Mulled wine is one of my favourite drinks at this time of the year. As always, homemade is infinitely superior to shop bought. This is my recipe for homemade mulled wine and it is sensational.
If you haven’t made your own before, then I urge you to. You’ll be amazed by how good it is. The flavours of the spices and fruit really sing, and it’s so much more interesting and complex in flavour than the sugary shop-bought stuff. Even the good quality brands.
Mulled wine is incredibly quick to make and doesn’t require a huge list of ingredients. I always keep the requisite ingredients in stock at home, so I can prepare a batch from cupboard to glass in under 15 minutes. I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends and family have this Christmas.
Mulled Wine
Charlotte Pike
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
750ml bottle quality red wine
Juice and zest of a large orange
Zest of an unwaxed lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g caster sugar
3 star anise
3 cloves
A good grating of fresh nutmeg (around a teaspoon)
1 cinnamon stick
Method
Place all the ingredients into a saucepan. Stir well and warm gently over a moderate heat. Do not allow to boil. Heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan. Strain through a sieve and serve hot.