Survive the freezing cold weather by keeping your body warm and relaxed with this aromatic delicious cup of sweet spiced Mulled Wine
Winter warmer
We are still in autumn but it feels like winter is fast approaching as we have experienced a few icy cold days.
Winter days were the best when I was younger, I loved feeling cozy under a mountain of blankets and listening to the wind or rain at night. However, as I got older I realised that winter made me lazy and fat because all I wanted to do was hibernate and eat.
My favourite season, for now, is Springtime!, I adore seeing flowers bloom and the beautiful scent they produce. In saying this I still adore eating delicious winter warmers like soups, casseroles and MULLED WINE!
I was down with a cold a few weeks ago I heated up some wine to help ease my symptoms. My husband Tomasi walked by and asked:
‘That smells nice are you making Sangria?’
Usually, I would happily banter and say something like ‘Since when did you like your Sangria hot?’ but I was too busy blowing my nose and looking after the wine.
To be fair, Mulled Wine does have a sweet fruity smell that is similar to Sangria but it’s spicy and potent tastewise. Not spicy like the heat that you get from chillies, it’s from the star anise, cardamom, ginger and cinnamon.
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A sick toddler and a sick mum ain’t fun
A few years ago I was chatting with a close friend over the phone. After telling me I sounded like a man she ordered me to make Mulled Wine to help ease my cold. When I told her I’ve never heard of mulled wine she said:
‘But you have a bar at home!’.
We don’t have a bar, but we do have a massive glass cabinet filled with bottles of alcohol. We purchased duty-free liquor, spirits and wine to add to our collection each time we went overseas. Most of them are probably covered in dust because I couldn’t drink for two years whilst pregnant and breastfeeding.
Recently we faced a few challenging weeks. Kai my 18-month-old toddler was hospitalised with Croup, we thought he had a cold but he got progressively worse. One night he had trouble breathing so we rushed him to the Emergency Department.
Due to COVID, only one parent was allowed in with Kai and as I was the one driving my husband stayed with Kai. However, Kai was going ballistic that they needed to call me in to calm him down. When I arrived his face was puffy from crying, he looked miserable and was shivering in a nappy with only a towel draped over him. I lost it and ran over to throw my arms around him. Seeing him so sick and terrified stung me to the core and I sobbed with him.
Thankfully after hospital treatment and medication Kai made a speedy recovery but a few days later I caught a cold! As much as I hate being sick, it allowed me to enjoy a few glasses of mulled wine and have much-needed rest.
Mulled Wine
Legend has it that mulled wine was made by the Ancient Romans around the 2nd century. The Romans would heat up wine to warm themselves up from the harsh cold weather.
Today’s mulled wine has fruit, spices and a sweetener such as sugar or honey.
The best way to enjoy mulled wine is to use the ingredients you love.
Use a red wine you enjoy drinking but it does not have to be an expensive bottle! Oranges and lemons are commonly used but I think other fruits would work too such as plum or apple.
The spices that can be added to mulled wine are cloves, cinnamon, fennel, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise and ginger. Choose a few of these spices and adjust the sweetness level and that’s it!
Healthwise, It’s been said for a while now that having a glass of red wine is good for the heart as it lowers bad cholesterol.
Mulled wine has citrus so this should naturally help with the discomfort of a cold or flu. The cloves and cinnamon should help soothe the aches and pains. Sounds good right? so there’s nothing left to do but to drink up! (adults only please and in moderation).
Ingredients for Mulled Wine
Red wine – You can pretty much use your favourite bottle of red but it doesn’t have to be an expensive bottle. I prefer using dry red wine in cooking as it’s not sweet, this allows me to have more control over the level of sweetness in my dish. Red wines varieties include Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Shiraz.
Brandy, Rum or bourbon (optional) can be added to the wine for a more intense alcoholic flavour.
Spices – If you’ve never made mulled wine before it’s probably best to go easy on the spices and halve the amount that’s called for in this recipe.
Sugar – There is already some sweetness coming from the wine, orange and brandy so it’s best to add sugar to taste near the end of the wine heating.
How to make Mulled Wine
Step by step guide with photos
Pour all the ingredients into a saucepan, stir to combine and place on medium heat. Once the mixture starts simmering decrease the heat to low as possible to prevent the alcohol from burning off. Allow the wine to gently heat up for 30 minutes. Taste the wine for sweetness at the 20-minute mark, if needed add a tablespoon of sugar and stir to mix and taste again. Repeat until you are happy with the level of sweetness.
Carefully pour the wine over a sieve into a large jug and discard the solids. Serve and drink immediately.
Leftovers – Allow the wine to cool off completely, pour into an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
If you are looking for more winter warmers check out my satisfying Greek lasagna BEEF MOUSSAKA or the super tasty PUMPKIN AND BEAN SOUP.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Mulled Wine
Ingredients
- 750 ml dry red wine (standard bottle) (NOTE 1)
- ½ cup brandy (NOTE 2)
- 2 Tbsp sugar (more or less to taste) (NOTE 3)
- 1 large orange (sliced into thin wedges)
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- 5 whole cloves
- 2 whole cardamom pods
- 2 thin slices of ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise
- 1 dried bay leaf
Instructions
- Pour all the ingredients into a saucepan, stir to combine and place on medium heat. Once the mixture starts simmering decrease the heat to low as possible to prevent the alcohol from burning off. Allow the wine to gently heat up for 30 minutes. Taste the wine for sweetness at the 20-minute mark, if needed add a tablespoon of sugar and stir to mix and taste again. Repeat until you are happy with the level of sweetness.
- Carefully pour the wine over a sieve into a large jug and discard the solids. Serve and drink immediately.
