A drink as old as gold, a festive season signature, a tradition as ancient as the Roman Empire, the perfect mulled wine is a right of every person who celebrates the Holidays.
An alternative to the usual hot beverages, the perfect mulled wine will excite your taste buds and embody you with the festive spirit. Its sweet and sour taste, the aromatic sensation, the warmth it brings down your spine with just the right amount of alcohol is an experience to behold. You need to try this. You won’t regret it. Best part, you only need 5 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients needed
- One bottle of dry red wine - Any will do
- 2 oranges
- 2 Cinnamon
- Spices
- 4 tablespoons of sweetener
How to make mulled wine
- Pour the wine into the pot. You don’t need expensive wine.
- Add cinnamon and stir. If you’re using powdered cinnamon, make sure not to sprinkle in excess. Just enough to taste.
- Peel one orange, slice, and add to the mixture. The remaining orange can be used to garnish.
- Some of the most common spices you can add include whole cloves, star anise, ginger, and even cardamom pods.
- Whichever sweetener you have in hand whether white or brown sugar will do the trick. But I prefer natural sweeteners like maple syrup or honey. Add to taste to the mixture.
- If you’d like something a bit more strong, you can add extra liqueur. Brandy, bourbon or cognac will do.
- To ensure a better mix, use a blender.
- Simmer the mixture until it almost boils. Avoid letting it bubble in any way. You don’t want to boil off the alcohol.
- Strain and sieve. After bringing it to a simmer, use a fine mesh strainer to remove and discard the ginger, orange slices, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and star anise.
- Add the remaining orange to garnish and serve warm
And there you have it. Enjoy a nice warm mug of mulled wine with your loved ones and spread the joy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!