flavouring mead

Made a gallon batch last month from ivy honey, I'm guessing it wont taste great, so is there any nice flavours people put into their meads???
Also when to add, now or next year???
Ta

rje66 said:

so is there any nice flavours people put into their meads???
Also when to add, now or next year???

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Whisky... now, and again next year.

once you add flavours, you can no longer call it mead,

I add rasberries... usually portents a second fermentation.

HM you really are a Sacchenach..... adding anything to whiskey!

Yeghes da

Mead/Melomel/Methoglin ....whatever.
Elderflower is a good flavouring. I find it a little overpowering if you are using a light floral honey but with ivy honey it might just be the thing.Will be in bloom soon too.
Bear in mind that aficionados of ivy honey say the taste mellows after a while and loses its pong!
I'd second Rasperry as a wonderful melomel.
Cherry might be a good one too, add a few crushed stones for that almond (cyanide) tang

Thanks for replies,
So for whiskey , how much to add to a gallon batch?
And for the fruits would I boil to a pulp and add or just drop into DJ. (add a campden tablet as well)?
Similar for elder flowers??

If you have already made your mead and are simply looking for flavouring I would make a syrup with the fruit/flowers add to the mead and re-ferment?
Would that work?
If starting from scratch I would make a juice or infusion and add it to the mead as part of the water you are using. That's what I did.

dexter's shed said:

once you add flavours, you can no longer call it mead,

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Tell that to Lurgashall winery they have been making flavoured meads since 1985

http://www.lurgashall.co.uk/index.cfm?curcatID=3&fuseaction=browse

Another super summertime drink is to add a couple of lemons to the ivy mead.. either during or after fermentation.

Undiluted virtually undrinkable... but added to cold soda water a fantastic brew.

Yeghes da

I made this back in February . First proper stab at mead . Smells great whilst fermenting just needs lots of time .

deanrpwaacs said:

I made this back in February . First proper stab at mead . Smells great whilst fermenting just needs lots of time .

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How do I get the attachment to a size I can read? When I enlarge it it goes all blurry

Sorry . Im a newb and when i posted it it looked all blurry .

Will try again .

Sorry chaps its not working . There was me thinking these things are easy .

rje66 said:

is there any nice flavours people put into their meads???

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Take a look at this http://www.britishpathe.com/video/mead-making/query/gulval+mead

Ah ha it works . I racked this last night . Tastes of sweet cough candys and the old cheeks warmed quickly . Should mellow nicely over the next year or so .