Sipping a sweetly spiced glass of mulled wine is a classic part of the Christmas season. So here’s a delicious and easy recipe to make mulled wine at home.
Whether you’re visiting a Christmas market or celebrating at home, the sweetly spiced scent of mulled wine is a classic part of the Christmas season.
So when you’re planning your Christmas festivities, making mulled wine is sure to raise some Christmas spirit.
There are lots of different recipes around, but this is my personal favourite. I have been making mulled wine every Christmas for around 20 years now, and I keep on coming back to this old favourite.
It’s important to pick the right wine to act as the base of your mulled wine. It’s not worth splashing out on a very expensive bottle, because you’re going to be adding layers of flavour to it. But on the other hand, you don’t want to pick a bottle that you wouldn’t normally drink, because the chances are that you won’t enjoy the end result.
I usually go for a medium-bodied Malbec or Merlot, rather than a lighter Grenache or Shiraz. I prefer not to use anything too full bodied because it can overpower the delicate fruits and spices. But ultimately you should pick a bottle that suits your own taste.
If you’re making this mulled wine recipe ahead of when you need to serve it, you can remove the fruit and spices to prevent the flavours from overdeveloping. You can then add a few fresh slices of fruit and spices as a garnish when you serve the wine.
This mulled wine is really easy to make, and tastes delicious. Use a decent bottle of red wine, but don’t feel that you have to spend a fortune on it.
- 1 orange
- 75 cl red wine
- 100 ml weak Earl Grey tea
- 4 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 5 cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 3 tbsp brandy or to taste!
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Wash the oranges in warm water, scrubbing them to remove any wax coating. Cut the fruit in half and then slice thinly into half-moons.
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Pour the wine into a large saucepan, stir in the tea, sugar, spices and fruit and heat over a low heat til the sugar has dissolved.
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Increase the heat slightly and simmer gently for 15 minutes. The wine should never boil or the alcohol will evaporate, you want the surface of the wine to just gently shiver
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Stir in the brandy and taste, adding more sugar (or brandy!) if required.
If you’re not serving the wine soon after making, strain it to prevent the flavour of the fruit and spices becoming overpowering. Reheat gently when you are ready to serve – remember, you don’t want to evaporate off the alcohol.
This mulled wine is really easy to make, and tastes delicious. Use a decent bottle of red wine, but don’t feel that you have to spend a fortune on it.
- 1 orange
- 750 ml red wine
- 100 ml weak Earl Grey tea
- 4 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 5 cloves
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 3 tbsp brandy (or more to taste!)
-
Wash the oranges in warm water, scrubbing them to remove any wax coating. Cut the fruit in half and then slice thinly into half-moons.
-
Pour the wine into a large saucepan, stir in the tea, sugar, spices and fruit and heat over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
-
Increase the heat slightly and simmer gently for 15 minutes. The wine should never boil or the alcohol will evaporate, you want the surface of the wine to just gently shiver.
-
Stir in the brandy and taste, adding more sugar (or brandy!) if required.
If you’re not serving the wine soon after making, strain it to prevent the flavour of the fruit and spices becoming overpowering. Reheat the mulled wine gently when you are ready to serve it – remember, you don’t want to evaporate off the alcohol.