To me, nothing is more festive for the winter holidays than mulled anything; mulled cider, mulled wine, and, since I am a mead-maker, I had to make mulled mead. I used a bottle of my sugar pumpkin spice mead that has been aging for three years, delicious honey from Honey Grove Farm, citrus, spices, and a sprig of the Rocky Mountain Juniper I harvested this week. If you want to make your own mulled deliciousness I’ve included a recipe below:
Mulled Mead
- 1 bottle of mead
- 1/2 a small lemon
- 1 mandarin orange, halved
- 1 small sprig of fresh juniper
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 8 cloves
- 6 peppercorns
- 3 slices of fresh ginger
- 3-6 tbsp of unpasteurized honey to taste
A bottle of sack or metheglin mead is best (aka plain), but fruit meads can also be delicious – think mulled black currant or cranberry or pomegranate… mmm. If you don’t make mead and can’t find some to purchase substitute with a sweet white wine like a Riesling or a Gewürztraminer. Pour the mead into a pot on the stove or into a crock pot and add all the ingredients. You can get creative and make a local version sans the exotic citrus and spices by adding tips of fir and pine trees and juniper berries for a spicy forest flavour, frozen berries you picked in the forest in the summer for a touch of fruit, and vanilla leaf or sweet grass for a hint of wild sweetness.
Heat on low, without boiling, for at least an hour before drinking. If any of the ingredients start tasting too strong, take them out. It’s pretty tasty so you might want to use more than one bottle of mead if you’re sharing with others or you’ll be pouting into an empty cup. Drink warm in tea mugs or ceramic goblets and enjoy!
