Happy Hour: Mulled Wine

Helga Glaesel de BlandingDecember 14, 2017

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

It’s finally here! December and all the joys of the Holiday Season are upon us, and along with it comes the cold weather. It has been particularly chilly the last couple of days, and for us Guatemalans when the temperature drops to 8ºC, it’s no joke. After all, this is the land of eternal spring, nobody has heating in their homes! Mulled wine to the rescue!

This cozy hot wine recipe combines the citrus taste of navel oranges, cranberries and the earthy warm flavors of cinnamon and cloves. You can add between ¼ cup and ½ cup of sugar, depending on how sweet you want your beverage to be. It also depends on how strong the wine you use is. You can use freshly squeezed orange juice, which is always better, but store-bought is fine. Try to use the most natural brand you can find. If you can’t find any fresh or frozen cranberries, you can add blackberries instead.

Make sure you add the wine at the end of the procedure, just to heat it up, but don’t let it boil otherwise all the alcohol evaporates, and… we don’t want to do that. This is great for a party or get together, you can easily double the recipe and have the orange and spice syrup made in advance. When your guests come, just heat it up again and add the wine just until its heated through.

Enjoy!

Helga

Mulled Wine

Recipe from Sweet & Savory by Shinee
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
1 orange
12 whole cloves
1 cup orange juice
¼ to ½ cup sugar
½ cup cranberries (fresh or frozen), optional
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bottle (750-ml.) dry red wine (Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)

Procedure:

Cut the orange in half, and then quarter one half. Push 3-4 cloves into the outer skin of quartered oranges. Peel a few strips of orange peel from the other half of the orange for garnish.
In a large pot, combine orange juice, sugar, cinnamon sticks, orange quarters with cloves and cranberries.
Turn the heat to medium high and slowly heat the mixture, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved.
Once sugar is dissolved completely, bring it to a boil and cook until it has thickened and is reduced by almost half, about 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and pour in wine.
Simmer until wine is heated through. Don’t boil, or alcohol will evaporate.
You can strain the wine and pour into a slow cooker to keep it warm. Garnish with orange peel and serve warm.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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