Mulled wine or spiced wine is made with red wine warmed up with various spices during the winter time and festive seasons. It can help you warming up at home while watching Netflix and finishing your opened bottles from CNY celebrations!
Typical spices used in mulled wine include allspice, anise seed, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla. The addition of fruit or sugar to sweeten the mixture varies from recipe to recipe: bitter orange or orange peel is a common additive – and some recipes also call for apple, fig, ginger, or even raisins.
Regarding the wines, prefer light and fruity red wine rather than tannic ones. A decent-quality non-expensive red wine will do the trick!
3 tips to bare in mind:
- Use a clean nonreactive pot (no aluminium or copper);
- Never let the wine boil and let the preparation rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving;
- Whiskey, Amaretto or Cointreau can also be used to substitute the Cognac according to your taste.
Ingredients :
- 1 (750-milliliter) bottle red wine - suggestion : Heritage de Carillan, Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 navel orange
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 5 whole cloves
- 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 2 cardamon pods
- 1/4 cup Cognac
Cut or peel a strip of skin from the orange with a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler, approximately 1 x 5 inches in size.
Try to avoid as much as possible the white part called “zist” from the piece of zest, since it will add bitterness to the wine.
Save orange for another use.
Combine wine, sugar, cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and peeled orange zest in a large saucepan over very low heat.
Heat mixture until it nearly reaches a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar. Do not allow wine to come to a boil, or alcohol will evaporate and the flavor of the mulled wine might be affected.
The wine will be at its optimal temperature when the sugar has dissolved.
Maintain this temperature to keep wine warm and let wine macerate with spices to develop flavor. The longer it steeps, the stronger the flavor.
Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of Cognac in the mulled wine.
Discard the spices and garnish by straining the wine through a sieve into a clean saucepan.
Cover the saucepan and let the preparation rest for 5-10min before serving.
On HK ISLAND, a very friendly service with great staff advices:
YUAN HENG SPICE COMPANY, G/F, 19 Tung St, Sheung Wan
Opened from 9am to 6pm every day except Sundays
Or ONLINE with Free shipping in Hong Kong on orders $100 up
https://regencyspices.hk/
