Lepola Hot Mead Toddy
Warming drink recipe for Christmas time!
Lepola Hot Mead Toddy
Ingredients 1 serving
- 2cl Rye Whiskey
- 6cl Lepola Apple & Honey Cyser (Mead)
- 2cl lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey
- hot water
- fresh ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 slice of lemon
Pour the whiskey into a thick glass or a mug. Clear glass presents the drink nicely.
Heat the water so it's steaming, but not boiling. Stir the honey into the glass. Then pour the hot water into the mug over the spoon.
Pour the mead into the glass.
Continue to stir and grate some fresh ginger into the glass.
Squeeze lemon juice in.
Add a cinnamon stick to the glass and allow it to steep for a couple minutes. Garnish with a lemon slice.
Enjoy the soothing flavours and properties!
Lepola Mezcal
Cocktail recipe for autumn!
Lepola Mezcal
1 serving
- Mezcal 4cl
- Lime juice 2cl
- Sugar syrup 2cl (50% sugar, 50% water)
- Lepola Medium Dry Apple cider
- Fresh rosemary sprig
- Ice to shake and serve
- Few pinches of sea salt
- Apple slice for garnish
Pour mezcal, lime juice, sugar syrup, and a few pinches of sea salt into cocktail shaker. Stir to incorporate ingredients.
Pinch off a few rosemary leaves and muddle into liquid for just a few seconds, crushing against base of cocktail shaker to release flavour.
Add ice, cap cocktail shaker, and shake.
Pour through strainer into glass with ice and top up with Lepola Medium Dry Apple cider.
Garnish with rosemary sprig and apple slices. Enjoy!
Pet-Nat style Natural ciders
Our Pet-nat style natural ciders are made using local fruit and leaving the juice to ferment naturally, relying purely on native wild yeasts found on the apples themselves. No temperature control or any added sugar, water, yeast, sulphites, etc. Then we just wait for the right moment to bottle the cider. Both of Lepola Pet-Nat Style ciders "Dry" and "Lingonberry" are certified Finnish Real ciders (aitosiideri.fi).
What is Pet-Nat cider?
“Petillant Naturel cider, or pet-nat for short, means naturally sparkling. Pet-nat is one of the oldest styles of naturally sparkling wine. It is a very simple cider in which the primary fermentation occurs in the bottle trapping the CO2 and yeast in the bottle."
What is Natural cider?
“Natural cider is like natural wine but made with apples. Meaning the product is made using only natural processes. Nothing added or taken away from the product. Meaning also that the cider maker steps back a bit and lets nature do its thing.”
Where did you get the idea for this style ciders?
“It is the oldest style of making cider. This style is one of the simplest ways to make cider, it just involves bottling the cider before fermentation has completed. But, it is also challenging to get right with the spontaneous fermentation, and the carbonation levels not too high or not too low.“
What was the most important step in making these ciders?
“First to mention is the high-quality fruit, this is where it all starts. Second important phase is to make sure the temperature of cider is in the goldilocks zone for fermentation – not too hot, not too cold. The timing of the bottling has to be right to have enough residual sugar for the carbonation.”
Will you continue making this style cider?
“Yes – hopefully. Every vintage of this style cider will taste different. It also makes the making, and the evaluation along the way interesting.”
Which food would you pair this cider with?
“We made these ciders to be shared with friends and family with any meal you prefer to drink them with. Tested to pair well with mushroom risotto and game mince burgers!”
Cheers, Emmi & Aaron
The story of Snake Bite
Snake Bite is cider+beer hybrid sometimes flavoured with blackcurrant cordial. Originated in the UK. In Lepola version of Snake Bite we have used Finnish apples to make the cider, Ale style beer with Galaxy hops, and flavoured with Finnish blackcurrant juice.
Snake Bite 5,0% vol.
Where did you get the idea for Snake Bite?
“In my early twenties I lived in London for a year. In the UK Snakebite is quite common pub drink for guys and girls that is made to order. I have never been a big beer drinker and often the draft ciders where a bit too sweet. Snake bite was a great option for a drink, not too sweet, not too dry.“
Why blackcurrant juice?
“Finnish blackcurrant juice gives a nice acidity and freshness to the product, and also great colour! To the mixed beer and cider, the blackcurrant juice is often added in two dashes and this resembles the puncture wounds of the snake bite. "
How long was the making process?
“We started making the product from the cider. Cider was made the usual Lepola style – from fresh pressed apple juice in the autumn, and matured for five months over winter. Beer making took around three weeks. We got some tips and advice for the beer process from the local Kyläpanimo brewmaster.”
