What is the secret to hosting a fabulous intimate party? A bunch of friends, good food, good music, and some drinks. But this time around, why not ditch your favorite rum, scotch, whisky, and vodka for mead?
Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages the world has ever known. With its exotic flavors and unexplored tones, mead is a perfect drink to make your party the talk of the town. But before you decide to serve this golden elixir at your house party, there are some serving rules you should know.
Here is how to serve mead the right way at your party.
- Educate your guests on mead
Mead can be touted as a low-profile drink. Not many people are aware of it, and not many expect to have it at a party.
So, while your guests expect champagne or wine, getting mead may confuse and turn them off. Hence, it’s a great idea to educate your guests about mead before serving it to them.
Tell them what mead is, which are its most loved flavors, and what is the basic mead recipe. Give them a glimpse of the rich history and cultural stories related to mead. All this information will create an air of excitement around mead, and your guests will look forward to tasting it.
- Serve it the right way
Just like serving wine or any other alcohol, serving mead the right way requires a bit of planning and effort. Right from the glassware to the temperature, everything needs to be considered.
Just the way you can’t deny the importance of glassware when serving wine, champagne, or any cocktail, you can’t go wrong with mead glassware. The glassware should be clear and colorless so that your guests could evaluate and appreciate the appearance of this golden beauty.
Ensure you use stemmed glassware to avoid fingerprints on it. The best idea is to go with a tulip-shaped wine glass. However, if you are serving hot mead, opt for whisky glass.
Coming to the serving size, if you are serving cold mead, the serving should be anywhere between 100 ml to 125 ml. And, for warm mead, the ideal serving size is 50 ml in a whisky glass.
In case you have guests who can’t have mead, I suggest a whisky highball drink along with the mead so guests have another option as well.
- Know the right temperature
Temperature plays an important role in determining the flavors perceived by your guests. The best thing about mead is that it can be enjoyed hot and chilled, both. On warm summer noon, you may want to serve a chilled mead, and on a cold winter evening, a warm mulled mead would be the right choice. So, the serving temperature will depend on when you are serving the mead.
If you are serving cold mead, serve it at 12 to 16 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, your guests will be able to appreciate the tone of the mead.
To bring your mead to this desirable temperature, place it in the fridge before the party. When serving, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before you pass on the glass to your guests. Fruity flavors taste delicious when served cold.
When serving hot mead, bring it between 50 to 55 degrees Celsius. Make sure you don’t overheat the mead. If the temperature reaches beyond 60 degrees Celsius, the mead will foam and lose its flavors. Also, do not heat all the mead together. Heat the amount you are going to serve. If you heat it in a large amount, make sure you serve every drop of it immediately as hot mead tends to lose its taste and quality quickly.
- Don’t forget to pair your mead with food
The best thing about serving mead at the party is that you can try different food pairings with your mead without the fear of going wrong because everything works well with mead.
Try pitching spicy and fruity flavors together to create a fun pair. Pair dry mead with cheese and citrus/floral meads with salads. You can also serve fruit meads with matching desserts.
Finally
In a time when the world is facing a new challenge every day, your friends offer you a respite. It’s time for you to call your friends home, serve them this exotic drink, and steal some moments away from day-to-day worries.
