I usually think of mead as some appalling-tasting brew which only seems right to consume at renfaires and around the holidays with friends who think they are brewers.
Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. It is sometimes known as “honey wine” (for obvious reasons) and is generally pronounced “meed” though South Africans usually pronounce it “med”, to rhyme with “red.”
The word mead refers to the sugary fluid excreted by flowers. In symbology mead is the tipple of the gods.
A mead that also contains spices (like cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg) or herbs (such as oregano or even lavender or chamomile) is called metheglin. The etymon of this word is possibly “medicine” as healing herbs were often stored as metheglin so they would be available over the winter (as well as making them much easier to swallow).
A mead that contains fruit (such as strawberry, blackcurrant or even rose-hips) is called melomel and was also used as a delicious way to “store” summer produce for the winter.
Mulled mead is a popular winter holiday drink, where mead is warmed (traditionally by having a hot poker plunged into it) and flavoured with spices. (via Wikipedia)
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