I Drank What!!!!
(June 1998)

Small Mead (Metheglin)
By Daria of Atlantia

Take nine pints of warm fountain water, and dissolved in it one pint of pure White-honey, by laving it therein, till it be dissolved. Then boil it gently, skimming all the while, till all the scum be perfectly scummed off; and after that boil it a little longer, peradventure a quarter of an hour. In all it will require two or three hours boiling, so that at last one third part be consumed. About a quarter of an hour before you cease boiling, and take it from the fire, put to it a little spoonful of cleansed and sliced Ginger, and almost half as much of the thin yellow rind of Orange, when you are even ready to take it from the fire, so long as the Orange boil only one walm in it. Then pour it into a well-glased strong deep Gally-pot, and let it stand so, till it be almost cold, that it be Luke-warm. Then put to it a little silver spoonful of pure Ale Yeast, and work it together with a Ladle to make it ferment: as soon as it beginneth to do so, cover it close with a fit cover, and put a thick dubbled woollen cloth about it. Cast all things so that this may be done when you are going to bed. Next morning when you rise, you will find the barm gathered all together in the middle; scum it clean off with a silver-spoon and a feather, and bottle up the Liquor, stopping it very close. It will be ready to drink in two or three days; but it will keep well a month or two. It will be from the first very quick and pleasant.

Modern Translation:

• 11 Pints Water
• 1 T peeled, sliced fresh ginger (1/4 Oz)
• Yeast
• 1/2 T Orange Peel
• 1 Pint Honey

This recipe is modified from the original by reducing the proportion of honey and lengthening the time of fermentation before bottling. Both changes are intended to reduce the incidence of broken bottles.

Cariadoc's Miscellany; 1992; Friedman & Cook

Dissolved honey in well water in a large pot over low heat, then brought to a boil. Boiled down to 8 pints. This took approximately one hour 15 minutes prior to completing the boil, added the ginger. The at completion added the orange peel and removed from heat.

Cooled the must, then siphoned into a clean glass carboy. At 75 degrees, pitched yeast.

Noted active fermentation June 11, 1998/9:00 p.m.

Gently siphoned the mead off the sediment into a clean bucket.
Siphoned Mead into clean Bottles.
Sealed bottles and stored upright in a cool/dark place.

June 22, 1998

Upon returning home from Highland River Melees (SCA Event) we discovered that all the bottles had exploded. Completely shattering the bottles. The only salvageable pieces were the ceramic EZ Caps* Next Time I think I will try bottleing into 2 Liter Soda Bottles.

WARNING! High Carbonation possible in this period recipe.

Daria of Atlantia

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