Ty520
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- Jul 21, 2020
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This is a follow-up to my previous fortified mead recipe.
History of the drink:
This recipe is inspired by an ancient Yucatec Mayan drink called, Xtabentún (Ish-ta-ben-toon) - The original Mayan recipe is believed to have used nectar derived from a local Morning Glory vine that has psychoactive properties when consumed in high enough concentration; this recipe was itself possibly evolved from another ancient Mayan drink called, Balché, which is a mildly psychotropic beverage made by soaking Balche bark, which is mildy psychotropic, in a honey must (possibly the morning Glory honey), and often contained other mildly intoxicating ingredients including tobacco and local fungi.
When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, they did not particularly care for potent and pungent drink, and altered the recipe by making a relatively traditional mead, fortified with rum, and spiced with star anise.
Today, the spanish variation is still popular as an anise liquer, mostly made, sold and consumed in the Mexican State of Yucatán. But the original recipes are still made and consumed by some isolated, rural indigenous mayans
Because of the psychotropic nature of the original recipe, and the modern pallet, my recipe is based on the spanish variation and modern liquer
Ty's 'Xtabentun' Fortified Metheglin
1 gallon batch
(*note: I prefer to fortify after fermentation is complete rather than adding liquor during active fermentation at a targeted gravity reading; this method allows me add minimal liquor)
Ingredients:
-4 Lbs Orange Blossom Honey
-32 oz Gold rum ( some aging provides complimentary richness and character; older darker rums are overpowering)
-Safale WB-06 yeast
-1 star anise pod
-1 gram cinnamon stick (for me, this was approximately 1 quarter of a stick)
-1 clove
-1 vanilla bean, split
-0.5 oz medium toast american oak w/ rum soak
-goferm
-fermaid O
Method:
-Hydrate yeast per instructions in 4 ounces of reserved water + goferm (per TOSNA protocol)
-Add honey and top with water until OG reaches 1145.
-pitch yeast.
-stir vigorously to incorporate and aerate.
-degas twice daily for the next five days, and add nutrients per TOSNA protocol.
-allow trub to settle and rack.
-add rum and very gently stir to fully incorporate, bringing your abv to ~20%.
-Add anise, clove and cinnamon in a brew bag.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding spices - pull spices if at desired flavor; if not, check each week thereafter until you reach desired flavor.
-rack once trub has settled; add vanilla.
-sample mead at +1month after adding vanilla; pull or continue sampling each week until desired flavor has been reached. I prefer heavy vanilla profile and pull at 2 months.
-allow mead to clear again, and rack.
-add oak.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding oak. pull if at desired flavor, otherwise continue checking each week. I usually pull oak at 1 month.
-if necessary, rack again - otherwise, bottle and age to at least 1 year, or longer if you can.
History of the drink:
This recipe is inspired by an ancient Yucatec Mayan drink called, Xtabentún (Ish-ta-ben-toon) - The original Mayan recipe is believed to have used nectar derived from a local Morning Glory vine that has psychoactive properties when consumed in high enough concentration; this recipe was itself possibly evolved from another ancient Mayan drink called, Balché, which is a mildly psychotropic beverage made by soaking Balche bark, which is mildy psychotropic, in a honey must (possibly the morning Glory honey), and often contained other mildly intoxicating ingredients including tobacco and local fungi.
When the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, they did not particularly care for potent and pungent drink, and altered the recipe by making a relatively traditional mead, fortified with rum, and spiced with star anise.
Today, the spanish variation is still popular as an anise liquer, mostly made, sold and consumed in the Mexican State of Yucatán. But the original recipes are still made and consumed by some isolated, rural indigenous mayans
Because of the psychotropic nature of the original recipe, and the modern pallet, my recipe is based on the spanish variation and modern liquer
Ty's 'Xtabentun' Fortified Metheglin
1 gallon batch
(*note: I prefer to fortify after fermentation is complete rather than adding liquor during active fermentation at a targeted gravity reading; this method allows me add minimal liquor)
Ingredients:
-4 Lbs Orange Blossom Honey
-32 oz Gold rum ( some aging provides complimentary richness and character; older darker rums are overpowering)
-Safale WB-06 yeast
-1 star anise pod
-1 gram cinnamon stick (for me, this was approximately 1 quarter of a stick)
-1 clove
-1 vanilla bean, split
-0.5 oz medium toast american oak w/ rum soak
-goferm
-fermaid O
Method:
-Hydrate yeast per instructions in 4 ounces of reserved water + goferm (per TOSNA protocol)
-Add honey and top with water until OG reaches 1145.
-pitch yeast.
-stir vigorously to incorporate and aerate.
-degas twice daily for the next five days, and add nutrients per TOSNA protocol.
-allow trub to settle and rack.
-add rum and very gently stir to fully incorporate, bringing your abv to ~20%.
-Add anise, clove and cinnamon in a brew bag.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding spices - pull spices if at desired flavor; if not, check each week thereafter until you reach desired flavor.
-rack once trub has settled; add vanilla.
-sample mead at +1month after adding vanilla; pull or continue sampling each week until desired flavor has been reached. I prefer heavy vanilla profile and pull at 2 months.
-allow mead to clear again, and rack.
-add oak.
-sample mead at +2 weeks after adding oak. pull if at desired flavor, otherwise continue checking each week. I usually pull oak at 1 month.
-if necessary, rack again - otherwise, bottle and age to at least 1 year, or longer if you can.
