New Zealand: Christchurch duo creating a buzz around mead

From stuff.co.nz

Mead is “having a moment” and a Christchurch duo is making the most of the medieval drink’s resurgent popularity.

Made from fermented honey, mead is thought to be one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages and was particularly popular in the Middle Ages.

Its popularity began to wane in the 14th century but, thanks to Game of Thrones, mead is “having a moment,” according to Buzz Club founders Edward Eaton​ and Wilbur Morrison​.

The lifelong friends launched their mead-making business in 2021 and said there were common misconceptions about the drink.

“Both the mead of medieval times and the mead we produce today use fermented honey as its base, but that’s where the similarity ends,” Eaton said.

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                                      Edward Eaton, left, and Wilbur Morrison say there are common misconceptions about mead

In its simplest form, mead is a mixture of yeast, water and honey. But unlike the syrupy concoction sipped from goblets on Game of Thrones or by Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Buzz Club’s modern mead is crisp and light.

“We use modern brewing techniques to perfect our mead, adding a dash of water ahead of fermentation to balance the weight and flavour profile of the finished product.”

Most of the duo’s mead has an alcohol content of 5.5%. Tart and perfumed fruit like feijoa and strawberry are used to offset the sweetness of native kāmahi, rātā, and pōhutukawa honey.

Morrison, a beekeeper himself, said New Zealand was fortunate to have varied landscapes, incredible forests, and rich environments for beekeeping.

“It’s a huge shame to see some keepers forced to walk away from their hives because there hasn’t been enough demand to continue producing these unique native honeys.

“When I spoke to Edward about the problem facing some of our best beekeepers, we became determined to help find a solution.”

Eaton said it was important to him to create a market for honeys other than mānuka, which has commanded global attention over the last 10 years. 

“There are so many beautiful honeys native to Aotearoa that deserve the spotlight just as much,” he said.

“The kāmahi, rātā and pōhutukawa honeys in our sparkling mead support not only bees and their beekeepers, but the integrity of our native forests.

“Bees are critical to the pollination process within our ngahere [forest] and encourage continued biodiversity.”

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                                                     Unlike the syrupy medieval drop, Buzz Club’s modern mead is light and crisp

The Buzz Club operation, which began in Morrison’s dad’s back office, recently moved to Two Thumb Brewing Co’s state-of-the-art solar-powered brewery.

And with their mead already stocked in supermarkets nationwide, the duo have plans to crack the Australian market this year.

“It feels amazing to have come so far in such a short space of time,” Eaton said.

“We’re really only getting started – mead is having a moment and we’re thrilled to be able to shine a spotlight on the great native honeys that make Buzz Club sparkling meads what they are.”

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/131421082/christchurch-duo-creating-a-buzz-around-mead 

Craft meadery hits the spot for New Zealand man who bet the farm on the venture

From stuff.co.nz

Mead-maker Jay Bennett literally sold the farm to pursue his passion for mead, but the Taupō-based brewer has hit the sweet spot with multiple awards rolling in for his work.

While a relationship breakup may have forced his hand and Covid-19 lockdowns put the brakes on commercial success, Bennett’s Beehave! Craft Meadery has finally opened its doors to the public.

Owner, operator, bee-keeper and brewer, Bennett, a former rafting guide, moved into town two years ago after selling the small farm he lived on at the southern end of Lake Taupō since the mid-1980s.

Since then, he's been brewing mead commercially from his bee-hive base on Spa Rd and has a small team of two part-timers and one full-timer to help carry the load.

He said while the mead scene in New Zealand was still in its infancy, he felt like he was at the leading edge.

"You'll find a lot of people have tried mead, but not got a lot out of it. A lot of them are really sweet.

"But wherever we go now we get great feedback, we have about an 85% hit rate from tasting to buying.

"I think people are quite surprised by how good it tastes."

Mead is the oldest fermented alcohol product on Earth, with its origins going back 12,000 years when pre-agricultural people used to intentionally flood wild beehives and drink the sweet honey-flavoured water.

SUPPLIED/WAIKATO TIMES

Beehave! Meadery owner Jay Bennett, right, and his front of house star Ngahuia Tahau

Bennett said just like his mead-making, he fell into beekeeping by accident after discovering and removing a beehive on his property.

Years later, after running up to 200 hives, he decided beekeeping was a lot of hard work for little return and turned to mead as another way to use the end product.

"The bees led me to drink,” he said.

