Both human beings and ants know how to make mead, also called honey wine. Ants use aphid honeydew, we use bee honey. The ancient Greeks called this drinkhydromeli (hydro(water) + meli(honey)). It is the same drink that the gods of Olympus and the priests of Galia all enjoyed.
Here is an introduction to how to brew mead:
Boil 6 kilograms of honey and clear away the foam. Add 15 litres of water, 25 grams of ginger powder, 15 grams of amomum seeds and 15 grams ofcinnamon to the honey. Simmer until about a quarter has boiled away, then take off the fire to cool.
When the mixture is warm, add three tablespoons of yeast and let the solids settle over about 12 hours.
Then, pour the liquid into a small wooden barrel while filtering out the residue. Seal the barrel tight and leave in a cold place for 2 weeks.
Lastly, pour the mead in a bottle, seal with a cork and wire, then let it mature in the basement cellar.
It is best to open it about two months later, maybe in time for a wild party just like the ancient Greek bacchanalia (a wild, mystic festival in honour of Dionysus/Bacchus, the god of wine, through uncontrolled drinking and orgies).
(from The Encyclopaedia of Relative and Absolute Knowledge by Bernard Werber)
