It's cold, right? It's time to brew homemade mulled wine: Afisha Daily talks about its simple recipe, and also reveals a number of secrets that will make it really tasty.
The idea of adding spices to wine dates back to Ancient Rome, where with the help of this technique they wanted not only to warm up, but rather to refine the taste of either too sour or too strong wine.
Today, mulled wine is primarily an important addition to the Christmas and New Year holidays; moreover, according to Sergei Chesnokov from the Strelka bar, in winter they add more spices to food and drinks, since spices are natural stimulants that speed up metabolism. In Germany it is called glühwein and is prepared without any special frills: dry red wine, cinnamon, cloves, lemon and sugar. In Scandinavia and Finland, everything is more interesting: it is called gløg, and it is boiled with almond flakes to wash down the traditional rice pudding risgrøt, generously sprinkled with cinnamon, on Christmas Eve. When preparing their vin chaud, the French allow the presence of cognac or fruit brandy in the drink (the best option is from pear), but the Italians cannot imagine their vin brulè without orange and cinnamon. However, in some regions they prefer variations with the addition of lemon zest (in the province of Venice) or cardamom (in the north of the country).
Making mulled wine at home
Translated into a language we understand, mulled wine is a flaming, hot wine. It is simply irreplaceable in cold times - chilly autumn, cold winter, when you want to quickly warm up. That is why mulled wine is most popular in Scandinavian countries and the UK, where the weather is quite harsh.
This hot drink is usually prepared from red wine, adding sugar, cloves, cinnamon and other spices. Sometimes mulled wine includes cognac, rum, various liqueurs, lemon juice, but these ingredients are added in small quantities so that they do not change the taste of the drink, but only give it a little pleasant aroma.
Doctors believe that mulled wine is good to drink after infectious diseases to regain strength, as well as during mental and physical exhaustion. However, simply warming the wine and adding spices to it according to the recipe is not enough. Mulled wine should warm not only the body, but also the soul, so prepare it in a good mood and serve it correctly. The drink should be poured and served immediately after preparation into tall transparent glasses. This way it will cool down more slowly, and you will be able to admire its beautiful color and inhale the ethereal vapors.
Basic cooking rules
Mulled wine lovers can always brew it perfectly according to any recipe. The secrets of a healthy, tasty wine decoction lie in several rules:
- Mulled wine should only be made from dry red wine with a neutral taste. The bright taste of the wine itself may not combine well with spices, and wine from a barrel will add bitterness to the finished drink.
Advice! Low-alcohol wine is the best basis for an aromatic winter drink. Semi-dry wine is quite suitable. But it should be borne in mind that sorbic acid in its composition can cause allergies.
- If the recipe contains water, then it must be prepared in advance: boil, cool. During the brewing process, water is introduced in a thin stream so as not to spoil the taste of the wine.
- The mulled wine should be cooked for 15 or 20 minutes, bringing it to a temperature of approximately 70 - 80°C. If you boil it, an unpleasant aftertaste will appear, and the degrees and beneficial properties will be lost.
- You can and should choose spices according to your taste. There should not be too many or few. Fruits, herbs, spices are designed to highlight the taste and aroma of wine.
It is not recommended to use ground spices during the cooking process, as they can then grind on the teeth and can ruin the entire impression of the drink.
- If the recipe contains lemon or orange zest, it must be carefully grated without touching the white film, which will spoil the taste with its bitterness.
- Usually they brew so much mulled wine that it is enough for one time. The calculation is simple - 200 - 400 ml per person. If the decoction is heated, it will lose all its unique properties.
In markets you can find ready-made kits for making aromatic mulled wine. Those who prefer to brew their own drink, experimenting with recipes, usually select herbs and spices at their own discretion. Hot aromatic wine can be served with chocolate, cheese, crackers.
How to prepare “Mulled wine” step by step with photos at home
To prepare mulled wine, take a sweet and sour apple, semi-dry red wine, a small lemon, cloves, star anise, cinnamon and honey.
Cut half an apple into slices, cut half a lemon (zest only) into pieces.
Combine 2 cinnamon sticks, 2-3 star anise, 3-4 clove buds, wine, apple (you can take a dried one) and lemon - warm everything well without bringing to a boil.
Then put everything into a thermos and let it brew for 20 minutes.
After this, strain the drink.
Then add honey. Serve the finished mulled wine immediately.
Mulled wine recipe with fruit
There are many known recipes for this wonderful warming drink; the only thing that remains unchanged in all recipes is wine and spices, which, however, can vary greatly, and wine can also be used, either red or white, dry or semi-sweet.
We suggest preparing aromatic homemade mulled wine with fruits, always citrus fruits, but the rest can be optional.
