Recipe for: Mead on ice with cherry juice - photo 1
← Recipes

Recipe for: Mead on ice with cherry juice

Drinks Regional Cuisine of Poland May Day 30 min Medium 15 views ~13.40 PLN * - (0)
Rate:
(0)
Start Cooking

Description

A refreshing drink inspired by the summer flavor of Podlasie: lightly chilled mead combined with a sweet-sour cherry juice, drizzled with fresh lemon and served over crushed ice with a mint leaf. This combination merges the tradition of honey beverages with seasonal cherries – aromatic, red, and pleasantly cool. Perfect for summer gatherings, barbecues, or relaxing on the terrace. Serve in tall glasses with plenty of ice; it can be diluted with sparkling water for a lighter effect. The balanced mix of honey's sweetness and the juice's acidity makes the drink both enjoyable and visually elegant.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (7)

Servings:
4
  • Mead 400 g
  • Cherry juice 300 g
  • Lemon 0.8 pcs (~60 g)
  • Crushed ice 400 g
  • Mint 30 g
  • ✨ Optional
  • Sparkling water 200 ml
  • Cherry 150 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~13.40 PLN (3.35 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Preparation

1

Start by chilling all the liquids: place the mead and cherry juice in the refrigerator for 30–60 minutes before preparation. Chilled ingredients help achieve a clear, refreshing drink without excessively diluting it with ice.

Ingredients: mead, cherry juice
Use the refrigerator; if you don't have time, chill in the freezer for 15–20 minutes, but do not leave it longer than 30 minutes to prevent the liquids from starting to freeze.
2

Prepare the lemon: finely grate the zest from half a lemon (only the yellow part) using a fine grater, then squeeze the juice from the whole lemon into a small bowl. You will add the lemon to balance the sweetness of the honey.

Ingredients: Lemon
Use a fine grater for the zest and a manual citrus juicer. Be careful not to grate the white part of the peel (albedo) — it is bitter.

Ice

3

If you don't have crushed ice ready: fill a plastic bag with ice cubes, wrap it in a kitchen towel, and hit it with a meat mallet (short, controlled strikes) until you get small pieces. Transfer the ice to a bowl and keep it in the fridge until serving.

Ingredients: Crushed ice
Use kitchen gloves or a cloth to avoid cutting your hands. Do not crush the ice too hard into a fine powder — it should be crushed, but not watery.

Mixing

4

In a large serving pitcher, pour in the chilled mead (400 ml) and chilled cherry juice (300 ml). Add the squeezed lemon juice and grated zest. Gently stir with a long spoon for 20–30 seconds — the goal is to combine the flavors, not to froth the drink. Taste; if the mead is overwhelmingly sweet, gradually add sparkling water (50 ml at a time) to achieve the desired balance.

Ingredients: mead, cherry juice, Lemon, Sparkling water
Use a jug with a capacity of at least 1.5 liters and a wooden or silicone spoon. Stir gently to avoid losing bubbles if you added sparkling water.

Assembly and serving

5

Fill tall glasses generously with crushed ice (about 100 g per glass). Pour the honey-cherry mixture so that each glass receives an equal amount. You can add 2–3 fresh cherries to each (if using the optional ingredient) and a sprig of mint on top. Serve immediately to keep the drink as chilled as possible.

Ingredients: Crushed ice, mint, Cherry
Use a measuring cup or ladle to ensure equal portions. The best option is a highball glass or a long drink glass with a capacity of 300–400 ml.

Variant

6

If you prefer a less alcoholic version: before pouring into glasses, dilute the mixture in a pitcher with chilled sparkling water in a ratio of 3:1 (three parts mixture to one part water). Mix the diluted version very gently to maintain the bubbles.

Ingredients: Sparkling water
Additionally, you can add sparkling water for a lighter profile — check the taste after adding 50 ml, then gradually increase.

Fun Fact

💡

Mead has a long tradition in Poland, especially in the eastern borderlands and Podlasie, where honey and wild fruits were easily accessible. Combining honey with summer fruits is a natural way to create a refreshing summer version of this traditional beverage.

Best for

piknik grill letnie przyjęcie

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve very chilled, in glasses with thick bottoms. For decoration, use a sprig of mint and a few whole cherries on a toothpick. If serving guests, prepare a pitcher with the mixture and a separate container with crushed ice, so everyone can adjust the amount of ice to their liking.

🥡 Storage

Store the prepared mixture in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours in a sealed pitcher; gently stir before serving. The drink with crushed ice and fresh cherries is best consumed immediately. Do not freeze the finished cocktail, as it will lose its clarity and texture.

📸 Cooked by the community

Log in to add a photo
Add a photo of the finished dish

After moderator approval, you will receive 10 experience points.

🍲

No one has added a photo yet. Be the first!

Comments (0)

Be the first to comment on this recipe!

Add a comment

You might also like

Sour sorrel water with lime and mint 20 min

Sour sorrel water with lime and mint

Drinks
Quick seasonal drink: sparkling apple-pomegranate syrup with ginger and rosemary 15 min

Quick seasonal drink: sparkling apple-pome...

Drinks
Elderflower tonic with lemon 1470 min

Elderflower tonic with lemon

Drinks
Fruit salad with mint for May Day 30 min

Fruit salad with mint for May Day

Desserts
Seasonal fusion cocktail: tangerine with matcha and coconut foam 30 min

Seasonal fusion cocktail: tangerine with m...

Drinks
Chicken broth with homemade noodles 150 min

Chicken broth with homemade noodles

Soups

Recipe Categories

Drinks
Drinks in: Valentine's Day

Romantic drinks that will enhance the atmosphere and highlight the flavors of the dishes, perfect for a Valentine's Day dinner.

See all recipes in this category
Regional Cuisine of Poland
Regional Cuisine of Poland

Traditional recipes from various regions of Poland that showcase the richness of local flavors and ingredients.

See all recipes in this category
May Day
May Day

May Day is a time when spring comes to life, and we celebrate the arrival of warmer days. It's the perfect opportunity to spend time with family and friends outdoors, at a barbecue or picnic. Culinary traditions associated with May Day include grilling, which has become almost a national sport fo...

See all recipes in this category
Advertisement