Mulled wine is a hot alcoholic drink, traditionally made from red wine with fruits and spices. It has received maximum distribution in European countries. Nowadays it’s hard to imagine an outdoor Christmas market without this drink. Mulled wine is like a symbol of the holiday, another decoration for happy days. Just as bright, rich and interesting.
It is less popular in Russia, but almost every restaurant and cafe includes this drink on the menu during the cold season. Making mulled wine is not difficult, so it is prepared at home for various holidays. Or just to sit on a long winter evening with a glass of aromatic drink.
The history of mulled wine
Ingredients for mulled wine
This drink has a truly rich past. Mulled wine was invented back in Ancient Rome. Then, to enhance its aromatic properties, they began to add various spices to the wine, but did not heat it. Naturally, that drink was strikingly different from the one we were used to. But a start had been made.
Hot mulled wine began to be prepared in Scandinavia and Northern Europe in the 16th century. It was invented to keep people warm in cold weather. At that time, the recipe was simple: red wine, usually Bordeaux, was heated to 70 degrees and flavored with the only commonly available plant - galangal. We used its root, which resembles ginger in appearance and taste, only spicier and with citrus notes.
At the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th centuries. Mulled wine began to take on its usual appearance: various spices, sugar, honey and even nuts began to be put into it. But for a long time it remained the privilege of the nobility due to the high cost of seasonings.
Despite the fact that the drink in its usual form simultaneously appeared in many countries, Germany was recognized as its homeland. It was in her chronicles that the first records were found about a warming cocktail of wine and spices. Mulled wine is translated from German as “hot wine.”
Composition of mulled wine
What is mulled wine made from?
There are many ways to prepare the drink. It is made alcoholic, non-alcoholic, sugary, sour, fruity, berry and others. You could probably make mulled wine for a year and never have it happen again.
Nevertheless, there is a basic set of products from which it is composed:
- for an alcoholic drink, dry red or white wine is used as a basis;
- to raise the temperature, add port wine, liqueur, rum and cognac;
- to make it less strong, add water;
- the non-alcoholic version is prepared from grape, apple or cherry juice, fruit drink;
- add spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, bay leaf, nutmeg, star anise;
- Apples and pears are used as fruits;
- use any berries;
- from citrus fruits, put lemons, oranges and tangerines along with the peel;
- to sweeten, add sugar or honey;
- sometimes coffee, tea, dried fruits and nuts are used.
The above ingredients can be combined in any way you like. The main thing is not to overdo it. Still, the main notes of mulled wine should remain wine and the light aroma of seasonings.
Secrets of making mulled wine
Making mulled wine
In order to get a flavorful drink, and not a banal compote, you need to adhere to certain rules when cooking. Otherwise, instead of the pleasure of tasting aromatic wine, there will be disappointment from wasted time and effort.
Nuances:
- use whole spices so that the drink is not cloudy;
- mulled wine is boiled at a temperature no higher than 70-80 degrees, without bringing to a boil, so that it does not lose the percentage of alcohol and most of the aroma;
- they take high-quality dry wine as a basis, but inexpensive, because there is no point in it, and moreover, brewing a noble drink is considered bad form;
- so that all the aromas are revealed, the mulled wine is allowed to brew, preferably for about half an hour;
- a heated drink loses most of its qualities, so it is prepared for one time, with the expectation of having time to drink it hot;
- Be sure to add cloves and cinnamon, because they are the main spices that determine the taste and aroma.
Drink with orange and apple
Ingredients:
- Dry red wine – 2 liters
- Water – 300 gr.
- Cinnamon – 2 straws
- Orange – 1 pc.
- Apple – 1 pc.
- Mandarin – 1 pc.
- Honey/granulated sugar – 1 teaspoon
Cooking method:
1. We washed our fruits thoroughly. We start cutting into rings. We clean the tangerine and divide it into slices.
2. Pour 2 glasses of water into the pan, add spices. We immerse all the fruits except the tangerine. Bring to a boil, wait another minute.
Why we boiled water with fruit was precisely because wine cannot be brought to a boil, and if you do not boil, the fruit will not convey all its richness.
3. Open the wine and pour in our fruit. Heat to 70-80 degrees. We put in tangerines. We take a temperature sample. Place 1 teaspoon of honey in a glass and pour over the gluwein.
We immediately begin taking samples.
I hope that my recipes were useful to you. See you again!
Author of the publication
offline 8 months
What and with what to serve mulled wine
Dessert for mulled wine
Hot wine drink, due to the fact that it is prepared at holidays, fairs, and at home, is unpretentious in terms of serving. In the fresh air, it is poured into tin and plastic glasses, thermal mugs and thermoses. In cafes, it is usually served in special glasses made of thick glass so that it cools more slowly. Decorate with a cinnamon stick or orange slice. At home, it is also better to take thick-walled dishes, which will retain the heat and aroma of the drink longer.
