Mulled wine & winter drinks: 3 recipes for cold evenings

When it gets dark early outside, there is hardly anything better than a hot mug in your hand. Mulled wine from the Christmas market is lovely, but homemade it often tastes even better, because you can adjust the sweetness and spices exactly to your liking. Here are three recipes for cosy evenings, one of them completely alcohol-free.

First things first: do not boil!

The golden rule for all hot drinks with wine or spirits: heat yes, boil no. From around 78 °C the alcohol evaporates and the spices turn bitter. Let everything infuse over a low heat. If it steams but does not bubble, the temperature is right.

1. Classic mulled wine

Ingredients (approx. 4 mugs)

• 1 bottle (0.75 l) of dry, fruity red wine, for example Dornfelder or Merlot
• 1 unwaxed orange
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 2 star anise
• 3 to 4 tbsp sugar or honey, to taste
• optional: 4 cl rum or amaretto for an extra kick

Method

1. Wash the orange in hot water, slice one half and squeeze the other half.
2. Put the wine, orange juice, orange slices, spices and sugar in a pan.
3. Let it infuse over a low heat for about 20 minutes, without boiling.
4. Taste, remove the spices and serve hot, with a dash of rum if you like.

Tip: put the spices in a tea bag or tea infuser. Then you will not have to fish anything out later.

2. Hot apple punch with rum

The fruity alternative for anyone who does not like red wine.

Ingredients (approx. 5 mugs)

• 1 l cloudy apple juice
• 250 ml strong black tea
• 1 cinnamon stick and 3 cloves
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 to 2 tbsp honey
• 2 to 4 cl dark rum per mug
• apple slices to garnish

Method

1. Slowly heat the apple juice, tea, spices, lemon juice and honey and let it infuse for 15 minutes.
2. Add the rum directly to the mug, so everyone can decide how much they want.
3. Garnish with a slice of apple.

3. Alcohol-free winter punch

For children, drivers and anyone who simply fancies something warm.

Ingredients (approx. 5 mugs)

• 500 ml fruit tea, for example rosehip or hibiscus
• 500 ml red grape juice
• 250 ml orange juice
• 1 cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 1 star anise
• 1 unwaxed orange, sliced
• honey to taste

Method

Put everything in a pan, heat slowly and let it infuse for about 15 minutes. Sweeten with honey to taste and serve hot. By the way, this one can come to the boil briefly, as there is no alcohol to evaporate.

The right mug

Hot drinks belong in a glass or mug with a handle, so you do not burn your fingers. Thick walls keep the heat in for longer, and red mulled wine simply looks best in glass. Our favourites:

• The Mohaba mulled wine glass with handle (0.2 l), also available as a set of 6
• The Schloss Veldenz mulled wine mugs in a set of 6
• The large Disaronno mug (0.37 l) for anyone for whom one mug is never enough

You will find an even bigger selection among our mugs.

Enjoy responsibly, and whoever is driving sticks to the alcohol-free punch.