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Mulled Wine with Honey There's a long tradition of fortifying wine with honey and aromatic spices, especially in winter months. And while most modern recipes for mulled wine call for sugar, you make this mulled wine with honey instead. Honey gives the wine a lovely, mild sweetness with floral undertones than complement the flavor of sweet spices like star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon. To make mulled wine, you warm wine with spices and other ingredients like hard alcohol. Start by stirring wine, brandy, and honey together and then toss in spices, allowing them to warm over low, slow heat. Thay way you don't boil off the alcohol. Ingredients
8 cardamom pods 8 black peppercorns 6 whole cloves 1 small nutmeg pod 2 ceylon cinnamon sticks 1 teaspoon anise seeds 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 bay leaves 1 bottle red wine 6 cups soft apple cider 1 cup brandy 1 cup honey 2 oranges Instructions Cut a square of cheesecloth about 12 inches square. Arrange the spices in the center of the square, and tie it into a bundle with 100% cotton cooking twine. Place it in a nonreactive stockpot. Pour the wine, cider, and brandy into the pot, and stir in the honey or sugar. Slice one orange in rounds, and drop it into the pot. Warm over low heat at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to come together, taking care not to allow the wine to boil lest you cook out the alcohol. Slice the remaining orange into thing wedges. Ladle the mulled wine into mugs, slip a slice of orange into the mug, and serve warm. Herbs and Spices
Carminative herbs, those that help support digestion, are used in making mulled wine. They have bright, warming flavors that complement the robust flavor of wine well. You'll also find them in other winter drinks like traditional wassail or cranberry cider. Cardamom is a green pod related to ginger, and its ginger-like flavor works well brings a bright, warming quality to the wine. Black Pepper is traditionally used to support digestion. Cloves have a sweet richness, and you'll often find them used in holiday baked goods. Nutmeg has a sweet-spicy aroma. Cinnamon is traditionally used to support both digestion and blood sugar management. Anise tastes like licorice, and it soothes indigestion - a big help for heavy winter meals. Fennel tastes similar to anise, only softer and sweeter. It soothes indigestion, bloating and gassiness. Bay gives an herbal quality to the mulled wine, and it also pairs well with honey and black pepper. Tips for Making Mulled Wine Making mulled wine is straightforward and easy. If you can warm up a pot of tea, you can make mulled wine. But, to make really great mulled wine, you'll need to pay attention to a few tips. Like how to choose your wine, which spices to use and how to manage your temperature effectively. Choose good-quality wine. While it's tempting to grab a cheap bottle (you'll be adding stuff to it anyway!), stick with a good-quality wine. Your mulled wine can only be as good as what goes into it, after all. Check out the options here. Medium- to full-bodied reds work best. And wines with notes of dark fruit and berries work exceptionally well. Zinfandel is a great option. Keep your temperature low. If you let your wine steam or come to a boil, you'll burn off the alcohol. Use less honey than you would sugar. Honey is slightly sweeter than honey, so use less than you might otherwise use. Strain your spices. You can tuck your spices into a muslin bag, or through a fine-mesh strainer before serving. Adjust your recipe! Mulled wine is flexible and easy to make. Swap brandy for amaretto or bourbon. Swirl in some fresh ginger. While some recipes require precision, this recipe benefits from your creativity and intuition.
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