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Make spicy mulled wine

5/1/2015

4 Comments

 
Is there anything cosier than sitting by a log fire, maybe after a brisk winter walk, sipping a mug of piping hot mulled wine? Possibly. Nevertheless, it is one of my favourite things about winter in the UK!

You can get mulled wine pre-mixed in a bottle or you can get sachets/bags of spice to add to your own wine, but making it from scratch is easy.  For a non-alcoholic tipple, use fruit juice like orange, apple or grape instead of wine. The following recipe produces an exceptionally fiery brew, so adjust according to your tastes.

Ingredients

  • A bottle of inexpensive merlot
  • 3 cups of orange juice (no pulp is better for this)
  • Spices: 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 star anise, 4 cardamom pods, 8-10 cloves, a pinch of nutmeg, a few slices of fresh ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes (ground spices/powders can give the mulled wine a funny texture, but they’ll do if you don’t have whole spices)
  • A few heaped dessert spoons of brown sugar (or jam, or even maple syrup if you’re posh)
  • A handful of dried fruit (sultanas or mixed peel are fine)
  • A glug or two of ginger wine, brandy or rum (optional but delicious)
  • An orange, sliced into rounds, to garnish
Mug of mulled wine
You're the foxy devil when you like...

Make some magic

  • Pop all the juice, spice and dried fruit into a large saucepan and simmer for 10-20 minutes (or longer), allowing the flavours to infuse.
  • Add the sugar or other sweetener and stir until dissolved.
  • Add your red wine and liqueur/liquor and stir again. Adding this at the end keeps the alcohol content high - the longer you heat it now, the lower the alcohol volume of the final drink.
  • When it’s heated through, ladle into mugs or glasses and garnish with slices of orange.
  • Whoosh! That will warm you up.
I discovered while researching different mulled wine recipes that there is a large contingent of people who don't like mulled wine at all. Are you one of them? Explain yourself!

This recipe was first published as "Fiery mulled wine" in Hastings Independent, Issue 21, 19 December 2014, p9.

4 Comments
Will link
9/1/2015 16:15:14

Love the recipe,almost traditional but missing plunging a red hot poker in the finished product. I live in a flat,so miss out on the log fire ! However,after a couple of hefty jugs of the mulled wine, I don't think I would care.

Reply
Jonathan link
9/1/2015 16:37:12

Wow, a red-hot poker would up the excitement-factor significantly! Have you ever made it that way? I'm curious to know if it changes the flavour.

Also, snuggling up in front of a bar heater or similar is *almost* as nice as a wood fire, IMO!

Reply
Will link
12/1/2015 20:21:56

Providing the poker has not been painted or otherwise treated,it does impart a certain flavour. I think it may be that minerals are released from the hot iron.
As for snuggling up to a bar heater !!!! There is nothing like the smell of a wood fire or the almost hypnotic effect of the flames.

Jonathan link
15/1/2015 13:33:24

I'll have to try it out, Will!

Maybe you could make a little drinks-can fire, pop it on a plate and and burn bio-ethanol in it for safe(r) indoor flames? https://vimeo.com/64726512




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