When To Drink Mead – 6 Everyday Occasions

James Chrisman from thrillist reports that the teenage Suite Life of Zack and Cody star, Dylan Sprouse, who founded All-Wise Meadery can’t pinpoint an occasion on which to drink mead. He mentions that people drink Champagne at weddings, cheap beer at tailgates, and Rosé all day, but when do they drink mead?

The occasion for drinking mead dates all the way back to the later origins of what we now call a “honeymoon.” I say later because the early origins of the honeymoon are muggy, in a way that would never be acceptable in today’s society. These early origins date back to when the groom would capture and kidnap their chosen bride. The groom would take the bride to a secret location until she got pregnant or the family dropped the search. Eventually, this practice turned into the groom asking permission from the father and the father requiring a public ceremony before the kidnapping. However, this was only slightly more acceptable since the family knew they would get a payout from this.

More early history of the honeymoon comes from the tradition of the bride and the groom taking a month-long trip to visit those that could not make it to the ceremony. Oftentimes they would be accompanied by friends and family, and were not alone at all.

The later history of the honeymoon is where the tradition gets the “honey” and the “moon” in its name as opposed to what we can basically call an abduction in its earlier history. Mead was considered an aphrodisiac that would enhance fertility and promote the conception of a child. It was a tradition to drink mead at the wedding. After the public ceremony, the couple would be sent off together with a full moon’s cycle (or 1 month) of mead. If the couple had a child 9 months later, the credit was given to the alcoholic honey beverage. This is where the honey and the moon come together and we have the term honeymoon.

Monks Meadery owner upholding the tradition with Dragons Nectar in his Champagne flute

However, today, you don’t need a special occasion to drink mead at all. You can grab a mead anytime you feel like grabbing a drink, socializing, or meeting up with a friend. Here are some perfectly normal everyday occasions to drink mead. 

Friendly Gatherings & Meetups with Friends

Whether at home or stepping out for lunch, time with friends is the perfect time to grab a refreshing mead. We recommend 4-packs of Dragons Nectar for a friendly backyard or home gatherings. If you’re hosting a brunch, the newly bottled, fun, pink, Bacchus Blushed is the perfect alternative to all-day Rosé. It’s bubbly, mildly sweet, and refreshing. If you’re visiting our taproom with your friends, you have 12 meads on tap to choose from and seasonal rotations.

Photo from @trippavrett

A Sunny Day

Looking for something refreshing and low in ABV to sip on a hot sunny day? Something to give you a relaxing buzz while your skin looks radiant in the sunshine? Maybe something as refreshing as a southern iced tea? Crack open a Peachin to the Choir. It’s the perfect low alcohol beverage for a sunny day. Not quite a beer, not quite a mixed drink, but as refreshing as a Snapple.  

A Cold or Rainy Day, or Both

Monks Meadery has a mead for cold and rainy days too. Crack open a Butter Buzz or a Stigmata in front of your fireplace. Or always feel free to come into our tasting room where we have seasonal rotations such as the Cran Spice and Butter Pecan meads.

Festivals and Events

This is a great time to try mead. If you’re attending a beer festival or an event where a mead tasting is going on, the wait in line is worth it. Monks Mead will usually have a line at any beer and wine festival, or event we attend. However, this is the best time to get introduced to mead completely risk-free.  Do know that there are many types of mead on the market and if you don’t like what you tried don’t hesitate to try other brands. 

@manicpixieboozegirl enjoying Peaching to the Choir at the Taste of Buckhead

When You Feel Like Drinking, but Don’t Feel Like Drinking

So you want something tasty to quench the thirst. But you don’t want a mixed drink, and you don’t want a beer. Monks Mead is a great, tasty, light, and bubbly drink to sit back and do absolutely nothing. Try a low ABV Dragons Nectar, or Peachin to the Choir.

When You Want to Avoid Mowing the Lawn

If you’re trying our flagship Monks Mead for the first time at the tasting room, this is when I will tell you that Monks Mead is something you crack open to refresh while mowing the lawn. However, I have never mowed a lawn, drink at your own risk. You probably won’t get much lawn mowing done either. Maybe crack this one open when you don’t want to mow the lawn? Give your significant other a Stigmata. Kick your feet up and hire a landscaping company. 

Looks like the acceptable occasions to drink mead are any occasions you feel like grabbing an alcoholic beverage. Order your mead here, or visit our taproom this weekend.