"I'm not beekeeping any more, but I'm still using my own honey, and how long that will last will depend on how busy we get, but come April next year I'll be looking for other supplies.

"We want to use the best ingredients we can find, because it really makes a difference.

"Everything has to be fresh, otherwise it effects the end product.”

Bennett has sourced many of his ingredients – including limes, lemons, berries, hops and chillis – from friends, and blends them with specific honeys to make his range of meads.

                                                                    SUPPLIED/WAIKATO TIMES

Bennett Bennett uses his skills as a beekeeper to create his award-winning meads.

“My whole task is looking at the flavour I want to create and working back from there to the honey and the yeast – and different honeys make all the difference in flavour.”

He said his hopped mead was designed to attract beer drinkers and had been hugely successful.

At the 2022 New Zealand Fruit Wine & Cider Awards, Bennett’s entries all won gold or silver awards and his Fever Dream chocolate and chilli mead won the best overall mead award.

“I’m all self-taught, and it’s trial and error, my first mead was a feijoa mead, but I had no idea about yeast control and it came out at 18%.”

A brew can take anywhere from weeks to months, depending on what strength and carbonation was required – from non-alcoholic to around 12% ABV.

Everything, from warming the honey, fermenting, filtering, pressing, carbonating, bottling and the packaging is done in-house.

After going into commercial production right on lock down in March 2020, Bennett is keen to get out to promote his products – he said getting in front of people at events was key to his success.

“It’s one of those things, you don’t know how good it is until you’ve tried it.”

Bennett said, like in the craft beer industry, there were a lot of mead brewers keen to help out.

“It seems mead making is not as easy at it looks, but the more good mead that’s out there makes it easier for all of us.

“Now all we need is for people to get on board and start consuming the product.

“Come in and try what you have been missing out on, most people are pleasantly surprised – I sold the farm to do what I’m doing – literally.”

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/300741291/craft-meadery-hits-the-spot-for-taup-man-who-bet-the-farm-on-the-venture 

The 'amazing' Kiwi mead that has Jamie Oliver buzzing

From stuff.co.nz

A surprise endorsement from Jamie Oliver has given Kiwi mead maker Oren Dalton huge exposure that will help his plans to take his fermented honey beverage to the world.

The man behind Auckland-based Lone Bee mead brand was stunned to discover the British celebrity chef had posted a glowing review of his sparkling clover and mānuka honey mead on Instagram Stories this month.

“It was a complete surprise. Out of the blue,” Dalton says. “I couldn't believe it. I sent it through to my wife and was like, ‘is this real?’ I then chatted to him over Messenger, and he was full-blown genuine.”

Lone Bee Mead founder Oren Dalton was surprised to find Jamie Oliver had taken to social media to endorse his New Zealand made sparkling honey mead

Oliver raved about Dalton’s product to his nine million followers, posting a photo of himself holding the Lone Bee mead bottle, and writing: “Very amazing mead, what a nice surprise. Elegant bubbles, light, delicious. It would be amazing on a wine list, so good with food. Gonna get some more next week.”

Dalton immediately fired off a couple of direct messages to Oliver, thanking him for highlighting his brand, and explaining some background to his mead-making journey.

​He was thrilled when Oliver replied, explaining how he had discovered it at his local bottle store in Essex in the UK.

“I didn't even think he was going to respond. I asked where I [could] send him some samples, or a case or two, and he responded straight away. He was genuinely loving it,” Dalton says.

Oliver’s shout-out has had an immediate impact on the Lone Bee mead brand, with Dalton receiving order inquiries from around the world, and attracting plenty of social media followers.

“I’ve received emails from overseas, Western Australia, and from the UK, and got loads of likes on social media,” he says. “It's great exposure. It's great for our distributors up in the UK.”

Lone Bee Mead founder Oren Dalton has dreamed of creating the best sparkling honey mead in the world, and growing a local mead industry that rivals New Zealand's wine industry

The married father of two, who also works full-time in the finance sector, says Oliver’s praise has reinforced his belief that he was on to a good idea, which started about 12 years ago when he began experimenting with a home-brewing setup at his Kingsland home in Auckland.

By 2017, he had refined his recipe and produced a first batch of 4000 litres, which was sold through a “mate’s bar” and local bottle store. Lone Bee mead has since picked up nationwide distribution, and now exports to a growing list of destinations, including Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.

