After working for a beekeeper in Munich sampling and selling his wares, my tastebuds became enraptured by mead’s mellow flavor. Mead is basically wine made from honey instead of grapes, and variations of the homebrew can be found from Eastern Europe to Eritrea, and can be enjoyed chilled or heated and mulled with spices. Like any alcoholic beverage, there are some pretty expensive artisanal varieties, but assuming you’re not a mead connoisseur, you could always just make your own. Like dandelion wine, mead-making is a gentle and inexpensive gateway to the home-brewing habit that just might hook you in the end.

What You Need

*1 gallon of room temperature spring water

* 2-3 pounds of raw honey (more honey makes a sweeter mead, but it will also take longer to ferment)

*1 packet (7g) of active dry yeast

*1 handful of raisins

*1 orange

*1 uninflated balloon

How To

1) Cut the orange into wedges

2) Pour a few inches of water out of the bottle

3) Add the honey, orange, raisins, and yeast to the remaining water.

4) Close lid tightly and shake vigorously for up to five minutes

5) Poke a pinhole into the top of your balloon

6) Stretch the balloon over the mouth of the water bottle and duct tape in place

7) Within 24 hours the balloon will begin to inflate. You’ll want to monitor it to make sure it doesn’t get too big and explode, since air will contaminate your wine.

8) Place jug in a cool dark place (like a broom closet) and let sit for a couple of weeks until the balloon deflates entirely.

9) At this point you can strain the liquid through a piece of cheesecloth or a coffee filter and place in another clean water bottle or a glass jug to ferment further sans fruit, or just keep in the original container with the fruit still in it. Either way, after two weeks the mead will still be cloudy and not particularly tasty. But like any wine, it will improve with age, and after about six months it should be ready to drink. Save and sterilize some wine bottles to pour it into and toast your inner Viking. Skol!

Photo courtesy of Drab Makyo.