Ingredients for the drink “Mulled wine recipe with fruit”:
- — dry red wine 1 bottle, 0.75 or 1 liter;
- - fruits;
- - spices - a teaspoon or 10-12 buds of cloves, cinnamon, preferably in whole pieces, 1-2 sticks, if the cinnamon is ground then half a teaspoon, allspice 8-10 peas;
- — additionally, you can use fresh or dried ginger, bay leaf, black pepper, all these spices are taken in small quantities;
- - honey - 2 tbsp. l.
How to make mulled wine at home:
Pour the wine into a saucepan and heat over low heat. The wine can be dry or semi-dry, not necessarily of excellent quality; on the contrary, it is customary to use inexpensive table wines for mulled wine, because the taste of the wine will be complemented by a bouquet of spices and fruits.
Always use 2 types of citrus fruits, for example, lemon and tangerine or orange or grapefruit, the rest of the fruits are of your choice, it can be an apple, pear, peach or apricot, you should not add only grapes, because grape wine is used, you can also add berries, currants, strawberries, cherries, etc. For a bottle of wine, 1 small fruit or 2 tablespoons of berries is enough.
Remove the zest from the lemon and orange; you can simply cut the peel thinly and add the zest to the wine.
Also add spices to the wine and continue heating without bringing to a boil. It is very important not to boil the wine; it should be heated to 90-95 degrees over low heat so that the spices have time to give all their aroma to the drink.
Squeeze the juice from peeled lemon and orange and add to the wine, heat a little more.
Cut the remaining fruit into slices or small pieces.
Strain the mulled wine, removing the zest and spices, pour it back into the pan, add fruit and put on very low heat so that the drink maintains temperature, add honey or sugar to taste.
Depending on preferences, 2 tablespoons of honey if a non-sweet mulled wine is desired, but the amount of honey can be increased if a sweeter drink is needed. You can replace honey with cane or regular sugar.
Let the drink brew for 10-15 minutes and serve hot. Leave the remaining mulled wine on low heat so that it does not cool down.
Mulled wine literally translated from German means flaming wine. In Western countries such as the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, and Germany, mulled wine is considered the national drink for the Christmas holidays. The roots of the wine drink go back to the distant Ancient Roman Empire, where warm Cahors was first mixed with various spices. In the Middle Ages, European countries became the birthplace of the first real hot wine. Heated burgundy was mixed with various herbs such as small galangal. Mulled wine has since gained considerable popularity in Western countries.
“Ginger” mulled wine, homemade recipe
Mulled wine, prepared at home with ginger, is a very healthy and tonic drink. Ginger mulled wine has a number of positive factors influencing the body, for example, an antiseptic effect, saturating the body with amino acids and microelements. Recommended for emotional and physical exhaustion, immunodeficiency, as well as for recovery from infectious diseases.
Ginger Mulled Wine is an excellent cure for colds, flu, bronchitis and a number of other diseases. In this regard, many people are wondering how to cook mulled wine with ginger at home?
Ingredients:
- - liter of red semi-dry wine;
- - citrus fruits (orange or the most sour, fresh lemon) 3 slices;
- - half an apple;
- — pink pepper 4 pcs.;
- - clove bud;
- - cinnamon bark, or stick;
- - granulated sugar and honey to taste.
How to cook:
1. Place a bunch of cloves, a cinnamon stick and pepper into a semi-sweet wine poured into a special container.
2. The ginger root must first be peeled and divided into 2 slices.
3. Cut the apple in half.
4. Divide the washed lemon into quarters.
5. You will need 2 slices from the orange.
6. Place all the citrus fruits in a saucepan along with the ginger, stirring occasionally and not letting it boil.
7. Add sugar and honey to taste.
8. Then let the drink sit for 30 minutes; it is recommended to use a thermos to cool the ginger mulled wine.
Ginger mulled wine is ready! Bon appetit!
“White” mulled wine, homemade recipe
Ingredients:
- - a liter of wine (must be dry white);
- - 300ml water;
- - a bunch of clove berries;
- - cowberry;
- — fresh citrus preferably lemon 1 pc.;
- - cinnamon stick.
How to cook:
Place a cinnamon stick, fresh lemon slices, two bunches of berries, and granulated sugar in a special bowl. Add dry white wine.
Before bringing the lemon spice mixture to a hot state, add additional water to the infusion, strain and heat.
White mulled wine is ready! Bon appetit!
“Orange fresh” mulled wine, homemade recipe
Ingredients:
- - a liter of expensive red Port wine;
- - a little tart nutmeg;
- - lemon half;
- — strong alcohol, liqueur (orange, of course) is recommended.
How to cook:
Port wine is added to a special enamel container, and then brought to a hot state to a temperature of 60-80 degrees, but do not boil.
Before starting the procedure of settling the wine and imparting aromas of spices to it, you need to add 100 ml of orange liqueur. Add nutmeg, previously finely grated on a fine grater (optional).
