This is a dark twist on a golden beverage. Black cherry juice lends a beautiful hue and a deep, tart flavor to the sweet honey mead, making it a lovely drink for autumn nights. Try it mulled (here) or garnished with a twist of citrus!
Make sure that the black cherry juice that you buy does not have added preservatives or sugar. Check the label! Citric acid is safe, but if the ingredients list mentions any sulfites, that juice won’t work for your brew.
1 gal (3.8 L) water, divided
⅛ cup (20 g) raisins, chopped
1 cup (240 ml) strongly brewed black tea
3 lb (1.4 kg) honey
4½ cups (1 L) black cherry juice
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. Once the water is about to boil, remove it from the heat. Add the raisins and tea. Let that steep for about 15 minutes, then stir in the honey. Once the must is well blended, let it sit for another 10 minutes or so to cool.
3. Use the funnel to pour the black cherry juice into the carboy and then use the strainer to pour the warm must in. Top off the carboy with 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.
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. If this brew is hazy, you can always rack it into a sanitized secondary fermenter and let it rest before bottling (here).
5. As to be expected, age does this garnet-hued mead well, although it is delicious even at bottling!