I made a cocktail by mixing honey mead with various drinks
Hello everyone. I'm Yoshiki, who imports Lithuanian liquor. In this article, I will try to expand the range of ways to drink mead to the extent that I can imitate what ingredients are suitable for mead by collecting ingredients that are relatively easy to obtain. I would like to break and break and break like a potter and find the best easy mead cocktail!
<Contents>
- In search of the best partner for mead
- Lithuania, honey and me
- High spec Lithuanian mead
- Matching with carbonate
- sparkling mead
- ginger mead
- mead & tonic
- Matching with juice system
- cranberry mead
- Grapemead
- pineapple mead
- Matching with milk
- oatmead
- coconut mead
- soy mead
- soy milk cream mead
- cream cranberry mead
- summary
- Verification results of mead and split material
- List of recommended mead cocktails
In search of the best partner for mead
Do you know mead? Mead is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey, and it is a sweet alcoholic beverage with various styles using herbs and spices in addition to honey. It is called "the world's oldest liquor". They often appear in ancient and medieval movies, Norse mythology and pirates (Vikings, not pirates).
I'm sure many people have heard of it but have never tried it. It is a project to develop various ways to drink mead so that you can reach the first sip. You can drink it in various ways with just one bottle, and we will introduce how to drink it with a low alcohol content that is easy to recommend for people who don't like alcohol!
I would like to put aside the knowledge of difficult cocktails and verify how to drink with ingredients that can be easily prepared. By the way, you can buy various meads in Japan, but the taste is also various, so it is the recommended way to drink mead in Lithuania. Not bad.
Lithuania, honey and me
Lithuania is a honey country. At the supermarket, you can buy honey in a bucket-like container, but what surprised me was that it was solid, not liquid. Like ice cream, you can't eat it without scooping it with a spoon. It was so good that I ate it as it was, like baila ice cream. The concept of honey will change.
Lithuania also has honey liquor mead. A precious sake registered as a national heritage. It's so delicious that it's a mystery why it hasn't been in Japan until now.
I've been drinking it straight, so I don't know what it tastes like when it's diluted. However, there are many questions about how to drink it, so I would like to take this opportunity to experiment and tell you about it! !
High spec Lithuanian mead
First of all, let's introduce the specs of the main character, Mead. In fact, it has a tremendous title and Stakrishkes is also the name of the region where this mead is brewed. A special mead brewed with Lithuanian honey and local water. This is probably the only brand in the world that is PGI registered as mead.
Stakliskes
- alcohol 12%
- EU Protected Geographical Indication (PGI)
- Lithuanian National Heritage
- British Royal Patent Acquisition
It is often said by those who have tasted it that it is close to plum wine for its refreshing sweetness and moderate acidity. It doesn't have the sweetness of drinking honey as it is, so you can drink it smoothly. Alcohol 12% is about the same as sake or wine, but let's find a way to break it down and drink it.
Matching with carbonate
Carbonic acid is a must. Among them, I would like to introduce the verification results of strong carbonic acid, ginger ale, and tonic water that seem to match.
sparkling mead
What is the golden ratio between carbonic acid and mead?
I will focus on "how much to divide" before "what to divide". Let's look at the change in the depth of flavor with ordinary strong carbonic acid. By the way, because it is carbonated mead, "sparkling mead" is artificially completed!
| Mead: split material | mead rate | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 2:1 | 66% | 8% | ◯ Slightly carbonated sparkling mead |
| 1:1 | 50% | 6% | ◎ Sparkling mead |
| 1:2 | 33% | Four% | △ Slightly thin without ice |
| 1:3 | twenty five% | 3% | × Thin |
| 1:4 | 20% | 2.4% | × Too thin |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
Unlike spirits and liqueurs, mead, which is a fermented liquor, tends to lose its individuality when broken, so balance is important. As a result of verification, the best was 1: 1!
It doesn't matter if it's a little thin, so if you want to make the alcohol weaker, chill it well and make it 1:2 without using ice. On the other hand, 2:1, which has a strong mead flavor, has a strong taste, but the slight carbonation may not be enough for the sparkling feeling. If it's okay to have a slight carbonation that emphasizes the feeling of mead, it's also ant to float ice on this.
Therefore, the golden ratio of mead cocktail is 1 mead to 1 split material! When using two types of split materials, it is better to make the total amount of split materials equal to the amount of mead. (Mead: other than mead = 1:1) If in doubt, use this ratio♪
ginger mead
Ginger and honey are a must
Once you know the golden ratio, change the split material and go on a journey to find the best partner.
First of all, matching with ginger ale where you can expect the spiciness of ginger. Verified with Wilkinson, which is dry and has a strong sense of ginger, and Suntory's Premium Ginger Ale (Canada Dry with a slightly increased sense of ginger).