Fresh orange juice is ready! Bon appetit!
"Tea" mulled wine, homemade recipe
Ingredients:
- - strong alcoholic drinks such as cognac or rum;
- — apple nectar 300g;
- — apricot nectar or grape tincture 200 main ingredient; mulled tea – tea tincture 250-300ml.
How to cook:
Tea infusion is added to a saucepan in which apple juice, apricot and grape nectars, sweetened with sugar, were previously mixed. Then cover the container with a lid and place over medium heat until it boils. Next, after the solution boils, remove it from the stove and add cognac and rum. The advantage of the flavor shades of mulled tea is that the tea goes perfectly with fruit juices. In addition, for spiciness it is recommended to add special spices (cinnamon, lingonberries, nuts).
Mulled tea is ready! Bon appetit!
"Dock of London" mulled wine, homemade recipe
Ingredients:
- - a liter of red semi-sweet expensive wine;
- — strong alcohol, preferably rum 250 ml;
- - granulated sugar and honey, optional;
- - half a citrus fruit, ideally a lemon;
- - no more than one cinnamon crust;
- - 250 ml of good dark rum.
How to cook:
Granulated sugar must be gradually stirred in warm water. Then evenly add rum and red semi-sweet, fresh lemon pulp and continue adding hot water. Add nutmeg after the drink has cooled as a garnish.
The drink is ready! Bon appetit!
"Nectar" mulled wine, homemade recipe
Ingredients:
- - liter of red semi-dry wine;
- - cinnamon stick;
- - a bunch of clove berries;
- - honey and granulated sugar as desired;
- — freshly squeezed lemon juice 100 ml;
- - fragrant oil (rose) 2 drops;
- - liqueur, preferably Benedictine 100 ml.
How to cook:
The wine poured into the dishes must be diluted with sugar, then heated to a temperature of 60-80 degrees, but not boiled.
Before starting the procedure of settling the wine and giving it the aromas of spices, you need to add 100 ml of liqueur and a little cognac if desired. Next, add a drop of oil and let it brew.
The nectar is ready! Bon appetit!
“Classic” recipe for mulled wine at home
How to make classic mulled wine is a rather interesting question. Making classic mulled wine yourself is as easy as making glögg; in addition to the ease of making mulled wine according to the classic recipe, you can get by with cheap, Cahors wine or, alternatively, semi-dry red wine like Cabernet or Bordeaux.
If you suddenly don’t like dry wine, you can replace it with Cahors.
Ingredients:
- - a bottle of good wine;
- - a few slices of citrus lemon or orange;
- - some raisins;
- - a couple or three peas of spicy pepper;
- - cardamom;
- — several cinnamon sticks (8–9);
- - 10 heads of cloves;
- - a third of a teaspoon of spiced nutmeg;
- - a little bee honey;
- - anise seeds in combination with ginger will give mulled wine additional richness; you can experiment with infusions of apples or frozen berries and bay leaves.
How to cook:
There can be two ways to brew classic mulled wine, with water and without adding water.
1. Place spices in a container.
2. Pour 200 ml\1 liter of wine with water.
3. Let the spices cook a little, without boiling, of course.
4. After 15-25 minutes, you can add fragrant honey and granulated sugar.
5. Cook a little more and then cool slightly.
6. Add wine and constantly adjust the water at 75-90 degrees to prevent boiling.
7. Then remove the pan from the stove and let cool for about 35–45 minutes so that the spices can impart all the richness and aroma to the wine.
How to make mulled wine without adding water? Just add strong alcohol instead. Rum, gin, liqueur or cognac are ideal. When preparing classic mulled wine without adding water, the drink turns from a warm homemade drink into a powerful cocktail! Bon appetit!
“Coffee” mulled wine, homemade recipe
Ingredients:
- — cognac or liqueur 150ml;
- — ground coffee 300 ml;
- - sugar and honey to taste;
- - a liter of red wine.
How to cook:
Probably the simplest recipe, where you need to mix all the ingredients and heat to 60-80 degrees; alternatively, you can serve with nuts and cinnamon.
Serve hot.
The drink is ready! Bon appetit!
"Scheherizade" mulled wine, homemade recipe
Ingredients:
- - a liter of red Muscat semi-sweet wine;
- - cinnamon stick;
- - granulated sugar;
- - a bunch of cloves;
- - a third of citrus (preferably lemon);
- - strong alcohol, 100 ml cognac is best here.
How to cook:
The wine poured into the container must be diluted with granulated sugar, then heated to a temperature of 60-80 degrees, but not boiled.
First cut the lemon into slices, remove the mulled wine from the stove and only then add the prepared lemon slices.
Cognac must be added before the infusion procedure begins.
Scheherazade is ready! Bon appetit!
