Hi, Friends of Cocktails! Is it getting cold where you live? Because I could use something to warm me up, and I feel Mulled Wine is the right fit for the job. That’s right, today we’ll be making two Cocktail Time versions of Mulled Wine - red and white, with a few extra things to make both versions a little special - don’t worry, nothing crazy, just a few spices and a little something to elevate the cozy experience for you and your loved ones.
The timing for this blog lined up perfectly also, as November 11th is St. Martin’s Day, celebrating the day when the must traditionally turns to wine. It’s a huge celebration in my hometown, so you know delightful aromas of Mulled Wine and winter spices will start to fill town squares and our hearts soon. So let’s first see how Mulled Wine, or Glühwein, is usually made at street markets and cafés. It’s Cocktail Time.
Classic Mulled Wine
● 360mL (12oz) wine of your choice
● 240mL (8oz) water
● 4 tbsp sugar
● 10 cloves
● Ground cinnamon (to taste)
Pour the ingredients into a pot and slowly bring it up to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Then simply pour into nice old-school cups, garnish with a cinnamon stick and an orange wheel and enjoy it while it’s still hot. This recipe works for both red and white wine, so pick your favorite. The only difference between this recipe and what you’ll get when you order it in the wild, is that they might go for a bigger yield by adding a bit more water, but both will get you nice and warm either way.
But we’re here to elevate your cocktail game so let’s see how to make better Mulled Wine, starting with the red in the loving memory of the red subscribe button that has been changed by YouTube.
Red Cocktail Time Mulled Wine
● 300mL (10oz) red wine
● 90mL (3oz) sweet vermouth
● 180mL (6oz) water
● 75mL (2.5oz) rich demerara syrup
● 2g cardamom
● 1.6g ceylon cinnamon
● 1g allspice
● 6g orange peels
● 10 drops saline solution
In a mortar and pestle lightly crush the spices and place everything in a pot, then it’s the same as with the basic mulled wine recipe - I recommend you don’t skip the saline solution, as it will enhance all of the flavors we added, just like in cooking. So slowly bring it up to a simmer, stirring occasionally to help all the ingredients get along nicely, and once it’s gently simmering pour into your choice of cups (through a fine mesh strainer this time) and garnish it - I went with a star anise and an orange peel.
Then it’s the same as with the basic Mulled Wine recipe - slowly bring it up to a simmer, stirring occasionally to help all the ingredients get along nicely. Once it’s gently simmering it’s time to pour into your choice of cups, through a fine mesh strainer this time, and garnish it - I’m going with a star anise and an orange peel. You should enjoy it while it’s still hot, but I’ll quickly whip up the white wine version before doing that.
White Cocktail Time Mulled Wine
● 300mL (10oz) white wine
● 105mL (3.5oz) falernum
● 180mL (6oz) water
● 45mL (1.5oz) honey syrup
● 0.8g cloves
● 2.5g cassia cinnamon
● 4.5g lemon peels
● 4 dashes lemon bitters
● 10 drops saline solution
This follows the same procedure as with the previous one - slowly bring it to a simmer, once that happens strain it into the preferred mugs. Garnish with a lemon peel that’s been spiked with cloves - beautiful! If you make these your house will fill up with the amazing smells of wine, spices, citrus… it's almost festive. Let’s dive in.
The tasting notes for the red begin with a rich aroma with star anise in the front, but when you take a sip it’s the sweet vermouth that gives it the extra layer. Cardamom and the allspice also add enough to make it clear this isn’t your typical Glühwein, and neither is the white one. Ginger spiciness, together with honey, are what’s in the forefront, taking this mulled wine into another wintery experience, even with cloves and cinnamon being a staple. Finally the lemon just gives it a nice fresh boost.
If you try these recipes with your own twist, make sure to tag me on instagram, but before I finish I need to do something else. The newest person to join the list of our active top-tier Patrons is Matthew Jones, so welcome to the set of Cocktail Time, Matthew! Thank you to all of you who support us in making these creations, and I’ll see you next week for a little celebration, until then keep warm with these recipes. Cheers!
To make it easier for you to try these recipes you can grab the bottles I used from CURIADA here: https://bit.ly/cocktailtimecollection
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