SIMA - Finnish May Day Drink - pronounced 'SEE-mah'

Shave the yellow peel from the lemons, cutting very thinly so that as little of the white underlayer as possible is attached. Set the yellow slices aside. Then peel the bitter white underlayer off and discard it. Slice the lemons into very thin slices. Place them into a container and cover them so they don't dry out.

Boil the water in a large kettle. Remove it from the heat and stir in the yellow lemon peel, the sugars, and the syrup. When the sugars have dissolved, cover the kettle and let the contents cool to room temperature (25'C or 75'F). Then add the lemon slices and the yeast. Leave it to stand overnight.

Place 4-5 raisins and a teaspoon of white sugar in the bottom of each of several clean bottles (wine or soda pop). Pour the sima into the bottles, straining it through a sieve to remove the lemon. Cap the bottle tightly.

The sima will be ready to drink when the raisins rise to the top of the bottles, about 3-7 days depending on the temperature of the room where they are stored. Serve it well chilled.

Your SIMA - Finnish May Day Drink - pronounced 'SEE-mah' is ready. Buon appetito!