Mead: harm and benefit. Useful properties and composition of mead. Mead – history and types of honey drink; its composition and properties (benefits and harms); recipe for making mead at home All about mead

Mead is an alcoholic drink made from. Rus' is considered the birthplace of the strong cocktail. Over time, the cooking recipe has undergone changes; now you don’t need to spend a lot of time to create a fun drink; it’s enough to just boil it.

It is known that the technology of making mead was depicted in Ancient Egypt (more than 3 millennia BC) on the walls of tombs with a detailed description of the honey rivers of the afterlife. At the same time, in Rus', an ethyl cocktail was considered mandatory during special events. Mead was drunk at a wedding for a sweet, happy life for the newlyweds. The life-giving drink was aged in oak barrels for up to 15 years. It was considered a universal remedy for all diseases.

Currently, mead has not lost its popularity, but, on the contrary, received a second revival during the formation of Soviet power. As a result, the homemade drink gradually began to be produced industrially (in the city of Suzdal) as a tonic, immunostimulating, and antibacterial agent.

Classification

Types and varieties of mead:

1. By concentration: light (less than 14 degrees) and strong (more than 14 degrees).
2. Ingredients: fruit (contains fruit juice) and natural (without fruit concentrate).
3. By color: light and dark.
4. By sweetness: sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry (sugar content starts from 1%) and dry (sugar content does not exceed 1%).
5. By shelf life: cooked (produced by fermenting honey waste, 3 years) and boiled (prepared by boiling, based on honey and herbs, 10 years).
6. By the amount of carbon dioxide: effervescent (with a high CO2 content) and regular (with a low percentage of carbon dioxide).

Depending on the production technology, honey drink is prepared with or without the addition of ethyl alcohol.

Chemical composition

product. 100 ml of drink contains 93.93 calories. It is made exclusively from natural ingredients, therefore it contains a supply of useful mineral compounds and vitamins necessary for the full functioning of the body. Nutritional value of mead

Components	Content per 100 grams of product, grams
	68
	12,7
and disaccharides	9,7
	9,7
	2,6
	0,7
	0,68
	0,3
	0,2
	0,14
	0,005
	0,0011

Chemical composition of mead

Name	Nutrient content per 100 grams of product, milligrams
Vitamins
	4,1
	0,4
	0,2
	0,1
	0,08
	0,08
	0,006
	0,05
	0,0083
	0,0002
	126,3
	83,2
	68,4
	25,7
	10,3
	8,0
	7,1
	49,6
	0,8
	0,2343
	0,1857
	0,0222
	0,0182
	0,0092
Rubidium	0,0053
	0,0023
	0,0014
	0,0012
	0,0007
	0,0007
	0,0003
	0,0002

If you adhere to preparation standards, use only high-quality products, and observe moderation in consumption, the drink will bring unlimited benefits to the human body and minimal harm.

Remember, real mead, made from natural bee honey, with the addition of spices, herbs and fruits is a symbiosis of vitamins and minerals.

Like alcohol medicine

In moderate quantities (100 ml per day), mead is a healing drink that contains beneficial substances from herbs, spices and honey.

The benefits of mead are possible provided that the drink is taken within reasonable limits (no more than 100 ml per day). Alcohol abuse develops dependence, intoxication of the body, and a hangover occurs. As a result, instead of improving health, there is a deterioration in health.

Beneficial properties of a drink infused with honey without adding yeast:

• kills pathological bacteria;
• strengthens blood vessels;
• has an antipyretic effect;
• cures colds, viruses;
• removes accumulated mucus from the lungs.

By mixing mead with red wine, you can get rid of constipation, provided there are no diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (ulcers, gastritis, colitis). Otherwise, the flammable mixture will have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, which will ultimately lead to an exacerbation of the pathological process.

Folk recipes

1. To normalize the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Doctors recommend drinking an invigorating mixture of dry red wine (30 g) and mead (70 g) once a day before meals.
2. To eliminate chronic fatigue, lethargy and combat spring vitamin deficiency. Once a day, take a “calming” cocktail of Cahors (50 ml) and mead (50 ml).
3. To restore healthy sleep and nervous system. Take 200 ml of mead with mint at night.
4. To combat constipation or diarrhea (intestinal infections). Dilute sweet red wine with mead, maintaining a 1:1 ratio of alcoholic drinks, drink once a day.

Potential Harm

Mead contains alcohol and should be taken with extreme caution and in moderation.

Contraindications:

• diabetes;
• stomach ulcer;
• children, pregnant women and nursing mothers;
• individual intolerance;
• tendency to allergies;
• alcohol addiction.

Cooking method

First of all, a strong type of drink is made, without fermentation, into which alcohol is introduced. With accurate calculation of the components, mead can have 75 revolutions.

The quality of the drink directly depends on the correct calculation and freshness of the ingredients.

Interestingly, the fermentation method was first practiced by beekeepers who had a lot of honey left. To avoid spoilage of the product, baker's yeast was used for processing.

The main ingredient remains honey, and other components depend on the recipe. To improve the taste, the following are added to mead: dried apricots,... The classic recipe involves the use of hop cones, water and yeast.

Starter for simple mead

The inoculum ensures the fermentation process of the wort.

Sequence of sourdough preparation processes:

1. Dissolve honey in water.
2. Boil the mixture for 10 minutes over low heat. In the process of boiling the starter, get rid of the foam, make sure that no more than 1/3 of the part boils away.
3. Cool to 40 degrees.
4. Add yeast at the rate of 5 g per 10 liters of mixture. Then add hops and spices.
5. Leave for at least 1 week, preferably longer. Only in this case the mead will turn out to be of high quality, aromatic and tasty. To check the readiness of the starter, pay attention to its hissing. It should stop emitting carbon dioxide.