“Getting [Oliver’s] endorsement is just awesome. It validates my dream and passion, and belief in the product. It's pretty special.

“I've always had the dream to create the best sparkling honey mead in the world, and eventually create a mead industry that rivals New Zealand's wine industry. And this plays a significant part.

“I've been chipping away. I was that weirdo at beer and cider festivals, with a sparkling mead saying ‘try this’, and trying to create and grow a new [competition] category, and grow the awareness of mead. So this exposure has just ramped things up that much more.”

Dalton’s Lone Bee mead, which has 5.3% alcohol content, is made from New Zealand's finest clover and world-famous mānuka honey, and does not contain any additives, preservatives, flavourings or sweeteners. It is also gluten-free.

“I'm not interested in sharing something that I don't truly admire and believe in,” says Oren Dalton, of his Lone Bee Mead

Raised milking cows on a Kaikohe dairy farm, Dalton has a grand vision of how the rise in popularity of mead could help revitalise the environment, and undo some of the historic damage that has been done to the land.

“Growing up on the farm, I remember Dad and Granddad clearing loads of native bush to create pasture” he says.

“And if more people drink mead, then the demand for honey will further increase. More demand for honey means more bees. More bees mean the need for more plants, flowers, or trees, and a happier, healthier planet for everyone. The goal is to leverage that and build on it, and take it global.”

Dalton is hoping he might have an opportunity to further develop Lone Bee’s connection with Oliver, but is happy to let things take their natural course.

“I don't want to push too hard. If he genuinely loves it that much, we will be in touch.”

 https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-drink/drinks/300564958/the-amazing-kiwi-mead-that-has-jamie-oliver-buzzing

Honey wine, mead in New Zealand sweet spot

From gisborneherald.co.nz

Family business Mead A’mour has invested about $100,000 to rebrand and expand its existing business of making wine and mead using East Coast honey.

The company was formed by Dennis and Kerry Greeks in August last year when Alchemy Beverages, a 16-year partnership between Mr Greeks and Barry Foster, and more recently a corporate manuka business, went into voluntary liquidation.

“For us it’s a chance to make a fresh start, give a new identity to the company and offer something that is unique,” said Mr Greeks.

Operating out of the same factory in the industrial subdivision, business under the new company name has started well — with 12,000 units of beverage sold in the first nine months of this year, up from 7000 units in all of 2020, and a number of growth opportunities coming on stream.

“We worked for a couple of months on changing the labels and getting our liqueur name the same brand name, ‘1st Night’, as our mead,” he said.

The research and development to create new label designs and make them industry compliant, with new company details for their alcoholic beverages, and print them, took an investment of around $8000.

They were now focused on building their stocks.

“One of the challenges at the moment is that bottle stores have taken a hit from Covid-19. With the stores being shut down for the best part of two or three months, it made a strain not only in the cash flow but also we were losing good customers,” he said.

One of Mead A’mour’s regular customers had to stop her purchases due to a rent increase imposed by her landlord because of the pandemic.

“A customer like that would regularly take products worth more than $2000 a month — for us, that is what we can use to pay our rent,” said Mr Greeks.

Prior to the August lockdown mead was making a resurgence, with sales through supermarkets showing good growth — which has helped them keep “ticking on” during the pandemic.

Mead A’mour products are sold in about 30 bottle stores, tourist shops and all Countdown supermarkets around the country.

“We are a niche market but we are also looking to start a process to get into the other supermarket chain run by Foodstuffs.

“We have also been talking with one of our customers who is a distributor in Auckland with 400 traditional liquor outlets,” he said.

Mead A’mour also exports its products, principally to Japan, China and Hong Kong. Last year it exported about two pallets, or 1320 units of beverage. This year Mr Greeks hoped to deliver about nine pallets to overseas customers.

The company also packages its beverages to overseas customer specifications in an OEM (original equipment manufacture) process.

“OEM is basically our recipe of wine and mead but somebody else’s label on it, to suit their market,” he said.

For example, a customer in Japan may like to have mead but the packaging doesn’t make much sense to them. To avoid such a scenario, distributing companies abroad send them their artwork, preferred design and labelling standards such as a pregnancy warning to suit the needs of their consumers.

Mr Greeks said the company was also working on expanding its beverage range to carbonated (non-alcoholic) drinks.

“We have done our research on our non-alcoholic drinks and sent out samples to who we think can be our key clients . . . and the feedback has been positive,” he said.

