SUPERSTITION MEADERY THE WORLD’S FIRST MEAD & FOOD PAIRING RESTAURANT What started from a home brew kit Jen Herbert gave to her husband, Jeff, in 2009, has led to a mead empire that spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Three years after their first bottle, the duo began making mead in 18 square feet of another winery. Soon thereafter, they opened a tasting room in Prescott, and by 2017, they were the biggest winemaker in Arizona. In 2019, the SBA named them the Best Small Business in America. Then, the Herberts opened Superstition Downtown, the world’s first mead and food pairing restaurant, in the middle of a pandemic. But they hit the challenges head on, running dramatic promotions, amping up social media, and creating 50 Arizona jobs in the process. Along this business-building journey, Superstition has developed over 300 unique meads and hard ciders. But what is mead? It’s actually the world’s oldest fermented beverage, made from honey. In the case of Superstition’s bottles, Arizona honey. Once someone tries Superstition, they’re hooked. They make session meads (lower ABV), dry, sparkling, cider-mead hybrids, meads made with spices, fruits, and herbs, and their barrel program leads the industry. The Downtown restaurant is located in a historic building that was the first Chinese Market in Phoenix, so many menu items pay homage to the history. Try the mead-glazed pork belly bao buns or the spicy Asian bison skirt steak. There’s also Spanish Octopus braised in Superstition’s Lagrimas de Oro (a mesquite honey mead aged in bourbon barrels), chicken mole tacos, and much more. So go experience the first-of-its-kind mead-pairing restaurant, in the heart of Downtown Phoenix! 1110 E. WASHINGTON ST., PHOENIX SUPERSTITIONMEADERY.COM (602) 368-3257 EAT 2021 | PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MAY 13TH - MAY 19TH 2021 9
