Dark Winter Mead Easy Recipes

DARK WINTER MEAD (EASY!)

Steps:

• TO START: Take your bottle of spring water a make room for the ingredients by pouring about 1/3 of the water into a separate container. Don't throw this away.
• Chop the oranges and add to the water along with the raisins, yeast and honey. If the honey is too thick to pour then soften it in either a hot water bath or the microwave if the jar has no metal on it and will fit!
• Fill the bottle to top with the left over spring water.
• Put the top onto the bottle and shake for a few minutes to get it going.
• You now need to get a rubber balloon and place it over the top in place of the bottle lid. You will need to pierce it a few times to allow gases to escape but to keep stuff from getting into it. Perfect!
• Right, now leave this alone for FOUR MONTHS. It will need to be placed in a nice warm, dark, dry place such as the airing cupboard or laundry room.
• Don't be tempted to take the balloon off to see how it's doing - you need to leave it uncontaminated!
• So four months have passed (or longer if you can bear it! 6 months is ideal) and now you must strain the mead and add the syrup. It's nearly ready for drinking!
• To make the syrup heat the dark sugar over a low heat with about 50ml of water - the sugar dissolves easily.
• Add the whole spices and stir. Let this bubble away gently for a good 30 mins to release the delicious flavours of the spices.
• Meanwhile you will need to strain the mead. Use a sieve first to get rid of the lumps and oranges and then strain it again using coffee filter paper. Return it to its original bottle.
• When the syrup has cooled, add it to the mead.
• Cover it back up with the balloon and leave to settle for a week or so.
• DRINK AND ENJOY. BE CAREFUL - THE ALCOHOL CONTENT IS UNKNOWN!

SIMA (FINNISH SPRING MEAD)

Steps:

• Bring the water to a steady boil.
• Meanwhile, use a zester or vegetable peeler to remove the yellow outer rind from the lemons and place in a large non-metal, heatproof container.
• Peel, or trim, off the white rind and discard.
• Slice the lemons and place in the container with the zest. Add the brown sugar and white sugar.
• When the water boils, add it to the container with the lemons and sugar.
• Let it cool to lukewarm, then stir in the yeast.
• Cover and allow to sit out at room temperature for 24-48 hours, or until surface begins to bubble slightly.
• Strain the liquid into clean containers about 1 quart in size. Add 5-6 raisins and 1 tsp sugar to each container. Seal tightly and refrigerate 2-5 days, or until raisins float to the surface.
• Keep refrigerated and serve cool.