People from Great Britain insist no holiday can be merry without mulled wine. But why should the Brits have all the fun?
The European tradition of mulling wine started in ancient Greece where heat and spices were used to salvage old wine once the summer’s harvest went bad. In the Middle Ages, mulled wine was credited with medicinal and aphrodisiac powers and in Victorian England a spot of tea was added to a glass of mulled wine and dubbed “Christmas tea.”
It seems as every country has a tradition for mulled wine and thus their own name for it, most of which translate to a version of “hot wine”.
AND HERE IT IS…
HOW TO MAKE MULLED WINE
- INGREDIENTS
4 oz / 115 g sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
5 cm / 2 in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
small handful cloves, or to taste
1 orange, zest only
1.5 litres / 2 pints port wine or claret
Serves 6-8 people
- RECIPE
Step 1:
Add ingredients to a saucepan and bring to the boil
Place two wine glasses of WATER, and the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and orange zest into a saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer, stirring regularly, until the mixture has reduced to form a thick syrup, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 2:
Add port or wine
Add the port wine or claret and stir well. Increase the temperature until the mixture is piping hot, but not boiling.
Since it is served warm it is a perfect treat for a cold day.
Mulled wine is a tradition that has always excluded two important groups in the festivities... children and drivers. No more. Here is a non-alcoholic version of this welcoming recipe:
- same ingredients
- substitute wine with cranberry juice or red grape juice
- follow recipe exactly
- have fun!
Share and enjoy!
Merry Christmas to everybody from LCTIDIOMAS and Happy New Year 2010.