To prevent the drink from turning sour, cover it thoroughly during the fermentation process. When the mead is ready, pour it into glass bottles and infuse. The longer the aging, the tastier the drink.

Cooking recipes

How to make mead at home?

1. Pour 2 liters of water into an enamel pan. Add 400 g of natural honey.
2. Place the contents on the stove, cook for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly and skimming off the foam.
3. Add nutmeg and ground cinnamon (on the tip of a knife), hop cones (5 g).
4. Dissolve 5 g of yeast in 100 ml of water. Leave for 1 hour.
5. Add the yeast starter to the sweet water.
6. Prepare a water seal and leave the drink to ferment.
7. The mead is considered ready if the match does not go out after being brought to the container. This indicates that the fermentation process is complete. Otherwise, you still need to wait.

Recipe No. 1 “Ancient Spiced Mead”

Ingredients:

• water – 2 l;
• honey – 800 g;
• spices (ginger, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon) – 20 g;
• yeast – 30g;
• rye dough.

Cooking principle:

• Bring water with honey to a boil, add spices;
• cool the drink;
• add rye dough, leave in a warm place for 12 hours to ferment;
• pour into bottles, which are placed in a cool place to ripen.

After six months, the drink is ready for consumption. The fermentation process in the recipe is started by rye dough. As a result, mead is aromatic due to the added spices, weak and sweet.

Recipe No. 2 “Quick classic mead”

Ingredients:

• raisins – 200 g;
• - 3 pcs;
• yeast – 25 g;
• water – 1.5 l;
• flour – 15 g;
• honey – 500 g.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the lemon, chop it, put it in an enamel pan, pour boiling water, stir, cool.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the resulting mass and leave in a warm place for three days.

Recipe No. 3 “Hot mead”

Prepare the drink as usual. A distinctive feature of hot mead is the spicy, rich taste and aroma that pepper imparts. In addition, coriander, oregano, basil, ginger, St. John's wort and nutmeg are added to the wort before fermentation.

To prepare a strong cocktail you will need 10 liters of water and 4 kg of honey. To start the fermentation process, add a little yeast to the mixture without closing the container. Leave the starter in a warm place for 5 days, then put it in the refrigerator or cellar for 1 month.

Recipe No. 4 “Mead without yeast”

This method of preparing a fun drink is lengthy, it takes up to 4 months. Instead of yeast, dried grapes (raisins) or berries are used. The result is a practically non-alcoholic mead with characteristic fruity notes.

Ingredients:

• cold water – 1l;
• cherry berries (pitted) – 4 kg;
• honey – 2 kg.

Cooking technology:

1. Dissolve honey in cold water.
2. Add cherries to the solution.
3. Cover the pan with the mixture with gauze and place in a warm place until signs of fermentation appear.
4. Filter.
5. Pour into glass bottles and close.
6. Place the mead in a cool place for 4 months to mature.
7. Conduct a tasting. The finished drink should taste like kvass - slightly carbonated, with a slight sourness. Alcohol should not be noticeable.

Cooking rules

Choose the right honey

To get a high-quality, tasty and aromatic drink, the product must be natural. For making mead, preference is given to buckwheat or linden honey. It can be candied or liquid in consistency (in spring). In any case, the main thing is not to purchase a surrogate - sugar syrup, since this product will not make mead.

Pre-dissolve honey in water

The liquid is poured into an enamel pan and boiled. Then honey is gradually added. At this point, you need to vigorously stir the water with a spoon, otherwise the risk increases that the product will stick to the bottom and burn. During cooking, remove the white foam from the surface. Stir regularly, making sure that the honey does not burn.

Add spices after skimming

To obtain an original taste, add cinnamon, nutmeg, and hops to sweet water, then remove the pan from the heat.

Prepare for the fermentation reaction

Cool the mixture to 35 degrees, add yeast. If you add them to hot water, they will spoil and fermentation will not occur. Then the container with honey wort is left in a room at room temperature (25 degrees). Gauze will help protect against flies. Under no circumstances should the pan be sealed tightly, since yeast needs oxygen to reproduce. After fermentation (after 2 days), replace the foam. When it appears, the solution will begin to pour into a special can.

Fermentation process

The duration of this stage is up to 1 week. The absence of hissing and bubbles coming out using the water seal indicates the readiness of the starter.

Bottling and filtration

Carefully pour the drink into a storage container. No sediment should get into it! Then the mead is filtered. Glass bottles that are tightly closed and placed in a cool place are best. Insist for at least a month.

Mead is drunk both cold and slightly warmed.

It is recommended to store the drink in glass bottles or oak barrels at a temperature of 5-10 degrees above zero. For example, in the basement, cellar, refrigerator. The main condition is that the container with mead should not be exposed to freezing, contact with sunlight or metal. If these conditions are met, the alcoholic drink can be suitable for consumption without loss of quality for 2-3 years.

When preparing mead, you cannot improvise; strictly follow the recipe.

To increase the percentage of alcohol content, add alcohol, vodka or high-quality moonshine without other flavors to homemade mead. This is done before sealing the drink into bottles (at the last stage). At the same time, it is important to correctly calculate the degree of the resulting honey cocktail so as not to overdo it.

Conclusion

Mead is an alcoholic cocktail made from water, honey, yeast, and various flavorings. It has pronounced anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, cleansing, antiallergic, tonic, stimulating, and immunostimulating properties.

