into warm water (hive temperature) so that the delicate flavors of the raw honey are not boiled off. Next a commercial wine yeast is added to the honey to give the ferment nutrients. The proportion of honey to water, the length of fermentation and the chosen yeast will determine the final alcoholic strength of the mead. All of Kinsale’s meads are wine strength, making them ideal for sipping on their own, or in creative cocktails. Here is what we recommend:
Kinsale Mule
- 2 measures of Atlantic Dry Mead
- 1 measure of apple juice
- 1/2 measure ginger ale
- Splash of Angostura Bitters
- Garnish of choice
Method
Try this inspired twist on the zesty Moscow mule. Shake the mead and apple juice with ice until frothy. Pour into a glass and top with a dash of bitters and a splash of ginger ale.
Bees Knees
- 1 measure of premium Irish Gin
- 2 measures of Atlantic Dry Mead
- ½ measure of honey syrup
- ½ measure of fresh lemon juice
Method
What is more glamorous than a modernized prohibition era cocktail? Shake well with plenty of ice. Pour in a nice cocktail glass and enjoy!
Mulled Mead
- 1 bottle of Wild Red Mead
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Piece of star anise
- Strip of orange or lemon peel
- 2 tsp of honey to taste
Method
Warm up on those chilly evenings with this spiced drink as summer comes to a close. Heat the mix gently and serve in a weighty glass.
Which cocktail will you be trying? Look through our available selection of Kinsale mead below! PS, we’ve got a BIG giveaway coming up in partnership with Kinsale Mead Company…
Kinsale Atlantic Dry Mead
€24.95
Kinsale Atlantic Dry Mead is a delicious, off-dry traditional style mead, beautifully crisp with a lovely citrus honey flavour. Best enjoyed lightly chilled or over ice as a pre-dinner drink. It has lovely floral aromas and a long, lingering hint of honey with almost no sweetness; a perfect food pairing with salty appetisers such as olives, almonds or seafood bites.
Refreshingly different and definitely intriguing, it’s a great introduction to traditional style meads. Kinsale Atlantic Dry Mead has been re-invented and re-imagined from its ancient form and fermented at our meadery in Kinsale with carefully sourced pure orange blossom honey from the verdant orange groves of southern Spain. A popular choice for whiskey drinkers and honey lovers.
Kinsale Wild Red Mead
€24.95
Kinsale Wild Red Mead is a gorgeous melomel mead fermented off-dry with Irish blackcurrants, dark cherries and pure honey. An amazingly enticing drink with a beautiful, rich colour. It is delicious served at room temperature on its own or with food. The Wexford blackcurrants are beautifully balanced with the dark cherries, tempered over the hint of honey and matured to a silky smooth finish.
A popular choice with wine drinkers who prefer a smoother style. Melomel Fruit Meads were Ireland’s medieval red wines made from native wild berries and raw honey and now created anew at Kinsale Mead Co’s meadery in West Cork. Took the Gold at the Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards and Gold at the Free From Food Awards.
Kinsale Hazy Summer Mead
€24.95
Kinsale Hazy Summer Mead (11% ABV) is a fabulous, fruity, off-dry berry mead with generous strawberry and raspberry aromas, a lovely burst of summer berries and a smooth, subtle honey finish.
Perfect served lightly chilled on its own or in a sharing jug with ice and frozen berries. Like a glass of summer in any weather. This deliciously light and fruity melomel mead is a refreshing alternative to a light red or rosé wine. It is fermented from pure honey muddled with a tumble of ripe summer berries with almost no sweetness. Popular with cocktail mixers and beer and gin drinkers.
Like Kinsale Mead Co’s other meads, Hazy Summer Mead is made at Ireland’s first meadery in 200 years in the historic and food-loving town of Kinsale on the Wild Atlantic Way in West Cork. The awards came in fast for this intriguing re-imagining of an ancient drink and it has won Gold at Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards and Gold at the International Mazer Cup.
Kinsale Mead Gift Box
€19.95
A beautifully designed tasting set of Kinsale Mead in a gift box, a mead for every occasion. An ideal present, souvenir or treat for the foodie in your life.
Mead curious? This is a fantastic introduction for everyone. A tasting trio of our meads in 50ml miniature bottles presented in a beautiful gift box.
Includes tasting notes for each mead and a short history of mead in Ireland. Magnet opening with illustrations by local artist, Fiona Boniwell from our Mead Map, Tales of Mead and Honey Poster. Contains 3 x50ml dinky miniature bottles, Atlantic Dry Mead, Wild Red Mead and Hazy Summer Mead. 11% to 12% ABV.