It is this time of the year again. The days are getting darker and shorter and the temperature is dropping. But hey, there is an upside to this dingy and chilly weather. It is finally cosy time again. At least that’s what I call this time of year.

I normally do not travel abroad during November and December as I like spending the festive season with friends and family. But there is no reason we cannot get into a good mood during the cold days and enjoy them to the fullest at home.

I love watching the outside when I am tucked under my warm blanket inside my flat while it is raining or hopefully snowing. There is nothing better for me than to make myself comfortable at home with a good book or movie.

But hold on, there is one thing missing actually and that is a nice hot drink. As I am German, that drink would have to be of course mulled wine during the winter season 🙂

In Germany, ready-made mulled wine can be found almost everywhere and at a reasonable price. However, this is not the case in the UK necessarily. They are available, but at an extortionate price in my opinion. Therefore, I decided to make my own mulled wine. This recipe is so easy and can be adjusted to anyone’s liking and any red wine will do.

Ingredients:

• 1 Bottle of Red Wine 750 ml
• 3 – 4 Tbs Sugar
• 1 Orange, half squeezed and the other half sliced
• 1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon or 3 Cinnamon Sticks
• 1/4 Tsp Ginger
• 20 Cloves
• Splash of Water (optional)

Preparation:

1. Empty the red wine into a sauce pan and heat up gently. Do not let the wine boil as you will otherwise cook out the alcohol and we do not want that to happen!

2. Start adding 3 tbs of sugar and have a little taste. If it is still too bitter for you add the last tbs of sugar as well. I opt for brown sugar, but if you have only white sugar available this will do as well. Stir well until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Now add the orange juice, orange slices and spices. Infuse for 10 min on a gentle heat. Again, watch the wine to make sure it does not start to boil.

4. Have a little taste again. If you like the wine to be even more fragrant, simply add a few more of the spices to your liking. You can experiment as well by adding other spices such as star anise or cardamom if you like. If the red wine still seems very alcoholic and a bit strong, add a splash of water. This will slightly dilute the drink.

And now, finally the time has come to enjoy this amazing and warming drink!