With moderate consumption of mead (up to 100 ml per day), the condition of the nervous system improves. The mood improves, the person becomes calm, and signs of depression disappear. In addition, the drink saturates the body with beneficial nutrients, which leaves an imprint on the condition of the dermis, hair and nails. The face becomes smooth, pigment spots and oily shine disappear. increase in volume and begin to grow faster. they stop exfoliating and crumbling and become stronger.

To taste the taste of the honey drink and get the maximum benefit, drink it in small sips (chilled in summer and slightly warmed in winter). A classic snack for an alcoholic drink - sour cabbage, sauerkraut, soaked rowan, lemon, fried sausages, cheese.

Despite its beneficial properties, the strong drink has age restrictions and is contraindicated for children, pregnant and lactating women, and people with diseases of the digestive system.

Mead is an alcoholic drink made from honey. Rus' is considered the birthplace of the strong cocktail. Over time, the recipe has undergone changes; now you don’t need to spend a lot of time to create a fun drink; you just need to limit yourself to yeast and boiling.

It is known that the technology of making mead was depicted in Ancient Egypt (more than 3 millennia BC) on the walls of tombs with a detailed description of the honey rivers of the afterlife. At the same time, in Rus', an ethyl cocktail was considered mandatory during special events. Mead was drunk at a wedding for a sweet, happy life for the newlyweds. The life-giving drink was aged in oak barrels for up to 15 years. It was considered a universal remedy for all diseases.

Currently, mead has not lost its popularity, but, on the contrary, received a second revival during the formation of Soviet power. As a result, the homemade drink gradually began to be produced industrially (in the city of Suzdal) as a tonic, immunostimulating, and antibacterial agent.

Classification

Types and varieties of mead:

1. By alcohol concentration: light (less than 14 degrees) and strong (more than 14 degrees).
2. Ingredients: fruit (contains fruit juice) and natural (without fruit concentrate).
3. By color: light and dark.
4. By sweetness: sweet, semi-sweet, semi-dry (sugar content starts from 1%) and dry (sugar content does not exceed 1%).
5. By shelf life: cooked (produced by fermenting honey waste, 3 years) and boiled (prepared by boiling, based on honey and herbs, 10 years).
6. By the amount of carbon dioxide: effervescent (with a high CO2 content) and regular (with a low percentage of carbon dioxide).

Depending on the production technology, honey drink is prepared with or without the addition of ethyl alcohol.

Chemical composition

Mead is a high-calorie product. 100 ml of drink contains 93.93 calories. It is made exclusively from natural ingredients, therefore it contains a supply of useful mineral compounds and vitamins necessary for the full functioning of the body.

Chemical composition of mead

Name	Nutrient content per 100 grams of product, milligrams
Vitamins
Ascorbic acid (C)	4,1
Tocopherol (E)	0,4
Niacin (B3)	0,2
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0,1
Thiamine (B1)	0,08
Riboflavin (B2)	0,08
Beta-carotene (A)	0,006
Pyridoxine (B6)	0,05
Folic acid (B9)	0,0083
Biotin (H)	0,0002
Macronutrients
Chlorine	126,3
Sodium	83,2
Potassium	68,4
Phosphorus	25,7
Calcium	10,3
Magnesium	8,0
Sulfur	7,1
Microelements
Copper	49,6
Iron	0,8
Manganese	0,2343
Zinc	0,1857
Bor	0,0222
Fluorine	0,0182
Aluminum	0,0092
Rubidium	0,0053
Molybdenum	0,0023
Nickel	0,0014
Iodine	0,0012
Selenium	0,0007
Chromium	0,0007
Vanadium	0,0003
Cobalt	0,0002

If you adhere to preparation standards, use only high-quality products, and observe moderation in consumption, the drink will bring unlimited benefits to the human body and minimal harm.

Remember, real mead, made from natural bee honey, with the addition of spices, herbs and fruits is a symbiosis of vitamins and minerals.

Like alcohol medicine

In moderate quantities (100 ml per day), mead is a healing drink that contains beneficial substances from herbs, spices and honey.

The benefits of mead are possible provided that the drink is taken within reasonable limits (no more than 100 ml per day). Alcohol abuse develops dependence, intoxication of the body, and a hangover occurs. As a result, instead of improving health, there is a deterioration in health.

Beneficial properties of a drink infused with honey without adding yeast:

• kills pathological bacteria;
• strengthens the heart and blood vessels;
• has an antipyretic effect;
• cures colds, viruses;
• removes accumulated mucus from the lungs.

By mixing mead with red wine, you can get rid of constipation, provided there are no diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (ulcers, gastritis, colitis). Otherwise, the flammable mixture will have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, which will ultimately lead to an exacerbation of the pathological process.

Folk recipes

1. To normalize the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Doctors recommend drinking an invigorating mixture of dry red wine (30 g) and mead (70 g) once a day before meals.
2. To eliminate chronic fatigue, lethargy and combat spring vitamin deficiency. Once a day, take a “calming” cocktail of Cahors (50 ml) and mead (50 ml).
3. To restore healthy sleep and nervous system. Take 200 ml of mead with mint at night.
4. To combat constipation or diarrhea (intestinal infections). Dilute sweet red wine with mead, maintaining a 1:1 ratio of alcoholic drinks, drink once a day.

Potential Harm

Mead contains alcohol and should be taken with extreme caution and in moderation.

Contraindications:

• diabetes;
• stomach ulcer;
• children, pregnant women and nursing mothers;
• individual intolerance;
• tendency to allergies;
• alcohol addiction.

Cooking method

First of all, a strong type of drink is made, without fermentation, into which vodka or alcohol is added. With accurate calculation of the components, mead can have 75 revolutions.

