3 May 2016

Finnish Sima

Recipe:

4 litres of drinking water

340 grams white sugar

340 grams brown sugar

4 small lemons

0.5 dl molasses or 0.5 dl honey

5 cloves (optional)

1⁄4 teaspoon yeast

Directions

Warning: Steer clear of glass bottles, as they can explode under pressure.

Wash the lemons, peel thinly, and remove the pith.

Slice the lemons thinly and place them with the peel.

Bring half the water to the boil and add the lemons, peel, cloves, honey or molasses and sugar. I actually boil the peel with the water, but it’s not so important.

Stir until the sugar dissolves, and leave to stand covered for about half an hour to an hour.

Add the rest of the water cold. When the liquid temperature matches the yeast activation temperature, add it.

Cover with a dry cloth and keep at room temperature for about 48 hours, or at 24 hours in a warmer, dry place.

Put several raisins into clean bottles, then strain the liquid into them.

Loosely cork the bottles and store them somewhere dark at room temperature.

The mead is ready when the raisins rise to the surface, but if you want a more alcoholic mead, you should perhaps keep an airlock on one bottle to monitor the fermentation. When it slows, you can tighten the bottle lids and store in the fridge.

Fermentation airlock