The combination of honey, chamomile and vanilla bean is truly delightful. The honey has the effect of blending the bitter apple flavors from the chamomile and the rich aroma of the vanilla bean to make a golden nectar that calms the heart and soothes the soul.
1 gal (3.8 L) water, divided
½ cup (10 g) dried chamomile
½ orange, zested and juiced
⅛ cup (20 g) raisins, chopped
1 cup (240 ml) strongly brewed black tea
3 lb (1.4 kg) honey
1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise
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 and a bung and airlock.
2. Heat ⅔ gallon (2.5 L) of the water in the stockpot. When the water is about to boil, remove it from the heat and add the chamomile, orange zest and juice, raisins and tea to the water. Give it a stir and cover the pot. Let it steep for about 15 minutes.
3. Next, add the honey and stir until it is completely dissolved. Once the must is well blended, let it sit for another 10 minutes or so to cool.
4. Put the vanilla bean in the carboy.
5. Use the funnel and strainer to pour the warm must into the carboy. Add as much 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.
6. 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.
7. Bottle the mead once it has cleared. Try to wait a few months before tasting it again, because the vanilla deepens over time and the chamomile bitters mellow to produce a rich mead with a complex profile. The longer you age it, the nicer it becomes!