Basic Small Mead

Classification: mead

Source: Cher Feinstein (crf@pine.circa.ufl.edu) Issue #267, 9/30/89

This is a quickie mead, drinkable in 2 weeks, however, it does improve with age. Aging at least a couple months is recommended. This mead is excellent chilled.

Ingredients:

2-3, cloves
2 sticks, cinnamon
2 thin, slices ginger
2-4 teaspoons, orange peel
2 pounds, honey yeast
1/4 cup, vodka or grain alcohol

Procedure:

In a 1-gallon pot, simmer cloves (lightly cracked), cinnamon (broken), and ginger. Add orange peel. The amount of orange peel will vary depending on type of honey used. Use less orange peel with orange blossom honey, for example. Simmer.

Add water to bring volume to 3 quarts. Return to simmer. Add honey, stirring constantly. Do not boil! Skim off any white scum. If scum is yellow, reduce heat. When no more scum forms, remove from heat, cover pot, and leave overnight. The next day, strain to remove as much spice particles as possible. Pitch yeast. Replace pot cover. Twelve hours later, rack mead to 1-gallon jug, leaving dregs of yeast. Top off jug, bringing to base of neck. Take a piece of clean paper towel, fold into quarters, and put over mouth of jug. Seal with rubber band. Ferment for 36 hours, replacing paper towel whenever it becomes fouled. Refrigerate 8-12 hours. Rack to new jug and put back in refrigerator for 12 hours. Add 1/4 cup vodka to kill yeast. Rack to fresh jug. Refrigerate 3-4 days. Bottle.

Specifics:

Primary Ferment: 2 days
Secondary Ferment: 2 weeks