It’s winter proper so high time we added a mulled wine recipe. Not just any mulled wine recipe but the best darn mulled wine recipe in the world.
The key to this is a bit of prep, making a syrup in advance so that you can make mulled wine on demand when you need it.
Preparation: making the syrup
Ingredients you’ll need
- 255g of brown sugar
- Two cinammon sticks
- A vanilla pod
- 1 star anise
- A teaspoon of whole cloves
- A handful of juniper berries
- Half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- A glug or two of Grand Marinier
- A glass of Port, if you’ve any about
Lop it all into a saucepan with 750ml of water and slowly bring up the heat, but not quite to the boil. Keep on a low heat for 5 minutes, then allow to cool. Store in a kilner jar or similar up to 3-4 weeks.
Making the mulled wine
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- Syrup from above (literally, not metaphysically)
- Full bodied red wine (more on recommendations later)
Now it’s show time. You’re looking for around 300ml of syrup per bottle of wine, pour both into a saucepan with some orange slices to add some flavour and a nice visual garnish.
Now for the top tip, DO NOT BRING TO THE BOIL you’ll boil off all the alcohol. Slow and steady wins the race!
What wine to use in mulled wine?
This is the most common question I get the choice of wine can make or break a good mulled wine. Bad wine is good for nothing, not even mulled wine. That said, you don’t need to spend a fortune.
From experience, I’ve found new world Shiraz works well (try this South African for starters) but the best I’ve found are the great value Portuguese reds, many of which share the same grapes as Port. Try the Altas Quintas 600 or the more expensive Aciprestes.