How to make honey mead from old honey: a recipe for cooking at home

Mead is a special drink. Many of us know the expression "drink honey" according to ancient tales. Today, the art of medicine is practically lost. Despite the fact that technology could become the main idea of any Russian restaurant and bring it fame, until this is not thought of by any businessman. Mead is a local, local drink, which was prepared only in Russia and nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, today only certain people know how to make mead from an old honey. The taste of this drink is familiar to a few, since it can not be bought in the store. Even among beekeepers, there are very few people who know how to prepare this drink correctly. Today we want to tell the reader what can be considered a mead.

Assortment of supermarkets

Indeed, readers may argue that in many stores on the shelves with alcohol there are bottles with a similar name. But they have nothing to do with the old drink. Often, you are offered honey tincture, which is prepared by mixing the beekeeping product with water and alcohol. The apiaries are treated differently, they know how to make honey mead from old honey. But most often use fast technology, adding yeast. In this case, the drink wins quickly: in a few days and the product can be sold. But this is also an unoriginal recipe.

Antique Technologies

In Kievan Rus there was no modern equipment, and recipes were passed down from generation to generation, and the result was fantastic. In the annals you can read how to make mead from an old honey. That drink was kept in oak barrels, it had neither hops nor yeast. It added berries, cherries, cranberries, plums or rose hips. There were also recipes, according to which various spices were placed in the raw material. He will become more noble with this taste.

A little bit about the history of the drink

It should be noted that the fresh product of beekeeping at all times was extremely valuable for a person. Nutritious, useful, easy enough for assimilation, it is a ready source of energy, vitamins and amino acids. But if the honey stagnated or began to wander, then it was no longer possible to use it for food. Therefore, new recipes began to appear. As already mentioned, even in Ancient Rus, it was known how to make a mead of honey from old honey.

In the old days, Russian cities were famous for their medication. The fortress of this drink was different - from 5 to 16%. In ancient notes, you can find several options for recipes, each of which had its own flavor. In the drink, and added juniper berries, and a stick of cinnamon, and cloves or even hot peppers.

Waiting time

If you wanted to make this drink at home, it is extremely important to learn the technology in advance, because otherwise you can spoil the whole process at the very beginning. Therefore today we want to consider in detail how to put honey mead from honey. The recipe for cooking at home is not too complicated, but, as elsewhere, there are subtleties here.

In the standard version, the cooking time is 5 days. However, do not delude yourself that after this period you can already enjoy the drink. Mead like a cloudy champagne, is fizzy, but not too tasty. If after that it is poured into a wooden barrel and left for 3-6 months, then the taste will change for the better. It will become less playful, but more fragrant. The fortress grows, the young drink usually does not have more than 5%, but over time the figure can reach 20%. Consistency becomes fluid and dense. And if you add berries, then in time the mead will become even more useful, as all the vitamins and minerals pass into the drink.

Ancient recipe

It was especially popular in the XIX century. Its special feature is a terrific fragrance. This is achieved due to the fact that the water with honey is not subjected to heat treatment, that is, boiling. Thanks to this and it turns out the most delicious mead. The recipe for cooking at home allows you to put a stunning light drink that resembles fragrant kvass.

In this embodiment, yeast is not used. Thanks to which the final product is clean, transparent and tasty. Perhaps you will ask if you can give it to children. To answer this question is easy if you know the technology of cooking the product, what is its composition, how many degrees. Honey mead, cooked according to this recipe, contains no more than 2% alcohol. Therefore, it can be consumed by all family members in moderate doses, of course.

Features of the technological process

Making honey mead from honey according to an old recipe is not difficult, except for the fact that it is necessary to stand a drink in wooden utensils. So, you need to take a liter of water. There is a small nuance: it needs to be boiled, but it's necessary to cool it. This amount will require 50 g of honey and the same amount of fresh grapes or raisins. It is best to take berries. Dried raisins can lead to the fact that the drink will be covered with mold.

Rinse the berries well. Then the cooking process is very simple: you need to add honey and water - and let it wander. The bank should be closed and leave the mixture for two days at room temperature. If the room is not the warmest, and there is no sun in the street, the fermentation process may last longer. During this, a lot of gases are released, so if the jar is tightly clogged, it will explode. You can close the bottle with a cloth, but it is better to make a special gas outlet from a conventional lid with a hole. A thin hose is inserted into it. One side must hang over the liquid in the vessel, and the other - it is lowered into a bowl of water. So gases can freely leave the drink.

Second phase

And we continue to consider how to make honey mead from honey without yeast. Next, you should filter the liquid using gauze. Now it is necessary to pour it into a suitable container and put it in a cool place. It would be even better if you let her into the cellar. Literally in 2-3 months the drink will be ready.

