Mulled Wine
To get into the Christmas spirit – or perhaps as an excuse to get out the Christmas spirits – we are keeping a pan of hot mulled wine on the go leading up to Christmas. Here is our recipe. If you have any variations on this or any tips on how to improve it further (if perfection can be improved) please add your comments.
Ingredients
- Six cloves
- Two cinnamon sticks (about 6 inches of stick in total)
- Quarter of a nutmeg (coursely ground – use a fine grater)
- Two blades of mace (couple of cm – not too much, can be overpowering)
- Half a washed lemon, sliced
- Dried orange peel – I dry some peel out in the summer and keep for this occassion
- A generous splash of brandy or vodka (this gives the brew an an extra warmth)
- 5oz Sugar – or a good handful – adjust as required, you can always add more if not sweet enough
- Fruity wine – two bottles (Beaujolais works well)
Method
Pour a mug of water, and place the dry ingredients and the lemon into a large pan. Heat up and simmer for 20 minutes with a well-fitted lid. You don’t want it steaming out from around the lid, as you lose the spicy aromas. If serving in a jug at the table, you may wish to sieve off the spices at this point, but I leave them in and ladle the mulled wine straight out of the pan.
Add the wine, then heat up gently – but don’t boil it, and there is no need to simmer it any longer – once it is hot, it is ready. Add the brandy (Swiss style) or the Vodka (Swedish style) and you’re ready to go.
This is best enjoyed with an oven-heated mince pie.
Variations would include adding a few allspice berries, star anise, green cardamoms or some dried ginger. Everything is bought in whole and ground as needed. Ready ground nutmeg, cloves etc. lose most of their flavours by the time you get them.