1121 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL
-
Thursday 5pm - 12am
Friday 5pm - 12am
Saturday 12pm - 12am
Sunday 12pm - 10pm
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21+ only, after 6pm
Service Animals Only
Outside Food Welcome
Off-site parking visual guides
This is what you will see when you turn in
(The Vein & Cardiovascular Center)
Direct your GPS to
1021 Lake Highland Dr
Newsletter
So you don't miss any of our limited bottle releases or special newsletter only announments!
Orlando's First Meadery!!
Zymarium is a collaboration between Joe Leigh and Ginger Leigh (Synthestruct)
(with the help of some wonderful partners and family)
Joe Leigh has been making mead since 2014 and has won dozens of awards over the years, including six Mazer cups. Named by the American Mead Makers Association as one of the top 10 mead makers in the world multiple years in a row.
Ginger has not only designed everything you see in the tasting room and the brand, but her uncompromising vision for the meadery has made this dream a reality. Many of you know her work as Synthestruct, creating interactive installations and large-scale audiovisual experiences not only in Orlando, but all around the world.
About Our Mead
Since a mead can never be better than the quality of its ingredients, we use only the best honey we can find. We source our honey from as many local sources as we can, usually within two hours of Orlando, ensuring that our our meads are not only hyper local, but the money goes back to growing local hives and bee population (drink mead, save the bees!). We only use honey that has not been heated ensuring that the volatile aromatics and enzymes of the honey are preserved. Our local honey is unfiltered, just like our meads, to preserve the local pollen.
We take a modern approach to mead making, applying all the latest science of both wine- and beer-making to ensure our meads unlock the true potential of the honey while focusing on continually exploring new flavor profiles, taking full advantage of the fact that all honey tastes different!
About Mead
Mead is gluten-free alcohol made from honey, just as wine is made from grapes and beer is made from grains. Mead typically ranges from 6% to 14% alcohol, it can be still or sparkling, crisp like a beer, dry like wine, or sweet like a dessert. It can be fermented with fruit, spiced, barrel-aged, hopped, etc.
Mead is the oldest form of alcoholic beverage, and the oldest remnants of mead were found in pottery sherds in what is now Northern China dating back to at least 7000 BC. Hunter-gatherers likely drank mead out of animal skins even before the invention of pottery. Mead pre-dates the wheel, agriculture, and metal tools. The Romans drank mead, as did the Babylonians, Indians, Africans, Central Americans, Asians, Eastern Europeans, British Islanders, and yes, the Vikings. Wherever your ancestors are from, they likely drank mead, and mead played an important role in many civilizations’ mythologies. Enjoy this piece of living history!
Press and Interviews
Recent Press
8/16/23 - Orlando Sentinel: Put Zymarium Meadery, Orlando's First, on your "Honey Do" list
1/01/23 - Edible Orlando's Artisan Profile (Winter 2023 edition)
3/31/22 - Bungalower: Mills50 to get its own meadery this year
7/19/21 - Zymarium surpasses crowdfunding goal in bid to open Orlando’s first meadery
6/29/21 - Florida Foodie: Couple behind Zymarium mead share their love of fermented honey (Video interview!)
Past Interviews and Talks
9/15/20 - Gotmead Live
10/16/19 - The Mead House
8/7/19 - A Corporate Time with Tom and Dan
Awards
2023
- One of the top Mead producers in the world!