The quality of the drink directly depends on the correct calculation and freshness of the ingredients.

Interestingly, the fermentation method was first practiced by beekeepers who had a lot of honey left. To avoid spoilage of the product, baker's yeast was used for processing.

The main ingredient remains honey, and other components depend on the recipe. To improve the taste, the following are added to mead: dried apricots, cardamom, anise, cinnamon, ginger, raisins. The classic recipe involves the use of hop cones, water and yeast.

Starter for simple mead

The inoculum ensures the fermentation process of the wort.

Sequence of sourdough preparation processes:

1. Dissolve honey in water.
2. Boil the mixture for 10 minutes over low heat. In the process of boiling the starter, get rid of the foam, make sure that no more than 1/3 of the part boils away.
3. Cool to 40 degrees.
4. Add yeast at the rate of 5 g per 10 liters of mixture. Then add hops and spices.
5. Leave for at least 1 week, preferably longer. Only in this case the mead will turn out to be of high quality, aromatic and tasty. To check the readiness of the starter, pay attention to its hissing. It should stop emitting carbon dioxide.

To prevent the drink from turning sour, cover it thoroughly during the fermentation process. When the mead is ready, pour it into glass bottles and infuse. The longer the aging, the tastier the drink.

Cooking recipes

How to make mead at home?

1. Pour 2 liters of water into an enamel pan. Add 400 g of natural honey.
2. Place the contents on the stove, cook for 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly and skimming off the foam.
3. Add nutmeg and ground cinnamon (on the tip of a knife), hop cones (5 g).
4. Dissolve 5 g of yeast in 100 ml of water. Leave for 1 hour.
5. Add the yeast starter to the sweet water.
6. Prepare a water seal and leave the drink to ferment.
7. The mead is considered ready if the match does not go out after being brought to the container. This indicates that the fermentation process is complete. Otherwise, you still need to wait.

Recipe No. 1 “Ancient Spiced Mead”

Ingredients:

• water – 2 l;
• honey – 800 g;
• spices (ginger, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon) – 20 g;
• yeast – 30g;
• rye dough.

Cooking principle:

• Bring water with honey to a boil, add spices;
• cool the drink;
• add rye dough, leave in a warm place for 12 hours to ferment;
• pour into bottles, which are placed in a cool place to ripen.

After six months, the drink is ready for consumption. The fermentation process in the recipe is started by rye dough. As a result, mead is aromatic due to the added spices, weak and sweet.

Recipe No. 2 “Quick classic mead”

Ingredients:

• raisins – 200 g;
• lemon – 3 pcs;
• yeast – 25 g;
• water – 1.5 l;
• flour – 15 g;
• honey – 500 g.

Cooking method:

1. Wash the lemon, chop it, put it in an enamel pan, pour boiling water, stir, cool.
2. Add the remaining ingredients to the resulting mass and leave in a warm place for three days.

Recipe No. 3 “Hot mead”

Prepare the drink as usual. A distinctive feature of hot mead is the spicy, rich taste and aroma that pepper imparts. In addition, coriander, oregano, basil, ginger, St. John's wort and nutmeg are added to the wort before fermentation.

To prepare a strong cocktail you will need 10 liters of water and 4 kg of honey. To start the fermentation process, add a little yeast to the mixture without closing the container. Leave the starter in a warm place for 5 days, then put it in the refrigerator or cellar for 1 month.

Recipe No. 4 “Mead without yeast”

This method of preparing a fun drink is lengthy, it takes up to 4 months. Instead of yeast, dried grapes (raisins) or cherries and raspberries are used. The result is a practically non-alcoholic mead with characteristic fruity notes.

Ingredients:

• cold water – 1l;
• cherry berries (pitted) – 4 kg;
• honey – 2 kg.

Cooking technology:

1. Dissolve honey in cold water.
2. Add cherries to the solution.
3. Cover the pan with the mixture with gauze and place in a warm place until signs of fermentation appear.
4. Filter.
5. Pour into glass bottles and close.
6. Place the mead in a cool place for 4 months to mature.
7. Conduct a tasting. The finished drink should taste like kvass - slightly carbonated, with a slight sourness. Alcohol should not be noticeable.

Cooking rules

Choose the right honey

To get a high-quality, tasty and aromatic drink, the product must be natural. For making mead, preference is given to buckwheat or linden honey. It can be candied or liquid in consistency (in spring). In any case, the main thing is not to purchase a surrogate - sugar syrup, since this product will not make mead.

Pre-dissolve honey in water

The liquid is poured into an enamel pan and boiled. Then honey is gradually added. At this point, you need to vigorously stir the water with a spoon, otherwise the risk increases that the product will stick to the bottom and burn. During cooking, remove the white foam from the surface. Stir regularly, making sure that the honey does not burn.

Add spices after skimming

To obtain an original taste, add cinnamon, nutmeg, and hops to sweet water, then remove the pan from the heat.

Prepare for the fermentation reaction

Cool the mixture to 35 degrees, add yeast. If you add them to hot water, they will spoil and fermentation will not occur. Then the container with honey wort is left in a room at room temperature (25 degrees). Gauze will help protect against flies. Under no circumstances should the pan be sealed tightly, since yeast needs oxygen to reproduce. After fermentation (after 2 days), replace the foam. When it appears, the solution will begin to pour into a special can.

Fermentation process

The duration of this stage is up to 1 week. The absence of hissing and bubbles coming out using the water seal indicates the readiness of the starter.

Bottling and filtration

Carefully pour the drink into a storage container. No sediment should get into it! Then the mead is filtered. Glass bottles that are tightly closed and placed in a cool place are best. Insist for at least a month.

