Mead is one of the most ancient forms of alcohol. Earliest discoveries place mead in 7000 BC China.

All alcoholic beverages are created by using organisms to convert carbohydrates to alcohol. It is by the source of the carbohydrates, that we use to distinguish these beverages.

When your primary source of fermentable sugars come from grains, you are making a beer. When they come from, you are making wine. But when they come from honey, you get the delicious nectar we call mead.

A traditional mead (show mead) is made from only honey, water and yeast. Honey can be almost completely fermented making the process very efficient. Honeys are a gift of nature that exist in an infinite variety reflecting the plant life in the vicinity of the bee hive. Through additions of fruit (melomels) or herbs (metheglins) and their timing, choice of honey and yeast varietals, and by varying the temperature and duration of the fermentation, an infinite variety of flavors and aromas can be achieved.

Other names for mead are honey wine (though arguably incorrect - see above), Acan in Mexico, Met in Germany, Tej in Ethiopia, and iQhilika in South Africa.