Mead: 24 recipes at home
One of the many advantages of mead (a low-alcohol honey drink with a strength of 1-16 degrees) is the ability to prepare it at home.
Of course, we are not talking about home production of honey brew in industrial volumes, but each of you can easily provide yourself with a dozen or two half-liter bottles that warm your soul in this way.
Find out what it is Mead more details.
Basic recipe for mead
Ingredients
4 liters of spring or artesian water
Half a kilo of thick, flavored honey (for example, linden or buckwheat)
Half a kilogram of granulated sugar
100 grams of bread yeast
The method of preparation
Stir water, sugar and half of the honey you have in an enamel saucepan thoroughly and put on fire.
Bring the mixture to 50 degrees, then keep it on the fire for another quarter of an hour, stirring constantly and removing the foam that forms on the surface (at the same time, it is worth remembering to be constantly and vigilantly vigilant, as honey burns extremely easily and is equally easy to ignite).
Remove the liquid from the heat and cool it to a temperature of 25-30°C so that your yeast does not die from overheating.
Add the diluted yeast to the pan, cover it with cheesecloth and put it in a warm place for two days.
Next, remove the foam that has formed and pour the contents of the pan into a glass jug or bottle.
Close the glass container with a tight lid or pull a rubber medical glove or a special rubber cork over its neck (in the first case, a small hole is made in the lid for a gas exhaust tube, one end of which is inside the container above the surface of the wandering substance, and the other in a cup of water; in the second, a tiny hole is pierced in one of the fingers of the glove).
Put the container in a dark, warm place and wait 4-6 days. During this time, the fermentation period should come to an end. You will know about it due to the absence of bubbles coming out through the tube or a deflated glove. For safety, you can bring a lighted match to the vessel with honey brew. If the flame does not become brighter, then the yeast has indeed completed its work.
Next, the future mead is filtered from the sediment, after which it should be kept in a dark, cold place for about a month (both the cellar and the refrigerator are suitable). After this period, the liquid is filtered again and, after adding the remaining 250 grams of honey, accompanied by the final stirring, poured into glass or plastic bottles.
The resulting nectar can be served immediately; but if you have at least a little patience, let the drink rest for a while longer.
The basic recipe for mead would not be the same if it did not provide for the more or less arbitrary addition of various additional ingredients.
Among them can be various spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, cloves, ginger, cardamom; berries of middle latitudes: viburnum, blueberries, currants, strawberries, mountain ash, raspberries, cranberries, lingonberries, cherries and even rose hips; as well as other herbal ingredients: hops, linden blossom, mint, pine buds, sweet clover and, strange as it may seem, horseradish.
You can use the above herbs and spices in all the recipes below.Original recipe for mead (stewed mead without yeast and boiling)
Ingredients per liter of water:
2 kilograms of honey
4 kilograms of red berries (cherries, strawberries or raspberries)
The method of preparation
First, put the berries in a glass jar (in the case of cherries, be sure to remove the pits). At the same time, some craftsmen refuse to wash the berries in every possible way so as not to harm the bacteria responsible for fermentation.
Then the berries are poured with a water-honey solution, the throat of the vessel is tied with gauze, and the container itself is placed in a warm place for several days.
When a characteristic foam appears on the surface of the drink, remove the cheesecloth, remove the foam, and strain the liquid, pour it into glass bottles and seal them.
The resulting drink is placed in the refrigerator or in the cellar for 4 months.
It is worth noting that for the fullness of the true Old Russian effect, glass bottles should be replaced with oak barrels, and the aging period of the drink should be increased by 20 years. To those who want to try - our sincere respect.
Mead in a hurry
Ingredients
Water - 4 liters
Lemon - 3 pcs.
Iuzm - 100 g
Honey - 400 g
Yeast (preferably wine yeast) - 30 g
Flour - 1 tbsp.
The method of preparation
Cut lemons and put them in a saucepan, add 100 grams of raisins and 400 grams of honey.
Pour boiling water and stir. Then let it cool down.
Then add 30 grams of diluted yeast and a tablespoon of flour.
Leave it all in a warm place for a day and proceed according to the basic recipe from the 5th point.
An old recipe for mead
Ingredients
Honey - 1.25 kg
Water - 8 liters
Hops - 2 tbsp.л.
Gelatin - half a teaspoon
Cardamom and ginger - to taste
Method of preparation
Put honey in an enamel bowl, then pour boiling water over it. Leave for a day, then bring to a boil and cook for an hour.
Then add hops, bring the honey to a boil again, cook at a temperature of up to 50 degrees for an hour, then cool it. Repeat this procedure 4 to 5 times.
Now you need to cool the honey, pour it into a large barrel, add cardamom and diluted gelatin, and then close it well.
