It should come as no surprise that, with the excellent honey produced in this country there would also be an abundance of top-notch honey-based drinks made here also. Mead is probably the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of honey and alcohol together – and although much has been made of the fact that it is not just for medieval enthusiasts or latter-day Vikings, if you're a nerd like me the ancient associations are added bonus, not a turn off.
That being said, there is nothing about these honeyed drinks that would be in anyway out of place in a contemporary setting.
Three of my favourite honey-based drinks are all home grown, none of them are cloying, and they are all classy enough to sit on anyone's table.
Three to try, from left: Moa's Mānuka Honey Ale, Peckham's The Bees Knees, Lone Bee Sparkling Mead.
Mānuka Honey Ale In a limited release Moa Brewing Co has teamed up with Comvita, the mānuka honey people, to make this delicious, lightly hopped ale. You can certainly taste the mānuka honey, which has its own slightly smoky sweetness, but it is balanced nicely with the beer so that neither hop nor honey overwhelms the other. At 8 per cent, it is certainly not a session ale, but if you are a dungeon master with a very special campaign planned, this would certainly bring an extra-ness to your session. The bottles also have a cork closure which makes them feel fancy.
Lone Bee Sparkling Mead
Lone Bee make one thing and one thing only: the most delicious sparkling mead you can find in New Zealand. It certainly tastes of honey, as you would expect, but it has a softness which makes it eminently drinkable. At 5.3 per cent, it is much lower in alcohol than a sparkling wine, but I would happily quaff a glass at a wedding reception over a glass of most proseccos – and the bottles are sophisticated enough to grace the poshest place setting.
Lone Bee make one thing and one thing only: the most delicious sparkling mead you can find in New Zealand. It certainly tastes of honey, as you would expect, but it has a softness which makes it eminently drinkable. At 5.3 per cent, it is much lower in alcohol than a sparkling wine, but I would happily quaff a glass at a wedding reception over a glass of most proseccos – and the bottles are sophisticated enough to grace the poshest place setting.
If you are looking for a non-alcoholic honey-based drink, the Swedish brand Brunneby makes a soft mjod which can be found at Scandinavian speciality stores. And Phoenix Organics has a new Raspberry and Honey Switchel (switchels, if you remember, are a vinegar-based beverage, much like a shrub) which is full of juicy goodness.
Cheers!
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