Italian Mulled Wine

This is a recipe for a spiced wine.

Ingredients

Crushed ingredients

  • 1 star anise
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pinch rosemary
  • 1 pinch peppercorn
  • 1 pinch thyme
  • 1 pinch red pepper
  • 1 pinch fennel seeds
  • 1 pinch cloves
  • 1 pinch nutmeg

Non-crushed ingredients

  • 1 bottle Italian red wine
  • 1 orange
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 4 figs (optional)
  • 100 ml limoncello (optional)
  • 50 ml sweet vermouth (optional)
  • 50 ml Bourbon, brandy, or Cognac (optional)
Italian Mulled Wine

Photo: Gioacchino Assereto / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Equipment

  • Stock pot
  • Mortar and pestle

Procedure

  1. Pour wine into stock pot and turn heat to medium-high.
  2. Crush all “crushed ingredients” using the mortar and pestle. Set aside.
  3. Peel and juice orange and lemon. Remove and discard the white pith from the peels, then add the peels and juice to the wine.
  4. When the wine is simmering, immediately reduce to low heat. Add the crushed and all remaining ingredients.
  5. Cook on low for at least 15 minutes to infuse the flavors. Make sure to keep on low so the wine stays warm and continues to infuse, but doesn’t bubble / heat off the alcohol.

Notes, tips, and variations

  • Feel free to double the recipe or scale any of these ingredients up or down to suite your taste.

References