Since last night was officially the first night whereby I said “….holy hell it’s cold outside!!!”, I figured there’s probably no better time for me to post my recipe for mulled wine.
I’ve mixed my recipe up a little since last year, and the beautiful thing about mulled wine is that there really is no right or wrong answer! Feel free to change-up the recipe I’ve posted below as much as you see fit.
The history of mulled wine can be traced back to Medieval Europe. When wine went bad, it was often sweetened with honey or sugar, and flavored with spices to make it consumable again. With Europe being so cold in the winter, it also served the purpose of getting you drunk whilst keeping you warm! Bonus! In Sweden it’s known by Glog, in Finland it’s Glogi in Finland, and in Germany it’s Gluhwein; but whatever you want to call it, it’s delicious!
Recipe for Mulled Wine
This recipe makes enough for 4-5 people, and there are a couple of ways that you can go about it. Personally, I like to add all the ingredients, and then strain it through a coffee-filter. However, another way you can go about it is wrap all the ingredients in a coffee filter, and tie it closed with string, kind of like a big and spicy teabag. The choice is yours.
Ingredients
-
Coffee filter(s) and a medium funnel for straining
-
2 bottles full-bodied dry red wine. Cotes du Rhone, Cabernet, Merlot, and Chianti all work great!
-
2 cinnamon sticks (or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon)
-
2 teaspoons nutmeg
-
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
-
6 whole cloves
-
6 star-anise
-
1 vanilla pod (cut open length-wise)
-
2 small oranges.1 thinly sliced, 1 peeled and juiced.
-
2 small lemons. 1 thinly sliced, 1 peeled and juiced.
-
Sugar and/or honey.
Method
-
Heat up the wine (don’t boil) in a large pan, or crock pot.
-
Add all the spices, fruit, and fruit juice. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
-
Add 4 table spoons of sugar, and taste. Add more sugar and/or honey depending on your own personal taste.
-
Once the mulled wine reaches appropriate taste level, place the coffee filter in a funnel and strain through into another large pan.
