Mulled Not So Obvious – Mulled Wine without the Wine but I couldn’t just call it Mulled!
The smell of mulled wine through the house as it warms could fool even the Summer into thinking it was Christmas and even put a smile on the face of old Ebenezer himself (we all know someone like that right?).
It’s so simple to make its not even worth buying the ready-made spice bouquets you can get these days but hey that’s just my opinion, and you can mix it up slightly depending what you have in the cupboard.
Me, I love to cook so have an abundance of different herbs and spices anyway. For goodness sake just avoid the festive Ribena effort or whatever it is called and give this a whirl after coming in from a cold day and settling down by the fire, you won’t be disappointed:
Ingredients for 2 decent mugs and a top up (just adapt for less or more)
Spices for the mulling:
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- Cardamom Pods
- 10 – 15 Cloves
- 2 – 4 Star Anise
- Pinch of Nutmeg (I sometimes miss this off because my beloved isn’t keen)
- 1 Clementine quartered or 3 slices of Orange
For the Not so Obvious:
- 500ml Red Grape Juice
- 200ml Cranberry Juice
- 150ml Water (Optional depending on your sweetness meter)
Method:
Easy does it is the way with this beauty, but I will summarise in 4 steps:
- Put all the ingredients in a pan
- Heat for about 30 Mins – IMPORTANT: Don’t let this bad boy boil (or even simmer) because it does something scientific that makes it taste different
- After 30 Mins turn the heat off and leave to infuse for at least another 30 mins, preferably 45 mins. It needs this to get the full flavour of the hard stuff (obviously not alcohol) namely the cloves, star anise and cardamom
- When you are ready just re heat (remember no boiling)
- Serve with a Cinnamon stick (just for effect) in a heat proof glass or mug
And that’s it, kick back and relax with this hot beauty and get yourself ready for the big man and all the mayhem that comes with his arrival this Christmas!
Tip: If you like your drinks with more of a kick then simply leave it longer, even overnight if you feel like it.
For an Alternative Mulled Apple Not So Obvious – Just swap the Grape and Cranberry Juice for Apple Juice and a drop of Honey and serve with a wedge of Orange with 1 or 2 Cloves pressed in it.
From more mocktail goodness check out my “Nice n Spicy Tonic“
