How mead emerged as the drink of summer 2021
These are heady times for British mead. The honey-based drink is thought to be the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage. It was probably being made in China in 7000 BC and King Arthur counted it amongst his favourite tipples. Chaucer mentions “braggot”, a form of mead made with honey and barley malt, and the Ancient Hindus got high on “soma.” The ancient Greeks drank “hydromel”, which was watered down honey, and the Romans had “hypocras” – cinnamon wine – and “mulsum” – wine sweetened with honey.
Now the denizens of trendy Peckham can follow in this distinguished lineage thanks to the new mead bar and garden at Gosnell’s, which hopes to lure modern drinkers with drinks including Borage and a 12% barrel-aged, caramelized honey Bochet. Gosnell’s offers fourteen different meads in all across draught, bottles and cans, with a low-alcohol mead also on the books.
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