Scott & Deb's Place

Orange Mead

The following is a simple mead variant that is the staple of our mead stock. I’ve tried to make the directions detailed enough so that a novice can make it on their own. Any corrections or suggestions are appreciated.

Supplies:

• 1 Gallon Glass Bottle (Cider Jugs work great)
• 1 Air Lock
• 1 Stopper with hole for airlock
• 3-5 quart stock pot
• Cheese Cloth (optional)
• Funnel with strainer (Cheese cloth can be used in place of the strainer)

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs. honey
• 2 Oranges
• 2 Sticks of Cinnamon

Bring approximately one half gallon of water to a simmer in the stock pot. Slowly add 3lbs of honey to the water, stirring to keep the honey from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Stir until all of the honey is dissolved. If you empty the jar of honey add some hot water to it and shake it with the cap on to retrieve the honey stuck to the side of the jar. Pour this into the pot with the rest of the honey and water (called must). As the must simmers a yellow or white scum will start to collect on top of the water. Use a spoon to remove the scum from the pot. Stir occasionally, removing the scum as it gathers. While the must is cooking, quarter the oranges and crush the cinnamon on to a small piece of cheese cloth. Tie the cheese cloth with the spices into a small bag. When you have cleared most of the scum away from the must and no more appears to be gathering turn off the heat and add the spice bag to the must. Let the must sit for five to ten minutes before removing the spice bag.