There’s no better way to sip your way through sunny afternoons than with a cocktail made from our delicious mead bases and flavour drops. Here are 5 cocktail recipes to keep you cool this summer.
peach lemonade Bring a twist to the classic lemonade with our OG Nectar mead base. In a glass, combine 100ml of OG Nectar, 50ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1–2 drops of “peach perfect” flavouring. Top with sparkling water and ice, then garnish with a peach slice and a sprig of mint. This drink is tangy, sweet, and utterly refreshing.
honey berry daiquiri Turn your afternoon into a tropical escape with the Berry Buzd mead base. Blend 100ml of Berry Buzd, 50ml of lime juice, 1–2 drops of “cherry on top” flavouring, and a handful of ice until smooth. Serve in a chilled glass with a lime wheel on top.
apple honey spritz This recipe is for those who love a crisp, refreshing drink. Combine 100ml of OG Nectar with 50ml of apple juice and 1–2 drops of “apple of my eye” flavouring. Add ice, stir gently, and finish with a splash of sparkling water. A thin apple slice as garnish completes this subtly sweet and sophisticated spritz.
On those hot days, grab your mead, your favourite drops, and start shaking, stirring, and sipping your way through the season!
While mead is great on its own, at Beebuzd, we’re interested in how it can work behind the bar too. Mead already brings alcohol, sweetness, and flavour to the table, which means it can replace multiple components in a cocktail without overcomplicating the build.
When we experiment with cocktails, we start with formats people already know. That way, the structure stays familiar and the focus stays on how the mead changes the drink rather than on learning something entirely new.
1. berry espresso martini
The espresso martini is one of those cocktails that feels firmly established at this point. Traditionally, it relies on vodka for alcohol and liqueurs for sweetness. We swap in Berry Buzd to handle both roles at once.
Ingredients
• 45 ml Berry Buzd
• 30 ml fresh espresso (cooled)
• 30 ml coffee liqueur
• 1 drop Claus & Effect (vanilla)
• 1 drop Cherry on Top
We shake everything with ice and strain it into a martini glass, just like the classic version. The berry notes sit quietly in the background while the espresso remains the main focus. The vanilla drop smooths the bitterness, and the cherry drop adds depth without turning the drink into something dessert-like.
2. berry cosmopolitan
The cosmopolitan is instantly recognisable, which makes it a good candidate for experimenting with substitutions. In this version, we use Berry Buzd instead of vodka and rely on flavour drops to fine-tune the balance.
Ingredients
• 45 ml Berry Buzd
• 30 ml orange liqueur
• 15 ml fresh lime juice
• 1 drop Mistle Toast (cranberry)
• 1 drop Orange You Glad?
Shaken and served in a coupe, the drink keeps the same citrus-forward profile as the original. Using mead reduces the need for extra cranberry juice or sugar, while the drops let us adjust tartness and aroma without changing the overall structure.
3. honey mule
The mule is simple by design, which makes it one of the easiest cocktails to adapt. We use OG Nectar as the base because its honey profile blends easily with ginger beer.
Ingredients • 60 ml OG Nectar • 120 ml ginger beer (top) • 1 drop Santa’s Little Sipper (cinnamon) • 1 drop Polar Pour (peppermint)
Built directly in the glass, this version stays close to the original. The cinnamon and peppermint drops add contrast rather than dominance, keeping the drink recognisable while giving it a slightly different seasonal feel. We usually finish it with a lime wedge, mint, or a candy cane depending on the time of year.
These cocktails show how we approach mixology at Beebuzd. We’re not trying to replace the classics. We’re using them as a framework to show where mead naturally fits and how small adjustments can change the experience without complicating it.
The funniest part about mead’s origins is that… we literally have no idea when it started. Humans discovered mead by accident. Nature threw honey, water, and wild yeast together, and someone brave (or thirsty) enough took a sip. Suddenly humans were like, “Wait. This is good.” And history was born.
Archaeologists have found evidence of fermented honey drinks in China around 7000 BCE, which makes mead older than the pyramids and almost older than the concept of “time.” Meanwhile, African cultures like the Oromo and the Maasai have traditions of honey wine that stretch back thousands of years. The ancient Greeks were sipping it, the Vikings were chugging it, and medieval monks were perfecting it.
Basically, if humans existed, and honey existed, mead existed.
mead & mythology
Mead wasn’t just a drink. It was the drink.
The Vikings believed mead was a gift from the gods. Their version of the “champagne of celebration” was mead, drunk from horns the size of your leg. Apparently, nothing screams “Skål!” like honey alcohol.