When you prepare a drink for the first time, you can focus only on the criteria we proposed. However, after a few times you will be able to taste and determine when the mead is ready. The product of the first fermentation has a sweet taste and many unpleasant vesicles, as if in a sour jam. But when the gas almost completely disappears, and the taste becomes slightly sour, like a young jam, you can already please yourself and your family with a great drink.

Fermentation Products

Talking about how to make mead from honey, it is worth noting that the risk of poisoning with such a drink is zero. Of course, the fermentation process is the result of the activity of bacteria, and there is always the risk of developing a pathogenic microflora. Do not worry because of this is not worth it. Kvassnye and lactic acid bacteria completely displace harmful microbes.

Many people think that raisins are needed solely for flavor. In fact, its main function is precisely to cause fermentation processes. If you plan to make a drink several times in a row, then you do not need to drain the old one completely. Then the young will mature much faster.

Preparing a drink from old honey

Probably everyone faced with this situation, that wholesale honey was purchased in a fairly solid amount, several years have passed, a fresh product has already been bought, and the old one no longer wants. Of course, I'm sorry to throw out. In this case, the perfect solution will be a honey mead from old honey. At home, making a delicious drink is not difficult.

If we described above the recipe of a stewed mead, which is distinguished by its exquisite, fresh taste and low alcohol content, the old, candied raw is usually cooked with a boiled drink. To make it, beekeepers use any leftovers. Soak barrels from honey, and everything that lags behind their walls, too, goes into action.

Technology of cooking honey

So, on our agenda is a delicious mead. The recipe for cooking (at home, of course) of this drink is as follows. You need 10 liters of water, 1.5 kg of honey, 10 grams of hop cones and 3 g of baker's yeast. The process involves heat treatment. Water should be poured into a container and brought to the boiling point. Immediately warn that prolonged heating of honey over 40 degrees leads to the fact that it forms a dangerous toxin. However, we will take this property into account.

Now add the old honey to the water and start stirring so that it does not burn. Literally after three minutes we remove the foam, pour in the hops and remove from the fire. Do not forget to cover the vessel with a lid. Now you need to wait until the temperature drops to 45 degrees. Then add the yeast, cover and put in a warm place for fermentation. It remains only to strain the drink through gauze and pour over small containers.

Mead of honey and yeast should survive. To do this, it is closed with stoppers and lowered into the cellar. Two days later, lower the pressure. Bottles need to be opened carefully and closed again. Now the waiting time will be 4-5 days. Ready-made drink has a taste of champagne. The shelf life of it is small, so it is important to use the product in 2-3 weeks. Prepare to treat your relatives and friends a delicious drink. Degrees in it a little, so it is perfect for even women.

Strong mead

This recipe is ideal for those who prefer alcoholic beverages with a solid degree. A dense, spicy taste is sure to be appreciated by men. If you are looking for a recipe how to make mead from fermented honey, then it is better not to find a variant. Though here it is necessary to pay attention to such a moment. Good honey can not wander, it is bactericidal. That is, it may not be quite honey. In any case, if the sweet product is spoiled, you need to use it somehow.

You will need to take 250-350 g of honey and a teaspoon of brewer's yeast. At this amount will take 2 liters of water, 400 g of medical alcohol (50%), 5 g of hops and spices. It can be nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom to taste. A solution of honey and water should be kept on a low heat for 30 minutes. To bring to a boil is not necessary and it is very important to stir occasionally. Do not forget to remove the foam in time.

When the solution has cooled to 45 degrees, add hops, yeast and other ingredients. The mixture will wander for a week in a warm place. Now the drink is filtered, and it is left in a dark cellar for a month. Before use, add alcohol to it. Such a mead of honey is a great option for a warm male company.

Mead on bread yeast

You can try different options for making a drink. Add in it apples or cherries, lemon juice or prunes - and get a completely different taste, exotic and bright. We want to offer you another version of cooking mead, which is distinguished by a magnificent bouquet, a bit like tasty kvass.

You need to take a kilogram of honey and five liters of water, yeast and 100 grams of white bread. Black is used for kvass, but here it will be knocked out of the overall composition. The preparation process is not too different from the one that has already been described. Dissolve honey in water for 20 minutes. After this, the liquid must be filtered and allowed to cool to 50 degrees. Now you can add bread and yeast. Leave the mixture in a warm place so she wandered. The end of the process will be indicated by the disappearance of the foam. Now we filter and, if desired, add apple or lemon juice.

For complete preparation, the mixture should be left in a cool place for 12 days. Ideally, the temperature is from 2 to 4 degrees. Now the mead is ready for use. It remains to pour in bottles and put in the cellar. For a long time this drink is not stored, therefore it is useless to prepare it for a year ahead. But while he's fresh, treat your friends.