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1
TO START: Take your bottle of spring water a make room for the ingredients by pouring about 1/3 of the water into a separate container. Don't throw this away.
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2
Chop the oranges and add to the water along with the raisins, yeast and honey. If the honey is too thick to pour then soften it in either a hot water bath or the microwave if the jar has no metal on it and will fit!
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3
Fill the bottle to top with the left over spring water.
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4
Put the top onto the bottle and shake for a few minutes to get it going.
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5
You now need to get a rubber balloon and place it over the top in place of the bottle lid. You will need to pierce it a few times to allow gases to escape but to keep stuff from getting into it. Perfect!
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6
Right, now leave this alone for FOUR MONTHS. It will need to be placed in a nice warm, dark, dry place such as the airing cupboard or laundry room.
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7
Don't be tempted to take the balloon off to see how it's doing - you need to leave it uncontaminated!
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8
So four months have passed (or longer if you can bear it! 6 months is ideal) and now you must strain the mead and add the syrup. It's nearly ready for drinking!
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9
To make the syrup heat the dark sugar over a low heat with about 50ml of water - the sugar dissolves easily.
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10
Add the whole spices and stir. Let this bubble away gently for a good 30 mins to release the delicious flavours of the spices.
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11
Meanwhile you will need to strain the mead. Use a sieve first to get rid of the lumps and oranges and then strain it again using coffee filter paper. Return it to its original bottle.
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12
When the syrup has cooled, add it to the mead.
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13
Cover it back up with the balloon and leave to settle for a week or so.
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14
DRINK AND ENJOY. BE CAREFUL - THE ALCOHOL CONTENT IS UNKNOWN!
