Mead - an alcoholic drink traditionally made from honey, water, yeast and with all kinds of flavors - spices and berries. This drink appeared several centuries ago, when honey making was very popular. Mead differs not only in composition, but also in sterilization of honey and strength. Although this drink is popular, it is extremely rare to find it, therefore, all lovers are well aware of the Suzdal mead.
Mead Suzdal
No wonder this drink is famous throughout Russia. It is in the city of Suzdal that is the only enterprise that produces the famous mead of different strengths. The Suzdal honey factory arose in the 19th century, when it was rebuilt by a noble merchant figure Vasily Zhinkin. It must be remembered that mead is an original Russian drink that arose even before the reign of Peter I - when drinks such as coffee and tea began to appear on the Russian side.
Even vodka did not have such popularity as a honey product. The drink was an obligatory dish both on the tables of noble masters and kings, and among ordinary commoners. Even the financial situation of citizens was determined by the presence of honey alcohol - its absence on the table meant extreme need.
Factory History
The suburbs of Suzdal have always been famous for their monastery-made honey. Revive the popular drink, which is a little forgotten with the advent of vodka, decided the merchant of the second guild Vasily Zhinkin. In addition to the constructed honey factory (one of the first in the country), the merchant contained a couple of shops that sold wine. In addition, Vasily ran a small waxworks - then the wax was very appreciated and cost a lot of money. On the basis of this very waxworks, the merchant opened honey production. It should be noted that at that time no more than 30 drinking establishments worked in the city . But to sell products, in addition to taverns, it was possible at the Euphrosyne Fair, which was held annually and was quite popular.
The second life of the plant
The case of the merchant Zhinkin flourished until 1914, when the Prohibition was introduced in Russia. For more than half a century, the mead of Suzdal disappeared from free sale. The brighter was the announcement of one of the largest restaurants in Suzdal that it is in it that they cook mead according to an old recipe in compliance with all traditions. This was done on purpose - a honey drink was one of the main values of this city, and in the post-war period (this happened in 1967), the country needed currency extracted through tourism.
A tourist center was created in the city that advertised an old Russian product. The idea was completely successful - the mead, which was cooked not in a restaurant, but in a small factory on the edge of the city, became the main lure not only for domestic but also for foreign tourists. There were also honey beer drinks that were no longer sweet, but a little sour.
The flourishing of honey
The trick in attracting tourists was that the honey drink was transported throughout the city - in large jars, like milk, selling to anyone. However, the mead of Suzdal was not exported outside the city. You could try it only when you arrived in Suzdal. Suzdal mead went through the second decline along with perestroika. The city was left without a tourist flow, the drink became unclaimed, and the plant closed. However, this did not cause the complete disappearance of the mead - local handicraftsmen intercepted the baton of preparation. Fortunately, unlike other spirits, it is very easy to prepare mead Suzdal.
Every second resident of Suzdal knew her recipe - 4 liters of spring water, 500 grams of honey, half a kilogram of sugar and 100 grams of yeast. For the fortress, alcohol or some vodka was added. Professionally, the mead is prepared like this - in a large cauldron, a viscous honey wort is cooked, which should be quite thick. After he is sent to wander in a special room, where the ripening of the drink takes place. This process can be short-lived - if the honey drink is non-alcoholic, or takes more than a month - with a mead fortress of 7-8 degrees. The finished drink is filtered and poured into prepared bottles.
Honey rivers flow
The second resurrection of honeymaking occurred in the 90s. Igor Zadorozhny and Sergey Gorovoy, Moscow businessmen, decided to start producing mead. Of course, Suzdal was chosen as the location of the plant - a place where for many decades Medovuha Suzdal Cossack, Pyatialtynnaya, Polupoltinnaya, with wild rose and spices, non-alcoholic - pleased the taste of residents and visitors of the city.
A lot of time, effort and money was put in order to restore the destroyed and worn-out equipment of the old honey factory. Now the company employs about a hundred people. The main priority for entrepreneurs was the process of making mead - the “right” honey and the preservation of the old cooking technology. Beer drinks based on honey began to be produced at the plant, which are a bit forgotten over time.
Factory today
Today, everyone can enjoy numerous types of mead and beer drinks in the tasting room, open at the mead factory. Its interior is designed in the old style - oak furniture, carpets and chandeliers, wall paintings and ceramic mugs.
Any of the visitors can come here to personally find out what a truly Russian mead is from Suzdal. Guests are greeted by employees dressed in Russian folk style who offer a drink, a snack and listen to the story of the drink. It is noteworthy that at least 40 thousand people go through the walls of the tasting room a year. His own holiday, Mead Day, was even dedicated to the honey drink. Cool and slightly tart, made from honey from its own apiaries, with grown herbs for taste, the mead is drunk with buckets - just like they drank it in Russia. Abroad, the honey drink got its name - “Russian power engineer”.