🥃 Miód pitny

Miód pitny, or mead, is a drink made by fermenting honey with water, often with spices, hops or fruit juice. It is a fermented product, not a distillate, so it is not an EU spirit drink. In Poland, four types of miód pitny have had guaranteed traditional speciality status in the EU since 2008.

Four types. The name shows the proportion of honey to liquid: czwórniak is one part honey to three parts water, trójniak one to two, dwójniak one to one, and półtorak one part honey to half a part of water. They were entered in the register by Commission Regulation (EC) No 729/2008 of 28 July 2008. The less water, the denser and sweeter the drink.

Trójniak specification. For 'trójniak staropolski tradycyjny' the requirements are 12–15% ABV, 65–120 g/l of reducing sugars after inversion, and at least one year of maturation. There are two types: 'sycony', where the honey wort is boiled, and 'niesycony', where it is not; the type is written next to the name. Spices, hops and fruit juices are allowed, and the Polish honey-to-water ratio dates back to rules from 1948.

Old tradition. The Polish specification refers to mentions of drinking mead from the 10th century. The Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine calls beer and hop mead the oldest alcoholic drinks on Ukrainian lands. In Slovenia a similar fermented honey drink is called medica and has about 10–15% alcohol.

Why this matters to you. Mead is closer in strength to wine than to vodka, but it is still alcohol. Do not confuse it with honey spirits: a honey spirit has at least 35% ABV, and a honey liqueur at least 15%. On a Polish mead label, look for the type and the variety. WHO reminds that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.