Mulled Wine: Christmas in a Mug

My Mulled Wine. Christmas in a Mug!

I first heard of (and tasted) mulled wine from my very good friend +marica velasquez-bautista, creator of blog Mama Munch's Kitchen. She has lived in some countries with very cold, icy winters. Marica gave me a bottle of this delicious brew a few years ago one Christmas, when we were both living in hot, humid Singapore.

Mulled wine always reminds me of Christmas, because of, not only its warm temperature, but its warm spices, like cinnamon and cloves. So even if we're here in hot and humid Singapore, it always reminds me of winter!

I recently made some a few days ago for a Christmas party at my home, and all my guests were impressed....and giddy. One of my friends who spent her childhood in Canada exclaimed, "This reminds me of Canada in the winter.....even if we're here in hot and humid Singapore!"

That's what my family calls the "Ratatouille Effect," from the Pixar animated film "Ratatouille". The food critic suddenly remembered his Mom's cooking when he tasted the chef/rat's food!

This recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver's.




CHRISTMAS IN A MUG

2 large oranges
1 lemon
1 lime
400 grams white sugar
15 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 whole vanilla pod; slice in half and get the seeds with a knife; keep the pod
6 star anise
1 bunch of fresh sage
2 bottles of cheap, red wine

Start by getting a big, deep pot and put the sugar there. Peel the rind off the oranges, lemon and lime with a knife or peeler, taking care that you do not get too much of the white, bitter pith. Add the peels to the sugar. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, nutmeg, star anise, sage, vanilla seeds and the pod.

After removing the rinds from the citrus fruits, squeeze out the juices and add it to the pot. Heat the pot until slowly boiling and you have a thick syrup.  Let it go for a steady, slow boil for 5 minutes.

Add the two bottles of wine; do not throw the bottles! You'll need them for storing the mulled wine (or giving it away as gifts). Lower down the fire and wait until the wine simmers. Do NOT boil or the alcohol will evaporate.  Serve warm. Enjoy till the point of giddiness.

If you are not drinking all of it on one go, or if you're giving it away as a gift, strain the wine mixture with a sieve and funnel it back into the original wine bottles. Put a tight wine stopper on top. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within 5 days. I usually warm it up (simmer, not boil!) each time we have it.

Serve in a festive mug. Enjoy!