Bringing history to life one drink at a time.
In Celtic times, feasts were served with Irish Mead. The state banquet for President Joe Biden was accompanied by our Irish Mead too. It’s fantastic that the 13th century Dublin Castle, was once again pouring mead with the celebratory feast. There were 160 dignitaries eating crab cakes and lamb finishing with a pear mousse tart, all fantastic pairing with our different meads!
If you are planning your own feast with mead we’d love to hear. If it’s good enough for our American guests…
There were 12 chefs and 55 waiters.
The menu was decided by the Department of the Taoiseach and prepared by Garrett Duff, culinary director of the catering company “With Taste”.
Lambay Island crab cake, asparagus and chervil, pickled cucumber and wasabi sesame, with crab sourced from Kish Fish, was the starter. I would accompany this with Atlantic Dry Mead – White Port Barrel Aged.
The main course was roast saddle of lamb, confit lamb shoulder, duck fat fondant potato, rainbow carrots, pea and mint puree, and sherry vinegar lamb jus. This I think would be wonderful with Wild Red Mead.
Tonka bean, pear and maple syrup mousse tart, pear cream, matcha tea crumb, ginger caramel and compressed pear for dessert. I’d have this with Hazy Summer Mead.
Cuinneog butter from Biden’s ancestral home of Co Mayo was served with Guinness and treacle bread, and sourdough from Firehouse Bakery in Co Wicklow.