This mead recipe is featured in the May/June 2020 issue of Zymurgy magazine. Join the American Homebrewers Association or start your 30-day free trial to access the Zymurgy online archive and other exclusive member benefits!

Use the citrus peel you prefer: half an orange or lemon, a whole tangerine, a quarter of a grapefruit, etc. Just use the outer colored part; remove the white inner pith, which can be very bitter. Please choose organic citrus. The peel will boil and soak in your beverage for some time, and it’s difficult to completely clean pesticide residues from the peel.

Fear not if you have no “warm fountains” as Digbie suggests—filtered tap or spring water will do just fine.

Variations of this recipe offered below.