- 90+ Points - Mead Institute US Open - Soliloquy of Nectar: Old Florida Tupelo
- 90+ Points - Mead Institute US Open - Endless Raspberry Tupelo Reserve
- 90+ Points - Mead Institute US Open - Endless Blueberry
- Gold - National Honey Board - Soliloquy of Nectar: Old Florida Tupelo
- Bronze - National Honey Board - Existential Magnetism
- Bronze - National Honey Board - Endless Raspberry Tupelo Reserve
-------------------------------------------------------------
Amatuer Competitions:
2020
- Gold - Mazer Cup International - Shadow of Desire
- Gold - Mazer Cup International - Honeys Getting Money
- Silver - Mazer Cup International - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Mazer Cup International - 3rd Place "Heavy Medal" (Most medals won category)
2019
- AMMA National Mead Makers of the Year 2019's Top 10
- Silver - Mazer Cup International - BA Nostalgia for Infinity
- Silver - Mazer Cup International - Transfigured Night
- Bronze - Mazer Cup International - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Honorable Mention - Mazer Cup International - Nostalgia for Pancakes
- Bronze - Domras Cup - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Silver - Orpheus Cup - Faux Chardonnay
- Bronze - Orpheus Cup - Jackfruit
- Gold - Valhalla - Transfigured Night
- Gold - Michigan Mead Cup - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Silver - Michigan Mead Cup - Dark Ritual
- Bronze - Michigan Mead Cup - Mango
- Bronze - Valkyrie's Horn - Tej
- Silver - Texas Mead Cup - BASST
- Silver - Texas Mead Cup - Night's Whisper:Chocolate Vanilla
- Best of Show: 1st Runner Up - Texas Mead Cup 2019 - Night's Whisper:Chocolate Vanilla
- Gold - Commander Saaz 25 - Bark and Wood
- Best of Show: Mead/Cider - Commander Saaz 25 - Bark and Wood
2018
- AMMA National Mead Makers of the Year 2018's Top 10
- Gold - Orpheus Cup - Dry Orange Blossom
- Gold - Michigan Mead Cup - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Best of Show: 1st Runner Up - Texas Mead Cup 2018 - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Gold - Texas Mead Cup - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Silver - Texas Mead Cup - Triple Berry Cuvee
- Bronze - Texas Mead Cup - Dry Orange Blossom
- Silver - Texas Mead Cup - Semi-Sweet Orange Blossom
- Silver - Stoney Creek ABC 11 - Triple Berry Cuvee
- Bronze - Stoney Creek ABC 11 - Nostalgia for Infinity
- Silver - Sunshine Challenge - Imperial Triple Berry
Meads
- You can see all of our meads on Untappd (by clicking here)
FAQ
Do you have food?
We do not currently serve any food, but this means you can bring your own in! There's tons of wonderful options in the area and we will be booking food trucks whenever possible!
Do you allow dogs?
We would love to, but the health department says otherwise.
Only service animals welcome at this time, please no pets :(
Where are you located?
Our taproom is located at
1121 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
Our hours are
Thurs - Fri : 5pm - Midnight
Sat: Noon - Midnight
Sun: Noon - 10pm
Do you have additional parking?
Yes, it's avaiable anytime we are open! You'll see our sign on Lake Highland, and the "Vein and Cardiovascular Center" when you turn into the lot. Our exclusive off-site parking is located at:
1021 Lake Highland Dr
Is mead gluten free?
Yes! All of our meads are made from honey, and honey is naturally gluten free!
Do you ship mead?
When we have bottles available, we can currently ship to:
AK AZ CO DC GA HI IA ID IL
IN KS KY LA MA MD ME
MN MO NC ND NE NH
NM NV NY OH OK OR
PA SC TN TX VA VT
WA WI WV WY
What is Mead?
Mead is gluten-free alcohol made from honey, just as wine is made from grapes and beer is made from grains. Mead typically ranges from 6% to 14% alcohol, it can be still or sparkling, crisp like a beer, dry like wine, or sweet like a dessert. It can be fermented with fruit, spiced, barrel-aged, hopped, etc.
Mead is the oldest form of alcoholic beverage, and the oldest remnants of mead were found in pottery sherds in what is now Northern China dating back to at least 7000 BC. Hunter-gatherers likely drank mead out of animal skins even before the invention of pottery. Mead pre-dates the wheel, agriculture, and metal tools. The Romans drank mead, as did the Babylonians, Indians, Africans, Central Americans, Asians, Eastern Europeans, British Islanders, and yes, the Vikings. Wherever your ancestors are from, they likely drank mead, and mead played an important role in many civilizations’ mythologies. Enjoy this piece of living history!
What is different about our Mead?
Since a mead can never be better than the quality of its ingredients, we use only the best honey we can find. We source our honey from as many local sources as we can, usually within two hours of Orlando, ensuring that our meads are not only hyper local, but the money goes back to growing local hives and bee population (drink mead, save the bees!). We only use honey that has not been heated ensuring that the volatile aromatics and enzymes of the honey are preserved. Our local honey is unfiltered, just like our meads, to preserve the local pollen
We take a modern approach to mead making, applying all the latest science of both wine- and beer-making to ensure our meads unlock the true potential of the honey while focusing on continually exploring new flavor profiles, taking full advantage of the fact that all honey tastes different!
Do you have a membership?
We do! Our membership is limited and is currently full, but you can sign up for our newsletter below to be added to the list if any spots open up.
