Honey wine or honey brandy served warm in winter and at fairs. It is rooted in Slovenia’s old beekeeping culture — the home of the Carniolan bee and of the painted hive front.
Producing alcohol at home is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and the brandy version additionally requires a distilled spirit.
What goes into it
- honey
- water
- yeast
- sometimes spices or a distilled spirit for the brandy version
How it is made
Honey is diluted with water and fermented for weeks to months into a mead; the brandy version is instead honey blended into or distilled with spirit. Both are matured before serving. The Carniolan bee and the country’s forest and lime honey are what the producers actually sell.
How long it takes: weeks to months to ferment, then maturing
How it is eaten
Warm in a cup at a winter fair, or cool in a small glass after dinner.
History
Rooted in Slovenia’s old beekeeping culture, home of the Carniolan bee and the painted hive front.
Frequently asked questions
What is Medica?
Medica is a wine & spirit from Slovenia: honey wine or honey brandy served warm in winter and at fairs. Rooted in Slovenia’s old beekeeping culture, home of the Carniolan bee and the painted hive front.
How is Medica made?
Honey is diluted with water and fermented for weeks to months into a mead; the brandy version is instead honey blended into or distilled with spirit. Both are matured before serving. The Carniolan bee and the country’s forest and lime honey are what the producers actually sell. It takes weeks to months to ferment, then maturing.
Can I make Medica at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. Producing alcohol at home is licensed or restricted in most of the atlas’s readership, and the brandy version additionally requires a distilled spirit.
What goes into Medica?
Honey, water, yeast, sometimes spices or a distilled spirit for the brandy version.
How is Medica eaten?
Warm in a cup at a winter fair, or cool in a small glass after dinner.
