From: Troy Bettinger While doing a little reading on the history of food, we found this recipe for "Honey Wine". >From "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee: -- As late as the 17th century, honey-based alcoholic beverages were the object of some connoisseurship. The English courtier Sir Kenelm Digby collected his favorite recipes for various food and drink, and better than 100 of them, nearly half of the total, are formulas for mead, metheglin, hydromel, and so on. Sweet grape wines have turned these onetime staples in curiosities. HONEY WINE Hydromel as I Made It Weak For the Queen Mother Take 18 quarts of spring-water, and one quart of honey; when the water is warm, put the honey into it. When it boileth up, skim it very well, and continue skimming it, as long as any scum will rise. Then put in one Race [root] of Ginger (sliced in thin slices), four Cloves, and a little sprig of green Rosemary. Let these boil in the Liquor so long, till in all it have boiled one hour. Then set it to cool, till it be blood-warm, and then put to it a spoonful of Ale-yest [yeast]. When it is worked up, put it into a vessel of a fit size; and after two or three days, bottle it up. You may drink it after six weeks, or two months. Thus was the Hydromel made that I gave the Queen, which was exceedingly liked by everybody. The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, Opened (1699)