Mulled wine is the perfect treat to enjoy on Christmas Eve. And it’s surprisingly easy to make! So gather your ingredients, along with some special friends and family members, and prepare this delicious classic drink — a traditional celebratory drink in Germany — that will make a cozy winter holiday night a little warmer.
But what about the children? After all, this is their holiday, too… and they want to cozy up with a warm drink, too. No worries. Just heat up some apple cider for the little ones to enjoy while the adults sip on their own spicy wine.
You will need:
- 2 fresh oranges
- A zester
- A good sharp knife
- 2 750ml bottle of red wine (such as merlot)
- 1 750ml bottle of white wine (such as chardonnay)
- A 3-inch length of thinly sliced ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- Brandy
Put it together:
- Use the zester to remove just the orange part of the rind on both oranges; retain the zest for use in the recipe
- Use the knife to halve the oranges, and then squeeze their juice into a bowl (be sure to catch any seeds that fall!)
- Heat the fresh-squeezed orange juice in a large, flat-bottomed pot on the stove
- Add both bottles of red wine to the pot
- Next, add the bottle of white wine
- Add in the zest of the two oranges
- Add in the sliced ginger
- Add in the cinnamon sticks
- Add in the brown sugar
- Stir to dissolve the sugar
- Cover and heat over medium approximately 15 minutes, until all of the flavors have come together and mixture is warmed through; do not boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and continue to heat for another hour. This is the time that you can add more sugar or cinnamon to adjust the flavor.
To serve:
Strain the mixture and pour into mugs suitable for hot drinks. Add a splash of brandy and decorate the rim of the mug with a slice of fresh orange.
Your home will smell rich with holiday scents and your stomach will be nice and warm to help you drift off to sleep before Santa makes his way down the chimney!
Follow along with this iHowToMakeWine.com video to see how easy mulled wine is to prepare.
