If you're tired of the same-old cranberry sauce, spice it up with chili-infused mead. And if sweet is more your thing, check out the hints on how this sauce can satisfy your palate too.

SERVES:

makes approx. 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup mead (or apple cider) (see hints)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• zest of one orange
• 1-inch long piece peeled fresh ginger, grated
• one 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries (or defrosted frozen cranberries)

PROCEDURE:

Add 1 cup of mead to a deep, medium size stainless steel pot and add 3/4 cup of light brown sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, add the zest of 1 orange and also grate about a 1-inch long piece into that. 

Add a 12-ounce bag of cranberries, place it on the stove top and bring it up to a gentle boil.

It'll take about 10 minutes for the cranberries to break up and thicken up a bit and then cool it down in a shallow container in the fridge and serve it cold or room temperature alongside any simply cooked turkey, chicken, pork or even duck.

HINTS:

This recipe used a chili pepper-infused mead but, if you don't have the chili-infused mead, or if you're using apple cider instead, you could add finely chopped fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper instead.