{"id":13617,"date":"2026-02-28T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=13617"},"modified":"2026-03-04T21:43:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:43:00","slug":"the-worlds-oldest-drink-is-making-a-comeback-after-more-than-400-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/28\/the-worlds-oldest-drink-is-making-a-comeback-after-more-than-400-years\/","title":{"rendered":"The world\u2019s oldest drink is making a comeback after more than 400 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Vikings,\t<\/div>
It’s been hundreds of years, but mead is being drunk once more… (Picture: Getty\/Metro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Mead always makes me think of Vikings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Just mention the word, and I\u2019m picturing a great, hulking dude wearing a flappy fur cloak, downing the drink from an animal horn.<\/p>\n

Game of Thrones<\/a> fans will be all too familiar with this image, as mead, or honey wine as it\u2019s also known, was the drink<\/a> of choice in certain parts of Westeros.<\/p>\n

Thought to be the world’s oldest fermented alcoholic drink<\/a>, mead fell out of fashion in the 17th century, but now, more than 400 years later, it’s making a comeback.<\/p>\n

Here’s everything you need to know…<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Mead\t<\/div>
The ancient drink is also known as honey wine (Picture: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is mead?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Will Grubelnik, the head of production at London-based Gosnell\u2019s, explains: ‘As apples are to cider, grapes are to wine, honey is to mead’. <\/p>\n

In basic terms, it\u2019s honey, mixed with water and fermented with yeast. <\/p>\n

The diversity in flavour stems from the various types of honey that are used. Traditional meads use milder honeys like clover or orange blossom, while Acacia brings in a lemon sherbet note, and buckwheat or wildflower adds bolder flavours. <\/p>\n

Then, you have fruit meads, spiced or apple meads.<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DP6K_7yCAi_\/<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The history of Mead<\/h2>\n

Mead isn\u2019t just old; it couldn\u2019t even be described as ancient, it\u2019s actually prehistoric. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s archaeological evidence suggesting as far back as 7000 BC in China<\/a>. Humans were fermenting honey with water, leaving it out in the sun and getting hammered on the stuff.<\/p>\n

Other fun facts include: In Ethiopia<\/a>, it\u2019s known as \u2018tej\u2019, it was the favourite drink of Aristotle, and mead is mentioned multiple times in the ancient poem, Beowulf, from the 9th<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n

Sure, the Vikings were partial to it too, but it was really monasteries across Europe that were brewing it to make an income. It was also thought to be medicinal, and sits lower in alcohol than the more lethal, monk-made concoctions such as Benedictine and Chartreuse.<\/p>\n

So tied to the Western lexicon is the drink that the term \u2018honeymoon\u2019 comes from the tradition of drinking honey wine for a month after you get married. It was believed to increase fertility, and was taken so seriously that the bride\u2019s father included a month\u2019s worth of the stuff as part of his daughter\u2019s dowry.<\/p>\n

The mead revival<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Flash forward to the 21st<\/sup> century, and mead might well be the most British drink (although it’s not actually British) we\u2019ve collectively forgotten. <\/p>\n

Probably because, as we\u2019ve established, it has an image problem. Plus, the sweet style of the drink no longer aligns with our love of drier flavours, and hasn\u2019t for some time.<\/p>\n

And though I\u2019ve heard whispers of a mead revival in the past, it\u2019s never properly materialised. Truth be told, it\u2019s been a rough road for the mead industry. For example, leading producer, Gosnell\u2019s, based in Peckham, announced in 2024 that they had stopped brewing mead. <\/p>\n

Founder, Tom Gosnell, said at the time: ‘The word “mead” has musings of high alcohol and Game of Thrones, and it has stopped us from creating the future bees merit’.<\/p>\n