It turns out that other drinks that have a taste even with 1:2, which I felt unsatisfactory with carbonic acid, are surprisingly good. I would like to introduce a ratio of 1:2 as a proposal for low-alcohol cocktails (I want to call them cool session cocktails).
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | ◎ Honey Ginger! |
| 1:2 | Four% | ◯ Slightly stronger ginger flavor |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
For both ginger ales, a ratio of 1:1 retains the acidity of the mead, while a ratio of 1:2 gives a strong ginger and refreshing feeling. If you want to make the main mead, it is better to add ice at a ratio of 1:1.
Also, if you want to drink heavily or want to lower alcohol, 1:2 is fine. The sweetness of honey that you feel in the depths of ginger ale is an accent. You can also add ice.
In comparing Wilkinson and Suntory Premium Ginger Ale, I thought that Wilkinson was superior as a cocktail ingredient, but surprisingly, it emphasized the dryness of ginger and made a strong impression as a mead ingredient.
Suntory has a moderate feeling, and the ginger ale's classic Canada Dry has a refreshing feeling with more ginger. In harmony with mead, this is the winner. I think it will be the same feeling if you make it with Canada dry.
Ginger and honey are very compatible. I would love to try some hot ginger mead for the winter too.
mead & tonic
Co-starring with famous supporting actors in the cocktail world
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | △ Bitter taste is strongly claimed |
| 1:2 | Four% | × Where did the taste of mead go? |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
From the conclusion, it turns out that it is more than the average score, but it does not fit. Tonic water has a strong botanical feel and is highly compatible with spirits, but mead, which has low alcohol, loses the sweetness of gentle honey.
It seems that you can not co-star unless alcohol is high lol
I made two prototypes, Canada Dry and Suntory, but there wasn't that much of a difference, so you can make either one. The botanical feeling and strong bitterness of the mead completely devoured it. Impression that you do not know which one is the leading role as a cocktail.
Ginger ale is recommended because it is excellent as a cocktail splitting material.
Matching with juice system
Next to carbonic acid is matching with juice. 100% fruit juice as a major premise when dividing with juice! It's better not to dilute the alcohol because it doesn't contain unnecessary things as much as possible. I tested it with cranberry, grape and pineapple.
cranberry mead
Partner confirmed!
First of all, matching with cranberry juice that I had been expecting. It's a difficult juice to get, but I thought that this cranberry that grows wild in Northern Europe (found at Costco and natural supermarkets) would definitely go well with it.
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | ◎ Golden ratio! Fierce horse! |
| 1:2 | Four% | ◯ Impression that fruit juice is slightly winning |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
The result is shockingly good at 1:1! After all, cranberries are the best compatibility with honey. While feeling mead, I also feel the fruit flavor of cranberries. Highly recommended! Even with a ratio of 1:2, the sourness of the cranberries is covered by the sweetness of the honey, making it easy to drink.
By the way, I found that grape juice can reproduce a fairly similar taste! (Details will be described later) If you want to cherish the Scandinavian and Viking (pirate) feeling, please try cranberry. It was a match that was careful not to drink too much ♪
Grapemead
Great substitute for cranberries
Cranberry juice with the best results. But it's not very familiar, so I'm considering a juice that can be substituted. As a result, it turned out that grape juice can reproduce a fairly similar taste! I don't have a photo because I added it to the article later, but I recommend Welch's 100% grape juice.
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | ◯ The mead feeling remains a little strong |
| 1:2 | Four% | ◎ Harmony without diluting |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
As a ratio, I found that 1:2 with a lot of juice is better. The sourness of grape and mead synchronizes and you can enjoy each sweetness without disturbing it at all! Even with 1:1, the mead feeling remains a little strong, but it is quite delicious. If you enjoy the feeling of mead, this is also an ant.
pineapple mead
Recommended for those who do not drink alcohol
The sweetness and sourness of pineapple juice is very similar to that of the mead "Stakrishkes" used this time. I'm getting good results with the sour synchro, so I'm looking forward to it too! 100% juice, of course.
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | ◯ Little change in characteristics |
| 1:2 | Four% | ◯ Little change in characteristics |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
Synchronized too much, resulting in poor taste change. . . I don't know if I'm drinking mead or pineapple juice, and why I'm dividing it.
As a cocktail, the taste does not change much, but if the taste does not change, it turns out that it is recommended for those who do not like strong alcohol and want to reduce the alcohol content while maintaining the characteristics! (forward facing)
Matching with milk
From here on, it's the milk system. Yogurt is familiar, so you can imagine honey and milk, right? But I struggled unexpectedly. I don't drink milk, so I would like to introduce the results of plant-based milk oats, coconut, soy milk, and soy milk cream.
oatmead
NG for light taste
Oats are a grain that is also used in granola and other products, and are attracting attention for their high nutritional value. I often order oat milk lattes at Starbucks, and it's a well-known fact in the plant-based industry that you can make your own oat milk.
