The preparation of mead on moonshine has a very long history. Even the ancient Slavs cooked and used it during meals to warm and fight colds. Today, there are many recipes for this wonderful drink, the best of which you have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with.
Selection and preparation of ingredients
The main ingredient of mead is, of course, honey. Depending on which type of this ingredient will be used, the mead will take on a particular taste. Be sure to take into account the main signs of quality honey, namely:
- if honey is poured into another container, foam should not appear, otherwise such a product is considered poor-quality;
- the presence of light sugar coating will confirm the authenticity of honey (a false product does not sugar);
- Only real honey has a strong aroma.
Important! You should choose aromatic varieties of honey, for example, may, linden or buckwheat - then the final drink will get a pleasant, memorable taste.
When purchasing a product, it is also worth considering that in the winter-spring period, natural honey is not liquid. To moonshine, some requirements are also put forward. Alcohol should not be too strong, as the taste of the final product will deteriorate. The alcohol content should not exceed 45%. If you cook it yourself, then you probably know the best recipe. When you have to buy it, you should pay attention to the fact that vodka should be completely transparent, devoid of any color and turbidity.
In addition to the two main ingredients (honey and moonshine), additional additives can be included in the recipe, making the drink soft and pleasant to the taste. These include spices: cloves, peppers, hops, linden blossom, mint, cinnamon, as well as a variety of berries
The best mead recipes
Mead is prepared in many ways. The classic version involves obtaining mash put on honey. The result is an excellent fragrant moonshine. There are methods that offer a different technique, where honey syrup is first brewed, and only then alcohol is introduced. Each recipe is good in its own way, making it possible to enjoy a pleasant, high-quality alcoholic beverage prepared at home.
Did you know? According to historians, the first mead was prepared before our era. People considered honey to be a divine gift from divine insects. Honey dishes were given a sacred meaning and served during the festivities.
Classic
1 L 1 hour
pressed yeast
100 g
Nutritional value per 100 g:
Pour water into a saucepan and put on fire.
Add honey, mix, bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly and removing the foam. Remove the prepared wort from the heat and cool to + 30 ° C.
Pour 100 g of warm water into a small container, dilute sugar and yeast in it. Leave on for 15 minutes to activate the yeast.
Pour the wort into a fermentation bottle, add the diluted yeast.
Put on a water seal and leave it in a warm place for fermentation for 10 days.
Ready to filter the mash, proceed to the distillation process.
At the first stage, heat the mash and squeeze the maximum amount of alcohol - about 900 g of 60% crude alcohol. Dilute the resulting mass with water to 25% (about 2 liters of liquid should be obtained).
Pour the obtained alcohol solution back into the apparatus and repeat the process. First you need to put a measuring cup and pour the first 50 ml, since it contains a large amount of harmful fusel oils.
Change the dishes to a large capacity. As a result of repeated distillation, ½ liter of moonshine with a strength of 75% will be obtained.
Dilute the resulting alcohol to 40% and put "rest" in a cool place for a day.
Pour water into a saucepan and put on fire.
Add honey, mix, bring the mixture to a boil.
Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly and removing the foam. Remove the prepared wort from the heat and cool to + 30 ° C.
Pour 100 g of warm water into a small container, dilute sugar and yeast in it. Leave on for 15 minutes to activate the yeast.
Pour the wort into a fermentation bottle, add the diluted yeast.
Put on a water seal and leave it in a warm place for fermentation for 10 days.
Ready to filter the mash, proceed to the distillation process.
At the first stage, heat the mash and squeeze the maximum amount of alcohol - about 900 g of 60% crude alcohol. Dilute the resulting mass with water to 25% (about 2 liters of liquid should be obtained).
Pour the obtained alcohol solution back into the apparatus and repeat the process. First you need to put a measuring cup and pour the first 50 ml, since it contains a large amount of harmful fusel oils.
