FAQS
ABOUT BARHI
BARHI is a sparkling date-based mead made by fermenting fresh Barhee dates and honey. It is dry, light, crisp and lightly sparkling, with a clean finish designed around the experience of enjoying food. Because BARHI drinks very differently from what many people expect when they hear the word “mead”, we describe the experience as drinking like a Fresh Date Spritz.
Mead is an alcoholic drink traditionally made by fermenting honey. It is a broad category and can be still or sparkling, dry or sweet, and produced in many different styles. BARHI takes that fermentation tradition in a different direction by combining honey with fresh Barhee dates to create a dry, lightly sparkling drink developed around food.
No. BARHI is a sparkling date-based mead made by fermenting fresh Barhee dates and honey. While beer is typically brewed from grains, wine from grapes and cider from apples or other fruits, BARHI has its own ingredient base and drinking character.
When people hear “mead”, many either aren't familiar with the category or expect something quite different from BARHI. Once they taste BARHI, we frequently hear it described as being more like a spritz. “Fresh Date Spritz” helps explain the drinking experience: dry, light, crisp, refreshing and lightly sparkling. BARHI still sits within mead from a fermentation perspective.
Not at all. You don't need any previous experience with mead to enjoy BARHI. BARHI has a dry, crisp and lightly sparkling drinking style that can be enjoyed on its own, but was developed particularly with food in mind.
BARHI is dry, crisp, refreshing and lightly sparkling, with a clean finish. Although it is made from fresh Barhee dates and honey, it doesn't taste like date juice or liquid honey and isn't designed to be a sweet drink.
No. BARHI is fermented dry. Fresh Barhee dates and honey naturally contain sugars, but fermentation transforms the ingredients into something very different from what you might expect from them. A 330ml bottle contains 1.52g of sugar, and BARHI is made with no added sugar.
Both BARHI Original and BARHI Spiced are 6% ABV.
BARHI is lightly sparkling. The level of carbonation was deliberately kept gentle to provide refreshment without making intense fizz the dominant part of the drinking experience.
INGREDIENTS, ALLERGENS & DIETARY INFORMATION
Yes. BARHI contains sulphites (E224). If you have an allergy or sensitivity to sulphites, please take this into account before consuming BARHI and always refer to the product label for the latest allergen information.
BARHI is made by fermenting fresh Barhee dates and honey. BARHI Spiced also includes star anise and orange peel, which give it a more aromatic character. BARHI contains sulphites (E224). Please refer to the product label for full and current ingredient and allergen information
No. BARHI is made with no added sugar. A 330ml bottle contains 1.52g of carbohydrate, all of which is sugar.
A 330ml bottle of BARHI contains approximately 115 kcal. Both BARHI Original and BARHI Spiced are 6% ABV.
BARHI is made WITHOUT artificial flavours or sweeteners.
Yes. BARHI is naturally gluten-free. It is made from fresh Barhee dates and honey rather than gluten-containing grains.
BARHI is naturally gluten-free and does not use gluten-containing grains as ingredients.
BARHI contains honey, which many vegans choose not to consume. No animal-derived fining agents are used.
Yes. BARHI is suitable for vegetarians.
No. BARHI contains alcohol and is 6% ABV.
BARHI is brewed in India using fresh Barhee dates and honey and imported into the UK by Vintage Brewery UK Ltd.
CHOOSING YOUR BARHI
Yes. Food wasn't a pairing idea added after BARHI had been developed. The meal was part of the brief from the beginning. We wanted a drink that could provide refreshment between bites without becoming another dominant flavour on the palate. That meant thinking about weight, sweetness, bitterness, carbonation and, importantly, what remains in your mouth when you return to the food.
Many familiar drinks can change how food tastes. Hop bitterness in beer can become more noticeable alongside intensely flavoured or chilli-led dishes; cider and sweeter cocktails can introduce additional sweetness; and wine pairing can depend considerably on the particular food being served. BARHI was approached differently. It was developed to be dry, light, gently sparkling and clean-finishing, so the drink refreshes between bites without overpowering the flavours of the meal.
BARHI Original is made from fresh Barhee dates and honey and has the cleaner, crisper profile of the two. It works particularly well when chilli heat leads the dish. BARHI Spiced adds star anise and orange peel for a more aromatic character. It works particularly well with seafood, rich creamy dishes, BBQ, grilled, smoked and charred food. Both are dry, lightly sparkling, 6% ABV and best served at 0–3°C.
