Another Late Holiday Treat

I meant to share this recipes before Christmas but obviously never got around to it. Every year since we have lived in our current house we have a pre-Christmas 'Glühwein Party'. Having grown up in Germany, mulled wine has always been an essential part of the holiday season for me, especially to warm you up during the run up to Christmas. It's still nice to have now though, in particular when you have been out for a long walk at the weekend, coming in and craving something to really warm you up.

We invite all our friends round and I make a large pot full of wonderfully hot, spiced wine. We also get the BBQ out to grill German sausages and simply serve them in a bread bun, like you get on the German Christmas markets that are happening all over the UK now.

The recipe makes a large amount, but you can easily scale it down and make a small portion. You could also try adding some cranberries and maybe a couple of star anise. You can't beat the smell that your house becomes filled with.



Glühwein/Mulled Wine

2-3 oranges, quartered
8 cloves
3 litres of red wine ( I usually use a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot)
1 litre of orange juice
1/3 litre dark rum
1 apple, cored and sliced
2-3 cinnamon sticks
brown sugar, to taste

more rum, amaretto or cointreau to serve

Stud the orange quarters with the cloves, that will stop the cloves from floating around in the drink and ending up in somebody's cup.

Place all ingredients into a large slow cooker. You can also use a large heavy based pan, but I prefer the slow cooker as it allows for all the flavours to really mix and develop.

Set the slow cooker to medium or high and check after a couple of hours, you don't want the contents to boil as it would make the alcohol evaporate. Once the contents are properly heated, reduce the setting to low to keep the wine warm for as long as needed.

If you use a large pan just try and heat the wine as slowly as possible and avoid it boiling.

Add sugar to your liking, stirring until it's dissolved.

Serve in mugs with an extra shot of rum, amaretto or cointreau.