How to make the most marvellous mulled wine
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Never mind the taste, is there anything to beat the velvety dark fragrance of mulled wine at Christmas? Distinct for its seasonal melting layers of spices, fruit and fresh festive flavour, left to softly hubble-bubble on the stove or in the slow cooker, it enfolds family and visitors in a sensory yuletide hit even as they fall through the door shaking off the rain.
Many of us have brought a longing for the sweet, treacly comfort of vin-chaud from trips to France. Scandinavian glug from a trip to the Nordic countries, and German gluhwein, back from winter trips to the slopes is generously imbibed as we rub our shins and compare bruises apres-ski. Hot, spiced wine thickened with fresh and dried fruits, has been part of viticulture since the 2nd century AD. Today, you can enjoy both non-alcoholic and seriously boozy hot and fruity favourites. Here are just a few of my regular mulled and magnificent, happily tested down the years in a cheap slow cooker.
Mrs Beeton in her “Book of Household Management” from the 1860s advises: “The spices usually used for mulled wine are cloves, grated nutmeg, and cinnamon or mace. Any kind of wine may be mulled, but port and claret are those usually selected for the purpose, and the latter requires a very large proportion of sugar.” I’m afraid, I make use of the cheapest hoary old bull-bodied red from the supermarket, and honey rather than excessive sugar.
The results seem to be very close to Beeton’s classic after a few hours of hocus-pocus in the family cauldron, and for some reason, the second cup tastes better than the first or second. Odd that. There are also other spices outside her iconic beverage that you can dial up and down according to taste including fennel seed, star anise, cardamom, and ginger.
It’s worth experimenting well before Christmas week arrives. Keep in mind that mulled wine, like all fruit punch-style confections, is dangerously easy to drink — take it easy.
The essential trick with mulling is taking time, not boiling the mixture and introducing the wine and spices in a heated embrace first, before adding the fruit. Boiling up alcohol will cause it to evaporate. If you buy spiced wine ready-made, always heat it very slowly, or it will spoil.
As honest mulling demands hours, we don’t want the fruit to break down into indistinguishable mush. After 24 hours mulled wines will start to ferment — don’t chance it, sip them up. I prefer a slow process, but there are alternatives if you just don’t have the time or prefer a lighter, brighter texture and taste. The fragrance of hours of mulling floating out from the kitchen is unique.
For a good basic, fully mulled wine, take two standard bottles of red wine, a little glass of Cointreau (any clear spirit with a fruity base is fine), the juice and zest of three citrus fruit (I stick to three oranges but you can replace one orange with a lemon for pique), around 100g -30g of demerara sugar depending on taste, a couple of cinnamon sticks, star anise, and a pinch of cloves. Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker and set to four to five hours on Low or two to two-and-a-half on high.
If you find this mixture just too heady, you can add up to 250ml of water without it suffering. Now, I like to slide in some fresh orange slices halfway through the burble (don’t rip off the slow-cooker lid as this could take an hour to cook), but you can use fresh orange or lemon to dress the drink too.
Fresh or mulled citrus slices are highly decorative and can be scooped out and floated into a glass or heavy stoneware mug to serve. They are really beautiful and very delicious tinted with the wine soup. Ensure you strain out the cloves and smaller gritty spices that will otherwise decorate your front teeth at that elegant dinner party. A soup ladle and tea strainer are ideal.
With this base recipe, you will find a combination of spices and suggested wine varieties. Not everyone uses long times to make their hot wine.
Once the sugar is dissolved, you can allow it to infuse with the spice, and then drink it up in about 20 minutes, it’s just not as dark and flavoursome. There’s a fashion at the moment for adding gin (sloe or damson gin are traditional Christmas choices) before rewarming and serving the infused or mulled wine. Around 100ml of gin per bottle of wine seems about right. I’ve found dropping a bay leaf into the mixture at the very start of the mulling process adds a certain earthy, herby mystery, but don’t use more than one of these powerful little cuttings. Maple syrup rather than just sugar, and a few peppercorns will give your wine another, slightly Medieval nuance.
If you want a try at Swedish glögg, there are just a couple of twists, and I’ve found the quick recipe offered by Bronte Aurell on BBC Food (infused rather than mulled technique) to be very tasty and lip-licking, recalling my happy year living in Eslov.
Create your wine using a classic recipe ensuring you include cardamon and root ginger, but at the end serve it up with flaked almonds, raisins in the base of the glass, and a splash of either vodka, aquavit, rum or cognac. Cooled and bottled, glogg will keep for about a week, so it’s perfect as a doorstep gift when visiting friends and family.
Mulled wine is like a very special sweet tea when made without alcohol, and you can replace the wine with an equally fruity volume of non-alcoholic wine, pomegranate or cranberry juice. It’s best made quickly, so we’re just infusing the mixture rather than fully mulling it over. It’s great for whipping up in a half hour for an evening treat for the whole family.
If you just can’t be bothered (and it’s Christmas, it’s exhausting, who can blame you), pick up a bottle of vegan-friendly Eisberg Mulled Alcohol-Free Wine. Created to an intense spice and dried fruit aroma with touches of orange peel, just warm it through, float on some fruit and enjoy; €3, Tesco.