Choose BARHI Original when chilli heat is the defining feature of the dish. Try it with vindaloo, chilli-heavy jalfrezi, chilli chicken, Thai red curry, spicy Korean chicken, Sichuan dishes, jerk chicken, spicy tacos or arrabbiata pasta. Its cleaner, crisper character provides refreshment between chilli-forward bites.
Choose BARHI Spiced. Try it with butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, dal makhani, creamy paneer curries, Thai coconut curries, creamy pasta, mushroom stroganoff or other rich, creamy dishes. Its aromatic character and dry, lightly sparkling finish provide contrast to the richness of the food.
BARHI Spiced is our choice for BBQ, grilled, smoked and charred food. Try it with tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, paneer tikka, seekh kebabs, lamb chops, Korean BBQ, yakitori, grilled steak, BBQ chicken, smoked brisket, grilled vegetables or charred corn. The star anise and orange peel in Spiced work particularly well when smoke, spice and char are prominent.
Try BARHI Spiced with seafood. It works particularly well with prawn curry, grilled prawns, grilled salmon, sea bass, fish curry, fish tacos, garlic prawns, seafood pasta, grilled octopus or BBQ seafood. Its aromatic character complements seafood while BARHI's dry, lightly sparkling profile keeps the pairing refreshing.
It depends on the style of biryani. For a hotter, chilli-led biryani, try BARHI Original. For a richer, more aromatic biryani, particularly one served with grilled or tandoori meats, try BARHI Spiced. It's a good example of why BARHI pairings are based on how a dish tastes rather than simply the cuisine it comes from.
Think chilli and heat. BARHI Original works particularly well with vindaloo, jalfrezi, chilli chicken, Thai red curry, spicy noodles, Sichuan dishes, Korean spicy chicken, jerk chicken, spicy tacos, hot wings and arrabbiata pasta.
Think seafood, richness, grilling, smoke and char. BARHI Spiced works particularly well with butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, dal makhani, creamy curries, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, paneer tikka, seekh kebabs, lamb chops, Korean BBQ, yakitori, grilled steak, BBQ chicken, prawns, salmon, sea bass, fish curry, fish tacos, seafood pasta and grilled vegetables.
No. Indian food played an important role in BARHI's development, but the principle behind BARHI is much broader. BARHI can sit alongside Indian, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Caribbean, Italian, Middle Eastern, British and other cuisines. What matters more than the country a dish comes from is what is happening on the plate: chilli heat, richness, seafood, smoke, grilling or char.
Both BARHI Original and BARHI Spiced are best served chilled at 0–3°C.
SERVING & STORAGE
BARHI is best enjoyed chilled. Serve both BARHI Original and BARHI Spiced at 0–3°C. It can be enjoyed from the bottle or poured into a glass.
BARHI does not need to be refrigerated during normal storage, but it should be served chilled for the best drinking experience. Store bottles appropriately away from excessive heat and direct sunlight.
BARHI has a shelf life of 18 months from the date of manufacture when stored appropriately.
Yes. Although BARHI was developed around food, it can also be enjoyed chilled on its own, as an aperitif or during social occasions.
BUYING BARHI
BARHI is available through selected restaurants, pubs and other venues, as well as online. Visit BARHI Near You for current venues and stockists, or explore BARHI Original and BARHI Spiced online.
Yes. BARHI can be delivered across the UK, subject to the delivery options available at checkout.
Please refer to the current delivery information shown at checkout for the latest estimated delivery times.
RESTAURANTS & PUBS
Yes. BARHI is available for on-trade supply to restaurants, pubs and other hospitality venues in a case of 24 bottles of 330ml and 30L one way kegs.
BARHI was developed around the dining experience rather than having food pairing added as an afterthought. Its dry, lightly sparkling and clean-finishing drinking style gives venues a distinctive alcoholic option designed to sit naturally alongside food.
Yes. Sampling and trade tasting options can be arranged for interested venues.
Yes. We can provide staff with simple BARHI training covering the product, how to explain it to customers, serving temperatures and food-pairing recommendations.
Yes. We work with venues to help introduce BARHI to their customers and support new listings through appropriate activations, sampling and marketing activity.
Yes. BARHI Original is available in 30L kegs, as well as 330ml bottles.
COMPLIANCE & PACKAGING
BARHI is imported and sold in the UK by Vintage Brewery UK Ltd in accordance with applicable UK requirements.
Yes. Vintage Brewery UK Ltd is AWRS registered and VAT registered.
BARHI's glass bottles are recyclable. Please follow your local recycling guidance for individual packaging components.
