Honey Mulled Wine

If you’ve been paying attention (or have ever come within 25 feet of me), you’ll know that I really like red wine. I like it in my jam, I like in my meat, and I especially like it in my birthday cake. Red wine goes with everything, and for most of my life, I very naively thought that nothing could make it better.

WELL. As it turns out, heating it up with a touch of honey, an orange and some spices makes it a warming cup of comfort. People have known this forever — mulled wine has been around since the first century, and variations are popular across Europe. Some versions add brandy or port, and most rely on a combination of cinnamon, cloves and citrus to impart that “mulled” taste. (Star anise is also pretty common, and while they look very pretty, I hate licorice and anything that tastes like it with a fiery passion. If you don’t, feel free to drop a few in your wine!)

Whether you have a cozy fire going or not, I hope you have a cup of mulled wine to warm you up this Christmas. Happy holidays!

Honey Mulled Wine
Adapted from Simply Recipes

– 15-20 whole cloves

– 1 small orange or tangerine

– 1 750 ml bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (or another red wine that you enjoy drinking)

– 1/4 cup honey

– 15 black peppercorns

– 3 cinnamon sticks for the wine + additional for serving

– 5 whole cardamom pods

1) Push the clove pieces into the orange so that they pierce through the skin.

2) In a 2-quart saucepan, stir in the orange, wine, water, honey, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and cardamom pods. Heat until steamy and lightly simmering, 10-15 minutes.

3) Strain into glass mugs. Serve with a piece of cinnamon stick.