- 1 bottle red wine (750 ml)
- 2 ounces (60 g) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (6 ml) cloves
- 1 teaspoon (6 ml) ground nutmeg
- 1 cinnamon stick (if you don't have a stick, use 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon)
- 1 bay leaf
- Half an orange
Recipe:
• Pour the wine into a medium-sized pot
• Squeeze the half orange to get the juice and add it to the wine
• Cut the remaining orange peel into slices and add it to the wine
• Add the remaining ingredients to the wine
• Heat the wine until it is warm / hot (depending on preference). However, on
no account should it boil. Stir occasionally.
• Once warm/hot, serve immediately.
For a rustic drink, leave the lemon peel and other ingredients in. If your guests
prefer a less rustic drink, the mulled wine can be strained to remove the bits
(cloves, orange peel, etc.) before serving.
Notes:
There is no need to use a good wine for mulled wine. Heating the wine and adding
the spices will change the taste so much that the subtle tastes of a fine wine would
be completely lost in any case. So, any reasonably palatable wine that is not too
expensive is suitable.
Some people prefer a strong-tasting rustic wine for mulled wine, others a lighter
and more fruity wine. As this is a matter of personal taste, either is acceptable.
It is absolutely essential that the wine does not boil. It should be warm (it is not
necessary to be overly hot), but if allowed to boil the taste will almost certainly be
ruined.
The mulled wine can be served in either a glass or a mug. However, if it is hot
(rather than warm), guests will probably prefer a mug. In any case, as this is a
rustic drink, a fine wine glass would be inappropriate.
There are a huge number of different recipes for mulled wine. Although all add
spices, some add only a little for taste whereas other recipes add so much one can
taste almost nothing but the spice. Some add a couple spices, other a dozen or
more different spices. Most add fruit. Many add sugar (or sweet equivalents, such
as honey). Some add spirits (such as brandy) or liquors, producing a more alcoholic
drink. Some even add tea (herbal or otherwise). Usually the wine is red, but some
people use white. Feel free to change the ingredients to match your own
preferences, as there is no "official" version of "mulled wine".
The word "mulled" means heated and spiced. Various different drinks have
traditionally been mulled: wine, cider, and mead are common examples. Today,
mulled wine is the best known.
Mulled wine is an ancient drink (written recipes date back to Roman times) which
has survived to modern times. It is known in many countries. In France it is known
as "vin chaud" (hot wine), in Germany as "Glühwein" (glowing wine), in Italy as
"vin brulé" (burnt wine), in Poland "Grzane Wino" (heated wine), in Slovakia
"Varené vino" (boiled wine), in Hungary "Forralt bor" (boiled wine). The
international popularity and long history of this drink is due to:
• It is an enjoyable drink and provides an alternative flavour to other drinks.
• Being warm, it is particularly enjoyable on a cold day (or evening). For this
reason it is generally served in winter. Nowadays, it is mainly served around
the Christmas period as a festive drink.
• In olden days, if wine had gone off, it could still be made into a palatable
drink by heating it with spices and honey. Nowadays, an inferior wine can
still be used to make a reasonable tasting mulled wine.
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