One also observes the great concern with methods of purifying the water of sediment and other undesirable substances. Rainwater was often used, allowing several months for any dust particles to settle out. A number of the recipes call for a lengthy series of preliminary boiling and skimming operations to render the water suitable for use. Others pour it off after nine days and then cork it up. Technically, a mead prepared with spices is known as a metheglin .
Endless varieties are possible.
Typically, I like to add three or four slices of fresh ginger, a stick of cinnamon, and a teaspoon or so of rosemary to a gallon batch of mead. A bit of citrus peel makes a nice addition. Cloves in any quantity tend to add a bitterness not to everyone's taste. I recommend dispensing with cloves altogether or using but one or two per gallon. Several of the commercially-produced meads I had sampled in years past were more than a bit disappointing in taste.