Mulled Mead

Mulled Mead is an attempt at creating a mulled version of that Celtic staple drink, mead, as might have been done in the Roman era. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Ancient Roman version of: Mulled Mead.

prep time

15 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

35 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Spice RecipesAncient Roman Recipes

Mead was ubiquitous in the Celtic world. So ubiquitous that the words for 'mead' and 'drunkenness' are synonymous. It's more than likely this drink was served hot in winter and was probably spiced, though we may never truly know the recipe. What is offered below is in keeping with this ancient drink but it caters for more modern tastes. Mead itself is essentially a wine made from honey, with a high alcohol content (12.5% is not uncommon). It is fairly readily available through delicatessens. However, if you can't get any substitute a reasonably-priced Chardonnay from the Southern Hemisphere (for the deep yellow colour of the wine) to which 3tbsp of honey should be added. If you're truly adventurous, however, you can make your own mead by create your own mead by following this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 bottle mead (or Chardonnay to which honey has been added)
Juice of 2 oranges, 2 limes, 1 lemon
100ml brandy or cognac
½ orange studded with cloves
½ lemon, ½ lime
Muslin bag containing the mulling spices:
1 cinnamon stick cut in half
1 cm piece of ginger cut into slivers
¼ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
½ tsp freshly-grated nutmeg

Method:

Take an orange half and stud 10 cloves into its rind. Take the remaining spices and tie into a muslin bag. Meanwhile juice the limes, oranges and lemons. Add the juice to a saucepan and pour in the mead, brandy (or cognac). Place this on a medium heat and add in the clove-studded orange half, the lemon half, the lime half and the muslin bag of spices. Heat until just at the point of boiling, simmer for at least ten minutes and serve hot.

If you simply want 'classic' mulled wine use a bottle of a full-bottled red, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon and 200ml of port along with 4 tbsp honey instead of the mead/white wine. Ad all other ingredients as above.

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