Mulled Wine Melange Recipes

MULLED WINE

Steps:

• Put the red wine, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, lemon zest and sugar in a large pan. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins.
• Remove from the heat and cool, leaving to infuse for about 30 mins.
• To serve, heat without boiling, stir in the sloe gin (if using, see tip below) and pour into mugs or heatproof glasses.

MULLED WINE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Place remaining spices on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose spices; tie securely with string. Place in pan., Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer gently, covered, 20 minutes. Transfer to a covered container; cool slightly. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Strain wine mixture into a large saucepan, discarding fruit and spice bag; reheat. Serve warm. Garnish as desired.

MULLED WINE

Steps:

• Combine the cider, wine, honey, cinnamon sticks, zest, juice, cloves and star anise in a large saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Pour into mugs, add an orange peel to each and serve.

CLASSIC MULLED WINE

Steps:

• To prepare the oranges, if using 2 small, slice one orange into rounds and slice the other in half. If using 1 large orange, slice it in half through the round middle, then slice one of the halves into rounds. Place the rounds into a medium heavy-bottomed pot or small Dutch oven. Squeeze the juice from the remaining oranges into the pot.
• Pour the wine into the pot, followed by the brandy. Add 1 tablespoon of the sweetener for now. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves.
• Warm the mixture over medium heat until steaming (about 5 minutes), and keep an eye on it. When you start seeing the tiniest of bubbles at the surface, reduce the heat to the lowest of low.
• Carefully taste, and add another tablespoon of sweetener if it's not sweet enough for your liking. If it's not spicy enough to suit your preferences, continue cooking over very low heat for 5 to 10 more minutes.
• Serve in mugs with your desired garnishes! If you're adding cranberries as I did, you can add them to the pot to make it look extra festive.
• If you expect to polish off the mulled wine within 20 minutes or so, you can keep it on the stove over extra-low heat (it will become more spicy with time). Otherwise, remove it from the heat, cover, and rewarm over low heat if necessary. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days, covered (pour it through a strainer if you don't want it to become any more spicy than it already is).

VIN CHAUD (FRENCH MULLED WINE)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cut or peel a strip of skin from the orange with a sharp paring knife or a vegetable peeler, approximately 1 x 5 inches in size. Save orange for another use.
• Carefully remove as much of the white pith from the piece of zest as possible, since it will add bitterness to the wine.
• 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 vin chaud will be affected.
• The wine will be at its optimal temperature when the sugar has dissolved and steam rises when mixing spoon is lifted from wine.
• Maintain this temperature to keep wine warm and let wine steep with spices to develop flavor. The longer it steeps, the stronger the flavor.
• Strain wine through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander into a clean saucepan. Discard spices.
• Cover pan and let vin chaud stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
• Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of cognac to 4 individual warmed mugs or heatproof glasses before ladling in the mulled wine.

MULLED WINE MELANGE

Steps:

• In an enamel kettle, combine the red wine, ruby port, the plum or orange brandy, lemon and orange slices, pieces of cinnamon stick, and the cloves. Bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat and simmer it for 15 minutes. Transfer the hot mulled wine mélange to a heat-proof punch bowl, rinsed with boiling water beforehand.