JAO: Joe's Ancient Orange Mead
For a 5 litre demijohn
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1.6kg honey (never boiled or lose the taste and aromas)
1 large orange (at most cut into eight pieces -- rind and all)
1 small handful of raisins
1 stick of cinnamon
1 whole clove
A small pinch of nutmeg and allspice (optional)
1 tsp of bread yeast
Pre-boiled water to bring batch out to 3.8 litres (1 US Gallon)
Process:
Use a sterilised 5 litre glass demijohn with a mark at 3.8 litre
Boil about 3.5 litre of water and leave covered until warm (this rids the water of chlorine)
Dissolve honey in approx 1 litre of warm water and put in demijohn
Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice into eight pieces (may wish to zest slightly, just shove em through the demijohn's hole)
Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill demijohn with water to about 3.8 litres with cold water (need some room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few days foaming frenzy)
Shake the demijohn with the top on or bung in. This is to oxygenate the mix.
When liquid is at room temperature, put in 1 tsp of bread yeast and give a little swirl.
Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It should start working immediately or in an hour.
After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom. If it is clear it is ready.
Add 1 campden tablet prior to bottling (to prevent further fermentation) and then leave to age as long as you can resist.
The original recipe is here. I have slightly amended it to save space on this page and added 1 campden tablet. You can pick these up anywhere that sell brewers supplies. I got mine from Wilkinsons
