OK Hang onto your livers… :p
Equipment (can be bought on Amazon/some Wilkos):
1 bucket B&Q
1 hydrometer (better to have one which tells you potential alcohol level rather than just gravity)
1 demijohn
1 j-tube
1 rubber bung with hole
1 air lock
6 bottles
Ingredients:
Campden tablets (steriliser) Amazon/some Wilkos
Pectolase (removes the pectin ie: stuff that helps jam coagulate) Amazon/some Wilkos
Brewing Yeast Amazon/some Wilkos (I recommend Lalvin EC-1118)
3kg fruit
1.5kg sugar (approx)
juice of 2 lemons
1 lt orange or grape juice
3.5lt water
Day 1:
Combine 1ltr warm orange/grape juice with 100g sugar and a sachet of brewing yeast. Set aside.
Crush the campden tablets in the bucket.
Juice the 2 lemons into the bucket.
Slice/crush/blend the fruit and add to the bucket.
Add 1.5kg sugar to the bucket.
Add 2.5ltr boiling water to the bucket.
Add 1tsp pectolase to the bucket.
Put the hydrometer in the bucket.
Leave for 24 hours.
Day 2:
Add 1 more ltr water to bucket.
Check the hydrometer to see the potential alcohol level. If it isn't close to what you're after (different yeast varies in tolerance), remove some liquid and melt more sugar into it in 100g increments.
Add yeast/orange juice mixture.
Cover and leave in a warm place for 2 weeks or until hydrometer has dropped to 1.100 or below.
1 Week (may be longer especially in winter):
Using the j-tube, transfer the liquid from the bucket to the demijohn, leaving as much sediment behind as possible.
Seal with the rubber bung and airlock.
1 Year (airlock must have stopped bubbling - leave for longer if necessary):
Bottle.
Enjoy.
You can use just about anything you fancy (parsnip/banana have been some of my favourites) and you can substitute honey for sugar if you like mead.