Mead

The oldest alcoholic drink in human history, and you can make it with six ingredients and zero fancy equipment. Honey, water, cloves, cinnamon sticks, lemon juice and peel get boiled together for 30 minutes, strained into a crock, and left to ferment with a teaspoon of active dry yeast.

Boiling the honey with the spices does two things: it sanitizes the must (the honey-water mixture) and extracts the warm, aromatic oils from the cloves and cinnamon. Straining before fermentation removes the solids so you get a clear, clean mead.

Fermentation happens best at around 55°F (13°C). The yeast works slowly at cool temperatures, which produces a smoother, less harsh finished drink. You’ll know it’s done when the bubbling stops and the liquid clears.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a nonreactive pot (stainless steel or enamel). Aluminum reacts with the acid in lemon and can give the mead a metallic taste.
• Dissolve the yeast in some of the cooled liquid before adding it to the crock. Dropping dry yeast into hot liquid kills it.
• Wait at least a month before opening. Longer is better, up to about a year.
• Cap the bottles tightly and store in a cool, dark place. Light and heat are the enemies of good mead.

Variations

• Add a handful of fresh berries (raspberries, blackberries) during fermentation for a fruited melomel.
• Replace cinnamon and cloves with fresh ginger and a vanilla bean for a different spice profile.
• Use wildflower or buckwheat honey instead of clover for a darker, more complex flavor.