It’s that time of the year again and the holidays are just around the corner. What better time to start experimenting with some cozy recipes that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, mulled wine most of all?
It was around this time last year that I started seeing tons of content on Pinterest and blog posts left and right about European Christmas markets, along with all of the yummy food and mulled wine you could ever dream of. As a holiday trip to European Christmas markets isn’t always feasible, I decided to find my own ways to recreate some of these recipes.
Here is my own adaptation of holiday mulled wine!
What type of wine should you use?
You could use either red or white wine- it all depends on your taste buds. You’ll want to grab a dry wine with lots of full-bodied fruity flavor that will be brought out when you start to infuse the spices. For reds, some good choices include merlot, zinfandel, or grenache. For whites, some options include sauvignon blanc, riesling, or chardonnay. You don’t have to splurge here– I like to buy my wine from Aldi or Trader Joes, literally at under $6 a bottle.
Ingredients
- 1 bottle of dry red or white wine
- 2 whole cinnamon sticks
- 5-6 whole cloves
- 2-3 whole star anise
- 2 oranges (regular or blood orange)
- Honey or maple syrup, to taste
- Optional: Vanilla, ginger, cardamom
- Optional: Brandy, Cointreau, or Amaretto for spiking
Instructions
- Slice one of your oranges into rounds and place them in a large pot. Slice the second orange in half and squeeze the juice into the pot as well. Optional: save the rinds for garnishing later.
- Add your bottle of wine, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and a dollop of honey/maple syrup to the pot. Warm over medium heat until the mixture begins to steam. When you see small bubbles forming, turn to low heat. You don’t want this mixture to boil, lest you boil out the alcohol.
- You can serve now, or if you want the wine to be a bit spicier, simmer on low heat for an extra 10 minutes.
- Taste the wine (careful- it will be hot!) and see if it is to your liking. If you want it to be a bit sweeter, add another dollop of maple syrup or honey to taste.
- Serve with a ladle and scoop the wine into mugs. If you saved your orange rinds from earlier, this is where you can shave some off to create a twist to garnish your mulled wine.
- Optional- Add a shot to your mug: Brandy for warmth, Cointreau for citrus, or Amaretto for a nutty flavor.
- Enjoy!
You can drink your yummy mulled wine all in one sitting, or you can store it in the fridge for 1-2 days in a covered container and heat again when you’re ready for it.
Mulled wine is best enjoyed on a chilly night in front of a fire (or if you live in Florida like me, we can pretend), snuggled up to some loved ones while watching your favorite holiday movies.
Check out some of my latest posts:
- January Reading Wrap Up
- The Best Mulled Wine Recipe for the Holiday Season
- How to Start a Blog (and Get Over Your Fears)
- 15 Travel Essentials That You Can’t Live Without
- Book Review: Verity by Colleen Hoover
- How to Read More Books in a Year
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