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

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Mead is a special drink. Many of us know the expression "drink honey" from old fairy tales. Today, the art of mead making is almost lost. Despite the fact that technology could become the main idea of any Russian restaurant and bring it fame, so far not a single businessman has thought about it. Medovukha is a local, local drink that was prepared only in Russia and nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, today only a few people know how to make mead from old honey. The taste of this drink is familiar to few, since it will not be possible to buy it in a store. Even among beekeepers, there are very few who know how to prepare this drink correctly. Today we want to tell the reader what can be considered mead.

Supermarket assortment

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

Vintage technology

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 old honey. That drink was aged in oak barrels, it did not contain any hops or yeast. Berries, cherries, cranberries, plums or wild roses were added to it. There were also recipes according to which various spices were put in the feedstock. It will taste more noble.

A little about the history of the drink

It should be noted that a fresh product of beekeeping has always been extremely valuable for humans. Nutritious, he althy, easy enough to digest, it is a ready source of energy, vitamins and amino acids. But if the honey stagnated or began to ferment, then it was no longer possible to eat it. Therefore, new recipes began to appear. As already mentioned, even in Ancient Russia it was known how to make mead from old honey.

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

Waiting time

If you want to make this drink at home, it is extremely important to study 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 make honey mead. The recipe for cooking at home is not too complicated, but, like everywhere else, there are some subtleties.

In the standard version, the preparation time is 5 days. However, do not flatter yourself that after this period you can already enjoy the drink. Mead is similar to cloudy champagne, is carbonated, 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, a young drink usually does not have more than 5%, but over time, the figure can reach 20%. The consistency becomes fluid and dense. And if you add berries, then over time the mead will become even more useful, since all the vitamins and minerals go into the drink.

Old Recipe

He was especially popular in the 19th century. It has an amazing fragrance. This is achieved due to the fact that water with honey is not subjected to heat treatment, that is, boiling. Thanks to this, the most delicious mead is obtained. The recipe for cooking at home allows you to put a stunning light drink that resembles a fragrantkvass.

This variation does not use yeast. Thanks to what the end product is pure, transparent and tasty. You may be wondering if you can give it to children. It is easy to answer this question if you know the technology of preparation of the product, what is its composition, how many degrees. Honey mead prepared according to this recipe contains no more than 2% alcohol. Therefore, it can be consumed by all family members, in moderation, of course.

Features of the technological process

Making honey mead according to an old recipe is not difficult, except for the fact that you need to stand the drink in a wooden bowl. So, you need to take a liter of water. There is a small nuance here: it must be boiled, but be sure to cool. 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 cause the drink to become moldy.

Rinse the berries well. Further, the cooking process is very simple: you need to add honey and water - and let it ferment. The jar must be closed and the mixture left for two days at room temperature. If the room is not the warmest, and there is no sun outside, then the fermentation process can continue longer. During this, a lot of gases are released, so if you tightly cork the jar, it will explode. You can close the bottle with a cloth, but it is better to make a special gas outlet from a regular cap with a hole. A thin hose is inserted into it. On one side it should hang overliquid in a vessel, and the other is lowered into a bowl of water. This allows gases to escape freely from the drink.

Second stage

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

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

Fermentation products

Speaking 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 bacterial activity, and there is always a risk of developing pathogenic microflora. It's not worth worrying about this. Kvass and lactic acid bacteria completely displace harmful microbes.

Many people think that raisins are only 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 muchfaster.

Preparing a drink from old honey

Probably everyone has faced such a situation when honey was purchased in bulk in a fairly solid amount, several years have passed, a fresh product has already been bought, and no one wants to eat the old one. It's a pity to throw it away, of course. In this case, a mead made from old honey is a great solution. Making a delicious drink at home is not difficult.

If above we described the recipe for mead, which is distinguished by its exquisite, fresh taste and low alcohol content, then most often a boiled drink is prepared from old, candied raw materials. For its preparation, beekeepers use any leftovers. They soak barrels of honey, and everything that lags behind their walls also goes into action.

Honey brewing technology

So, on the agenda we have a delicious mead. The recipe for preparing (at home, of course) this drink is as follows. You will need 10 liters of water, 1.5 kg of honey, 10 g of hop cones and 3 g of bread yeast. The process involves heat treatment. Water should be poured into a container and brought to a boil. We will immediately warn you that prolonged heating of honey above 40 degrees leads to the fact that it forms a dangerous toxin. However, we will take this property into account.

Now add old honey to the water and start stirring so that it does not burn. Literally after three minutes, remove the foam, add hops and remove from heat. Don't forget to cover the jar with a lid. Now you have to wait untilThe temperature will drop to 45 degrees. Then add yeast, cover and put in a warm place for fermentation. It remains only to strain the drink through cheesecloth and pour into small containers.

Mead made from honey and yeast must stand. To do this, it is closed with corks and lowered into the cellar. After two days, you need to lower the pressure. Bottles must be carefully opened and closed again. Now the wait will be 4-5 days. The finished drink has a taste of champagne. It has a short shelf life, so it is important to use the product in 2-3 weeks. Get ready to treat relatives and friends with a delicious drink. There are few degrees in it, so it is perfect even for women.

Strong mead

This recipe is ideal for those who prefer spirits with a solid degree. Thick, spicy taste will surely be appreciated by men. If you're looking for a recipe to make fermented honey mead, look no further. Although here you need to pay attention to such a moment. Good honey cannot ferment, it is bactericidal. That is, it may not be exactly 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. 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 must be kept on low heat for 30 minutes. It is not necessary to bring to a boil and it is very important to stir occasionally. Notforget to remove the foam in time.

When the solution cools down to 45 degrees, add hops, yeast and other components. The mixture will ferment for a week in a warm place. Now the drink is filtered and left in a dark cellar for a month. Before use, alcohol is added to it. This sour honey mead is a great option for a warm men's company.

Mead with bread yeast

You can try different options for making a drink. Add apples or cherries, lemon juice or prunes to it - and you will get a completely different taste, exotic and bright. We want to offer you another option for making mead, which has a magnificent bouquet, a bit reminiscent of delicious kvass.

You will need to take a kilogram of honey and five liters of water, yeast and 100 g of white bread. Black is used for kvass, but here it will stand out from the overall composition. The cooking process is not too different from the one that has already been described. Boil honey dissolved in water for 20 minutes. After that, 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 to ferment. 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 must be left in a cool place for 12 days. The ideal temperature is 2 to 4degrees. Now the mead is ready to eat. It remains to pour into bottles and put in the cellar. This drink is not stored for a long time, so there is no point in preparing it for a year in advance. But while it is fresh, treat your friends.