Did something unexpected happen while making this product?
“I didn’t know how vigorously beer can ferment and that created a little mess in our factory!“
Why Galaxy hops?
“Galaxy is our favorite hops and of course the best hops comes from Australia! Galaxy gives tropical and fruity flavors. ”
What apple varieties were used in the cider of this product?
“Lobo, Raika, Discovery and Rubinola. ”
Which food would you pair this drink with?
“Tested to go really well with pizza and BBQ! ”
Cheers, Aaron
Apple varietes in Lepola ciders
Mostly we use mixture of many apple varieties available in the local orchards.
What is an ideal cider apple like?
Any apple can be cider apple that ends up in a bottle of cider. The ones that make balanced and tasty cider are seen, in the traditional cider countries like Britain, to be the combination of apples that have high levels of acid, tannin, or sugar, and the astringency and bitterness to make more body and balanced structure to the cider. Basically, the apples can be categorized in to four groups: bittersweet, bittersharp, sharp, and sweet. The cider is most balanced if it has more than one variety of apple to bring all the characteristics to the cider.
The characteristics of Finnish apples
The story with Finnish apples is quite different. All commercially grown Finnish apples are culinary apples. Of above-mentioned characteristics we have one: sharp (acidic). Sometimes also sweet but not that level of sweetness the traditional cider apples have. This is a challenge we at Lepola have accepted and try to work with Finnish apples as well as we can.
The apple varieties we use
It has been always clear to us that we want to use Finnish apples in our products. The main varieties we use are Lobo, Raika, Rubinola, Amorosa, Jaspi, and Kaneli for example. Jaspi and Kaneli are early Autumn apples, and the others winter varieties. We also use many more but these six are the biggest in quantities.
Lobo
Aromatic and acidic apple is one of our favourites to eat! Lobo also makes quite good cider apple as it has moderate acidity and good sweetness too. Many of our products have at least some Lobo in them, as it is the most available from the farmers near us.
Rajka & Rubinola
Rubinola and Rajka are both juicy, sweet, aromatic, and acidic. Rubinola also stores really well in cool temperatures. We like to use these two apple varieties because they have higher sugar content and also clears beautifully over the maturation period. The apple juice of both Rajka and Rubinola is amazing bright yellow!
Amorosa
Is red and big apple. Very aromatic, a little spicy, and nicely acidic. We use Amorosa in most of our ciders, as it is well available and makes crisp and fresh cider. This variety is mostly used in our softdrinks too!
Jaspi & Kaneli
Some of the first apples we press every year. Jaspi is moderately acidic and not very sweet apple. Green colour with red cheeks. Not our favourite to use for cider but works alright blending with other apples. Kaneli (cinnamon apple) is very aromatic, not very acidic apple. We use this mostly in our Heritage cider.
Real cider apples or not, we are happy the choice we have made to use Finnish local apples! You can read more about Real Finnish cider here: aitosiideri.fi
Cheers,
Emmi & Aaron
The story behind strong Apple & Honey Cyser
Apple & Honey cyser is the newest addition to Lepola mead range. This mead is sweet with ripe fruit flavours. It has been made from 2019 apples and has matured for two years to reach the smoothness and amazing fruity flavour. We have used 100% local honey and local fresh pressed apple juice, and matured some of the time on Finnish oak.
Sweet mead, made with apples and honey, no added sugar or water. Just apple and honey! Alc. 10% vol.
Where did you get the idea for Apple & Honey Cyser?
“I suppose it started out with me looking for different ways of using the leftover honey from beekeeping. After collecting the honey I was left with some "dirty" honey, which is just a mix of honey and beeswax. It was with these leftovers I started to make different experiments. Pressing the apples and spinning the last honey of the year usually happens around the same time so, it seems logical to blend them together.“
What is Cyser?
“Simply put Cyser is mead made with apple juice instead of water. Its a hybrid of apple cider and mead. Technically it's a form of melomel, which is a more generic term for the combination of honey with fruit. But, because it's so popular it gets its own category"
How long has this Cyser matured?
“The maturation was totally 24 months. On the oak it has been matured for 6 months.”
Why Finnish oak?
“The oak comes from Lepola's backyard oak tree that is close to 100 years old. In one storm we had broken branches so we decided to dry them to use for oak ageing.
I only wanted a subtle oak taste so, after drying the oak for a year it was added to the Cyser for a short period of time.”
Did something unexpected happen while making this mead?
“After the fermentation was completed after about 9 weeks, it's flavour characteristics were so sharp, that I thought it would definitely need to be aged. I was only happy with the Cyser after 2 years in the tank.“
What apple varieties were used in this Cyser?
