The health and fitness worlds are abuzz with talk about golden milk. The combination of coconut milk, honey, turmeric, ginger and black pepper is all the rage, appearing in fancy cafes as a latte flavor and even as a truffle at fancy chocolate shops. It isn’t just a taste-based trend: golden milk is inspired by Ayurvedic medicine and is a tonic meant to help reduce inflammation and pain in sore joints.
Since oil is not easy to get out of brewing equipment, such as racking canes and siphon tubes, I’ve omitted all things coconut from this recipe. You will also have vivid yellow brewing equipment if you don’t immediately clean it after working this brew. Turmeric is a natural dye and it will stain everything if you aren’t careful!
1 gal (3.8 L) water, divided
¼ cup (10 g) thinly sliced ginger
⅛ cup (20 g) raisins, chopped
2 tsp (8 g) ground turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
3 lb (1.4 kg) honey
½ packet (2.5 g) Lalvin D-47 yeast
1. Gather your ingredients and sanitize your supplies. You’ll need a 1- or 2-gallon (3.8- or 7.5-L) stockpot, a long spoon, a funnel, a strainer, a gallon (3.8-L) carboy, a racking cane and a bung and airlock.
2. Heat ⅔ gallon (2.5 L) of the water in the stockpot along with the ginger and raisins. Remove the pot from the heat when the water is about to boil; add the turmeric and black pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and let it steep for about 15 minutes. Stir in the honey and let the must cool until you can safely pour it.
3. Strain the must into the carboy and add enough of the remaining ⅓ gallon (1.3 L) of water needed for the must to reach the neck of the jug. Seal it with the bung and airlock.
4. When the glass is cool enough to handle, pitch the yeast. First, cover the mouth of the carboy. Shake the jug for a minute to add oxygen. Sprinkle the yeast into the jug and then recap the carboy with the bung and airlock. Label the jug with the name of the brew and the date and set it aside somewhere out of direct sunlight until it is finished fermenting.
5. If the must is hazy, you can always rack it into a sanitized secondary fermenter and let it rest before bottling (here).
RECIPE NOTE: The color of this brew is a neon yellow that is quite stunning. The flavors are sharp and spicy, but balanced, with a slightly bitter earthiness from the turmeric. A few months in the bottle does a wonderful job of mellowing out the complex tones. This Golden Mead is smooth and delicious after a year of aging.