I almost invariably make fruit metheglins as opposed to mead or melomel, but that is strictly my taste and may not match your own. The real beauty of this entire process is flexibility and variety. A list of the spices used in medieval recipes for metheglins could fill half a page or more. I know of some mead-makers who have also had excellent results using allspice or nutmeg. I strongly recommend that you use only whole spices, not powdered, because this makes it much easier to remove the spices after steeping them in the must.
Some people are allergic to sulfites.
If you don't want to use them, boil or heat your must to above 160 F. Do not boil fruit juices as this will cause the fruit pectins to clot and gel. If using sulfites, follow closely the instructions which come with the package. Once sulfited juice has been allowed to sit for twenty-four hours, or boiled must has been cooled to below 95 F, it is time to begin fermentation. Fermentation should be started by adding the full amount of yeast to only a pint of the must. This starter solution, when ready, will be fermenting very rapidly.