“I don't remember exactly, and I haven't written it down as it was collection of leftover apples. It was later in the apple season so it was a mix of winter apple varieties.“
Which food would you pair this cider with?
“Apple & Honey Cyser pairs well with different cheeses or with cheesy salad. Try this mead with salty and creamy blue cheese or with matured cheddar on a biscuit. As a sweet wine it also goes with spicy foods, and various desserts. For example with cheese cake topped with fresh berries. You can also enjoy this mead warm like mulled wine!”
Cheers, Emmi & Aaron
The story of Wasted Berry Cider
Wasted Berry cider is the newest addition to Lepola product range. This product was made to reuse and recycle the side stream from our production. This cider is a blend of cider from bottom of the barrels collected while moving cider from one tank to another, that would have gone to waste. Then the cider has been matured on the skins of pressed berry waste. We wanted to use the berry skins for something as they are packed full of aromatic compounds.
Dry cider, no added sugar or water. Just wasted fruits and berries! Alc. 6,2% vol.
Where did you get the idea for Wasted cider?
“When racking the cider the aim is to remove the clear cider off the lees without getting any in the final product. This leaves about 50-100 litres of lees and cider in the bottom of the tank. We got the idea for Wasted cider, because we basically wanted to limit our waste. Every batch has a little "wasted" cider that's collected and matured on this fine lees. We had access to wasted berry skins and combining these thought like a great idea.“
How many different berries was used?
“We used six different berries and fruit in the maturation – cranberry, lingonberry, rhubarb, cherry, raspberry, and bilberry. And the base of this cider is apple. The apple cider was matured on the skins and seeds of these berries and fruits."
How long has the Wasted cider matured?
“The maturation was totally 10 months. On the berry skins the maturation was four months of this time. The berry skins and seeds are full of aromatic compounds and the maturation gives the cider time to infuse the flavor.”
Did something unexpected happen while making this cider?
“It was a real challenge to get clear product from the berry soup that it was when maturing.“
Will this product be one hit wonder or is there going to be Wasted cider for every vintage?
“We have thought we will make this product a yearly thing, and there is going to be one Wasted cider of every vintage we make. Or at least every second year. We will see how the future treats us.”
Who has made the cool design for the label?
“The original design was made by our friend Joshua Prebble, check his other artwork here. The finishing touched were made by Suunnittelutoimisto Bakery. We wanted to make this label to be different from our other products because the product is quite different, and needs to stand out more to talk to the crowd.”
Which food would you pair this cider with?
“This cider would go perfectly with vegetarian, or prosciutto pizza. Tested with pizzas from Ravintola Terho! Recommended also to go with small bites of cheese and crackers, after sauna, or after work.”
Cheers, Emmi & Aaron
Cider maker Q&A
Here is our cider maker Aaron at beautiful Söderlångvik Gård, where we purchase big part of our apples. They also have restaurant and shop in Kemiö island, check it out here.
Aaron is crafting all the Lepola ciders and meads. He is passionate to bring new ideas alive and developing the skills as cider maker. We wanted to do a little interview with him now when the apple season is on. Meaning for us that the fermenting of cider is happening!
How did you end up making cider in Finland?
"I initially came to Finland for 1 year to see what it was like, that was 10 years ago. I started off working at Korkeasaari, taught high school Science for a few years, then moved to the countryside to work for Meritalo.
Meritalo had most of the equipment needed for making cider including a apple press. The idea of working for myself has always appealed to me and to combine something I love (cider) with work sounded great. I have been making home brew wines and cider for many years with varying degrees of success. Its this trial and error approach that’s helped me to refine my skills in cider making."
The apple season is on – what is your favourite apple variety to use in cider?
"Winter apples are the best for cider, Lobo, Amorosa, Kanel, are a few of my favourites. I would like to see some real cider apples grown in Finland!"
Which part of cider making you find the most challenging?
"Working with apples that are not traditionally used for making cider and turning them into something great to drink."
What are the main steps in cider making?
"Basics are, start with clean good quality fruit, select a yeast strain that produces a fresh fruity aroma, ferment within the favourable temperature range for that yeast, monitor yeast nutrition, rack the cider off the lees within a few weeks after fermentation has completed, and finally mature the cider for a minimum of 5 months."
Do you have any cider dreams that you’re dying to make a reality?
"Have our own orchard full of true apple cider trees. This would give us possibility to widen the taste profile of our ciders towards the real, traditional English style cider. With real cider apples we could also do more experiments with naturally wild fermented cider."
What is your favourite Lepola cider?