Note:

1. Melon, fried sausages, pears, bananas, sauerkraut, lemon, cheese and porcini mushroom dishes are suitable as an appetizer for mead.
2. Don't just drink the prepared drink. The taste of fresh mead is not ideal and will not bring pleasure. Leave it to ripen. After a while (1-4 months, depending on the preparation recipe), it will acquire a rich, pleasant aroma and taste, and will become no worse than a noble wine.
3. Mead is drunk both cold and slightly warmed.
4. It is recommended to store the drink in glass bottles or oak barrels at a temperature of 5-10 degrees above zero. For example, in the basement, cellar, refrigerator. The main condition is that the container with mead should not be exposed to freezing, contact with sunlight or metal. If these conditions are met, the alcoholic drink can be suitable for consumption without loss of quality for 2-3 years.
5. When preparing mead, you cannot improvise; strictly follow the recipe.
6. To increase the percentage of alcohol content, add alcohol, vodka or high-quality moonshine without other flavors to homemade mead. This is done before sealing the drink into bottles (at the last stage). At the same time, it is important to correctly calculate the degree of the resulting honey cocktail so as not to overdo it.

Conclusion

Mead is an alcoholic cocktail made from water, honey, yeast, and various flavorings. It has pronounced anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, cleansing, antiallergic, tonic, stimulating, and immunostimulating properties.

With moderate consumption of mead (up to 100 ml per day), the condition of the nervous system improves. The mood improves, the person becomes calm, and signs of depression disappear. In addition, the drink saturates the body with beneficial nutrients, which leaves an imprint on the condition of the dermis, hair and nails. The skin of the face becomes smooth, pigment spots and oily shine disappear. Hair increases in volume and begins to grow faster. Nails stop peeling and crumbling and become stronger.

To taste the taste of the honey drink and get the maximum benefit, drink it in small sips (chilled in summer and slightly warmed in winter). A classic snack for an alcoholic drink - sour cabbage, sauerkraut, apples, pickled rowan, lemon, fried sausages, cheese.

Despite its beneficial properties, the strong drink has age restrictions and is contraindicated for children, pregnant and lactating women, and people with diseases of the digestive system.

Alcoholic drinks from honey began to be prepared several thousand years ago, simultaneously with the advent of beekeeping. Over time, production technology has changed, but the unforgettable taste and hop flavor remain the same. Next I will tell you how to make mead at home. We will look at a modern version and a classic recipe without yeast and boiling, which we used before.

Mead is a low-alcohol (5-10%) alcoholic drink obtained by fermenting honey. Depending on the recipe, in addition to water, yeast, hops, flavorings and other ingredients may also be added to the composition.

There is strong mead, but it is made not by fermentation, but by adding the required amount of alcohol (vodka) to the finished product. This method allows you to achieve a predetermined strength of the drink up to 75 degrees.

In Rus', “drinking honey” was considered sacred and was an integral attribute of many holidays, but in the Middle Ages they forgot about this wonderful drink. The second birth of mead occurred in the first years of Soviet power, when beekeepers received a lot of honey unsuitable for long-term storage and sale. For the sake of quick processing, beekeepers made mead with the addition of baker's yeast.

The new low-alcohol drink caught on; it was prepared at home, using not only spoiled, but also very high-quality mature honey, diluted with water. A few decades later, the industrial production of mead began. In this regard, the city of Suzdal in the Vladimir region became famous, where production has continued to this day.

Modern homemade mead

Ingredients:

• honey – 300 grams;
• water – 2 liters;
• dry yeast - 1 teaspoon (or 25 grams of pressed);
• hop cones – 5 grams;
• cinnamon and nutmeg - 1 pinch.

All ingredients are available; difficulties may arise only with hop cones. They are sold in almost every pharmacy, so this is not a problem either. You can use any yeast, for example, for baking bread.

Mead making technology

1. Choosing honey. One of the most important stages, on which the quality of the finished drink largely depends. Try to choose the most fragrant varieties. Buckwheat honey is excellent, but you can use something else, such as linden honey.

In the spring, many beekeepers offer fresh liquid honey, but if you are not well versed in beekeeping, it is better not to buy it. There is a risk that instead of a natural product, dealers will sell a surrogate made from sugar, or that the honey itself will be of low quality. Such raw materials will never make delicious homemade mead.

2. Dissolving honey in water. Pour water into an enamel pan and bring to a boil. Add honey to boiling water, stirring constantly with a spoon. After 4-5 minutes of boiling the honey mixture, a white foam will begin to appear on the surface, which must be carefully collected with a spoon.

Attention! Honey burns very quickly and can ignite, so the pan should not be left unattended for a minute.

3. Adding flavoring additives. After the foam is removed, add other ingredients to the mixture: cinnamon, nutmeg and hops, which will give the drink original flavor notes. After mixing thoroughly, remove the pan from the heat.

4. Preparation for fermentation. Cool the mixture to 25-30°C (very important) and add the diluted yeast. If you do this at a higher temperature, the yeast will die and fermentation will not begin.

Transfer the pan with the honey solution to a dark place with a temperature of about 25°C. If there is no separate room, you can use an aquarium heater. To avoid foreign substances and insects getting into the wort (flies are especially annoying in the summer), I recommend tying the pan with gauze.

After 1-2 days, signs of fermentation will appear: foam will begin to form on the surface of the mixture, and hissing will be heard. Pour the contents of the pan into a fermentation container, placing a medical glove with a hole in the finger or a water seal on the neck. The designs of these devices are shown in the photo.

