Mead
Possibly first created by Irish monks during the Middle Ages, mead is a time-honored honey wine that has been celebrated in Gaelic folklore and poetry. The traditional home brew was simple, honey, water, and usually yeast, with added spices, fruits or gran mash depending on local recipes. According to taste variations, the result, after months of fermentation, could be still or sparkling, and sweet, semi-sweet, or dry. Mead has also been purported to enhance virility and fertility, and act as an aphrodisiac , which explains its place in ancient and modern wedding ceremonies as the drink of choice for a toast. The tradition of newlyweds drinking mead for a month after their wedding may be the origin of the word “honeymoon.”
Picture source: gotmead.com