Various desserts are most often offered as a snack for mulled wine: cookies, charlotte, gingerbread, cake. Although, for example, in Germany the drink is traditionally served with sausages or grilled pork ribs. The result is an excellent combination of juicy meat and aromatic wine. Cheese slices, sandwiches and canapés will look good on the table. Or various fruits: apples, pears, grapes.
French mulled wine
You will need:
- a bottle of red wine,
- half a lemon,
- 150 grams of sugar,
- 150 ml cognac.
How to make French mulled wine at home.
Heat the wine in a saucepan, add sugar. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and mix with wine. Throw lemon peel into the pan and simmer in mulled wine. At the end of cooking, pour in cognac and turn off the heat. Let the mulled wine brew for 5 minutes, then pour into cups.
Classic mulled wine
Classic mulled wine
This version of the drink is considered the main one and one of the easiest to prepare. It does not require any refined ingredients, a standard set of spices is enough. If you have no experience in brewing mulled wine, then it is recommended to start with it.
Ingredients:
- dry red wine – 1 bottle;
- port wine – 50 ml;
- cinnamon – 2 sticks;
- zest of one orange;
- water – 150 ml;
- cloves - half a teaspoon;
- honey – 2 tbsp. l.;
- black allspice peas - half a tsp.
Place cinnamon, cloves and pepper in a saucepan and add water. Place on the fire, bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes to release the aroma of the spices. Reduce heat slightly, add orange zest and honey. After it has completely dissolved, pour in the port wine and cook for another 5 minutes. Next, pour in the main ingredient - wine and bring it to a temperature of 70 - 80 degrees. Warm up for a few minutes, remove from heat and leave for about half an hour with the lid closed. You can wrap the pan with a towel to keep the drink from getting cold.
Classic recipe for mulled red semi-sweet wine
Ingredients:
- Semi-sweet red wine – 150 ml.
- Cinnamon – 1 stick
- Cardamom – 1 pc.
- Carnation inflorescences – 3 pcs.
- Allspice –
- Buckwheat honey – ½ teaspoon
- Orange zest
Cooking method:
1. Place the saucepan over medium heat, pour the wine, and immediately add the spices. The main rule is that the liquid should not boil. When the first bubbles appear, you can understand that the drink has reached 70 degrees.
2. Turn off the stove, add honey, stir well.
3. Cut off the orange zest and throw it into the pan. Cover with a lid and let steep for 10 minutes.
4. Strain the wine into an Irish glass, if available.
If you wish, you can add a star anise and let's start tasting.
Classic mulled wine without water
This option is even simpler than the previous one. Its main difference is the absence of water in the recipe. And all the ingredients are added at the same time, which allows you to brew a flavorful drink in minutes. At the same time, it is wrong to think that it will turn out worse due to the ease of preparation. No, it is also rich and tasty, but different.
Ingredients:
- dry red wine – 1 bottle;
- orange - half;
- lemon - a few slices;
- sugar – 3 tbsp. l.;
- cinnamon – 3 sticks;
- clove – 5 stars.
Place all the ingredients of the recipe in a saucepan, add wine and set to cook. Stirring, bring to 70 - 80 degrees, warm up a little, controlling the temperature, and remove from the stove. Wrap it in a towel and let it brew for 20 – 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can leave the pan on a warm burner to prevent it from cooling down, and cover the top with a tight lid.
Low alcoholic drink
Ingredients:
- Red wine – 1 bottle
- Orange – 1 pc.
- Nutmeg – 1 pinch
- Cinnamon – 1 stick
- Cloves – 6 pcs.
- Ginger (ground) – 1 teaspoon
- Star anise – 3 stars
- Water – 100 ml.
- Granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon
Cooking method:
1. Place the spices in a saucepan, add water, bring to a boil and stir a little.
2. Leave the spices aside and let sit for 10 minutes. Add granulated sugar and wine, heat over high heat to 70 degrees.
3. Then switch the stove to medium heat and begin to bring to a boil, this is necessary so that the alcohol begins to evaporate and due to this our hot wine becomes less alcoholic.
4. Rinse the orange under running water and add it. Then strain the drink through a sieve.
Serve in a beautiful glass, take a blanket and sit down to watch a comedy.
Christmas mulled wine
Christmas mulled wine
A rich drink with black tea is perfect for a festive feast. It is low-alcohol, even by the standards of mulled wine, so you can drink it for a long time and a lot without harm to your health. It will be appreciated by true gourmets who are tired of the classic options.
Ingredients:
- dry red wine - 1 bottle;
- black tea without flavoring - 3 bags;
- sugar - 6 tsp;
- orange - 2 pieces;
- lemon - 2 pieces;
- cloves - 1 tsp;
- cinnamon - 4 sticks.
