Cherry trees, honey bees, and pagan lore were brought to the Danes by trade with Ancient Greece. Due to lack of grain and grape, the Norse peoples mastered and entwined meadmaking with sacred ritual. The spit of the gods, stardust, or wild honey yeasts, you could say, turned sour cherries and honey into mead suitable for their long voyages at sea. Vanilla, a prized commodity of the Aztec Empire, gives this classic European-style mead a new-world flavor for the American palette.