Stand for 2-3 weeks. If the fermentation does not start or is small, add yeast.
After the end of primary fermentation, pour the drink into bottles, while tightly closing them.
Put the finished alcohol in a cool place for 3 months (you can cover it with sand).
Cranberry mead
Ingredients per 1 kg of honey
Water - 2.5 liters
Cranberry juice - 1 liter
Yeast (preferably wine yeast) - 100 g
Cinnamon and cloves - to taste
The method of preparation
Dilute honey with water and heat to 60 degrees.
Remove the foam, pour the drink into a bottle, add juice, spices, yeast and put it in a warm place for 2 days.
After that, close the bottle well and put it in a cool place for 20 days.
Pink mead
Ingredients
Water - 5 liters
Honey - 2 kg
Dried blueberries - 300 g
Yeast (preferably wine) - 2 tbsp. л.
Gelatin - 10 g
Rose oil - 4-5 drops
The method of preparation
Dissolve honey in warm water and cook for 1 hour at a temperature of up to 50 degrees, removing the foam.
Add dried blueberry infusion, yeast and leave to ferment for a week.
Then strain, add dissolved gelatin, rose oil, close tightly and leave for 2 months in a cold place.
Folk recipe for mead
Ingredients
Water - 1 liter
Honey - 3 kg
Yeast for alcoholic fermentation - according to the instructions on the package
The method of preparation
Dilute the honey with water, heat to 50 degrees and remove after 30 minutes (do not forget to remove the foam during cooking).
When cool, add yeast (dry French or ours). Put a glove with a hole in it on the bottle and wait until it falls off, remove the sediment with a straw and put it in a cold place.
After a month of clarification, bottle it, if necessary, correct the taste (if it is sour, add a spoonful of honey, if it is sweet, add citric acid or sour apple juice).
Homemade mead
Ingredients
Honey - 1.5 kg
Water - 10 liters
Hop cones - 10 grams
Yeast - 1 tsp.
The method of preparation
Fill a saucepan with ten liters of water and put on the stove - boil.
Add honey to the boiled water, mix well and boil for another three to five minutes, remembering to remove the foam from the surface, the temperature should not exceed 60 degrees.
After the foam stops, add the hops to the pan, and cover it with a lid and remove from heat.
Dissolve the yeast (one teaspoon) in a separate bowl in sweetened water. The yeast mass will be ready when it swells. Both ordinary yeast and brewer's yeast are suitable for making mead, but the best is still the French yeast Saf-Leuve.
After the contents have cooled to 50°C, add the yeast mass to it and put it in a warm place for five days, covered with a lid. The contents should ferment in about this time. After the fermentation process stops, remove the hops from the pan, and strain the drink through cheesecloth and, having bottled it, put it in a cool place for storage.
In a week, homemade mead will be ready to drink.
Ancient mead
Ingredients
Honey - 2 kg
Spring water - 1 liter
Cherries - 4-5 kg
The method of preparation
Put honey in a saucepan, add water and boil the syrup. During cooking, stir occasionally and skim off the foam.
Remove the pits from the well-washed cherries, put them in a long-necked bottle and pour over the cooled honey syrup.
Cover the neck of the bottle with a piece of damp cloth and put it in a warm place for fermentation for 3 days.
When the contents of the bottle are fermenting, close the neck with a cork made of a rolled piece of cloth and leave it for further maturation. After 3 months, the old mead will be ready to drink. The taste of mead improves with the increase of the aging period.
Suzdal mead
Ingredients
Honey - 500 g
Water - 4 liters
Sugar - 500 g
Yeast - 100 g
The method of preparation
In a saucepan, dilute a mixture of half honey and sugar with water. Put it on the stove and cook for 15 minutes at a temperature of 50 degrees, not forgetting to remove the foam.
Remove the pan from the heat, cool to a temperature of 30 degrees, add the previously diluted yeast and put in a warm place for 3 days for fermentation.
After this period, strain the contents and leave them in a cold place for a month. Then strain again, add the second part of the honey and dissolve it completely. Cover and refrigerate for 4 days. As soon as foam appears on the surface, Suzdal mead is ready.
Spicy mead
Ingredients
Honey - 750 g
Water - 3 liters
Yeast - 10 g
Egg white (put to boil) - 1 pc.
Ginger - 1 pinch
Cinnamon - 1 pinch
Dried cloves - 2 pcs.
The method of preparation
This recipe is prepared completely according to basic technology.
Monastery honey for drinking
Ingredients
Honey - 3.25 liters
Water - 6.5 liters
Fresh hops - 75 g
For tea essence: 1 ч. л. tea leaves and 1 cup of boiling water
The method of preparation
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First, you cook honey and water for 3 hours at a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees. This kills any microbes that could interfere with the fermentation process.
