Mead: The Libations, Legends, and Lore of History's Oldest Drink

by Fred Minnick, Tobias Saul (Illustrations)

With fantastical narratives, home-brewing instructions, and original craft cocktail recipes, Mead is the ultimate exploration of the resurgent alcoholic beverage that is nearly as old as time itself.

Beloved by figures as diverse as Queen Elizabeth and Thor, the Vikings and the Greek gods, mead is one of history's most storied beverages. But this mixture of fermented honey isn't just a relic of bygone eras -- it's experiencing a cultural renaissance, taking pride of place in trendy cocktail bars and craft breweries across the country. Equal parts quirky historical narrative, DIY manual, and cocktail guide, Mead is a spirited look at the drink that's been with us even longer than wine.

Mead gives readers a fascinating introduction to the rich story of this beloved beverage -- from its humble beginnings to its newfound popularity, along with its vital importance in seven historic kingdoms: Greece, Rome, the Vikings, Poland, Ethiopia, England, and Russia. Pairing a quirky, historical narrative with real practical advice, beverage expert Fred Minnick guides readers through making 25 different types of mead, as well as more than 50 cocktails, with recipes from some of the country's most sought-after mixologists.

Genres: Brewing, History, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food and Drink

272 pages, Hardcover

Published June 12, 2018

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn’t quite what I was looking for, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. There is a brief, basic overview of the history of mead along with a recipe for a traditional mead. The author includes a shortlist of good online resources and other publications for readers wanting to learn more about crafting their own batches of ambrosia.
The bulk of the work consists of a mixologist’s roster of various cocktails that include mead. I bartend on the side and am a big fan of innovation and using rare or odd ingredients so it piqued my interest. The brief chapters on mead in the literature of ancient cultures was also of some interest.
Overall, this is a quirky volume that will probably live on my coffee table. For those wanting a thorough guide to the mead brewing process and recipes, I recommend the gotmead.com forum, and the mead making books by Steve Piatz and Ken Schramm.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mostly a how to make mead and cocktail recipes using mead. The only history is the history of large scale production of mead for sale in a particular market by licensed makers in several places and not a history of mead itself. Useful if you want recipes or a manual to make mead but not much else.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book. I enjoyed the sections describing the place of mead in various cultures, but easily half the book is recipes for mixed drinks. It was good, but I would have preferred more history and less mixology.

[Ben Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend this as your introduction to mead making, as the advice is limited and much of it is questionable in my opinion. It becomes readily apparent that Minnick doesn't have firsthand experience himself, but is simply passing on what he has heard from those more familiar with brewing. The value in this handsome tome comes elsewhere, being a decent introduction to mead itself; the bees, honey, and history of the drink. It is also the only source I have come across that has quite a bit to say on how to use mead in cocktails, if that's something you're into.

[Paul Lohmuller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this from the library, hoping for a compendium of meadmaking tips and secrets. Instead it offers basic instructions to get one started with simple meadmaking. I found this snippet from the book to be an accurate summary of itself:
"This is not intended to be an advanced level 'how to make mead' book. Rather, the intent is to offer basic steps to get you started on your mead journey and to fill in the historical narrative with some beautiful mead cocktails."

[Eren · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars (5/10)

The bulk of this book is boring and repetitive (the basic and dryly written histories), while the first part that's about making and understanding mead is pretty good and educational. I was researching mead making so that's all I needed

[Lana Svitankova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Дуже красива і тактильна книжка, досить легка мова, але кількість речей, які треба було пруфчекнути псує враження.

[Anthony De Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read - it’s a nice light overview of the history of mead broken up with cocktail and mead recipes sprinkled throughout. Good for someone starting out on their mead journey

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a mead home brewer I found this book to be a fascinating history lesson on honey, mead, and various cultures. It’s a relatively easy read with mead, mead derivatives, and mead cocktails mixed in!