Huka Honey Hive in Taupo was one client that was “excited” about the expansion into carbonated drinks, saying they would anticipate ordering more than three pallets a year.

“If we do that, we will be launching just with two or three collectives (in nearby regions).”

With people being more health conscious around carbonated drinks, the company would use honey and fruits as natural sweeteners — so no added artificial flavours and low-calorie.

Mr Greeks said they had already done the R&D for the carbonated beverages “product formulation wise”, and could be looking to invest an additional $7000 on labels and packaging when the timing is right.

Another bonus with non-alcoholic beverages was that they did not need to pay excise tax.

“In a way it’s a chance for us to start small,” said Mr Greeks.

“If we were to do 10 pallets a year of the non-alcoholics, it would bring us another $10,000 worth of profitable turnover and that pays nearly half the rent for the year.”

Mr Greeks said this career started for him more than 20 years ago as a cider maker for Brian Shanks at Bulmer Harvest.

He later purchased the mead section of the business from Mr Shanks, partnering with honey supplier Barry Foster, who owned a honey factory. They incorporated Alchemy Beverages in 2005.

Mead A’mour co-founder Kerry Greeks is unable to work for the business due to injury.

“Kerry is passionate about the products and is great to bounce ideas off. She keeps me grounded, playing devil’s advocate with any business progression ideas.”

Mr Greeks now hopes to further expand his business by promoting Mead A’mour products for cocktails in bars, as well as reaching into more households as a delectable item.

“The next phase for us will be the upcoming launch of our new website www.meadamour.com as the platform to connect with our consumers and offer unique, great-tasting beverages and recipes for all to enjoy. The website will give everyone the opportunity to purchase our products throughout NZ, whether that’s by guiding consumers to their nearest stockist or via our online shop.”

https://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/business/20211207/honey-wine-mead-in-sweet-spot/ 

Beekeeping to brewing: A smooth transition for Christchurch NZ mead men

From stuff.co.nz/the-press

Two young Christchurch men are creating a buzz around mead.

The Buzz Club is a new mead business by Christchurch entrepreneurs Wilbur Morrison, 22, and Edward Eaton, 23. Mead is a type of alcohol formed from honey.

The pair said they were in the “development stage” but were well on their way. Their brew was already being sold in Christchurch supermarkets and liquor stores, and they aimed to break into New Zealand’s other major cities next.

In its simplest form, mead is a mixture of yeast, water and honey. Morrison and Eaton said the difference with their product was the range of flavours and alcohol percentages they were producing to suit a multitude of palates.

Morrison, an agricultural science student at Lincoln University, was working as a beekeeper when he sought a more profitable way to make the most out of his honey.

He and some mates brewed his first batch of mead in a garage as “a bit of fun” about 18 months ago.

Eaton, a business marketing major and close friend of Morrison's, joined the young brewer and took over the business’ social media and advertising campaign, while Morrison managed logistics.

Supplied

Edward Eaton, 23, left, and Wilbur Morrison, 22, are the two young minds behind The Buzz Club – a business making a modern day mead, a form of alcohol made from honey

To keep up with demand after settling on a few different flavours, the pair contracted all production to a local brewer in Hornby, where they conducted regular tastings and quality control.

Their mead first entered Sumner supermarkets about four months ago and the feedback so far had been “better than we thought”, Morrison said.

“The biggest issue is that people don’t actually know what mead is,” he said.

“Our goal is to make it as different and accessible as possible.”

Mead is argued to be the world’s oldest form of alcohol and is created by fermenting honey with water, sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5 per cent to more than 18 per cent. Most of the beverage's fermentable sugar is derived from honey.

The Buzz Club mainly produced a session mead, which is a 5.5 per cent alcohol volume, dry, sparkling mead. It was brewed using native New Zealand honey and included added fruit juice to complement the natural fruity and floral honey flavours. It was now available across 14 supermarkets and liquor stores in Christchurch and on the company’s website.

Supplied

The Buzz Club’s mead range comes in a variety of different flavours

Morrison and Eaton’s next goal was to break into Auckland and Wellington stores.

The boys had got some competition. Towards the end of last year, Wanaka entrepreneur Chanelle O'Sullivan, 32, launched Borage + Bee Meadery, brewing a modern New Zealand version of traditional mead wine.

