mulled wine

Where were the mince pies?  In our neck of the woods at this time of year, it's mulled wine and mince pies everywhere you go!

I'm not a fan of mince pies, so I'm happy with just the wine!

This is the recipe I'm going to try tonight, except Im using a glug of port (thanks Vicky!) instead of cognac/brandy.  I'll report back later when I'm drunk how it turned out!!! 

Simmer the following ingredients for 20 min. It’s better if you steep in the refrigerator overnight, but if you prefer, strain & drink right away. Serve warm.

    * 1 bottle of fruity red wine (Spanish wine is a good choice)
    * 1 cup sugar
    * 2 cinnamon sticks
    * 3 whole cloves
    * 1 tsp grated nutmeg
    * 1/2 tsp toasted whole black peppercorns
    * 1/2 tsp whole allspice
    * 1/2 vanilla bean
    * 1 star anise
    * 1 sliced orange
    * 1 sliced lemon
    * 1 cup cognac or brandy

Can't wait for the report, Jenn! It sounds so delicious! I had a cup of mulled wine at a holiday market today -- it was good, but nothing like homemade.

I can report now that its fabulously delicious!  I also did more reading online and found this http://www.thewineman.com/mulled_ns.htm  good mulled reading there!

YUM

(I plan on waking up with a headache tomorrow)

yummmm... love mulled wine!

they have a stall at covent garden now seeling mince pies and mulled wine.

MMMMM.

I made some cheating mulled wine this afternoon! Our little village shop was selling sachets of mulling spices, so I bought one. It wasn't too bad!! Of course, I didn't have a rioja or anything like that and just used what I happened to have -- which was merlot. Ick. Way too heavy for mulled wine. I still drank it (naturally), but it could have been better.

After a conversation with my wine connoisseur friend, he said to never ever use port wine!  Its always brandy or cognac.  Which is exactly what the Christmas Market in Bath was serving.  So today I made it again using the same recipe I posted earlier here with a nice Brandy we got today.

Its currently simmering and I cant wait to have a nice big cup!  YUM!

Happy Holidays!! 

After a conversation with my wine connoisseur friend, he said to never ever use port wine!  Its always brandy or cognac.  Which is exactly what the Christmas Market in Bath was serving.  So today I made it again using the same recipe I posted earlier here with a nice Brandy we got today.

I made it last night with a swig of brandy in it! It was sooooo good!

I don't think I've ever had good mulled wine.  I think when we were in Edinburgh over New Years -- we had some at a little fair there (I seem to remember there being ice-skating & little stalls like a German market sort of thing).  It was simply awful & I made Steve finish mine.

We just finished the batch I made!  It was so different with the Brandy, much better IMO.  Try this recipe and see if you might like it.  It was mucho tasty! 

(I now have a wine buzz, can you tell??!!) 

After a conversation with my wine connoisseur friend, he said to never ever use port wine!  Its always brandy or cognac.  Which is exactly what the Christmas Market in Bath was serving.  So today I made it again using the same recipe I posted earlier here with a nice Brandy we got today.

I suppose it is a question of taste.  I don't like brandy much, but it does taste great with port, I promise.

Vicky

I read a good review in a wine column in a magazine about Marks & Spencer's pre-bottled white mulled wine... I bought some today, and will let you know when i've tried it.

Oh, yum!!  Definitely let us know.  I can personally vouch for Tesco's (red) mulled wine - £2.99/bottle & it tastes divine, honestly!  I love lots of spice, so I added a bit more cloves & cinnamon, but it really is delicious & just fine on its own.  Can't beat the price, anyway.