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Then you add the fresh hops wrapped in a loose cloth bag to the cauldron with honey. Hops contain yeast that will ferment in an environment with honey, creating alcohol and carbon dioxide.
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Add hot boiled water to the original volume. This can help to activate the yeast in the hops and promote the start of fermentation.
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Then the honey with hops is left to infuse at a temperature of 18 to 20 degrees. During this time, the yeast in the hops will begin to ferment, converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
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After 3 to 5 weeks, the honey should be ready when it stops fizzing and starts to smell like honey and alcohol. This indicates the completion of the fermentation process.
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If you want stronger honey, leave it standing longer until it stops fizzing. If you prefer weaker honey, you can strain it when it is still fizzing.
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Before straining the honey, add tea essence to give it an additional aroma and flavor.
Straight mead
Ingredients
Water - 3 liters
Vodka - 125 ml
Honey - 1 kg of honey
Yeast - 50 g of yeast
Cloves - 4 grains
Ground cinnamon - 8 g
Violet and cardamom - 5 g each
Melissa - 3-5 g
The method of preparation
Heat the water, add honey, stirring, and boil over low heat to the consistency of molasses. Remove from heat and strain.
Pour the liquid into a wooden tub, put and stir the yeast.
Allow the drink to ferment, pour in vodka and add spices in a cloth bag.
Leave to infuse for 1 month, then strain and pour into storage bottles. Seal tightly, keep in a cold place.
Southern mead
Ingredients
Water - 3 liters
Honey - 1.5 kg
Light raisins - 200 g of light raisins
Hops - 30 g
Brewer's yeast - 1/3 h. л.
The method of preparation
Put the hops in a cloth bag, put them in water, put the pot with water on the fire and bring to 60 degrees.
Reduce the heat to the lowest and evaporate the liquid by a third, without boiling (keep it at 50 degrees).
Remove the hops and put them in a small amount of cold water, then squeeze them well, add the squeezed liquid to the hot water. Dissolve honey well in the same water.
Measure out the honey liquid, transfer it to a large saucepan, pour in cold water that is three times the volume of the honey water. Let it boil, keep stirring, cook at a low boil for 40 minutes, strain while hot.
Wash the pan thoroughly, pour the honey liquid back into it and boil until the volume decreases by a quarter. Remove from heat, cool, add brewer's yeast and raisins.
Pour the honey into a wooden barrel, let it ferment in a warm place (about 10 days) and move it to a cold place for 4 days.
Pour the finished drink into bottles, cork tightly, and age for 90 days before use.
Birch honey
Ingredients
Birch sap - 3 liters
Honey - 500 g of honey
Rye (black) bread - 1 slice
Liquid yeast - 20 g
The method of preparation
Pour honey into birch sap, stir and cook for an hour at 50 degrees.
Boil for an hour over low heat, then cool to a warm state.
Coat rye bread with yeast, put it in the syrup and leave it in a warm place for 1 hour.
Add a little more yeast if the honey does not start to ferment.
When fermentation begins, remove the bread, cover the dish with a cloth, and keep it in a warm room until fermentation is complete.
Bottle the drink, cork it and put it in a cool place for storage. Consume in 120-150 days.
Vanilla honey
Ingredients
Water - 5 liters of water
Honey - 1 kg
Sugar - 1 kg
Hops - 50 g
Yeast - 15 g
Vanilla sugar sachet - 1 pc.
The method of preparation
Mix the yeast with 40-50 g of sugar, pour in a little water, rub thoroughly, leave to approach.
Pour cold water into a saucepan, add all the sugar, vanilla sugar, add honey and hops and put on fire.
Cook for 1 hour at 50-60 degrees, cool.
Mix with yeast, put in a warm place for fermentation for 4-5 days (until the hops float to the surface).
When foam appears, strain the drink, bottle it, seal it tightly and leave it in a cool place for 14-15 days.
Cherry honey
Ingredients
Water - 500 ml
Honey - 1 kg
Cherries - 2 kg
The method of preparation
Wash ripe berries, dry them, carefully remove the seeds.
Mix water with honey and cook at a temperature of 50-60 degrees, stirring and removing the foam from the surface.
Put the cherry berries in a bottle with a narrow neck, pour honey syrup over them and cover the neck with a wet cloth.
Leave for 3 days in the fermentation room. Then tightly seal the bottle, rearrange in a cool, dark room.
Insist before use for at least 90 days.
Cherry honey alternative recipe
Ingredients
Water - 1 liter
Fresh cherries - 1 liter
Honey - 1 kg
Yeast - 50 g of yeast,
Raisins - 50 g of raisins
Cloves and ground cinnamon - 10 g each
The method of preparation
Pour water into a saucepan and boil, remove from the stove. Add honey, stir until completely dissolved, put back on the fire and cook for 5 minutes at a temperature of 50-60 degrees. Remove the foam.