The Buzz Club was supported by the Te Ōhaka centre for young startup businesses. The centre was involved in a variety of Christchurch startups including an international sports software brand and fruit picking robot company.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/eat-and-drink/124473231/beekeeping-to-brewing-a-smooth-transition-for-christchurch-mead-men 

Kiwi uni students create a buzz in the market with mead RTDs

From nzherald.co.nz

A couple of university students are taking the craft Ready To Drink (RTD) industry back to the future with one of the world's oldest beverages.

With the market booming throughout New Zealand, many are entering the game with new twists on the classic mixer.

Wilbur Morrison and Edward Eaton, however, are doing something different, and are stirring the honey pot, instead of the drum.

"Traditionally mead is a sort of desert style wine, very sweet and high in alcohol," Eaton said.

Wilbur Morrison and Edward Eaton are producing something unique in the RTD market.     Photo / Supplied 

 

"But we're trying to modernise that and bring it into the 21st century by creating a low alcohol sparkling mead, that's low in sugar."

Dating back thousands of years, brewing mead from honey is an age old classic.

Consisting of Native Kamahi Honey and Hawke's Bay lemon, The Buzz Club's Session Mead revolutionises the historic drink, and instead sits uniquely on New Zealand shelves.

"It's a got a light honey nose, a sort of touch of floral," Morrison said. "A lot of people expect it to be really rich and sweet but actually it's light and refreshing."

After becoming part of his parents' bee keeping business, Morrison said the inspiration for mead came out of pure chance.

The Buzz Club has begun distributing throughout areas of Christchurch.

Photo / Supplied

"My parents started beekeeping about three years ago and it wasn't going very well, so I jumped in and used my life savings to buy into the business which I ran while I was at uni. I used to get my mates out to come and help keep the bees, and one day one of them said have you heard of mead, to which I said never."

Morrison paired up with longtime family friend Eaton, and they then together began experimenting with their new found fascination.

"So it started out with just a couple of months of us brewing in Wilbur's parents' office," Eaton said. "Lockdown put a bit of a hold on things, but then as we started to get more serious we started creating products that we thought were really good, and it's been a learning curve ever since."

Now marketing their first final product, the friends produce what they believe to be something special.

Eaton said showing New Zealanders that mead and honey can be used for something different, was a key part of what drove them.

"We aren't trying to make another 10-pack that's there to be binged on and just to be drunk. It's a mead first and we want to show that, we really want to bring something different to the table."

Filled with rules and regulations, Morrison said alcohol and craft RTDs was an industry that towered high at first.

"It's definitely intimidating. There was a lot of nights sitting on computers and reading Government documents but I think you get your head around it in the end."

However, Eaton said the sense of community amongst the craft market is strong, and competitors aren't afraid to lend a helping hand.

"We've been in contact with a lot of helpful people in the brewing industry and found a lot of mentors that have been a massive part of getting us to where we are."

Auckland University School of Chemical Sciences senior lecturer Lisa Pilkington, is researching honey mead and said The Buzz Club's product is just what we need.

"When I talk to people about mead, it's definitely not a super fashionable drink so there's a wide open market for it to be reinvented," she said.

"It's really taking something that's traditional and turning it into a lifestyle, 21st century product and really in tune with the trends."

Pilkington said mead enables a special position in a booming industry.

"You've seen the recent growth of the craft beer industry and now the movement towards lifestyle drinks and RTDs, so I think this a very new and unique take and there's definitely not anything like it on the market. I think it will be very popular."

The Buzz Club has begun distributing throughout areas of Christchurch, and aims to fill shelves throughout the country during the New Year.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/kiwi-uni-students-create-a-buzz-in-the-market-with-mead-rtds/SLEX7UD4I64LJ76QAHUF2RALXM/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local and natural: mead maker starting ‘on right side of history’

From odt.co.nz

Wanaka entrepreneur Chanelle O'Sullivan has launched her startup company Borage + Bee Meadery. The honey-infused drink will be on shelves around the country and available online this month. PHOTO: SARAH DRUMMOND

Chanelle O’Sullivan sees a need for mead.

The Wanaka-based entrepreneur has launched startup company Borage + Bee Meadery and the honey-infused drink will be available in stores around the country and online this month.

Traditionally a still wine, sweetened by honey and fermented by yeast over time, its origins trace back more than 9000 years. It is arguably the oldest alcoholic drink known to mankind. Borage + Bee mead is carbonated to give it a modern twist.

Mrs O’Sullivan (32) and her husband, David, live on the shores of Lake Hawea with their children Izzy (8) and Hunter (5), having shifted from South Canterbury in April last year.