They have since changed \u2018mead\u2019 to \u2018nectar\u2019, to attract a new audience, though it’s still made the same way, from honey.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
POLL<\/div>\n
Poll<\/title><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"metro-poll__title\">Would you give mead a try?<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"metro-poll__list\">\n<li data-option=\"option1\" class=\"metro-poll__option\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score-bar-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__content\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__text\">Yes<span class=\"metro-poll__check-icon\"><title>Check<\/title><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-option=\"option2\" class=\"metro-poll__option\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score-bar-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__content\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__text\">No<span class=\"metro-poll__check-icon\"><title>Check<\/title><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-option=\"option3\" class=\"metro-poll__option\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score-bar-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__content\">\n<div class=\"metro-poll__text\">Undecided<span class=\"metro-poll__check-icon\"><title>Check<\/title><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-poll__score\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>But now I\u2019m calling it. Mead is officially having a resurgence, with new, exotic, and exciting flavours to choose from – there’s even sparkling mead, for those who love a bit of fizz.<\/p>\n<p>And to my great surprise, much of it is drier and barely tastes of honey anymore. Which is a win, if I\u2019m honest, as the idea of a drink that tastes strictly of beehive has always been a hard no for me.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s precisely this rich diversity of mead styles that is driving the comeback, as there\u2019s literally something for every taste. In fact, Fortune Business Insights reports the global mead market is due to reach $1.395 million by the end of 2032. And much of this is right place, right time, more specifically, the growth of the craft side of the <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/drinks\/\">drinks<\/a> industry. <\/p>\n<p>People are actively looking for more interesting, authentic drinks with a back story, made from high-quality, local ingredients. And now, mead has entered the chat and ticks a lot of those boxes… Well, to be fair, it had entered the chat a few thousand years ago, but the point still stands.  <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><strong>Where to buy mead in the UK right now…<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Lyme Bay Traditional Mead, \u00a312.00, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.majestic.co.uk\/wines\/lyme-bay-trad-mead-35392\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Majestic<\/a> (Mix 6)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"405\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_286870084-69b5.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-27124732\" alt=\"Drinking like a Viking is 'delicious', as the world's oldest drink makes a comeback\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Lyme \/Bay Winery is the UK’s largest mead producer (Picture: Majestic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lyme Bay Winery in Axminster, <a data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/devon\/\">Devon<\/a>, is the largest UK producer of mead. Handcrafted in the rolling Devon countryside, this is amber-chestnut coloured, with notes of honeysuckle, star anise, russet pears, bruised golden apple and hazelnuts. It\u2019s sweet, beautifully balanced and fresh. Serve it neat, on ice, with a mixer or in a cocktail (I can vouch for it being great in an Old Fashioned)<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Loxwood Meadworks Festival, \u00a322, <a href=\"https:\/\/loxwoodmeadworks.com\/products\/festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Loxwood Meadworks<\/a> (or \u00a322.50 from Master of Malt)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"437\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_286870226-da79.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-27124736\" alt=\"Drinking like a Viking is 'delicious', as the world's oldest drink makes a comeback\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>A modern take on mead (Picture: Loxwood Meadworks)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A modern take on mead from <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/west-sussex\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">West Sussex<\/a>. Aside from the top-notch packaging, the product inside is equally beguiling. The mead has been dry fermented, then sweetened with a touch of honey. This means that the yeast is left to consume almost all the honey, then \u2018back sweetened\u2019 with a measured touch of honey. The result is distinctly wine-like, with a beautiful freshness, light honeycomb and ginger notes, a lean texture and notes of yellow cherry stone and hazelnut. Very good indeed.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gosnells Hazy Nectar, \u00a332.50 for 12 cans, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gosnells.co.uk\/products\/hazy-nectar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">gosnells.co.uk<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"395\" src=\"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_286870082-1ce8-e1772196165142.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-27124735\" alt=\"A can of Gosnells Hazy Nectar on a yellow background\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Gosnells rebranded mead as ‘nectar’ (Picture: Gosnells)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since rebranding from \u2018mead\u2019 to \u2018nectar\u2019, their packaging is as fresh as the liquid inside the can. This Peckham-based company was set up in 2014, and I have to say, I admire their tenacity. I was expecting sweet and floral, but instead found myself tasting something closer to a tropically hopped IPA. It\u2019s pretty ingenious and a logical sidestep for beer-lovers, fresh and hoppy with dry notes of lychee, green apple and freshly-baked sourdough. Delicious.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Do you have a story to share?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk\">MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><title>Comment now<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It’s been hundreds of years, but mead is being drunk once more… (Picture: Getty\/Metro) Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Mead always makes me think of Vikings. Just mention the word, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13619,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13617"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13617"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13617\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13625,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13617\/revisions\/13625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}