AH-HA! Now I’m Cooking With Broadband

This post is filling a special request for Elly. Mulled wine is simply heated wine mixed with spices. For my recipe I use sugar, orange zest, nutmeg, cinnamon, corriander, black pepper, cloves and orange liquor or brandy. To start with use a red wine, not too dry, maybe a Merlot or a Reisling just avoid anything aged in oak - the flavors don’t work well together. Also avoid using a very expensive wine (heating ruins the flavor) or too cheap of a wine (heating makes it worse).

Now for the ingredients list:

750ml of red wine
1/4-1/2 c. Orange Liquor or Brandy
1 c. Sugar
1 whole nutmeg
1-2 oranges
2 Cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp Corriander
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Cloves

Start by peeling the oranges getting only the orange part of the rind and not the white. Crush the nutmeg and break up the cinnamon sticks. Wrap the oranges and spices in cheese cloth (or any thin fabric - bed sheet type material). Pour half the wine into a non-reactive pot (not copper) add the sugar and the spice bundle. Heat just until simmering - do not boil. Allow to steep for 15-30min then add the rest of the wine and heat to steaming. Then add the brandy and serve. Other spices can be used, Allspice or Mace are good choices, more sugar can be added to taste and the brandy can be varied or omited according to taste and how much kick you want (I like to use 1/2 Southern Comfort). Good additions could also be Limonciello or Kirchwasser. The recipe is definately not exact and any part of it can be changed, just avoid boiling the wine.