An experimental home brewer for 10 years, during which time she raided roadside apple trees for cider and riverside plum trees for fruit wine, she ventured into mead making in August 2018 after reading about it in a magazine.

   The cans feature a watercolour painting by Wanaka artist Sophie Melville

Mead was becoming "quite a big thing" in the United States, she said. She had been watching the market there for a while and there were new meaderies opening regularly.

The US tended to set the trends that were then seen in New Zealand when it came to alcohol consumption and she was keen to "catch that first wave" over here.

While Mrs O’Sullivan knew the basic principles of how to brew, she enlisted the help of Dunedin-based qualified brewer, scientist and beer judge Sam White.

She described herself as the "ideas and big picture" while he was into the intricate details of brewing, so it proved to be a good balance.

Four University of Otago food science undergraduates were also involved, experimenting with flavour and methodology trials in the laboratory.

When it came to the taste, Mrs O’Sullivan said people needed to "go into it with an open mind".

"It’s not what you expect. Everyone says, ‘is it like a beer or cider?’ It’s like neither," she said.

It was very crisp, refreshing and dry and her husband — a craft beer lover — drank it by choice, which was a "good gauge", she said.

Mrs O’Sullivan’s goal now was to have it stocked in supermarkets nationwide and to open a custom-built meadery in the Wanaka area.

The majority of people she collaborated with for the business lived in the Southern Lakes region and she wanted to tell the story of the region through her product.

“Entrepreneurship is celebrated in this think-outside-of-the-box area and it’s a really supportive community to live in,” she said.

She was looking to support local in return and chose to use only small family-owned apiaries to supply the honey for Borage + Bee’s mead.

“My goal is to be really transparent. I want to know exactly where my honey comes from and my strict belief was that we would not be using any sulphites or chemical additives. There are no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives and certainly nothing that can only be identified as a number in a Borage + Bee can.”

“Essentially, there is nothing in our mead other than honey, yeast and water, until we start playing with New Zealand-grown botanicals, herbs, spices and fruits,” she said.

Environmental impact was also very important and that was why she chose cans over bottles, and recycled cardboard and sugarcane-pulp can rings over plastic.

"Every bit counts and we wanted to start on the right side of history,” she said.

Mrs O’Sullivan had lots of ideas for Borage + Bee, saying the opportunities were endless.

With her entrepreneurial spirit, sometimes things did not progress or they did not turn out to be right for her, or she lost interest.

But two years into her mead journey, she was "still absolutely loving it".

"That’s pretty good for my personality," she said.

https://www.odt.co.nz/business/local-and-natural-mead-maker-starting-%E2%80%98-right-side-history%E2%80%99

A spellbinding night out: A Harry Potter-themed potions bar is coming to NZ

From stuff.co.nz/life-style

If you've ever wanted to don a witch's robe and join a potions class at Hogwarts, well now's your chance.

A Harry Potter-themed potions bar called the Wizard's Cauldron is coming to Auckland.

The magical pop-up bar is due to run from January 2020 to April 12, 2020.

The bar has already opened its doors and cauldrons in Sydney and Melbourne, before flying across to New Zealand.

                                                         Supplied/ Wizard's Cauldron

The pop-up bar is described as an immersive experience that combines magic and mixology for a simmering 90-minutes.

"The bar is created for all fantasy and magic lovers, a mystical place where magic and imagination roam free."

'Witches and wizards' who take part will be given a robe and a wand on entry (which has to be returned at the end).

They'll get to complete challenges, tasks and more to unlock ingredients for their concoction.

They will get to create a tasty mead or mulled wine and two alcoholic potions alongside a "potion master".

                                                              Supplied/ Wizard's Cauldron

"Unleash your inner magical being as you brew potions, cast spells, and drink more mead than you can shake a wand at."

It's not yet clear what date the bar will open in January or where exactly it'll be based. But Auckland tickets are expected to be available on its website.

The website also has an option for people to sign up for emails about when an event will be near them.

The Harry Potter books and movies series inspired generations of children and adults all over the world.

But its fandom has also expanded to movie screenings, train rides, Quidditch matches, pub quizzes, dinners, brunches and even homeware.

In March, it was announced a Wizard's Brunch and Dinner would be coming to New Zealand.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/food-news/116240020/a-spellbinding-night-out-a-harry-potterthemed-potions-bar-is-coming-to-nz