Pour wine into the pan, add spices and citrus peels. Place on the fire, bring to a temperature of 80 degrees and boil for a couple of minutes. At this time, squeeze the juice from the fruits of lemons and oranges or chop them into small pieces and add to the wine. Add sugar and wait for it to dissolve completely. Meanwhile, brew strong tea and pour into the pan. We wait 20 - 30 minutes for the drink to brew and serve.
How to make white mulled wine from white wine, with what spices?
You will need :
- Wine – 1 bottle (any white 750 ml is required)
- Apple – 1 pc.
- Orange - half a citrus
- Cinnamon – 1-2 sticks or 1-1.5 tsp.
- Ginger – 1 tsp. (grated fresh root)
- Star anise – 1 star
- Nutmeg – ¼ tsp.
- Bay leaf – 1 pc. (small)
- Sugar - a few tbsp. (depend on taste)
- Natural honey – 3 tbsp.
Preparation:
- Pour the wine into a thick-bottomed bowl and place on low heat.
- Gradually add spices to warm wine: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and star anise.
- Cut the apple and orange into slices and serve at the moment when the wine is “close” to boiling.
- Once again, bring the wine to this state (when it begins to “steam”).
- Dissolve sugar and honey, dip a bay leaf and cover with a lid, turn off the heat.
- After 10 minutes of infusion, squeeze the mulled wine from the fruit part and can be consumed.
White drink
Summer camping mulled wine
Summer camping mulled wine
Delicious wine with spices, cooked in a cauldron over a fire, is an excellent addition to outdoor recreation. You can add freshly picked berries and herbs to the drink. In addition, mulled wine goes well with barbecue or fried fish.
Ingredients:
- dry wine in cardboard packaging – 1 liter;
- set of spices for mulled wine – 1 pack;
- sugar – 6 cubes;
- lemon - half;
- fresh berries - a couple of handfuls;
- raspberry leaves, lingonberries - optional.
We light a fire in advance, but not too big, in order to control the heating of the drink. Pour wine into the pot, add spices and sugar and heat, without bringing to a boil, until the sugar dissolves. Next, add the chopped lemon and berries, cook for a few more minutes, at approximately 80 degrees (small bubbles should appear on the walls and steam should begin to form). Remove the pot from the heat, add the washed leaves and leave the mulled wine to steep near the fire to keep warm for 20 minutes.
Coffee mulled wine
You will need:
- a bottle of red wine,
- large cup of black coffee,
- 150 grams of sugar and 100 grams of cognac.
How to make mulled coffee at home.
Heat up the wine. While the wine is brewing, make coffee in a Turk. When the wine is hot, add coffee and sugar and simmer for a couple more minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. At the end of cooking, add cognac and pour mulled wine into cups.
Non-alcoholic mulled wine in a slow cooker
Non-alcoholic mulled wine in a slow cooker
The drink prepared in this miracle of technology is especially rich. The slow cooker prevents the essential oils contained in spices and citrus fruits from evaporating. At the same time, thanks to thermoregulation, the drink is prepared at a clearly defined temperature and does not cool down as long as required. Therefore, even a non-alcoholic version of mulled wine, allowed for children, motorists and those who do not want to drink alcohol, will be delicious.
Ingredients:
- cherry juice – 0.5 l.;
- tangerine - half;
- apple - half;
- lemon - a couple of slices;
- cloves – 4 stars;
- cinnamon – 3 sticks;
- sugar – 2 tbsp.
Pour juice into a bowl, add peeled and chopped citrus fruits and fruits. Add some tangerine zest, sugar and spices. Mix everything thoroughly and cook in the “steamer” mode until it reaches 75 degrees. Next, turn it off and, without opening the lid, leave for about half an hour. The delicious non-alcoholic drink is ready.
Tags:
Share on social networks:
You might be interested in reading:
- How to properly and tasty bake pork belly. How to choose pork belly for baking. The best recipes for baking pork belly in the oven: with potatoes; in honey marinade; with garlic; in onion peel marinade; pork belly baked in a sleeve
How to quickly and deliciously cook minced meat casserole in the oven. Recipes for minced meat casseroles with photos, descriptions and videos: with potatoes and tomatoes; with zucchini; from pasta; with mushrooms and rice; mashed potatoes with cheese
How to properly prepare cottage cheese Easter. Recipes for making delicious curd Easter with step-by-step instructions and photos: classic cheese curd paste; cottage cheese Easter with chocolate; baked cottage cheese Easter
How to quickly and tasty prepare mushroom soup from champignons. How to choose good mushrooms. Recipes for champignon soups with photos and videos: champignon cream soup; mushroom soup with meatballs and potatoes