Homemade water seal Fermentation under the glove

5. Fermentation. As a rule, fermentation of mead lasts 4-6 days. The end of the process is indicated by a deflated glove or a prolonged absence of bubbles escaping through the water seal. Another test method is to bring a burning match to the surface of the liquid, which should not go out. There is nothing to be afraid of, the strength of the drink is only 5-10 degrees, it will not catch fire.

6. Filtration and bottling. The final stage of preparation. Carefully pour the mead into another container, leaving sediment at the bottom, then strain through several layers of gauze.

Pour the finished drink into bottles (glass or plastic), seal tightly and transfer to the refrigerator or basement. I'm not a fan of storing alcohol in plastic containers, but in this case it's harmless. The strength of mead is low, so the alcohol will not interact with the plastic. Beer is sold in bottles like these. You can drink mead almost immediately after preparation, but I recommend letting it sit for 3-5 days and only then taste it.

How to make mead carbonated

1. Wash bottles (plastic or glass) well and wipe dry.

2. Add honey to the bottom of each container (one and a half teaspoons per 1 liter of drink). Thanks to the honey, a slight secondary fermentation will occur, which will saturate the mead with natural carbon dioxide.

3. Pour the drink into bottles, leaving 5-6 cm of free space from the neck. Seal tightly with stoppers or lids.

4. Transfer the containers to a dark room at room temperature for 7-10 days. Check the gas pressure once a day and relieve excess pressure if necessary.

5. Place the carbonated honey in a cool place for at least 5 days to ripen.

Mead without yeast and boiling

An ancient recipe according to which our ancestors made mead. They did without yeast and diluted honey in cold water. I warn you that using this technology, preparation will take 3-4 months, and the strength of the drink will be much lower - 2-4 degrees.

The most difficult thing in this recipe is to find an adequate replacement for yeast, since honey and water will not ferment on their own. There are two options: use cherries (raspberries, strawberries) or raisins as a catalyst. Cherries are historically the right choice, but raisins are a more reliable choice. Let's consider both cases.

Cooking technology

1. Dilute honey in cold water. The amount of ingredients depends on the chosen fermentation catalyst. In the case of raisins, use: 1 liter of water, 80 grams of honey and 50 grams of raisins.

If you decide to support fermentation with cherries (raspberries, strawberries), then to make mead you will need: 1 liter of water, 4 kg of cherries and 2 kg of honey. First remove the pits from the cherries, then pour in the honey solution.

Attention! Raisins and cherries should not be washed before adding to mead, otherwise you may accidentally wash away the wild yeast responsible for fermentation, and it will be difficult to predict the subsequent result.

2. Tie the neck with gauze, then place the container in a warm place. Fermentation will begin in 1-2 days. Since we did without yeast (dry and baker's), it takes more time than in the first case.

3. If signs of fermentation appear (see point 4 of the first recipe), filter the liquid through several layers of gauze, pour into another container and close tightly. This method is used to prepare the so-called “set mead”, which does not require a glove or a water seal.

4. All that remains is to put the bottles in the refrigerator or cellar for maturation. After 3-4 months you can try the finished drink. It will turn out carbonated with a slight sourness, the alcohol is almost not felt, more like kvass.

P.S. Many people call “proper mead” a recipe without yeast or boiling. But this does not mean that the first option is not as tasty or healthy. I advise you to prepare mead using two methods, try each option, and only then draw conclusions.

The video shows a simple recipe for honey beer.

Mead– an alcoholic drink made from honey, yeast and flavorings.

Mead is considered one of the most ancient drinks; it was often prepared in Rus'. Not a single celebration would be complete without this alcoholic drink.

Honey was a medicinal product, so mead with known beneficial properties was prepared from it. Also, people were already familiar with the so-called “drunk honey” - bees obtained this beekeeping product from the nectar of azalea, heather, rhododendron and other plants. Honey received this name because it contained a toxic substance - the glycoside andromedotoxin. Under the influence of this substance, a person became drunk, experienced dizziness, and sometimes nausea or convulsions.

The popularity of mead, as well as other non-alcoholic honey drinks, is due to the fact that honey was a common product; at least a little of this beekeeping product could be found in every home. Scientists even suggest that the technology for producing mead is much older than winemaking technology. The first mentions of mead date back to 7-6 thousand years BC. e. At this time, the production of a similar drink was established. The stages of making mead are depicted on the walls of tombs in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians considered it a drink of divine origin. The Slavs believed that only gods and great ancestors were worthy of drinking a honey drink.

The very first mead in Rus' was produced by fermenting honey in barrels with berry juice. The recipe for this drink was discovered in the widely known Domostroy (880). The cooking process was quite complicated and also took a lot of time. The fact is that initially mead was made without adding yeast, so the process was very slow. Fresh honey was mixed with sour berries and left to ferment.

To make mead, honey was fermented for 15-20 years. Sometimes fermentation reached half a century.

This kind of honey was called “staged” because it stood for a long time. For this purpose, honey was sealed in barrels, sometimes they were even buried in the ground. This was the recipe for making traditional mead. Since the process was very complex and also costly, only representatives of the rich classes, princes or warriors could afford such a drink. Barrels of mead were given to newlyweds for a wedding; it was considered a very valuable gift. This drink made it possible to have fun at a wedding for a long time and not get too drunk. The strength of the mead was 8%-12%, and its taste was very delicate and sweet.

