The Essential Mulled Wine Recipe For Christmas

Mulled wine on Christmas Eve is as much a part of Christmas as Kris Kringle, snow and presents. Although it's readily available to buy in most shops and supermarkets around the Christmas period, it's more fun to make your own unique blend to welcome family and friends in from the cold on the night before Christmas.

For an easy mulled wine recipe for the holiday season, brimming with Christmassy aromatic citrus spice, simply add the following ingredients to a bottle of red wine.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle red wine (Some say that a rough dark red wine is best.)
• 60g/2oz demerara sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• grated nutmeg
• 1 orange, halved
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 60ml/2fl oz sloe or damson gin (optional)
• Aniseed and fennel (optional)

Preparation method

1. Add slices of orange, the sugar, bay leaf and spices to a saucepan of wine.

2. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Taste to see if you'd like the wine sweeter, and add more sugar to taste.

3. Take off the heat, and stir in the sloe or damson gin if you are using it.

4. Ladle into heatproof glasses as required.

The fact is, mulled wine can be as simple or complicated as you wish. In fact, don't wait until Christmas Eve or Day; experiment by making up several batches using different ingredients and quantities. Either way, the different variations are likely to appeal to different people.

If you do experiment and produce a mulled wine blend that everyone enjoys, be sure to make a note of the ingredients and quantities so that it can be made again and enjoyed for years to come.

Homemade mulled wine is the perfect way to greet friends and relatives in from the cold, warming hearts and hands, and providing lots of festive cheer. Enjoy!

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Ronald Porkshner is always on the lookout for new recipes and new ways of preparing old favourites. He enjoys foraging for wild mushrooms and other edible fungi.