Remove the liquid from the heat, cool to room temperature, pour in the cherry juice and put the spices in a bag (you can make it from medical gauze). Also add raisins and yeast diluted in a small amount of water.
Stir gently, let ferment for 3 days (keep in a warm place) and strain.
Pour into bottles, close tightly with corks, keep for 12-20 days in a cool place before use.
Ginger honey
Ingredients
Water - 4.5 liters
Lemon - 2 pieces.
Light honey - 2 kg
Yeast - 25 g
Hop cones - 25 g
Ginger root - 14 g
Gelatin - 7 g
The method of preparation
Wash lemons, pour boiling water over them, squeeze out the juice.
Cut the lemon peel into small strips.
Boil water, dissolve honey and add hops, chopped ginger root, lemon juice and peel.
Cook for no more than 45 minutes at a temperature of 50-60 degrees, strain and pour into a wooden barrel or dark glass bottle.
Add yeast to the warm liquid, stir gently and leave to ferment for 35 days.
Dissolve gelatin in 100 ml of water, pour into the honey liquid, mix everything and tightly seal the dishes, leave for 175-180 days.
Pour the finished honey into bottles and close well with corks, tying a wire on top.
Raspberry honey
Ingredients
Water - 3 liters of water
Fresh raspberry juice - 180 ml
Honey - 500 g of honey
Hops - 15 g of hops
Yeast - 10 g
Dark raisins - 2 pieces each. per bottle.
The method of preparation
Boil water, dissolve honey, put on fire and bring to a boil.
Cook at a temperature of 50-60 degrees for about 2 hours. Add half the amount of hops, steep for another hour, boil and strain the honey.
Mix the second part of the hops with the yeast, let it rise, add the mixture to the slightly cooled liquid along with the raspberry juice.
Allow the drink to ferment, strain, pour into a bottle and seal tightly. Keep the drink in a cool place for 12-14 days.
Carefully strain, pour into storage bottles, adding 2 raisins to each bottle. Seal bottles, store in a cool, dry place.
Peppermint honey
Ingredients
Water - 1.5 liters
Honey - 1 kg
Treacle - 100 g
Fresh mint leaves (for example: peppermint) - 50 g
Yeast - 25 g of yeast
Gelatin - 5 g
The method of preparation
Melt the molasses in 500 ml of water, add mint leaves, let it boil for 10 minutes.
Heat the remaining water, dissolve the honey in it completely, put on fire and cook at a temperature of 50-60 degrees for 30 minutes.
Pour in a mixture of molasses and mint leaves, stir, let it boil once, remove from heat.
Cool to room temperature, strain, add yeast and leave to ferment for 3-4 days.
Then put in the pre-dissolved gelatin, keep in a cool place for 2 days, pour into bottles, close tightly.
Fruit honey
Ingredients
Fresh fruit juice - 3 liters
Honey - 1 kg of honey
Yeast - 50 g
Method of preparation
Pour the fruit juice into a saucepan and heat it without letting it boil.
Remove from heat and immediately dissolve the honey in it. Let the liquid cool down well.
Dissolve the yeast separately in a small amount of water or juice, then pour it into the liquid and mix.
Leave at room temperature for 1-2 days, then pour into bottles and seal tightly.
Keep in a cool place for 14-20 days before use.
Berry honey
Ingredients
Water - 1 liter
Honey - 2 kg
Pitted cherries - 1 kg
Strawberries - 1 kg of strawberries
Rye bread - 100 g of rye bread
Brewer's yeast - 50 g
The method of preparation
Ripe and quality berries, wash, dry, remove seeds.
Mix berries with honey and mash.
Pour in warm boiled water, put a piece of rye bread, add yeast, mix everything.
Leave for fermentation for 15-20 days, drain the liquid into another container, put it back in a warm place for 7-12 days. Ready honey can be consumed immediately.
Strong honey
Ingredients
Water - 4 liters
Honey - 600 g
Dry yeast - 5 g
Port or cognac - 40-60 ml
The method of preparation
Boil 1 liter of water, dissolve the honey well and mix with the remaining cold water.
Add yeast, stir, leave at room temperature for 14 days.
Add alcoholic beverage to taste, leave for another 14-15 days.
Seal the container tightly and insist in a cold place for at least 180 days.
Pour the finished drink into bottles for storage, keep in a cool place.
Questions and answers about mead
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Question: Is it possible to pour mead into a clay vessel instead of a glass one so that it ferments??
Answer: Can I.
Update: 19.06.2018
Category: Other alcohol