Mead cocktails to beat the heat at Northbank

Posted by winesleuth in All, Food and Wine | 0 comments

Now that the sun has finally agreed to cooperate, it’s time to find some cool and refreshing drinks to deal with the mini-heatwave we’re having at the moment.

I usually turn to a nice Provencal rose or zesty white but I was recently introduced mead cocktails. Mead is usually associated with Merry Olde England and to be frank, I didn’t really know what it was but after a bit of research (ok, I googled it), I discovered that it’s a honey flavoured wine that was a staple during the Middle Ages and produced by English monks. That is, until Henry VIII outlawed the monasteries and the production of mead fell out of favour.

Happily, the folks at the Cornish Mead Co. revived production 50 years ago and their mead is now featured in Northbank restaurant’s specialty mead cocktails. Northbank is an “modern British restaurant” right on the Thames almost directly under the Millennium Bridge with fabulous views of the Thames and the Shard as well as a deck to enjoy the sunshine.

I tried all 4 mead cocktails and they were refreshing and tasty. I was expecting sticky sweet cocktails but the mead cocktails were none of the above. Mead on its own can be quite sweet and syrupy but with the addition of gin (Chamberry Mead),vodka (Honey Mead Rise),  cachaca ( Elderberry Caiperina) or frangelico (Cherryelico) delish.

The restaurant has a seasonal menu available for both the bar and restaurant. As it was quite a hot day, I tried the fish dishes, whitebait, Thai fishcakes and skate wing. Skate can be difficult to cook properly but Northbank’s was tasty although a bit heavy with the accompanying butter sauce.

For a change of pace in this hot summer weather, try a mead cocktail at Northbank. I really enjoyed them.

NORTHBANK
Millennium Bridge
One Paul’s Walk
London
EC4V 3QH