Years ago I had a glass of mulled wine at a party and I just loved it. It was warm, smelled great, and just hit the holiday spot. I found some recipes online but none of them had the right flavor. After many batches I finally came up with my own and I have to say I am pretty pleased with myself. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.
Ingredients:
4 cups apple cider
12 oz bag of fresh cranberries
1 bottle (750ml) red wine (I typically choose something like a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon)
Juice of 2 oranges
Juice of 1/2 medium lemon
Juice of 1/2 medium lime
1 cup sugar
1/2 cups worth of mulling spices in cheese cloth
Directions:
Put apple cider and cranberries in pot, boil until all the cranberries have popped over medium heat. Not all will pop on their own, that’s ok, you can pop them when they are in the strainer. Keep a lid on the pot otherwise you will have cranberry pulp all over your stove. Simmer on low until you are ready to use it.
In a stock pot combine wine and all other ingredients. If you are using mulling spices that look like tea bags place bags (I would use 8 of these) into the pot. If you are using mulling spices (from Harry & David for instance) make sure you have secured your cheesecloth pouch with string or ribbon.
Place a colander over the stock pot and pour apple cider cranberry mix into the colander. With a spatula press juice through the holes into the wine. Simmer for about an hour. Check the flavor before serving because depending on the type of wine you chose and the tartness of the cranberries you may want to add more sugar. If your mulled wine is too sweet you can add more orange, lemon, or lime juice but do this in very small quantity – you don’t want to go too far in the other direction. Serve warm in a festive glass!
Happy Holidays – Enjoy!