Honey of a Wisconsin spirit is born in Brazil What’s in that name

When Dominic DeSano found himself a divorced carpenter without his workshop, he needed something to keep busy. Working at Willy Street Co-Op, he’d met some beekeepers and he ended up with honey. He started making mead.

In 2014, DeSano and his partner, Laura DiJulius, traveled to Brazil. They happened to be in a region with a major honey source, and using the honey and local fruits, he made more mead.

Returning to the Madison area, DeSano took some of his mead to Lars Forde, head distiller at Yahara Bay Distillers in Fitchburg. That became the first batch of honey spirit, and they held their first release party in May 2017.

After running into some trademark issues with the original name (Meloz), the name was changed to Domeloz Honey Spirit. It is now available in the Milwaukee area, including at Outpost Natural Foods, and it is served at the bars Boone & Crockett and Sugar Maple in Bay View. A portion of profits is donated to the conservation of honeybees, currently to the HoneyBee Conservancy. There are two versions of the honey spirit now, and DeSano hopes to release a third variation, a higher-proof option, by early fall.

His path

I grew up north of Detroit, and I ended up in Madison when I met a girl. I came here for love, then I fell in love with Madison. I unpacked the hippie van and got a job. I’ve been here for 14 years. As far as the Midwest goes, I think this is paradise.

Making mead

I was a carpenter and I had a shop and a job. When I got divorced in 2010, I lost my job and my shop. I moved into this tiny basement apartment and gained the space under the stairs.

I’m a do-er and I make stuff. I’m a carpenter and woodworker. I needed a hobby. I was able to work some trades and receive honey, so I turned my sights toward mead making. By the time I was done, I had 60 to 80 gallons of mead under my stairs. I was like a mad scientist.

Brazilian beginning

In 2014, my partner in life and business, Laura DiJulius, and I took a trip to Brazil. She used to live in a remote region in Brazil. She was married to a Brazilian and had residency and children, and when she came back to the States she had to go back every two years.

She took me with her one year, and guess what I took with me? Yeast and nutrients. She knew they had honey, but what we didn’t know at the time is the region is home to one of the most renowned honey collectives in Bahia, a state. We decided to start a meadery, a business to make mead.

I really feel like changing our name and logo (to Domeloz) was meant to be. I learned a huge lesson.

Melvino is the name of the business in Brazil, but Melvin is also my grandfather’s name. When I was 13, all my friends wanted to know my middle name and I said “Melvino.” You know how kids are.

Then 30 years later, I ask Laura, “How do you say honey in Portuguese? How do you spell it?” Mel. I was born for this. My middle name is honey.

The name, Domeloz is kind of a spin on veloz (“fast” in Portuguese), and do and mel. It means the velocity of honey, fast honey.

Drink to discovery

I was with Lars Forde, the head distiller at Yahara Bay Distillers. I brought him five gallons of mead, and he made some (honey spirit). I just looked at him and I was like, dude, really? Let’s do more.

The first batches we did were blends using different wildflower honey from different places. Now, the Domeloz, that stuff is all Brazilian (honey) with a little bit of Wisconsin honey. Each batch I try

to add local honey.

Bees and beverages

Alcohol can make a huge shift in a culture. It can change the way a society does things. Our hope is that by making exceptional alcohol out of honey, people will associate bees with alcohol and start paying attention to the environment. It is about bringing awareness.

Perfect pairings

Think like a bee. You’ve got fresh fruit, berries, a juice or anything fresh like flowers and herbs. That’s what I like. You don’t want to overpower this spirit. It is very delicate.

If you’re putting on a lot of citrus, or make it like you would a margarita with a lot of strong flavors or a lot of mixers, the spirit can kind of go away.

Common misconception

It does not have to be sweet. Our honey spirit is not sweet unless you make it sweet. There is no sugar left in it. Meads don’t necessarily have to be sweet, either; they can be made very, very dry. There are probably 25 different categories of mead.

Become a beekeeper

The first thing you have to do if you want to make mead or honey spirits is to get a line on honey. The best way to do that is to keep bees. (DeSano is getting bees this spring.)

Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email nstohs@journalsentinel.com.