We’re joined by Harp Mann, mixology consultant and founder of @Mix.Mann, a large and growing award-winning mixology & drinks Instagram page, letting him loose on our mead, wine and spirits!
Harp is known for exciting and exotic crafted cocktail creations as well as spirits expertise, running masterclass events, drinks writing and judging It has seen him work with many worldwide brands - consulting in the UK, Antigua and Mauritius! So it’s exciting to have Harp sample our Moonshine Mead for the first time and see his creation:ver to Harp!
Mead is a drink from ancient times, where honey is fermented to make a wonderful aromatic drink. Honey is to mead as apples are to cider, but way older, as mead is said to be the world’s oldest alcohol, dating back to 7000BC!
I decided to use Traditional Mead from India’s first Meadery, Moonshine Meadery who first started in a garage back in 2014 before opening their Meadery in 2018. Traditional Mead is Moonshine’s original flavour, and now one of a wide range of brews that Maharaja Drinks kindly brings to us to enjoy in the UK!
This Traditional Mead is made from Multifloral, Acacia, Sidr & Mustard Honeys, plus water and yeast - that’s it, 100% natural! The mead weighs in at 6.5% abv, reminiscent of cider or beer with a similar golden hue, but it is aromatically dry, like a lightly sparkling wine.
Yes, don’t be fooled by the moniker of honey; it’s floral, delicate with honey notes but with no sugar rush! It’s lovely to enjoy chilled from the fridge, but I just had to get funky with it in a new signature cocktail creation!
Topped with Mead, I created a drink using a saffron-infused basmati rice Vodka from India’s Smoke Lab. Making it an Indian hat trick, I added Davana Vermouth Bianco, from India’s first vermouth producer! Enriched with ginger liqueur, black pepper cardamom bitters and my signature Gulab syrup, made from rose water and cardamom, balanced by lemon juice acidity, the result is an elevated bees knees of a cocktail!
MEADNIGHT MOONSHINE
- 60ml Topped with chilled Moonshine Traditional Mead
- 30ml Smoke Lab Saffron-infused Vodka
- 15ml Davana Vermouth Bianco
- 10ml Giffard Ginger of the Indies Liqueur
- 20ml Lemon Juice
- 25ml Homemade Gulab Syrup (Rose Water and Cardamom)*
- 1/3 Pipette Ms Betters Bitters Black Pepper Cardamom Bitters
- 1/3 Pipette Ms Betters Bitters Miraculous Foamer
- Garnish: Dehydrated Lemon wheel, edible flowers, saffron fronds
- Shake all (except Mead) with ice for 20s, strain into an ice-filled tumbler, and slowly top with chilled Mead.
I found the drink was a lovely way to play with the floral aromatic flavours of the mead and a great way to show how mead can be the centrepiece of a cocktail. I can’t wait to try the rest of the Moonshine Mead range as the Lemon Tea, Coffee, Grilled Pineapple Mead flavours already have my creative juices flowing!
Cheers Harp!
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* Cardamom Rose Syrup recipe
- 375 ml Caster Sugar
- 375 ml Water
- 9 Cardamom Pods
- 7.5 ml Rose Water
Simmer for 8 mins, then leave to infuse 4 hrs (overnight if you can), strain out cardamom, pour into a clean bottle and store in fridge.
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