LAUREN’S VIN CHAUD
The epitome of what you want in winter – either snuggled up with some twinkling lights and a roaring fire or walking around a Christmas market in the bitter cold – you need something to warm you up inside and out! Warning, may induce a fabulous fake French accent.
- Servings: 4
- Suggested glassware: A mug you can wrap both hands around
- Specialty tools needed:
- A saucepan
- Zester/peeler
- Strainer
- Technically, you can measure the ingredients if you want to, but I go with a gut feeling.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 bottle Beaujolais (or other young, fruity *cough, cheap, cough* red wine)
- 1 blood orange
- ¼ cup sugar
- Cloves (I suggest 6-8 as I love cloves)
- Cinnamon sticks (4-ish) or ½ tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 star anise (easily omitted for those that think black licorice is disgusting)
- Cardamom pods (3-4, lightly smashed)
- A dusting of nutmeg
- 1/2 cup cognac or Cointreau
DIRECTIONS
- Pour a small taster of the wine into a glass to sip on while the rest of it comes together.
- Combine remaining wine, spices and sugar in the saucepan and stir together.
- Peel the blood orange over the pan to collect all the citrus oils that spray off and drop the peels into the pan. Juice the blood orange and set it aside.
- Heat until the wine begins to steam a little and the sugar is dissolved – don’t let it boil, though! It’ll just be grape juice then.
- Remove from heat and cover. Let steep for 5 – 30 minutes, depending on how strong the spice flavor you enjoy is and how quickly you drank your taster. May need to re-warm slightly if you steep the full 30 minutes.
- Add the blood orange juice and cognac to the wine mixture.
- Strain into mugs – santé!
Notes: Also known as mulled wine, glögg, glühwein, spiced wine and hot wine. Who names something hot wine? Terrible branding there. Regardless, it’ll sneak up on you. If you suddenly have a beret on and accordion music seems like a good idea, have a glass of water before the next mug.