Category — sugar

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of red table wine
• 50 ml - 100 ml (1/4 - 1/2 cup) vodka (optional)
• 5-20 cloves
• 1 rounded tsp. cardamom seeds
• 2 to 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 or 2 pieces of ginger
• Zest of half a lemon
• 125 to 250 ml (1/2 to 1 cup) sugar
• 1 rounded tsp. vanilla sugar

Method

1. Crush the cinnamon and cardamom. Peel the lemon. Put all the spices and peel into a glass jar with the vodka.
2. Cover. Leave overnight. Strain the vodka, discard the spices.
3. Mix the spiced vodka with the wine and sugar.
4. Heat all the ingredients in a large saucepan until steaming hot. Do not boil! Stir and taste.
5. If not sweet enough, add more sugar. If too sweet, add more wine.

• 1 bottle Sparkling Wine
• 140ml (1⁄4 pint) Blackcurrant Syrup
• 3 large Oranges
• 9 Cloves
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1⁄2 tsp Ground Mace
• 1⁄2 tsp Ground Ginger
• Vodka or Gin to taste (optional)
• 285ml (1⁄2 pint) Fruit Juice (optional)
• Sugar to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180°C: 350°F: Gas 4.
2. Stick 3 cloves in each orange and place the whole oranges in a deep ovenproof dish, bake for around 20 minutes.
3. Slice the oranges into a bowl.
4. Heat the wine, but do not allow to boil, (adding the fruit juice if using) with the cinnamon, mace and ginger.
5. Add the blackcurrant syrup and the oranges and cloves and continue heating.
6. Sweeten to taste, then add the vodka or gin.
7. Serve immediately.

In Victorian England, children were served small glasses of wine at the dinner table, and had it in punch at their parties. Here is a recipe for Negus - a Victorian mulled wine - intended for a child’s birthday party. It’s from Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management from 1861.

• 1 pint port wine
• 1 quart water
• 1/4 lb sugar
• 1 lemon
• grated nutmeg to taste

• 3 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp powdered clove
• 2 Tbsp whole cloves
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar

In medieval times, mulled wines were calledYpocras or Hipocris, named after the physician Hippocrates. This recipe is from The Accomplisht Cook, written in 1660 by Robert May. The recipe is for Ipocras with Red Wine.

• 1 gallon wine
• 3oz cinnamon
• 2oz ginger, sliced
• 1/4oz cloves
• 1oz mace
• 20 peppercorns
• 1oz nutmeg
• 3lb sugar
• 2qt cream

“Take a gallon of wine, three ounces of cinamon, two ounces of slic’t ginger, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, an ounce of mace, twenty corns of pepper, an ounce of nutmegs, three pound of sugar, and two quarts of cream.”

In essence, mix all ingredients and heat slowly in a large pot. Serve warm. You can also let it ’settle’ for a few days and serve it cool, depending on which way tastes better to you!

• 2 x 75 cl bottles medium to full-bodied red wine
• 1 orange stuck with cloves
• 2 oranges, sliced
• 2 lemons, sliced
• 6 level tablespoons granulated sugar or honey
• 2 inch (5 cm) piece cinnamon stick
• 2 level teaspoons finely grated fresh root ginger or ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons fruit liqueur such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier or cherry brandy (optional)

• 1/2c water
• 1/2c sugar
• 2 Tbsp rosemary
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 lemons
• 2 bottles riesling white wine

Simmer (but not boil) the water, sugar, rosemary, and honey for 10 minutes. Add in the wine. Peel the lemons and add in the peels. Let sit for a length of time to seep in the flavors, without boiling. Strain out the larger bits and serve warm.

• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 orange
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 5 cracked cardamon pods
• 3 cups water
• 1 bottle red wine

Peel the orange. Put the peel and all other ingredients but the wine into a stainless steel pot, and warm gently for 10 minutes. Do not boil. Add in the wine and let sit for a while to steep the flavors in. Strain out the larger objects and serve warm.

• 2 bottles Shiraz
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 star anise
• 1 tsp whole cloves
• 1 orange
• Orange peel strips

Remove the orange peel using a vegetable peeler. Cut peel into strips. Squeeze juice from orange; discard seeds and pulp. In a 5-quart crockery cooker combine orange juice, wine, and brown sugar.

For spice bag, tie the orange peel, cinnamon, star anise, and whole cloves in a cheesecloth bag. Add to crockery cooker. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 6 hours to simmer in flavors. Serve in punch cups. Delicious!!

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 whole cinnamon sticks
• 2 bottles red wine
• 1/2 cup Cognac
• Lemon twists

Bring water, cinnamon and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan. Add in the wine, heat slowly until hot again. Stir in the cognac, and remove from heat.