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Cooking + Entertaining

Mulled wine – the original recipe for a hot and aromatic drink

Mulled wine – the original recipe for a hot and aromatic drink

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He burnt wineAlso known as Hot wine oh hot wineit’s a alcoholic drink aromatic and fragrant typical of the winter period, prepared especially on the occasion of holiday seasonwhen sold in Christmas markets in northern Italy and central European countries.

The original recipe it’s simple to reproduce at home with just a few ingredients: you will need them full-bodied red wine, sugar, citrus fruitsespecially orange and lemon peels, e spices like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Choose a good quality, slightly fruity wine such as Cabernet, Merlot or Sangiovese, opt for organic and untreated fruit, which will release all its aroma when cooked, and bring a large steel pot in which to cook wine: mulled wine made “burnt wine” just in reference to the method of preparation. At the end of cooking, the drink will have absorbed all the flavor and aroma of spices and citrus fruits, balanced by the presence of sugar.

Mulled wine is strictly appreciated hot during the winter evenings, in order to exploit its power stock anti-coldbut its advantages do not stop there: it has in fact disinfectant properties e antibacterial making it an excellent cold and flu remedy. Thanks to the prolonged boiling, it also has a low alcohol contentabout 9% Vol., so it is ideal to enjoy as digestive at the end of a meal, but also how aperitif invigorating.

So here is our simple recipe to prepare this drink with an intense and enveloping taste, perfect to accompany chocolate desserts, dry pastries – ideal wine biscuits or those with butter – but also to pair with apple strudel or, in autumn, castagnaccio or roasted chestnuts. If you’re looking for other winter cocktail ideas to serve your guests, don’t miss the bombardino, or whip up a creamy chocolate liqueur or aromatic licorice liqueur.

How to make mulled wine

Start preparing the mulled wine by cutting the orange and lemon zest 1 taking care not to include the white part, which would give the drink a bitter taste. Also prepare all the spices you will need to flavor the wine, such as cinnamon, cloves, star anise and nutmeg.

Pour the sugar into a steel pot, add the citrus zest, the spices and finally the red wine 2.

Bring to the boil, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar is completely dissolved, then lower the heat and cook for about 15 minutes. 3.

Filter everything with a strainer, so as to obtain only the liquid part, and pour it into cups or heat-resistant glasses, preferably glass 4.

Serve the mulled wine, garnishing it with cinnamon sticks and citrus slices 5.

Tips

You can also add cardamom and ginger as spices, and to bring out the citrus flavor, use orange and lemon slices instead of just the zest. If you wish, you can add an apple: wash it, cut it into thin slices leaving the skin on and put it in the pan with the other ingredients.

To sweeten the drink, you can use white and brown sugar or even, if you prefer, honey or other sweeteners. The secret in this case is not to exaggerate the quantities: mulled wine that is too sweet tastes disgusting.

With the cooking times indicated, you will have an aromatic mulled wine with a low alcohol content, but if you want to obtain an even more intense flavor, while reducing the alcohol content at the same time, extend the cooking times up to 30 minutes.

storage

You can store mulled wine in the fridge for Three days. Before serving, heat it over low heat to prevent it from burning.

Origins of mulled wine

Mulled wine has very ancient origins and a history that has its roots in ancient Rome: the recipe was then passed down over the centuries with small variations, but leaving as basic ingredients red wine and spices, plus citrus fruits. It also seems that the brothers of certain brotherhoods, expert connoisseurs of spices, liked to make this aromatic alcoholic preparation and others to use them as natural medicines against colds, by virtue of the antiviral action exerted by the tannins present. in wine.

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