ii8 THE BOOK OF THE HONEY BEE 



" Metheglin is the more generous and stronger sort of 

 hydromel, for it beareth an egg to the breadth of a 

 sixpence." 



Metheglin of the vintage 17 17 would probably prove 

 anything but palatable to the simpler tastes of to-day, 

 for the worthy knight's receipt includes thyme, eglantine, 

 sweet marjoram, rosemary, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and 

 pepper, in fairly liberal proportions. 



" Miodomel," a beverage prepared by the monks of 

 St Basil, at Sokal in Poland, is a species of mead flavoured 

 with hops. Dobrogost Chylinski in his "Beekeeper's 

 Manual" (1845) thus describes the method of its 

 preparation : — 



" To twenty-four gallons of water put twelve gallons 

 of honey and twelve pounds of hops ;^ boil them together 

 on a very sloiv fire, till the whole is reduced one third. 

 Care must be taken that the fire be not too strong, yet 

 the heat must increase gradually ; from a sudden and 

 excessive heat, a burnt taste will be communicated to it. 

 From the boiler empty it into a large tub or barrel, 

 which must be deposited in a warm place during eight 

 days, so as to undergo the process of fermentation ; 

 afterwards it must be filtered through a woollen filter 

 into a barrel, and placed in a cellar for use. The older 

 it is, the better and stronger it becomes. After it has 

 been twelve months in the cellar it may be bottled, and 

 kept for years." 



Chylinski extols the virtues of miodomel as improving 

 and restoring the power of digestion, effective against 

 gout and rheumatism, and a most excellent remedy for 

 measles. 



Krupnik, another Polish drink, consists (says Chylinski) 

 of neat whisky boiled with honey, and should be drunk 

 warm, especially in winter. 



1 Early British mead usually contained hops. — H. R. 



