Mead Recipe

1 Gallon Recipe of Simple Mead

Ingredients:
-3lbs of honey
-handful of raisins
-one orange, sliced with white pith removed
-yeast
-herbs of your choosing (optional)

Equipment:
-primary fermentation container
-a boiler
-siphoning hose
-airlock (balloon, seran wrap+balloon)
-wooden spoon
-sanitizing agent


Firstly, bring one gallon of water to a boil. Turn down the heat so the water is no longer boiling and add all of your honey.
Mix until it is one homogenous mixture, do not let the mixture boil.

Take a small amount (perhaps a cup) of the must (unfermented mead) and let it cool to room temperature. Pitch the yeast into your cup of must.
Allow for the rest of your must to cool as you wait for the yeast to start, this would be a good time to sanitize your equipment.

Once the cup of yeast and must mixture is foaming add it back into the remainder of your must. Add the raisins, orange slices and must into your fermentation container.
Shake vigorously for two minutes at a time, giving it time to rest inbetween. Secure your airlock onto the bottle.

Let it ferment for about a month or so. You'll know fermentation is taking place when you see bubbles rising to the surface and a sediment forming on the bottom.
After the fermentation is done and the bubbles are far and few siphon the mead (called racking the mead) into a new container, leaving the sediment in the old container.

Let age for 3-6 months at the very least, a year is excellent. Rack as needed when sediment forms again. Clarify with unflavored gelatin or irish moss (not required to clarify).