Recipe: Mulled Red Wine

Few things say Christmas more clearly than a mug of mulled wine and a warm mince pie. There are thousands of variations, so it's a great excuse to experiment with plenty of samples required to find that perfect recipe.

There is no need to use expensive wine, but spending a little more than the lowest price will provide a nicer flavour. My favourite is Rioja which works well with orange (it's all to do with terroir). The rich flavour and fruitiness of South American wines also work well.

If you have a cupboard of spices, go ahead and make your own spice mix. If not, there are many ready-made mixes on the market. Just avoid the ones bulked out with sugar. They are usually overly sweet.

The orange juice. It takes a little longer, but freshly squeezed orange juice is much nicer and less sugary than juice from cartons. Taste as you add the orange juice to get the balance you like.

Finally, a little bit of spirit. This is not essential but adds a final flourish. Fruit liqueurs such as Cointreau, Peach Schnapps will add a fruity punch, while gin will add body and the fragrance of juniper. And a wee bit of port is always welcome.

Most mulled wine recipes call for simmering the wines and spices together for about 20 minutes. The problem with that is all the alcohol evaporates! Mrs Foodie has assured me that there must be a law somewhere forbidding such wanton waste. So instead this recipe creates a spice syrup which is then used to flavour the wine.

Ingredients

For the syrup

• 200ml water
• Zest of one orange.
• 2 tablespoons of brown muscavado sugar or honey.
• 1-2 star anise.
• 6 cloves.
• 1 cinnamon stick.
• 1 crushed green cardamom pod.
• 1 blade of mace or half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

For the Mulled Wine

• 1 bottle of red wine (750ml)
• 500 ml of freshly squeezed orange juice.
• 50ml of spirit (2 shots)
• Fruit to garnish - slices of orange, apple, berries and plumped raisins are all good choices. Strips of orange skin look pretty and a sprig to thyme adds an additional layer of flavour.

Method

First, make the syrup

Roughly crush the spices, no need to grind them.

Put the water, spices, orange zest and sugar into a pan.

Put a lid on the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Then Mull the Wine

Put the syrup, wine, orange juice and any spirit you are using in a large enough pot.

Warm gently - do not boil!

Pour, garnish and enjoy.