In order to simplify production, a technology for producing intoxicated and boiled honey was invented. “Intoxicated Honey” appeared 50 years later than it was staged. In addition to adding juice, they began to add hops and spices to this product so that the drink had greater strength and a pleasant taste. Intoxicated honey was prepared for a total of 3 years; it could stand for 5-8 years. This drink came to Rus' from Scandinavia, where honey drinks have been in high esteem since pagan times. It was believed that honey was sent to people by the gods; it was food for warriors and poets. The drink had a somewhat tart taste with a slight bitterness, but it was still much tastier than beer.

The next stage in the preparation of mead was the production of the so-called “boiled honey”. The first mention of it dates back to the chronicles of 996. The production of this drink was no longer so difficult; any family could afford it. First, honey was dissolved in enough water to release the sugar, then fermentation began. The honey was left to ferment for 3-7 days, then poured into containers and kept in a dark place for a week or a month. This method made it possible to significantly reduce the amount of waste during the production of the drink. The drink made from boiled honey tastes a little like beer. It was only prepared for a few weeks.

Over time, new principles for making honey drinks appeared, which were soon replaced by vodka and wine. The revival of these recipes began already in the 19th century, by which time many traditions had been forgotten. For example, a very honorable dish in Rus' was “syt” - a sweet drink that was served at the end of the meal. It was from this time that the phrase “eat your fill” came about, that is, eat everything, leaving room only for “fullness.”

Honey has always been held in high esteem in Rus'. It was considered a sacred product, at one time it was even used instead of wine for communion. Before the meal, they consumed the so-called “sbiten”, which is produced by boiling honey in water with the addition of juice and spices. There was also a digest - a mixture of beer and honey. Perevar was considered the lowest quality product that even the poorest people could afford.

In Mordovia they prepared the so-called “pure”, it was a drink whose production methods were similar to those of making wine and beer. The main ingredient of “pure” was honey. Honey was also added to fruit and berry wines. In Ethiopia, honey drinks were called "tej". This is a homemade drink. Its strength is 15%-30%. It has a sweet and spicy taste.

In the 19th century, new recipes for preparing honey drinks were invented. They were diluted with water, and also mixed with vodka or alcohol, beer. It was in the 19th century that the drink began to be called “mead”, and before that it was called “drinking honey”. The next stage in the development of mead was the arrival of the USSR. Mead was now understood as an industrially produced drink, only vaguely reminiscent of an original Russian product.

Types of mead

There are the following types of this drink:

• • Stavannaya mead is a traditional drink made according to ancient recipes.
  • Mead is rich or boiled - it is made by fermenting honey, which is additionally boiled.
  • Hop mead is an alcoholic drink based on mead with the addition of hops.
  • Fake mead is an alcoholic drink with added spices.

Depending on the strength there are:

• • non-alcoholic mead;
  • regular mead;
  • strong mead.

Depending on the characteristics of production, mead is distinguished with the addition of ethyl alcohol or without its addition. Honey may or may not be added after preparing the drink.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of mead are determined by its composition. Honey contains a large amount of minerals and vitamins. Honey drinks have a beneficial effect on the digestive process and have anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties.

If the correct manufacturing technology is followed, the drink will not contain fusel oils or other harmful substances.

It is believed that the most useful product is mead made from unboiled honey.

Use in cooking

In cooking, mead is used to prepare other drinks. For example, the combination of mead and beer has long been called “digestion.” Honey was also combined with kefir.

Can be cooked raspberry mead. For this you will need raspberry juice, honey, hop cones, wine yeast, raisins. Honey is dissolved in warm water and boiled for 1.5 hours. Then add some hop cones to it and boil for another 1 hour. After which the drink is filtered and cooled. Yeast and juice are added to honey and left to ferment for 2-3 days. Then the drink is poured into bottles, 2-3 raisins are placed in each container, sealed and stored in a cool place.

How to cook at home

To make mead at home, we need bee honey (it can be candied or store-bought, that is, sterilized). It's over the higher the quality of honey, the more aromatic and healthy the mead will be. If the honey does not have a distinct odor, the product may eventually be flavored with spices.

Place the honey in a large saucepan, add cold water (1:7), and bring the mixture to a boil over low heat. The foam formed during the boiling process must be carefully removed. When the mixture stops foaming, turn it off and cool. Yeast is added to warm water with honey and placed in a warm place for a month. After a month, yeast is again added to the mass and the mead is left for another month, after which the drink is filtered and bottled. Homemade mead can be stored for 6 months.

You can also cook intoxicating mead. To do this you need to prepare the hops. It is added to speed up fermentation. Hops are added immediately after boiling the honey before adding yeast. This mead ferments for 5 days, then the hops are removed, the drink is bottled and drunk a few days later. In order to make mead fortified, just add a little alcohol to it (for 1 liter of mead you will need 1-2 tablespoons of alcohol).

As for spices, mead goes well with citrus zest, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mint, black and allspice, dried fruits, and berries.

The benefits of mead and treatment

The benefits of mead have long been known in folk medicine. Even in ancient times, our ancestors noticed that drinking this drink has a beneficial effect on male strength, or potency. The well-known phrase “honeymoon” also refers to mead. The fact is that after the wedding, the newlyweds drank a low-alcohol honey drink.

Harm of mead and contraindications

The drink can cause harm to the body due to individual intolerance, as well as with excessive consumption. It is not recommended to consume mead for people suffering from allergic reactions to honey.

Mead is an intoxicating drink made from honey. You will learn more about it and the benefits of mead in our article.

This is an original Slavic drink that has a rich history and long national roots. This product appeared on the tables of our ancestors in ancient times; Due to the fact that its recipe contains natural honey, which has healing properties, this drink was truly unique, very healthy and incredibly tasty.

