Brewing
Mead - Honey Wine in many flavors
Mead is simply wine whose sugar source is honey instead of grape juice. While I claim no expertise as a brewer, I have made meads several times and enjoy both the process and the results. My first meads were made from kits from The Bee Folks , which I purchased at Pennsic. They are also excellent dealers of a wide range of varietal honey should you wish to brew your own. I started with 1 gallon batches of their Elderflower and Blackberry mead kits, which came out wonderfully and only improved over the following two years of aging.
My second attempts were under the guidance of brewmaster Derian le Breton of the Midrealm, and resulted in a pair of metheglin, or mead flavored with spices. A "Mead Julep" infused with mint and juniper, and a black pepper mead made from dark, buttery bamboo honey.
After two years of aging, the Mead Julep is light, fairly dry, and pleasantly piney and aromatic from the spices. The black pepper mead is spicy but not aggressively so, and has a lovely earthiness that carries through the whole beverage.
I have no writeups to share but I do plan to make more batches soon and will document that process.
"Hippocras" is a sweetened, spiced wine beverage that is typically made by room-temperature infusion and served similarly (as opposed to mulled wine, which is boiled and usually served hot).
I've made it a variety of times, following a general guideline given to me by Master Derian le Breton but modified somewhat each time. I've made it with both red and white wines.
Derian's Website with his notes and recipes
My Hippocras Class Notes
For a fun video giving background history and a visual demonstration, I recommend this video: Hippocras by Tasting History
Visinata - Eastern European Sour Cherry Brandy
Stumbling across sour cherries at the farmer's market inspired an attempt to save their incredible flavor throughout the year. To that end, I created a batch of brandy based off an Eastern European Jewish recipe.
To make Visinata:
Macerate 2 lbs of pitted sour cherries in a 750ml of vodka for four weeks in a large glass jar.
Add 2 cups of sugar, shake to dissolve, and steep for another four weeks
Strain out the cherries and return the liquor to the jar. Mash the cherries to release all their juices and add it to the jar. Filter through coffee filters if necessary.
Allow to age and mellow for 1-3 more months, racking as appropriate to remove sediment.
Strain and bottle.