Celebrating Mead

INGREDIENTS—7 lbs. of honey, 2 gallons of water, 2 tablespoons of yeast.

Mode.—Boil the honey and water for an hour, straining very carefully; drain the skimmings through a sieve and return to the pan. When nearly cold, stir in the yeast and put in cask in a cool place. In a year's time bottle, and use 3 months afterwards.

Time, 15 months. Average cost, 1 s. 6d. per gallon. Seasonable at any time; useful for a summer drink.

Source: Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book. London: Ward, Lock, and Co., Limited, 1904, page 257.

Mead. [Sax,medo, medu.] A vinous liquor extracted from honey. It is formed from a solution composed of one part of honey to three of boiling water, flavored with spices, a portion of ground malt and a piece of toast being added, in order that fermentation may ensue. There is no doubt that mead formed the favorite beverage for centuries of the northern people.

Source: L. Colange. Zell's Popular Encyclopedia. Philadelphia: T. Ellwood Zell, Davis & Co., 1880, page 1610.