Nordic Mjød: A modern take on the world’s most ancient beverage

It started out as a quest to create the perfect mead, but turned into Nordic Mjød – a company founded by three Viking enthusiasts who realised that their versatile mead, also known as the port wine of the North, was too good to not be shared. The recipe? Endless research on ancient brewing methods, a monk recipe from the 17th century, and the perfect combination of sweetness, acidity and bitterness from honey, quince and chamomile respectively.

TEXT: CAMILLA PEDERSEN | PHOTOS: SAMSON BLAY STEINER

“We went to a Viking market many years ago and were all really excited to try mead. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was so underwhelmed with the overly dry and alcoholic drink that I went home and started browsing for and trying out recipes in my kitchen,” recounts Jesper Ohlrich, co-founder of Nordic Mjød. After almost 13 years of testing and tasting ingredients, flavour combinations and fermentation processes, they cracked the code and perfected the recipe so that it was as true to ancient brewing methods as can be. “We wanted to use organic and all-natural ingredients, so we chose to use quince and chamomile – both for the excellent taste and because they were available in the Viking Age,” says Ohlrich.

Nordic Mjød has created the port wine of the Nordics – a modern take on mead, the world’s most ancient drink.

Nordic Mjød describes its mead as a Nordic port wine, in part because mead is often mistaken for a type of beer. “Mead is an ancient honey drink that’s often associated with the Viking Age. Honey was a costly ingredient back then, so when beer was invented many years later, it was mixed with the mead to make it stretch longer,” Ohlrich explains. Just like a port wine, the versatile alcoholic beverage can be enjoyed as an aperitif or with dessert and cheese. “It works wonders in front of the fire on a cold day, but it works equally well in summery cocktails or in marinades for meat,” says Ohlrich. “We have several ideas for new flavours, so I guess we’ll never stop testing and tasting.”

Nordic Mjød was founded in 2018 by Jesper Ohlrich, who works as a driving instructor; Søren Møller Nielsen, a plastic processing technician; and Henrik Forsdahl Renvaktar, who is a train driver.

The bottle design was created by Danish artist Maj-Britt Møller Nielsen and depicts Thor’s battle with the Midgard Serpent.

Visit the website for inspiration on how to use the mead and find recipes for cocktails such as Nordic Storm, Loch Ness and many more.

Web: www.nordicmjoed.dk

Facebook: Nordic Mjød

Photo: Nordic Mjød