Poncho Villa's Feminine Side: Jalapeno Mead

I've found a lot of mentions of jalapeño mead on the net, but I've only found one recipe for it. The recipe calls for six jalapeños, and the most sensible suggestions I've found for adding them is little by little in the secondary until the taste is just right. But that feels too much like making another batch of JAO, so I'm gonna get a little experimental with it. I'm putting two jalapeños in the primary. If that doesn't do it, I'll add more in the secondary. Hopefully it doesn't ruin the mead doing it this way.

Recipe:
3 lbs Clover Honey (Bargain brand from WalMart. Grade A. Probably Pasteurized.)
1 regular-sized orange (Peeled. Sectioned. Sections cut in half.)
25 raisins - diced
2 Jalapenos (Sliced. De-seeded. Sanitized in 150 degree water for 10 minutes.)
2-1/4 teaspoons of Red Star bread machine yeast
1 gal of distilled water

1/25/2009 @ 5:45 AM

Prepped ingredients. Prepared Must. Shook vigorously for five minutes. Pitched Yeast.

1/26/2009 @ 5:45 AM

Fermentation has started, but it's not audible yet. Evidently the foam obstructed the pin-hole in the balloon, as the balloon was as big as a softball. I replaced the balloon and poked two pin-holes in the second one. The whole closet smells like jalapeno!

1/26/2009 @ 6:00 PM

All looks good now. Fermentation still isn't audible, but I'm betting it will be by tomorrow morning. Stephen thinks it smells aweful. However, I find it kind of interesting (if not appealing).

1/26/2009 @ 6:00 AM

Fermentation is now audible.

1/29/2009 @ 8:40 PM

There is only about 1/4" of honey left in the bottom of the jug. And it smells very nice -- much better. Or, maybe I'm just getting use to it.

2/15/2009 @ 5:00 PM

Racked it today. The sample taste was really delicious. Linda congratulated me on making my first batch of true gut-rot. But, in my opinion, the taste of honey and jalapeño go quite nicely together. It even had just a little bit of heat going down the throat. I plan on adding another jalapeño or two into the secondary, once I go shopping.

3/12/2009 @ 8:15 PM

Re-racked it today into a new jug. It has a very deep jalapeño essence (smell and taste), but no heat at all. I sliced up two more fresh jalapeños today and dropped them in. This one might turn out really well. Linda doesn't like it -- but she's not a very big pepper fan. I'd like to perfect this recipe.

3/30/2009 @ 7:00 PM

Had two glasses of it tonight. This is without a doubt the most uniquely wonderful tasting stuff in the world. It has just a little bit of heat, and I'm gonna call it good for now. It's ready to bottle. I'll hold this stuff in reserve; it's not for everybody. In the next batch of it, I think I'll forgo the jalapeno's in the primary and add another in the secondary, just for a tad more heat. I'm definitely satisfied with the first batch, though.

4/10/2009 @ 8:00 PM

Bottled it.

Cinnamon Mead

This is basically a simple JOA with cinnamon sticks added. If it doesn't have enough cinnamon flavor after the primary fermentation, I can add more cinnamon sticks during the secondary.

Recipe:
3 lbs Rice's Lucky Clover Honey
1 regular-sized orange
30 raisins - diced
4 ea 2-3/4" cinnamon sticks
2-1/4 teaspoons of Red Star bread machine yeast
1 gal of distilled water

Estimated Bottling Date: 04/19/2009

01/04/2009 @ 4:30PM

Made must and pitched yeast.

01/05/2009 @ 6:30AM

Fermenting, but not so vigorously. Our bedroom is getting really cold at night. I think I may need to move it to a warmer part of the house.

01/06/2009 @ 6:30AM

I turned up the heat a little last night and put a thermometer in my closet. The temperature seemed to stay at about 68 degrees. I could hear the fermentation this morning, so it seems like things are back on track. Still, it seems less vigorous than previous batches. Hopefully nothing is amiss.

01/17/2009 @ 12:24PM

The honey is pretty much gonzo. Fermentation is still audible. I can't really smell the cinnamon, but I'll taste it next Sunday.

01/25/09 @ 5:30PM

Stephen and I racked it today, and had a taste. Stephen said he couldn't really taste the cinnamon, but both Linda and I could -- although it isn't as strong as I'd like. I added four more sticks to it. Maybe I'll taste it again in a couple of weeks to see if it is satisfactory. If it is, I'll rack it again.

3/11/09 @ 8:00PM

I racked it to a new jug today. It tastes really nice, and the cinnamon sticks definitely darkened the color. The cinnamon taste is quite prominent. Linda liked it and said it might make a good holiday drink. Let's see if it's still around for Christmas!

3/29/09 @7:00PM

Had two glasses of it tonight. WOW. Very good. I think next time I will use one less cinnamon stick. It's ready to bottle, drink and share.

4/04/2009 @ 7:00 PM

Bottled it. Unbelievably delicious. On my third glass!