Tej

Tej is the honey wine of Ethiopia and Eritrea — a fermented drink of honey and water flavoured with gesho, the leaves and twigs of a native buckthorn (Rhamnus prinoides) that lend a hop-like bitterness in place of Europe's grape or spice. It is the national alcoholic drink of Ethiopia, poured from a round-bellied glass flask called a berele into small glasses, and drunk from home brews to dedicated tej houses (tej bet). Cloudy gold to warm amber and served cool, it runs from lightly fizzy and off-dry to strong and honey-sweet, usually landing somewhere around 7 to 13 percent alcohol depending on how long it ferments. On the nose and palate tej leads with honey and floral nectar over a faint bitter, herbal, almost hoppy lift from the gesho and the tang of a wild, spontaneous ferment. Bound up with feasts, weddings, holidays and the Orthodox calendar, tej is one of the great living honey-wine cultures of the world and the essential non-Western mead.