Change the dishes to a large capacity. As a result of repeated distillation, ½ liter of moonshine with a strength of 75% will be obtained.
Dilute the resulting alcohol to 40% and put "rest" in a cool place for a day.Video recipe
With hop cones
5 l 2 hours
hop cones
10 pieces or 50 g
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
- Pour water into a large enameled container, boil and reduce heat.
- Add honey, stirring continuously, and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Throughout the cooking process, stirring does not stop, as honey can instantly burn. It is also necessary to remove the emerging foam so that the final product is transparent and not moldy.
- Remove the container from the heat and let the honey syrup cool down to about + 45 ° C.
- Pour hop, yeast, cinnamon and mix well.
- Pour the resulting mass into a glass container and leave to ferment for 3 days in a dark, dark place until the formation of foam.
- Pour the composition into clean, dry bottles and install water locks on them so that carbon dioxide escapes and oxygen does not enter. The role of the water seal will be performed by an ordinary rubber glove mounted on the neck, in which you need to make a small hole.
- When the complete absence of carbon dioxide bubbles on the surface (after 7–10 days) becomes apparent, strain the drink through cheesecloth, add moonshine, mix well. Mead is ready.
Buckwheat
4,5 l90 minutes
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
- In honey, gradually introduce honey, stirring continuously, reduce heat and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.
- Cool the mixture to a temperature of + 40 ... + 45 ° С.
- Add hops, yeast. Mix well.
- Leave the fermentation must in a darkened, warm place, previously closing it with a water seal for 5 days.
- Strain the mixture and transfer to a cool place where it will be infused for 30 days.
- Add moonshine, mix. Now you can serve at the table or send to a cool place for storage.
Did you know? High-quality buckwheat honey can be recognized by its dark brown color, pronounced tart aroma and sweet aftertaste, causing a slight tickle in the throat.
"Monastic"
4 L 3.5 hours
brewed black tea
1 cup
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
- Mix the heated water with honey, boil and let it simmer for 1 hour over low heat. The mass must constantly stir and remove foam from it. At the beginning of cooking, it is better to make a note of the amount of liquid in the pan - when the process is over, part of the water will evaporate and it can be replenished.
- When the primary syrup is boiled, it is necessary to add hops, previously placed in a bag with cargo and continue cooking for another 1 hour. In this case, stirring does not stop and the amount of boiled water is replenished.
- The boiled wort should be allowed to cool to + 35 ... + 40 ° C, add yeast and pour into a clean container with a water seal. Put in a warm dark place for fermentation.
- After about 7 days, when the surface bubbles disappear, the mead should be filtered, add a glass of black tea and moonshine. After thorough mixing, the drink is ready to drink.
Did you know? The name "Monastic" mead received due to the addition of strong black tea.
Storage Features
The main factors affecting the shelf life of mead on moonshine are temperature conditions, lighting and containers. Immediately it is worth noting that you can not store the drink in a metal container - so it will quickly deteriorate. The best option is oak barrels, where mead can be stored for 50 years. Since not everyone can get such a “luxury”, one can stop at simple glass bottles.
It is better that they be made of dark glass. The sun's rays adversely affect the composition of the drink, therefore, regardless of the packaging, mead should be stored in a dark place. The shelf life of the drink depends on the above conditions. If they are fully observed, then, being tightly corked, the mead can be saved up to 5 years.
Important! Keep the drink cool. The optimum temperature is the range + 4 ... + 10°C. In a private house, such a storehouse may become a basement with a darkened area, and in an apartment - a refrigerator.
Opened containers will not stand idle for half a year, therefore, when pouring a drink into containers, you need to monitor the quality of the blockage. Homemade mead on moonshine will be an excellent competitor to liquors sold in the store. Hand-made from proven ingredients, it does not pose a health hazard (of course, with limited use). Such a product will be a worthy addition to the festive table, reminiscent of the ancient Slavic traditions.
