mulled wine
mulled wine
MULLED WINE! Throwing a tree-trimming or caroling or holiday party? Looking for Glögg or Glühwein? Don’t have a wassail bowl? Get out your crock pot and use these recipes to stir up some traditional holiday spirits to keep warm!
MULLED WINE Mulled Wine INGREDIENTS:
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One bottle of red wine
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One peeled and sliced orange (keep peel to add zest to taste into cooking pot)
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One peeled and sliced lemon (keep peel to add zest to taste in cooking pot)
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1 tsp ground nutmeg
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2 tsp ground ginger
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5 whole cloves
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3 cinnamon sticks
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1/2 cup sugar (or honey can be substituted)
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2/3 cup brandy or cognac
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1/2 cup water
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blood orange segments (to garnish) PREPARATION: Combine all ingredients in either a large pot or a slow cooker (crock pot). Gently warm the ingredients on low to medium heat (do not let the wine boil!!), for 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the honey or sugar has completely dissolved. When the wine is steaming and the ingredients have blended well it is ready to serve. Ladle into mugs (leaving seasonings behind), garnish with a blood orange segment and enjoy!
WASSAIL PUNCHMulled Wine INGREDIENTS:
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1 cup sugar
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4 cinnamon sticks
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3 lemon slices
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½ cup water
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2 cups pineapple juice
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2 cups orange juice
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½ cup lemon juice
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6 cups red wine
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1 cup dry sherry
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Lemon slices to garnish (modern version) OR small roasted apples to garnish (medieval version) PREPARATION: Combine the sugar, cinnamon sticks, lemon slices, and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 minutes and strain. Discard cinnamon sticks and lemon slices. Pour the pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, wine and sherry into a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat for several minutes. (Do not boil wine!) Combine the wine mixture and sugar syrup in a serving bowl; serve hot. Ladle into mugs and garnish. Recipe makes about 20 servings and takes about 35 minutes to prepare.
WHAT IS MULLED WINE? MULLED WINE is usually red wine combined with spices and typically served hot. In medieval times, spices and honey were often added to wine that had gone bad to make it drinkable. This was especially important during those earlier times when water was not safe to drink. Thus, wine warmed you up in the cold and provided other health benefits. Mulled wine was also used as a toasting beverage during the medieval English holidays of Twelfth Night and Christmas, where it was associated with wassail bowls and wassailing or caroling. The term WASSAIL derives from the Norse “Ves heill” and the Old English “Wes Hál,” meaning “Be in good health!” Originally the phrase was used as a toast with the appropriate response being “Drink-Hail!” - highlighting the association of wine and health. Today, mulled wine is a traditional drink during the winter holidays. In northern Italy, it is called vin brulé (French for “burnt wine”); in Germany, Glühwein (“glowing wine”); in France, vin chaud (“hot wine”); in Romania, vin fiert (“boiled wine”); in Sweden, glögg (where it is made with raisins and almonds and traditionally served with gingerbread).
BEST RED GRAPE WINES FOR MAKE-IT-YOURSELF MULLED WINE:Red Grapes Malbec Merlot Petite Sirah Sangiovese Tempranillo Zinfandel
BEST WINE FOR HISTORICALLY ACCURATE OLD ENGLISH WASSAIL: French “Clarrey” (any cheap Bordeaux blend, as referenced in a cookbook from the 1600s)
OUR SOMMELIER SUGGESTS: Abadal Cab Franc-Tempranillo 2005 (Spain) - $14.98 Château Lescalle Bordeaux Superieur 2003 (France) - $15.98 Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2005 (Italy) - $8.98 Don Rodolfo Malbec 2005 (Argentina) - $11.98 Jewel Petite Sirah 2004 (USA - California) - $9.98
NO TIME TO MAKE IT YOURSELF? Weihnachts Glühwein (Germany) - $4.98
Stop by the store and we will help you pick out the perfect red wine for your holiday wassail bowl! From TOTAL BEVERAGE to you, Wes Hál! Christmas Wreath