How Game of Thrones and other fantasy series have revived the ancient drink of mead
- Alcoholic beverage’s affinity with Thrones fans and the rise of ‘craft’ have jetpacked the drink to lofty new heights in terms of volume and taste
Mead is coming.
Thanks to the likes of Game of Thrones and the surge in popularity of other fantasy series, mead – the ancient alcoholic beverage made from honey – is making a comeback.
Mead, which is probably the world’s oldest alcoholic drink, fell out of popularity when improved medieval farming methods produced cheaper alternatives such as beer, and later when West Indian sugar imports reduced the incentives to keep bees.
Mead kept a cult following, though, thanks to its association with medieval and fantasy thematics – it’s a popular choice at medieval tournaments and fayres.
However, mead is not just the sickly reserve of castle gift shops.
In recent years, mead has rebounded. Its affinity with Thrones fans and the rise of “craft” has jetpacked the beverage to lofty new heights both in terms of volume and taste.
A 2017 industry report from the American Mead Makers Association found that the number of meaderies in the United States has risen from just 30 in 2003 to 300 in early 2016.
According to The Drinks Business, 67 per cent of American meaderies have been open for less than five years.
Tom Gosnell, the founder of Gosnells of London mead, told Business Insider that sales were up 60 per cent year on year, and that most his fellow mead makers or “mazers” were seeing similar gains.