The Greeks called it the “nectar of the gods.” Yes, the same gods who caused war, jealousy, and questionable family dynamics.. so you know mead made an impression.
In Celtic cultures, mead was the drink of kings. No coronation or celebration was complete without it. If you were important, you drank mead.
It was also considered medicinal. People genuinely believed mead could cure sadness, nerves, stomach problems, and possibly broken hearts. Honestly, relatable.
mead goes medieval
In medieval Europe, mead hit its peak. Monks, royalty, and peasants. Everyone wanted a piece of the honey magic.
Honey was pricey, so mead became synonymous with luxury. Taverns offered cheap versions mixed with herbs, while monasteries created meads so complex that modern craft brewers still try to recreate them.
Fun fact: the term “honeymoon” comes from mead. Newlyweds were once given a month’s worth of honey wine to boost fertility and happiness. Whether it worked or not is still up for debate, but the tradition? Iconic.
the downfall (blame sugar & beer)
Mead’s fall from the throne was dramatic. As trade routes expanded and sugar became affordable, honey lost its spot as the main sweetener. Beer became cheaper and easier to make. Wine got classier and more accessible. And mead quietly slipped into the background like a forgotten medieval celebrity.
Honey stayed special, but mead? People just… moved on.
the sweet comeback
Fast-forward to today and mead is thriving again, thanks to craft brewers, cocktail culture, and people on the internet discovering that Vikings drank it so it must be cool.
Modern meaderies (like us!) experiment with:
fruit-forward melomels
crisp session meads
spiced, wintery varieties
cocktail-style blends
It’s a renaissance of creativity, and mead is finally getting the spotlight it deserves. Some might say it’s the perfect blend of ancient tradition and modern vibes.
why mead still matters
Mead is storytelling. It’s nostalgia. It’s history in a glass. It connects us to people who lived thousands of years ago, all through the simple magic of honey and fermentation.
Whether you drink it warm, cold, spiced, fruity, sparkling, or strong enough to change your night… you’re sipping the world’s oldest love potion. And honestly? That’s pretty sweet.
Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, and it’s surprisingly simple at its core. But don’t let that fool you. Behind every golden sip is a careful process that blends science, patience, and a little bit of magic. If you’ve ever wondered how honey turns into a delicious, drinkable mead, here’s a behind-the-scenes look, step by step.
Step 1: Choosing the Honey Everything starts with the honey. Not all honey is created equal. Some are mild and floral, others rich and robust. The flavour of your mead depends heavily on this choice, so selecting the right honey is crucial. Some mead makers even blend varieties to create a more complex base.
Step 2: Preparing the Must Once the honey is chosen, it’s time to create what’s called the must. This is simply honey mixed with water, usually in a specific ratio to control sweetness, alcohol content, and texture. Stirring the must well ensures the honey dissolves completely and evenly, forming a smooth, golden liquid that’s ready for fermentation.
Step 3: Yeast Selection and Addition Next comes the yeast, the tiny living organism that turns sugar into alcohol. Choosing the right strain is important because different yeasts can produce slightly assorted flavours and aromas. Once added to the must, yeast begins its work slowly, consuming the sugar and producing alcohol, carbon dioxide, and subtle flavour compounds that give mead its character.
Step 4: Fermentation Fermentation is where the magic truly happens. Depending on the style of mead, this can take a few weeks to several months. Patience is key. During this time, the mixture is kept at a stable temperature and often tasted occasionally to track progress. The yeast works quietly, transforming the sweet honey liquid into a smooth, drinkable mead.
Step 5: Racking and Clarifying
Once fermentation slows down, it’s time to rackthe mead, meaning to transfer it off the sediment left behind by the yeast. This helps clarify the mead and ensures a cleaner taste. Some mead makers repeat this step multiple times over several months to achieve a crystal-clear final product.
Step 6: Flavoring
Here’s where things get fun. After our mead is ready, we add fruits, herbs, and/or spices to enrich the flavour.
Step 7: Bottling and Aging Finally, the mead is bottled. Some meads are ready to drink right away, while others benefit from a little extra aging to mellow the flavors. Once bottled, the mead continues to evolve slowly, just like a fine wine, gaining subtle depth and smoothness over time.
Step 8: Enjoying And finally… the best step: drinking it. Whether neat, chilled, or mixed with your favorite drops, the result is a golden, honeyed beverage full of history, flavor, and personality.
Making mead is a blend of science and art. It takes patience, attention to detail, and a little bit of experimentation. But the reward? A drink that’s not only delicious but steeped in tradition, with endless possibilities for creativity. Next time you sip a mead, you’ll know exactly how those golden drops came to life.