Meads Available for Sale
(Local pickup and shipping)
The Team
Ginger Leigh
"The Meadery"
Ginger Leigh, alias '@Synthestruct', was voted the Best Visual Artist in Orlando in 2020 and is internationally renowned for her interactive and audiovisual experiences, installations working with light, projection, physical structures, and immersive full-dome performances. Alongside working as a successful independent designer, she previously worked as a college professor specializing in digital arts, design, and branding. She ran her own successful club night in Orlando for 3 years, DJing, running promotions, designing themed events, and booking bands from around the world. She has organized and led numerous community events including creative coding classes, public art exhibitions, modular synth meetups, and many more. Using her talents and unique vision she developed the brand for Zymarium, including the name, logo, label designs, glasswear, apparel, and more.
Ginger has not only designed everything you see in the tasting room and the brand, but her uncompromising vision for the meadery has made this dream a reality.
Joe Leigh
"The Mead"
Joe’s passion for flavors is a never-ending quest to seek out and try new foods, drinks, ingredients, and culinary delights from around the world. Trying thousands of the best craft beers evolved into chasing and drinking the best meads in the world in 2014, then he finally channeled all that taste testing knowledge into making his own meads. What started as a hobby quickly changed into an obsession and love for the science and art of mead making, constantly learning the science of fermentation and pushing each mead he creates to be better than the last using the philosophies and methods he's obtained from his career in software architecture. By 2018 he was entering and winning every American Mead Makers Association (AMMA) competition and started to dream of opening a meadery...
- He has won dozens of awards over the years, including six Mazer cups.
- Named by the American Mead Makers Association as one of the top 10 mead makers in the world multiple years in a row.
- 1 of 300 BJCP Certified Mead Judges in the world
- Has tasted and reviewed over 1300 meads from around the world
Warren Bates
"The Angel"
Warren is an Orlando-based entrepreneur and executive who believes deeply in the potential for Orlando to become a food, mead, and technology hub for the country. He has co-founded successful businesses in the hospitality, healthcare, and real estate industries, and his current activities include:
- Warren is the co-founder of Washington City Hospitality--the team behind Michelin-starred and James Beard award winning restaurant The Dabney as well as a new French-inspired concept called Petite Cerise, both based in Washington DC.
- Warren is currently the CEO of Mend, an Orlando-based healthcare software company with a platform that has supported more than 11 million virtual healthcare appointments in all 50 states.
- Warren is also the co-founder of Prodigy Autism, an Orlando-based provider of ABA therapy for children affected by autism.
Warren happily resides less than three miles from Zymarium (thankfully closer than his restaurants) with his wife Meghan and three boys.
Important Details:
Proxies are allowed.
Pickup orders MUST be picked up within 30 days of ordering, after that they will be forfeit.
Curb Side Pickup Times:
Mon / Wed / Fri | Hours: 8am - 6pm
Sunday | Hours: Noon - 4pm
PLEASE park on Lake Highland next to our building and not in the parking lot, that's for construction vehicles.
Text your Order Number to 407-801-9087 when you arrive, and please be patient as it may take us a few minutes to get your order together.
1121 N. Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
Shipped Orders:
UPS will attempt to deliver three times, you will need to be there to sign for it or have it redirect to a location that can sign for it, after that they will hold your bottles for 5 business days for you to pickup.
After which, if you still have not gotten your bottles, they will be shipped back to us.If this happens, the bottles are forfeit and no refund will be issued since we cannot re-sell bottles that have traveled back and forth across the country.
Currently shipping to:
AK AZ CO DC GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MN MO NC ND NE NH
NM NV NY OH OK OR PA SC TN TX VA VT WA WI WV WY
(CA coming soon...)
We're Hiring!
We are currently looking for experienced bartenders for the taproom!
If you are interested in applying, the first step is to fill out the form below...
- The BlogThoughts, musings, and ruminations.There are no published blog posts yet.
Important Details
Local Pickups:
Pickup orders MUST be picked up within 30 days of ordering, after that they will be forfeit and refunded. Proxies are allowed.Curb Side Pickup Available
Mon-Fri | 7am-7pm
PLEASE park on Lake Highland next to our Orange building and not in the parking lot, that's for construction vehicles.
Text your Order Number to 407-801-9087 when you arrive, and please be patient as it may take us a few minutes to get your order together.
1121 N. Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803
© 2023