"Hoppy Apple cider - dry hopped with Galaxy. The hops gives the cider more complex flavour profile, and tropical fruitiness that I quite like."
If there is not cider in your glass, what is it?
"Mead, there’s something quite special about making wine from your own honey. We have made many different mead experiments at home, and some very interesting ones too. Maybe one day they will be launched to our Meads ;)"
Mother Nature's finest in good hands
We believe that lifestyle changes can make the world a better place. Sustainability can be achieved while enjoying life!
You think so too? We are trying to do our part. We craft our products with pride and we sleep good at night. We are supplied by the best local orchards and we do what we do best. We deliver Mother Natures finest through our hands for you to enjoy.
The way we do it
In our products we use nature's pure ingredients. The taste to the products always comes from the real fruits, berries, and spices. Never artificial flavours, never from concentrates. Our goal is to use the produce Finnish nature provides to us with an innovative way.
Along with sourcing our ingredients locally we have installed solar panel system to run our production facilities!
Cheers,
Emmi & Aaron
Flavoured ciders - how are they made?
For us in Lepola the flavoured ciders have been the thing from the beginning. We love to test new flavours and develop products using the ingredients from the surrounding nature. The scope of flavoured ciders is almost limitless! Flavour combination can be tested widely from fruits to berries, vegetables to herbs and spices. Testing and innovation is fun and inspiring for us!
Sometimes some people think we make the flavoured cider because the original base cider has been somehow faulty. However for us it’s very important that the base cider is very high quality to create a balanced cider. Flavouring can off course improve for example the fruitiness and tannin but, the faults can not be hidden with flavours.
WHERE DO THE IDEAS COME FROM?
In principle we are looking for quality ingredients that would be interesting to flavour the cider with. The spices can be anything from traditional pairings with cider to more unconventional flavours. With flavour we mean anything natural, suitable for food product, that can bring the cider to new level and make it interesting.
A FEW WAYS HOW LEPOLA PRODUCTS ARE DEVELOPED
We follow what happens around the world
We are following actively what products are produced in the other countries, for example Australia, UK and USA. We can get an idea from there to be transferred suitable for ingredients available in Finland and our production. Our Honey Apple cyser can be an example of this. This is type of mead produced widely in the world. We wanted to make our own version of this using the honey of our own bees. We wanted to make this product bubbly and lower alcohol. The cysers are often stronger and more wine-like. Our Honey Cyser is session version of a more traditional stronger cyser. Cyser by the way means honey wine made of apple juice and honey.
We research the ingredients available near us
We are continuously researching our surroundings, what ingredients could be found from nature and farms around us. The idea of our Cucumber Apple cider came when we wanted to use an ingredient farmed at the neighbourhood. In our area the cucumber is farmed in many places so we decided to test it. And it worked! Fresh cucumber and fruity apple cider create refreshing flavour experience, everything in the product produced under 60 kilometres from Lepola!
By accident
Cider making doesn’t always go as planned and sometimes the products are born almost by accident. Our Hoppy Apple cider came along like this. Very late in the Autumn one apple grower called us and said they have some apple that the contracted buyer didn’t pick up. We bought the apples off them and started the juice pressing station that had already been packed up for the year. Then just juiced the apples, fermented the juice and put the cider to mature and to be worried about later. The base cider was done and we thought we will decide later what to make out of it. In the beginning of the next spring we still didn’t know what to do with the cider. Then the covid pandemic hit Finland, shut everything down and changed all our plans for coming spring and summer. Then we had time to concentrate to this cider that had been left to mature for the time being. We got an idea of dry hopping the product as we had tasted many hopped ciders and tested making them before. Dry-hopping can also be done just before bottling the cider, so it suited perfectly for this product that didn’t have a plan.
Own preferences and co-operation
Emmi from Lepola has always loved cherries, so cherry cider had to be tested. We found Finnish farmer with sweet cherries – Tommola Garden. We started co-operation with them and now we have made two batches of Cherry Apple cider. Co-operation with other small producers is very important for us!
NEW IDEAS INTO FINAL PRODUCTS
Like in all new product development testing and research is important part of the whole process. Product development is not always just testing the new flavour combinations but also a lot of improving and developing the whole process. Before the main production of a new product we have to think through the whole production process, how to make different raw materials work in our facilities. We also have to mention that not all the tests work! All the flavour combinations are not a success..
Cider making is to find just the right thing that people want to drink! We always have the goal in our minds to make products we would like to drink in the restaurant or buy from the grocery store. The products we believe could bring enjoyment to other people too!
Cheers,
Emmi & Aaron