What is mead? This is a national Russian alcoholic drink, prepared by fermenting natural honey. In ancient times, it was believed that this drink was a divine nectar that gave strength to Russian men. And today this drink is very popular, as it is intoxicating, tasty and even healthy.

Mead is one of the types of alcoholic products. This is an ancient alcoholic drink, which is created by fermenting honey with the addition of hops, pollen, various berries (plum, cherry, rose hip, watermelon, cranberry), various spices (cardamom, horseradish, wormwood, ginger, rosemary, thyme).

The strength of this drink is usually 10-16 degrees, but sometimes stronger types are found. The sugar content in this drink is approximately 8-10%, the taste has fragrant and bewitching honey tones. This is a delicious drink; after drinking it, you will feel slightly intoxicated and in a good mood.

This drink must contain the following components:

• natural honey;
• alcohol.

It is also possible that there are other components present that will make the drink more tasty and rich:

• various spices;
• roots;
• herbs;
• berries;
• different yeast cultures.

What the final composition of this drink will be, it all depends on the imagination of the manufacturer.

It is also impossible not to say about the vitamin and mineral composition of mead. This drink contains vitamins A, B, C, K, E, as well as many metals that can help in the treatment of various diseases.

Beneficial features

Since the main ingredient in this drink is natural honey, this drink is characterized by the presence of a whole bunch of useful and medicinal properties. Also, additives such as hops and various spices add some beneficial properties of mead to the composition of this drink:

• an excellent hangover cure because it increases urination and sweating, which leads to cleansing of the body;
• is an antipyretic, that is, excellent for treating colds;
• warms and disinfects the nasopharynx for tonsillitis and tonsillitis;
• has the effect of ventilation of the lungs, which is very good for tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and other diseases of the respiratory tract;
• is an excellent remedy for the prevention of impotence.

The beneficial properties of this drink are very great, but it is worth remembering the contraindications regarding its use.

Contraindications and harm

Regarding the harm of this drink, several points should be noted:

• The drink is alcoholic and is therefore prohibited for children, pregnant and nursing mothers. This will cause irreparable harm to an unprotected body.
• Honey, which is the basis of the drink, may be harmful in the context of a possible allergic reaction to it.

Treatment with magic mead

The beneficial properties of this honey drink are due to the fact that honey is a unique natural medicine that has excellent bactericidal, antibacterial, antiallergic and anti-inflammatory properties.

With the help of honey drink you can treat the following diseases:

1. Heart diseases.
2. Atherosclerosis.
3. Liver failure.
4. Avitaminosis.
5. Weakened body.
6. Metabolic disease.
7. Diarrhea.
8. Constipation.
9. Stones in the kidneys.
10. Prevention of intestinal infection.
11. Flu; colds, pneumonia.
12. Insomnia.

Before using honey drink for medicinal purposes, it is advisable to first consult with a doctor, who will prescribe a course of treatment and tell you whether you can use it for a particular illness, what it should be combined with, and in what doses to take.

Recipe

There are many different recipes for making this intoxicating drink with step-by-step instructions and photos. You can add various yeast, spices, berries, etc. to it. Anyone can prepare this drink at home.

The most common is the classic recipe for making mead.

Ingredients:

• honey (300 g);
• water (2 l);
• yeast (1 teaspoon);
• hop cones (5 g);
• nutmeg;
• a pinch of cinnamon;

Cooking process:

1. You need to boil water in a saucepan. As soon as the water begins to boil, carefully pour honey into it, stirring with a spoon. After 5 minutes, remove the foam from the surface.
2. Add hop cones, nutmeg and a pinch of cinnamon. After removing the dish from the heat, you must immediately cover it with a lid. Wait until the liquid cools to 50 degrees.
3. Dissolve a teaspoon of yeast in the liquid.
4. Place the pan in a place where the temperature is maintained at 25 degrees.
5. As soon as fermentation begins, foam forms on the surface of the solution. It is necessary to pour the liquid into a container with a water seal (for example, a glass jar).
6. Close the lid very tightly. Make a small hole in it and place a small tube or hose there. One end should be above the surface of this mash, and the other should be immersed in a container of water.
7. To determine whether the fermentation process has ended, you need to light a match and bring it to the liquid. If the fire does not burn hotter, then the drink is already ready.
8. Strain the drink through several layers of gauze.
9. Pour the liquid into plastic bottles and place in the refrigerator.

Mead can be enjoyed very quickly, as it usually takes only five days to prepare.

How to use?

At different times, in different countries, they drank it in different ways. In ancient times, they drank it before meals, “in the round” from a large wooden, copper, gold or silver bowl, scooping it with small ladles with a curved handle or cups.

It is customary to drink mead in small sips to taste this delicious drink. In summer it is usually drunk chilled. And in winter, before use, you need to warm it up, but not bring it to a boil.

If you drink mead for medicinal purposes, it should be done on an empty stomach. For example, in order to improve digestion and metabolism, stimulate intestinal function, you need to drink a glass 30 minutes before meals. To sleep well, drink it half an hour before bedtime.

What to drink with?

Mead can be consumed together with other drinks. When combined with other drinks, sometimes excellent medicinal remedies are obtained that bring great benefits:

• To make a “cure” for heart disease, you need to combine the linden drink with champagne.
• To treat hypertension, you can drink mead diluted with mineral water.
• If your body is weakened, you can drink buckwheat with Crimean port wine.
• If kidney stones appear, it can be consumed with young dry white wines.
• To prevent intestinal infection, it is necessary to drink strong honey drink with dry red wine.
• Buckwheat with Cahors or port will help with insomnia.

Mead is an excellent remedy that, in combination with other drinks, treats various diseases and generally benefits the body.

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