Mulled Whine

My dad recently called me a Grumpy Young Man. It was due to my opinion that trick or treating is nothing short of mugging. If I went knocking on people’s doors demanding sweets or money (or a flat screen tv or the family silver) or they run the risk of getting their tyres slashed or dog shit put through their letter boxes I would, quite rightly, get my shoulder felt. I read a piece in the Guardian about parents following their offspring around as they terrorized old aged pensioners, not to make sure the little tykes were safe from sleezy men in gaping dressing gowns but to ensure they didn’t cause malicious criminal damage. We weren’t home this Halloween, and our garden is in such a state we can’t see if anything has been vandalised, but I must admit I spent a few evenings beforehand dreaming about fitting a Tazer to the doorbell.

I guess that qualifies me as grumpy.

Autumn has always been my favourite season. The deep colours, the blustery-yet-mellow winds, the migrating birds, the excuse for unearthing your favourite woolly jumper and, not least, the dark evenings calling for comfort food and drink. Here in Denmark a favourite run-up-to-Christmas tipple is gløgg; hot, sweet red wine with raisins and chopped almonds. Naturally most people either buy it pre-fabricated or “make” it themselves by combining red wine, a bottle of “gløgg mix” and a bag of raisins and stale, chopped almonds. It is almost always too sweet and sickly for my buds, and the bloated warm raisins are vomit material, so the only thing to do was to experiment. I tried using a fruit juice base (plum, grape, redcurrants etc) but found it too “busy” so I’ve ended up using red wine. I go for an ultra cheap fruity wine (as opposed to an oaky one) for both the spiced base and the mulled wine proper. The aroma this makes as it boils away is quite fantastic, filling the kitchen with the sort of spicy smells which make even grumpy young men feel good about the world.

Mulled Wine

For the base

1 litre or a bottle of fruity red wine
15 cardamom pods
3 2inch pieces of cinnamon (or 2 3inch pieces even)
10 cloves
5 allspice berries
20 coriander seeds
small piece of ginger
3 star anise things
2 pieces of mace or half a nutmeg clove chopped/crushed
cup of raisins
1 unwaxed orange sliced
1 unwaxed lemon sliced
100g sugar

The specific measurements are not necessarily to be followed to the seed/pod/inch or berry. My personal way of doing things is more “a few of them, a shake of them, a good pinch or more of them etc”. And, other than the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and orange, things can be left out or replaced with alternatives. I didn’t have any lemons this morning when making a batch but I did have some kafir lime leaves in the freezer so I used them instead. I only add the sugar at this point because otherwise tasting can become a rather puckering experience.

Anyway, bring everything up to a rolling boil and simmer for an hour or two. Strain (through muslin or a coffee filter if you want) into your receptacle of choice. A batch will suffice for two to four litres of mulled wine depending on how spicy you want it. And it will keep for yonks in the fridge.

The Wine (Mulled)

I bottle of red wine
½ - ¼ batch of base
sugar
stout (optional)
vodka

Gently warm the wine, stout (about half a bottle pr bottle of wine – it adds a nice depth) and base in a heavy pan. It is imperative you do not let your wine get anywhere near to boiling point. Alcohol boils at 78.3 degrees celcius and begins evaporating long before then. I keep a (glass) lid on the pan so that any condensation (ie alcohol) can be returned lovingly to the wine. Add sugar as and if required, stirring to dissolve. When nice and (not too) warm pour into mugs or glasses. If you pre-heat your glasses with boiling water the mulled wine won’t cool down too quickly. To give it that extra smack-the-chops effect float a teaspoon or two of vodka into each glass on top of the mulled wine.

And whilst on the subject of Christmassy beverages I’m making a rather splendidly smelling Spiced Vodka. Into a very large jar goes an unwaxed orange (prick it to death with a chopstick), some cardamom pods, star anise, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks and a handful of raisins. Pour in a bottle of vodka and leave for a couple of weeks. Well, you don’t leave it – you give it a good shake everyday not forgetting to have a sniff at the same time, marvelling at the wonderful aroma. This will be a fine aperitif Christmas morning, one hand up the jacksy of the turkey the other coddling a snifter of this stuff. Can’t wait.