Kyivan Rus Revival · Medovukha
Medovukha (Kyivan Honey Mead)
Photo: Bapak Alex / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
The Primary Chronicle says that in 945 Princess Olga had mead brewed for her husband Igor's funeral feast, then had her Drevlian enemies killed once they were drunk.
Medovukha is a lightly fizzy, low-alcohol mead made by fermenting honey and water, sometimes with added hops, cloves, or cinnamon. In Kyiv it's served warm from mugs at winter markets, or lightly chilled in summer, with a smooth sweetness and a gentle kick.
Why it's made this way: Mead predates distilled spirits in this part of the world by centuries, and Kyiv — capital of the medieval Kyivan Rus' state where the drink flourished at every feast — remains its most historically resonant home.
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