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | × Weak taste and weak mead feeling |
| 1:2 | Four% | × Weak taste |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
However, in the verification, the taste of oats was not added and neither of them gave flavor. Among the plant-based milks, oat milk, which has a less pronounced taste, did not synchronize well with mead. A stronger flavored milk, such as soy milk, would be better. It is undeniable that this result could have been due to the homemade oat milk. . .
coconut mead
not invited to southern country
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | × No taste of milk |
| 1:2 | Four% | × Slightly coconut flavor |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
Coconut has a strong personality, so I thought it was an ant, but it didn't synchronize either. 1:1 is the same phenomenon as oats that do not taste like coconut. In that case, the coconut feeling is not strong even with the increased amount of 1:2. The result was surprisingly watery. I wonder if mead will not synchronize with mead unless the taste is more clear than cream than milk. . .
soy mead
Throw in soy milk with full satisfaction... (self-restraint)
After the failure of oats and coconut, I began to question the compatibility with milk, but I had expectations that it would go well with soy milk, which I drink most often, so I left a good card in the second half, so I thought I would try it. was not broken yet lol
If possible, we recommend unadjusted soymilk with no added sugar. If it's sweet, the honey will cover it up!
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | △ The sourness of mead remains strong |
| 1:2 | Four% | ◎ Moderate balance |
| 1:3 | 3% | △ Strong soymilk flavor with no mead flavor |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
The richness of soy milk is clearly different from oats and coconut, and it has a good direction. A ratio of 1:2 is best. The acidity of the mead disappeared moderately while leaving the mellow soy milk taste.
In addition, mead and soy milk will separate, although it is within the expected range. (Even the milk should separate.) If you mix well, there will be no problem. The mellowness of the taste is completely different, so if you want to, you want to shake it. You can put it in a milk foamer (a small milk frother for cafe latte), a plastic bottle, or a Tupperware and shake it about 20 times.
The taste is the best result in the milk system. After all, it seems that milk should be thicker. If you are concerned about the peculiarities of soy milk, I think you will get the same good results with milk.
soy milk cream mead
Tasty but not cost effective
If rich milk goes well, fresh cream should go well too. Verification with soy milk cream!
| Mead: split material | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1 | 6% | △ Acidity wins over creaminess |
| 1:2 | Four% | ◯ Moderate thickness of cream |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
After all, the fresh cream was thick and the result was so-so, but considering the cost-effectiveness with soy milk, it was not as shocking as expected. Indecisive results. (At this point, the hurdle for satisfaction has risen.) However, this dissatisfaction was resolved by adding another cranberry juice, which was a good match as mentioned above, as an ingredient!
cream cranberry mead
Take it to the next level with cocktails
| Mead: cranberry juice: soy milk cream | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1:1 | Four% | ◎ Best balance! |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
Cream adds a round mouthfeel to the tart-sweet balance achieved by mead and cranberry. In this verification, the most cocktail-like results came out ♪ The pale pink color is also good. It may be good to sprinkle cinnamon or berry powder on the topping.
| Mead: cranberry juice: soy milk | Alcohol degree | Note |
| 1:1:1 | Four% | ◯ It is finished deliciously as it is |
*If you add ice, the alcohol content will drop a little more.
Furthermore, we verified what would happen if soy milk cream was changed to soy milk. Of course, cream has a richer mouthfeel and higher quality as a cocktail, but it is the result of knowing the perfection with cream.
For those who don't want to buy cream just for this purpose, soy milk is also recommended, and grape juice gives almost the same result, so you can get all the ingredients at supermarkets and convenience stores!
summary
Now, let's summarize our test results.
Verification results of mead and split material
| carbonate |
◎ Strong carbonic acid (sparkling mead) ◎ Ginger Ale x Tonic Water |
| juice | ◎ Cranberry ◯ Grape △ Pineapple |
| milk system | × Oats × Coconut ◎ Soy milk ◯ Soy milk cream |
| mixed system | ◎ Soy milk cream + cranberry |
I tested it with various materials, but the recommended ones are as follows. I think it will be even easier if you substitute cranberries for grapes and soy milk cream for soy milk (or milk). I think that cold soda in the summer and warm cranberry juice or soy milk in the winter would be fine. Everyone please try it ♪
List of recommended mead cocktails
| 1:1 | Mead: strongly carbonated |
| 1:1 | Mead: ginger ale |
| 1:1 (grape is 2) | Mead: cranberry (grape) |
| 1:2 | Mead: soy milk |
| 1:1:1 | Mead: soy milk Cream: cranberry (grape) |
What did you think?
Personally, I was shocked at the lack of tonic water, but I was able to confirm the compatibility with sour and sweet berry juice and ginger, and the range expanded. Even for drinks that I haven't tested this time, I feel like it's pretty cool to make cocktails with undiluted solutions like amazake and calpis, so if you have the chance, please test it out.
|
Honey wine mead "Stakrishkes" alcohol 12% Click here for detailed information and purchase |
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