Let's build a recipe?

I want to build a 3 gallon Christmas Present to give out THIS YEAR.
I Want something that is definitely a mead, NOT a HOT CIDER.
Clove and Cinnamon are given, but what about Ginger?
ORANGE? I might use some 100% Pomagranit juice.
I HATE JOAM (So Far) so that's out.
I would also like to keep this something that the average person is going to say..."Oh, That's good"
I'm not looking for a mile long list,

1/2 gallon Pomagranit juice
9#'s Clover Honey
10 cloves bruised
5 cinnamon sticks
Nutrient
Premiere Curvee' Yeast

Thanks in advance for the help!

Cloves can be pretty powerful. I'd recommend fewer.

I've made several batches of the Barkshack Ginger Mead in Papazian's TCJOHB that I really like. I've used both champagne and sweet mead yeasts and they both work well with the ginger.

It will have to be a lower gravity mead if you want to give it as gifts for Christmas. Meads can take quite some time to become good. The higher the alcohol the longer it will take.

So...Maybe start with 6 pounds of honey?

BigKahuna said:

So...Maybe start with 6 pounds of honey?

Click to expand...

Rich was thinking the same thing as I. 6 pounds is probably a better idea for a quick (but slightly less powerful) mead.

I have some spiced cyser that I made using about 2 pounds per gallon and it's nice enough to drink now. I'm still going to age it a while but it lacks that rocket fuel alcohol that full strength mead has that requires long aging. It's my first experiment making a "light" mead but so far I'm liking it a lot.

I would definately decrease the number of cloves, maybe 2 at the most for a 3 gallon batch, but the cloves are what i didnt like about JOAM.

I havent found cloves to be that powerful in the meads ive made but cinnamon and nutmeg are overpowering even in small amounts. ginger is nice I would use dried root not the powdered stuff or the fresh root, star anise is nice but only in small amounts i wouldnt use more than one pod in a 3 gallon batch. a little orange peel could work, apple juice for a cyser works well with spices too. there are too many spice to list that would work in that mead but to name a few, juniper, corriander, fennel seed, paradise seed, licorice root and a million others.
clover honey is nice for mead but it is a very mild honey, using small amounts of other honeys like you would specialty grains in beer can add a really nice flavor. depending on the honey and pomegranate juice you use you may want to add acid to it but most people do that at bottling and just and acid blend to taste. also carbonation with completely change the way the spices come across, sparkling spiced meads seem stronger than still ones, and certain spices combined with carbonation can really burn the back of your nose when you drink it.