Anybody tried this?

That seems to be a common question when it comes to mead

Anyway, I've been planning to try a gallon of JAOM soon. Today I happened to look at a sachet of mulling spices my wife picked up at the winery that's in the DFW airport. It contains dried orange peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg etc...

In short, almost everything that's in Joe's Ancient Orange Mead except the water, honey, yeast, and raisins...

So I was thinking about just for kicks, making up a gallon batch with about 3 1/2 lbs honey, a handful of raisins, a packet of bread yeast, and tossing in the mulling spices instead of the rest of the ingredients.

Ideas/suggestions?

Since it has dried orange peel, should I perhaps add a cup of orange juice?

Has anybody used craisins instead of regular raisins? I think we have some already, so I thought about using them instead.

I'm probably going to get the honey and try to get this going this weekend, so if you're gonna try & stop me, you'd better hurry....

edit: If you're going to suggest a different yeast, don't bother--JAOM calls for bread yeast, and I want the sweetness.

Since nobody jumped in to try and talk me out of it, I went ahead anyway. So here's what I have:

3lbs Wal-mart Great Value clover honey
1/2 cup sugar (I think JAOM calls for 3-1/2 lbs honey, and I didn't have the other 1/2 lb)
1 small box Sunmaid raisins
1 sachet LaBodega Wine Mulling Spices (contains dried orange peel, cinnamon stick, allspice, cloves)
1 packet Red Star bread yeast
1 gallon Crystal Geyser spring water

Poured about half the spring water into another container, then I added the sugar and honey to the half remaining in the original jug. Shook vigorously to dissolve. Added the box of raisins. The mulling spices come in a little cloth sack with a cork attached. For mulling the instructions say to leave the cork so the bag will float and you can remove it. I didn't necessarily want the spices to float, so I removed the cork but left the spices in the mulling bag. Forced the bag into the jug, pitched the yeast, and finished filling with spring water, leaving a little headspace. Gave it one more shake/swirl, put on an airlock, wished the yeasties good luck, and stuck in my winery (my workbench with the nice big dark cabinet underneath). We'll see what happens.

It's not Joe's Ancient Orange Mead, so while I'm waiting I'm going to pass the time by thinking of a name (and making more Apfelwein). I thought perhaps something like: Mostly Modified Good Mead (MMGood Mead). Or maybe SWeet Mead But no Oranges (SWMBO)?

24 hours later the yeasties are happily burping out CO2 and enjoying their honey feast. Wow, does this smell good--I so need another jug going right away! I can smell the spices from their little bag blending with the honey aroma and a hint of the raisins--had to crack open a bottle of apfelwein I was trying to save, just so I'd keep my nose out of the mead! OK, a big batch of Graff is next on the agenda...but then...more mead?

It won't be JAOM, but I expect it'll still be tasty. Here's to future projects and experimentations!

Update on the mead--decided to top this off with about a cup of apple juice the other day, since my spice bag only had dried orange peel and I didn't have any orange juice. So tonight I poked my wine thief under the raisins and grabbed a taste. This is going to be very nice... it has just barely started to clear, so it's still raw, but I can tell it's got some real potential. Looks like it's going to be a perfect holiday mead. Already planning to try a key lime mead after the next trip to the grocery store this week.

Tasted this again this week. It is not yet clear but clearing very slowly. The spice bag and most of the raisins sank to the bottom. The spices seem to be mellowing and allowing the honey flavor to come through. It is very sweet but I like that--if it keeps this up it is going to be downright amazing. Can't wait to see what it's like after it clears.

I've been saving bags of mulling spice that come with Chaucers mead. I was going to make a pumpkin/mulling spice mead with them for the holidays. I am encouraged by your results.