Traditional Irish mead is made by dissolving honey in warm water at a ratio of approximately 1.5 to 2kg of honey per 4 litres of water, then adding wine or mead yeast once the must has cooled below 30 degrees Celsius. A small quantity of nutrient is added to support yeast health during fermentation. Primary fermentation takes one to three weeks at room temperature, followed by racking to secondary for clarification. Still mead is ready for drinking in three to six months; longer aging develops complexity.

Mead is neither exclusively Irish nor Scottish: it is one of the oldest fermented beverages in human history, produced across Northern Europe, the British Isles, and beyond since at least 7000 BCE. Archaeological evidence for mead making has been found across both Ireland and Scotland. Irish mead holds a particular cultural significance through the mead halls of ancient Gaelic literature and the Brehon Laws, which included detailed regulations governing mead production and consumption. Both traditions are valid and parallel.