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Metheglin, spiced mead, is the style that arguably offers the most creative latitude in all of meadmaking. Every season, every climate, every cultural tradition has its own combination of herbs and spices that translates into a metheglin with a distinct identity. I’ve worked through dozens of metheglin recipes over the years, and these ten represent the most successful, most frequently requested, and most distinctly seasonal variations from my brewing notebook. Each is a starting point rather than a fixed formula, the best metheglin you make will be the one you adjust based on your honey and your palate.
Spring and summer metheglins
1. Lavender honey metheglin
Base: light clover or acacia honey, OG 1.085. Spice: 2 tsp dried culinary lavender per gallon, added to secondary for 7 days. Dry or semi-sweet. Elegant, floral, pairs with goat cheese and berries. This is the metheglin that converts people who claim they don’t like mead.
2. Chamomile lemon metheglin
Base: orange blossom honey, OG 1.090. Spice: 2 tbsp dried chamomile + zest from 1 lemon per gallon, secondary for 10 days. Semi-sweet. Bright, calming, slightly honeyed with citrus lift. Best served chilled.
3. Elderflower and vanilla metheglin
Base: wildflower honey, OG 1.095. Spice: 3 tbsp dried elderflowers + 1 vanilla bean split per gallon, secondary for 14 days. Semi-sweet. Fragrant, elegant, genuinely impressive. Make this one in June when elderflowers are at peak.
4. Ginger and lemon thyme spring metheglin
Base: raw wildflower honey, OG 1.088. Spice: 1 oz fresh ginger (sliced) + 2 tsp dried lemon thyme per gallon, secondary for 12 days. Dry or semi-sweet. Crisp, herbal, refreshing. Exceptional with light seafood.
Autumn metheglins
5. Apple spice cyser-metheglin
Base: 50% wildflower honey + 50% fresh apple cider (replacing some water), OG 1.095. Spice: 1 cinnamon stick + 3 cloves + 1/4 tsp nutmeg per gallon, secondary for 10 days. Semi-sweet. Warm, autumnal, apple-forward. This is the Halloween and Thanksgiving mead.
6. Rosehip and hibiscus metheglin
Base: raw wildflower honey, OG 1.090. Spice: 2 tbsp dried rosehips + 1 tbsp dried hibiscus per gallon, primary fermentation addition. Semi-sweet. Tart, deep ruby-colored, tannic from the rosehips. Impressive presentation.
7. Pumpkin spice metheglin (unironically excellent)
Base: buckwheat honey, OG 1.100. Spice: 1 cinnamon stick + 4 cloves + 1/2 tsp allspice + 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg per gallon, secondary for 14 days. Semi-sweet to sweet. Full-bodied, warming. The dark honey provides backbone for the heavy spice load.
Winter metheglins
8. Nordic warm spice metheglin
Base: raw dark honey, OG 1.105. Spice: 1 cinnamon stick + 1 star anise + 1/4 tsp cardamom + 4 juniper berries per gallon, secondary for 14–21 days. Dry. Resinous, complex, gin-adjacent. Inspired by Nordic aquavit and mulled wine traditions. Best aged 12 months.
9. Mulled cranberry metheglin
Base: clover honey, OG 1.100. Additions: 4 oz unsweetened cranberry juice per gallon in secondary + 1/2 cinnamon stick + 2 cloves + orange zest from 1/2 orange. Semi-sweet. Festive, tart, deep red. The holiday mead that everyone asks for by name.
10. Vanilla bourbon oak metheglin
Base: dark wildflower or buckwheat honey, OG 1.110. Spice/additions: 1 vanilla bean + 1.5 oz medium-toast American oak cubes soaked in 2 oz bourbon per gallon, secondary for 21 days. Dry to semi-sweet. Rich, complex, barrel-character. The longest aging metheglin on this list, requires 12–18 months for full integration.
Common Questions
Which metheglin is best for a first attempt?
The lavender metheglin (#1) or chamomile lemon (#2) are the best first metheglins: single or dual botanical, light dosage, short contact time, and immediate feedback. Both are forgiving if your contact time is slightly off, the lavender can be removed early if it’s getting soapy, and the chamomile is difficult to over-extract. Both are also ready to drink in 4–6 months rather than the 12–18 months that the winter metheglins need, so you get the learning and the feedback faster. Make a single gallon and keep detailed notes; the recipe you’ll make twenty times over the years starts from a single well-observed batch.
