It was once the Vikings’ favourite tipple - and now one of Suffolk’s most famous landmarks is to give people a chance to taste what is thought to be the world’s oldest alcoholic drink.

Created by fermenting honey and water, mead was at one time believed to be the drink of the gods which had fallen from heaven.

It was also thought to prolong life and improve health - and while modern tastes mean the 9,000-year-old beverage is sipped from a cocktail glass rather than a flagon, the television series Game of Thrones has reportedly increased people’s curiosity in the drink.

So English Heritage, one of the few organisations to sell the tipple, is now offering people samples at Framlingham Castle this winter - so people can experience mead as the Vikings did.

Cameron Moffett, English Heritage collections curator, said: “There’s evidence of mead being consumed thousands of years ago and it was the power drink of ancient Europe before winemaking had developed.

“It’s wonderful that this very old drink is now being discovered by a whole new generation.”