Mulled wine

"Mulled" simply means heated with spices. You can mull a variety of different drinks, cider, mead and of course, the favourite, wine. In medieval times these drinks were seen as healthy drinks and named after the Greek physician Hippocrates (Hipocris or Ypocras). Given the state of sanitation at the time the heated drinks were most definitely safer that plain water. Later, in the 1500's, recipes involving honey, cinnamon, cardamon, galingale and French wine were popular and were recorded in many cookbooks.

Now there are as many recipes as people willing to experiment on their friends. There are no 'correct' methods although for cold evenings a hot spice, like cinnamon, complements the heat of the wine excellently. It's also a good idea to use fairly cheap but full-bodied wines. Serve in mugs or get ready to buy new wine glasses.

Recipe

300ml (1/2 pint) water
100g (4 oz) sugar (brown)
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bottle red wine (cabernet sauvignon, merlot or similar)
1 orange, sliced thinly
(For a real kick to the recipe try adding 1/4 cup of brandy with the wine)

Method

1. Into the pan place the water, sugar and the spices and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemons. Allow it to stand for about 10 mins.
2. Add the wine and heat again without boiling (if you see white steam that’s the alcohol boiling off - not a good idea!!).
3. Strain into a heated bowl, add the orange slices and serve hot.