Warm Up With Mulled Wine
As you may know, Evening Land's own AJ McCafferty is personally very into making things. He recently made Doug Fir vinegar out of clippings from the trees at Seven Springs. He pickles things often, cooks and bakes very well, and like many others, has attempted to master the art of Sourdough this year. His latest feat was cooking up a delicious Mulled Wine, using the remains of several unfinished bottles of red wine. He has shared his recipe with us to enjoy during the cold winter months of the coziest of seasons.
AJ's Mulled Wine
750mL Red Wine of your choice (For this recipe, I use a collection of the last sips from bottles opened earlier in the week)
- 1 piece of cheesecloth, folded into a 10in x 10in square
- 12 inches kitchen twine
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp cardamom pods crushed gently until fragrant
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- ½ tsp allspice berries
- 2 star anise Pods
- 2 inches finger of ginger, crushed gently
- 3 segments of orange peel
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
Pour wine into a heavy-bottomed pot on low heat.
Lay the cheesecloth flat and place your cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, allspice, and anise pods in the center. Bring the corners of the cheesecloth together and secure closed with kitchen twine.
Once your wine begins to steam, place your spice sachet into the pot along with your ginger, orange peel, and honey. Steep for 5-8 minutes or until the wine has reached your desired flavor. Be sure not to let the wine come to a boil at any time during this process!
Tip: If you do not have cheesecloth, all of these ingredients can be placed directly into the wine and strained out later with a fine mesh strainer.
Once the flavor of your mulled wine is to your liking, remove it from heat and remove your spice sachet, ginger, and orange peel from the wine.
For serving – Pour 6 ounces of warm Mulled Wine into a mug with 1oz of Sweet Vermouth. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, and enjoy!