Sparkling Honey Nectar Recipe?

[sausage]

Hi All. Back in the 80s we used to holiday in Coffs Harbour and while there, we used to buy a thing called "Honey Nectar" which was a slightly sparkling or carbonated honey drink.

I've made several meads and they've been rather successful. But these are not much good for the kids of course. I'd like to try my hand at recreating this Honey Nectar drink if anyone else knows or remembers it.

I would imagine I would need something like a champagne yeast, honey and water, that might be it. But to what proportions, I'm not sure.

[blackforest beekeeper]

Hey Sausage,
I don t know that drink,
but I got into meading last year, too. Made about 200 gallons up till now. And am thinking about a "honey-lemonade" or "honey-drink" for kids for a long time. Havent gotten around to it yet. I am in the game.

[Acebird]

I haven't made it but I think you are going to have to boil the honey to prevent it from fermenting and spoiling.

[sausage]

I've found a couple of links for making soda in general, so I might have to use that as a starting point.

Can use either bread yeast or champagne yeast but there is a suggestion that without being able to stop the fermentation cycle (even in the fridge), they all need to be consumed within a couple of days.

@AceBird I don't mind boiling of honey as long as the yeast can still consume it (assuming it can - even though I suspect that boiled honey is bad for meads).

[Acebird]

Boiling will kill the yeast so it doesn't ferment.  I thought you were trying to make a non alcoholic drink for the youngsters.

[sausage]

Correct. But to achieve natural carbonation like in soda, you still need a yeast/fermentation process. But you need to cut it off very early. You want the bubbles, but not the alcohol produced.

[Brub58]

Once a yeast fermentation has started you won't stop it in a fridge.  I'd suggest diluting your honey to taste, add some metabisulphate (about 50ppm) and some sorbate to stop any unwanted fermantation and then force carbonate it with a sodastream.  or if you're a beer maker, use your kegging equipment.  You might need to add a bit of citric acid to balance the sweetness.

[sausage]

Correct, you can't stop it in the fridge as I mentioned above. Thanks for the info on the metabisulphate and sorbate. I'll look into those.

Definitely not keen on using a soda stream.

[sausage]

Extra thought: For mead making I use the agent orange recipe which needs 1.6 kilos of honey and a little bread yeast. It does make me wonder why the fermentation process stops after like 3 - 4 weeks when there is still honey present?

Is it because most of the yeast is now dead? Perhaps fermentation is still occurring but very slowly? I am still learning all this of course, but it makes me consider if I can vary the amount of yeast that goes in to a micro amount, would it just eat some of the honey sugars and then die off?

[Acebird]

I'd suggest diluting your honey to taste, add some metabisulphate (about 50ppm) and some sorbate to stop any unwanted fermantation and then force carbonate it with a sodastream.

Sodastream warns you not to do that.  If you are going to use a sodastream you make the carbonated water first and then add the honey.
In my line of thinking it would be dangerous to dilute honey let it fiss and stop the fiss before it becomes alcoholic.  Diluted honey is not going to have the antibiotic power that raw honey has.

[blackforest beekeeper]

bread yeast is not so good. what you need is a strong, alcohol-tolerant wine-yeast. ours has 16,5% alc-tolerance.
we get a dry mead with alc. 14.0% vol. At the dilution of 1:2 or even a bit more honey.
I try to go for a "half-dry" mead with about 15 g of "sugar" to the liter.
our yeast is really "strong". and as wine is a different matter than honey-water, you need a strong one. even one for making brandies will do. red or white or brand- yeast, difference for mead is small if even non-existent (I tried them and was told by a wine-technician).

for making a honey-"lemonade" I was thinking of boiling the mixture (well - pasteurize) and then add carbon-dioxide. I don`t see why not use a soda-stream for small quantities. It is just a matter of hygiene, not of safety, imho. No addtion of chemicals.
I dont heat the mead. it gets 50 ppm of sulfur.

[Acebird]

I don`t see why not use a soda-stream for small quantities. It is just a matter of hygiene, not of safety, imho.

Sodastream thinks it is a matter of safety!  I suspect the sugar or something in flavorings will either gum up the valve or harbor dangerous bacteria.  They make a very clear point of carbonating clean water first and then add what ever flavoring you want to the carbonated water.  Not the other way around.

[sausage]

Definitely not keen to get involved with metabisulphate, sorbate, chemicals or preservatives - now that I've read up. Additives and Sulfates are something I am keen to avoid with this.

Looking at a basic ginger beer recipe, I am sure this must be a good starting point, substituting sugar for honey and skipping out completely the ginger:

https://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2012/01/making-ginger-beer-from-scratch.html

We made this ginger beer in recent years and a lot of it. It didn't appear to get alcoholic and didn't need to be consumed in days. And no chemicals. I might look at modifying this recipe and see what happens.

[SiWolKe]

Sausage, thanks for posting this recipe.
I will try this.
 

[blackforest beekeeper]

friend of mine is a doctor for environmentel medicine (in Konstanz actually). he says people need more sulfur. there is not enough ni the food chain. for that reason sulfur is the only thing I use.
Every wine has sulfur in it. Unless it was pasteurized on the way to the bottle. I despise that. And it spoils the taste.
For private use, sulfur is not needed. but consumption should be soon.

[sausage]

That's interesting. Sulfites are the single reason I don't drink wine at all any more. Beer yes, but never wine. Interesting that his opinion was that a bit of it is good (just like we should get more vitamin rather than overdo sunscreen).

I was put off after a wine tour a couple of years ago. One of the wine makers explained in detail the sulfite (?) that they ship in (in large drums as a white powder), and how breathing a bit of it in really affected her husband.

I don't know enough to comment further though.

[blackforest beekeeper]

Hey, he thinkgs regulara sun-baths are good, too.

[Sagan]

I'd like to know how you go making it. I also remember drinking something similar as a kid in the late 80's/early 90's in Noosa.

If you don't have much luck Beechworth honey sell a honey nectar soda drink which tastes amazing (albeit a little pricey). There's a place near me that sells the small bottles and I'll pick one up occasionally.

250ml:
https://www.beechworthhoney.com.au/product/sparkling-honey-nectar-soda-250ml/

750ml:
https://www.beechworthhoney.com.au/product/sparkling-honey-nectar-soda-750ml/

Some other flavoured varieties:
https://www.beechworthhoney.com.au/product-category/drinks/drink-artisan-honey-drinks/

[sausage]

Hello everyone. As promised, I had a crack at making a Sparking Honey Nectar / Honey Soda and I was pretty successful!

No preservatives, no artificial carbonation, and no (or next to no) alcohol.

I've posted the recipe-in-progress and photos over here.

I'd love to hear how anyone goes with it and any tweaks you make.

Hope you enjoy it!