Making mulled wine is as easy as pie and, just like pie, it makes your home smell delicious! Also known as Gluhwein in Germany, Vin Chaud in France and Glogg in Sweden, hot booze always goes down well in the cold. These spices (cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, star anise) also have medicinal backgrounds and by making your own you can control the sugar content.
When it comes to alcohol, red wine is said to have the biggest health benefits high in antioxidants, including the super antioxidant Resveratrol, it also has the fewest simple sugars and additives. Of course the quality of the wine is important so go for richer, high quality reds, and seek out organic if you can.
Enjoy mulled wine after a wintry post-lunch walk and offer it to guests on arrival when they need warming up. Say it’s homemade nowadays homemade foods are the epitome of chic. We’ve come full circle since the Fifties when convenience food was seen as cutting edge and homemade was dowdy. Now we are impressed by anyone who can cook this mulled wine will raise your status!
Make up a batch and store in the fridge ready to reheat gently at a moments notice. Avoid boiling the wine this ruins the flavour (and diminishes the alcohol!) but do make sure to simmer the spices not only do we want to infuse the flavour but also their other beneficial properties. A bit like chai tea really, but more merry-making. Feel free to experiment with the amount of warming and flavourful spices
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 1 bottle of red wine (we like Vin de Pays)
- 2 star anise
- 5 cardamom cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon or 1 large cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup or 3-5 drops of liquid stevia
- 2 thick slices of a medium orange including the peel
- 2 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Put everything, except the red wine and star anise, into a medium saucepan with a cup of water (more water if your pan is big).
- Bring to the boil and let it simmer away on a medium heat for 5-8 minutes until the water has nearly evaporated.
- Add the wine and the star anise, reduce the heat and let it all warm through for 5 minutes.
- Strain (if you like), decorate with fresh cranberries and serve.
SOURCE: www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/
