We’re just a few weeks away from Christmas, so you might want to start thinking about your holiday drinks menu. You could whip up a batch of mulled wine to serve your guests, giving them the perfect drink for a cold winter’s night. Ideal Wine Company reveals how to make mulled wine this Christmas.
Christmas drink
People have been making mulled wine throughout history. The drink was invented by the Ancient Greeks, who used it for medicinal purposes. This tradition was carried on by the Romans and it was regarded as a medicine across the medieval period, being especially popular during the Black Death.
Mulled wine did not become a traditional Christmas drink until the Victorian period. In the 19th Century English society was famously conservative, viewing abstinence as a virtue, but even they couldn’t resist sipping this delicious warm, spice-infused drink to ring in the holidays. This trend continued into the 20th Century and now, mulled wine is consumed regularly at Christmas across the Western world.
Mulled wine recipe
Mulled wine’s popularity has endured partially because it’s so easy to make. If you use the BBC’s recipe, you can whip up a batch that serves six with under 30 minutes preparation time and less than ten minutes cooking time. To do this recipe, you’ll need a bottle of good red wine, 60g of demerara sugar, a cinnamon stick, grated nutmeg, one halved orange, one dried bay leaf and 60ml of sloe gin.
It is crucial that you select the best red vintage possible, in order to make a great mulled wine. You may want to look for something rich, full bodied and infused with unique flavours, to complement the spices in mulled wine. You could start experimenting now, to determine which wine would work bests. We suggest that you browse our Bordeauxs list, which features some great reds for mulled wine.
Start by pouring the wine into a sauce pan, before stirring in the orange, sugar, bay leaf and spices. Next, you should heat this mixture gently, until the sugar has dissolved. You may want to taste the wine throughout to see if you need to add more sugar. After, take the pan off the heat and if you are using the sloe gin, add it in. Then strain into heat proof glasses and serve your mulled wine!
Enjoy yourself
With this easy recipe, you will have the perfect drink this Christmas. Not only will it ward off the deep winter chill, but the spices in mulled wine give it a range of health benefits. Mulled wine can, for example, detoxify your body, helping you to recover after over-indulging this holiday season!
