Ingredients: 4 l water 250 g soft brown sugar (firmly packed) 250 g granulated sugar 1 1/2 - 2 lemons 1/8 tsp fresh yeast raisins Directions:1. Sterilize all the equipment you will use - jars, lids, cheesecloth, saucepans, spoons, funnels, bottles, caps etc - with boiling water. Pour sugars in large glass jar rinsed with boiling water. Wash and brush lemons, squeeze out juice. In thin strips, peel out the yellow zest of lemons, place in strainer and rinse with boiling water. 2. Bring water to the boil and pour about half of it on sugars in jar. After sugar has melted, add lemon juice and zest. Let mixture stand until it`s lukewarm. Also let the other half of water cool until lukewarm (about 37 C / 99 F). 3. Dissolve yeast in small amount of water and add to lukewarm sugar mixture along with the rest of lukewarm water. Stir thoroughly, cover with loose lid or cloth and let stand overnight in room temperature. The mixture should begin to ferment within a day. 4. Strain mixture through sieve lined with clean, fine cheesecloth and pour in sterilized bottles. Add about 1 tsp sugar and 5-10 raisins in every bottle. Raisins can be omitted. Close bottles with tight-fitting caps. 5. Let mead bottles stand in room temperature for about 3 hours before transferring in cold storage, a cold cellar or refrigerator. The fermentation will continue in bottles so it is advisable to store them in cold place or else the pressure building inside the bottles might brake them. 6. Mead will be ready to drink after about one week or two. It will be drinkable as soon as the raisins in the bottles have risen on the surface - after 3-4 days - but the taste will get better if stored longer. |