Just going down the traditional ‘make do and mend’ sort of path here. Why not use left over wine to make a winter warmer?
Do you have red wine left over after Christmas? Don’t really know what to do with it?
Make mulled wine!
I made mulled wine for the first time ever this Christmas, and it went down really well! It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Christmas treat, make it a all-round winter treat.
If you’re curious about making it, or want to take the plunge and make it yourself, here’s a handy recipe.
I Googled this for hours, trying to find the best recipe without limes or lemons (I have an allergy). In the end, I mixed a few recipes together and ended up with something delicious of my own.
(Serves 7 people, 30 minuets to make.)
So, you will need:
- 1 Bottle of Chianti wine. (Any red wine is good though!)
- 1 Large orange.
- 2 Star anise.
- A few cloves.
- 2 Bay leaves.
- 1 Cinnamon stick.
- 3-4 Pinches of ground nutmeg.
- Caster sugar.
- 1 Really fancy bottle. (Only if you’re gifting it.)
Method:
- First of all, chop the orange into slices, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Then add them to the cool pan, off the heat.
- Then add your star anise, ground nutmeg, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon stick to the pan.
- Add your wine immediately and add to heat. Do not allow your wine to boil.
- After about 2 minuets of stirring, add your caster sugar. I added my sugar to taste, so add as much, or as little as you like. Standard recommendation seems to be 100g.
- Keep stirring until all sugar has dissolved into the mixture.
- Let it simmer for about 5 minuets and stand for 10.
- Heat again for a couple of minuets.
- If you’re not gifting it, now is the perfect time to let it cool slightly, and drink it. (yay!) Don’t forget, you can still eat the oranges, and its delicious!
- If you are gifting your wine, let the mixture fully cool. (Even then take the oranges out and eat them, honestly, it’s so nice!)
- Once cool, take the oranges, cinnamon stick and star anise out.
- Use a strainer to pour the wine into a large jug with a spout, to get rid of any lumpy bits or sharp cloves.
- Pour the wine into your bottle and leave the cap off for a while (preferably overnight. You don’t want your bottle exploding!)
- Jazz up your bottle and gift away!
I really enjoyed making it, and enjoyed drinking it even more. If you use this recipe, let me know how you got on.
Next year – Vodka!
Thank you for reading my second blog post! I’ll be posting vintage glamour very soon, along with the other categories on my blog. I just thought now would be the perfect time for a winter warmer pick me up.
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