Tis the season for silver bells, twinkly lights… and mulled wine. You know Christmas is on its way when you have your mitts wrapped around a steamy mug of the spiced wine mixture. But while the comforting warmth and slightly stained lips are two happy by-products of supping this glowing ruby tipple, there are pitfalls. Insufficient sugar, a grainy texture and too much spice can all dent festive cheer, as can overheating the wine, so watch the brew while it stews.
First, start with a bottle of wine as your base. Really, any old bottle will do. Pour it into a saucepan. To this, you’ll want to add a bit of citrus and spice to the mix. Oranges and lemons are the classic additions, but if you slice up a clementine or mandarin, it’ll add a festive flair to the concoction.
The more traditional mulling spices are cinnamon, star anise, cloves and nutmeg, but you could try adding allspice, cardamom, bay leaves, vanilla pods or ginger, depending on the spirits you add and your own taste. Just make sure you use spices sparingly, as some of them, like cloves and star anise, can become overpowering when stewed over a long period of time.
If you’ve decided to keep up the mulled wine tradition, it might be worth investing in some muslin so you can create your own spice bag. Fill it with any unground spice such as cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, cloves or ginger slices. This way you won’t have to scoop out the floaters before serving to guests.
You’re going to need to add a bit of sweetness to temper the wine and alcohol as well as brighten up the spices. Sugar is the tradition, which should be stirred in early on, so it has a chance to dissolve properly, but it might be fun to go with richer flavor of Brown sugar, or go rogue with Honey or Agave Syrup.
If you want to kill two birds with one stone, dot cloves into the skin of oranges and lemons. It will infuse the mix and it looks pretty, too. Bring the entire mixture very gently to simmering, then turn it off.
Brandy is what most mulled fans typically use to ramp up the cheer, but there are a variety of other lower alcohol liqueurs and spirits, such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or even curaçao that work really well with orange-tinged mulled recipes. Some people really like to go for the sloe gin to bring out the berry flavors. If you’re in a festive mood, you can try a smidge of spiced rum or even a flavored brandy, but just be aware that it doesn’t take a lot to get the flavor. You (a) don’t want to have your guests falling on the floor and (b) don’t want to ruin all your hard work.
Now ladle your mulled masterpiece into mugs or heatproof glasses to serve. Garnish with a slice of clementine and/or a cinnamon stick, for extra fun and flavor. Sip, savor, enjoy!
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