Cooking with Mead
Combine 1/4 c milk, 1/3 c sour cream and 1/3 c mead and let come to room temperature.
In a separate bowl, cream 1 c butter with 1 ¾ c sugar (or 1 c honey but watch closely while cooking to prevent scorching) 3-4 minutes then add 2 t vanilla and 3 eggs and 2 egg yolks, mixing just to combine between each egg.
In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 ¼ c cake flour, 1 ½ t baking powder, ¼ t baking soda, and ½ t salt.
Add 1/3 dry mixture to wet mixture and stir to combine. Continue by adding 1/3 dry mixture and 1/2 liquid mixture to wet mixture, stir to combine, followed by the remaining amounts, stirring just to combine.
Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees approximately 50 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
After cooling for 15 minutes, poke holes throughout the cake and slowly pour more mead over the top, allowing it to soak in.
Optional Glaze (adds significant sweetness): Mix ½ c butter, ½ c sugar/honey, ½ c brown sugar, ¼ c mead, ¼ c heavy cream, and 1 t vanilla in a saucepan and boil for 2 minutes. Top cooled cake.
Mead Cake
Combine 3 c heavy cream, 1 c whole milk, 1/2 c mead, 1/2 c honey, 1 T vanilla and any mix-ins, in a counter top ice cream maker and let it do its work.
Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Get creative with this one but here are some of our favorites:
Anna Rose’s Butter Pecan with pecan and caramel topping.
Barrel House Mead with angel food cake mix-in.
Dry or Sweet Traditional Mead (depending on the severity of your sweet tooth) with a drizzle of honey on top for extra honey goodness.
Meady Ice Cream
Cream 1/2 c butter and 1/2 c sugar. Add 3/4 c Sweet Traditional Mead and 1/4 c molasses.
Whisk together 2 c flour, 1/3 t baking soda, 2 T cinnamon, 1 t allspice and pinch of salt. Mix into wet ingredients.
Bake at 350 until golden brown and firm. Cool a few minutes and brush with additional mead for extra flavor if desired.
Frost with cream cheese icing if desired.
Mead Cookies
Simmer 1 c mead* in a saucepan until reduced to 1/4 c. Stir in 1 T butter, 2 T brown sugar, 1 T grainy mustard, and 1 t apple cider vinegar. Whisk until emulsified.
*Use Dry or Sweet Traditional depending on desired honey accent.
For a fruity twist use Bullseye Raspberry with a touch of orange marmalade.
This sweet and tangy glaze works well on pork, chicken, venison, and salmon.
Mead Glaze
Mead Marinade
Whisk together 1/2 c Dry Traditional Mead, 2 T olive oil, 1 T lemon juice, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 t fresh thyme leaves, 1/2 t sea salt, 1/4 t cracked black pepper until well combined.
Pour the marinade over thick white fish (cod, haddock, etc.) in a shallow dish or zip-top back. Place in refrigerator 20-30 minutes (no longer as to avoid changing the texture of the fish)
Cocktails
2 oz gin
1 oz Dry Traditional Mead
1 oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz honey syrup (equal parts honey and water)
Combine ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until well chilled, garnish with a lemon peel.
This take on the Prohibition era Bee’s Knees adds a traditional mead to amplify the honey notes.
The Bee’s Knees
Berry Mead Sangria
3 oz Bullseye Raspberry
1 oz Cointreau
2 oz cranberry juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
Combine ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until well frothy. Serve over ice or frozen berries, garnished with a slice of lime.
Can be made scaled up in a pitcher with frozen berries or fruit for a summer time crowd.
Mead Sour
2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Dry Traditional Mead
1 oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz egg white
Combine ingredients in shaker without ice. Shake vigorously to emulsify egg white. Add ice and shake until cold. Double strain into a chilled glass. Let foam settle. Add 2-3 dashes of Angostura or orange bitters. Garnish with Luxardo cherry and orange peel.
Mead Spritz
3 oz mead of choice
3 oz sparkling wine such as Prosecco or champagne depending on desired sweetness
1 oz flavored liqueur of choice or grenadine
club soda to taste
Pour mead, wine, and liqueur over ice and stir. Top with club soda to taste.
This a versatile recipe and can be made with Sweet Traditional, Dry Traditional, Bullseye Raspberry or Marksman’s Mango mead. Adjust strength and flavor profile by choice of mead and flavored liqueur. For a fun twist garnish with fresh herbs.
Mulled Mead
1 bottle of Traditional (Dry or Sweet depending on desired sweetness)
Mulling spices: cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice berries, cardamom seeds, vanilla pod
Optional: ¼ - ½ c orange juice or apple cider and additional honey
Warm together on stove top until hot
Mango Mead Margarita
2 oz Marksman’s Mango
1 oz Tequila
½ oz Triple Sec
¾ oz lime juice
Combine ingredients in shaker with ice. Pour over ice, crushed ice, or frozen mango pieces.