Spiced mead (metheglin) with cinnamon, clove, and orange is one of the most popular mead variations, the spices complement honey's natural floral sweetness and the result drinks like a warm-weather mulled wine in a glass. The key is restraint: clove in particular goes from pleasant to medicinal very quickly, and the spice character intensifies with aging. Start with less than you think you need.
Recipe: Cinnamon, Clove & Orange Mead (1 gallon)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Orange blossom or wildflower honey | 2.5 lbs | OG ~1.090; yields ~11% ABV semi-sweet |
| Filtered water | To 1 gallon | , |
| Lalvin 71B yeast | 1/4 packet | Preserves fruit/floral esters |
| Fermaid-K + DAP | 0.5 g each | Split: pitch, 24h, 48h |
| Cinnamon sticks | 1 stick (3 inch) | Add at secondary, taste after 2 weeks |
| Whole cloves | 3–4 cloves | Add at secondary, powerful, taste weekly |
| Orange peel (zest only) | From 1 orange | Zest without pith; add at secondary |
Process
Ferment the base mead without spices first. Mix honey with water to reach OG 1.085–1.095, pitch 71B with the nutrient schedule (add Fermaid-K + DAP at pitch, 24h, and 48h), and ferment at 65–70°F/18–21°C. When gravity reaches 1.020–1.025 (usually day 10–14), rack to a clean jug. Add spices now, cinnamon stick, cloves, and fresh orange zest (use a vegetable peeler to get wide strips of zest without the bitter white pith). Taste every 5–7 days. Remove spices when the character is where you want it, typically 2–4 weeks for cinnamon, 1–2 weeks for clove. Orange zest can stay in 2–3 weeks.
I've found that adding spices during active primary fermentation drives off a significant portion of the aromatic volatile compounds with the CO₂. Secondary addition gives you much more control and preserves the spice character. The mead finishes more aromatic and the flavors integrate better over the following months of aging.
Spice intensity guide
| Spice | Conservative (subtle) | Standard | Bold | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon | 1/2 stick, 1 week | 1 stick, 2 weeks | 2 sticks, 3 weeks | Low, forgiving |
| Clove | 2 cloves, 5 days | 3–4 cloves, 10 days | 5+ cloves, 2 weeks | High, taste daily |
| Orange zest | Half orange, 1 week | 1 orange, 2 weeks | 2 oranges, 3 weeks | Low, forgiving |
Aging and serving
After removing spices, age the mead for 3–6 months minimum before bottling. The spice character melds with the honey and alcohol over time, becoming more harmonious. A spiced mead bottled immediately after spice removal often tastes raw and unintegrated. Serve slightly chilled (55–60°F/13–15°C) for a semi-sweet version, or gently warm to 120°F/49°C for a mulled mead experience. The AHA's mead resources include spiced mead competitions and style guidelines for metheglin judging.
Common Questions
My mead tastes like medicine, too much clove. Can it be fixed?
Over-spiced mead from clove can sometimes be rescued with time (eugenol, the main clove compound, does mellow with aging over 12+ months) or dilution (blend with a plain mead batch). If the clove character is extreme and the mead is young, both approaches have limited effectiveness. The practical lesson: remove cloves after 5–7 days on the first batch, regardless of how mild they taste initially. Clove character intensifies as the mead ages, so what seems subtle at 2 weeks can be overwhelming at 6 months.
Can I use ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks?
Technically yes, but it creates problems: ground cinnamon disperses throughout the mead and is almost impossible to remove, it makes the mead cloudy, and it can introduce off-flavors from the powdered processing. Use cinnamon sticks so you can pull them out cleanly. Ceylon cinnamon ("true cinnamon") is more delicate and floral than Cassia cinnamon (the common variety) and makes a more nuanced spiced mead. A 3-inch stick of Ceylon cinnamon for 2–3 weeks in 1 gallon gives a prominent but not harsh cinnamon character.
How long does this mead stay at its best?
A well-made 11% ABV spiced mead stays excellent for 2–3 years stored at cellar temperature (55–60°F/13–15°C) away from light. The spice-honey balance evolves: the first year, cinnamon and clove are forward and distinct; by year two, they integrate into a more unified flavor with the honey; by year three, the spice softens further and the honey character becomes more prominent. Unlike beer, this mead improves rather than declines over 2–3 years. After that, the fruit esters from 71B begin to fade and the character flattens.