This post is also available in（こちらの言語版もある）: Japanese
To be completely honest, even though I was born in the arctic (read: Minneapolis, Minnesota), I am not good with the cold, and for that very reason I have mixed feeling about the arrival of December. On the one hand, I like the Christmas season and all the lights and foods that transport me back to childhood, but on the other hand starting from December it just gets colder and colder in Tokyo and I am not about that life. However, as long as I have a batch of mulled wine (red wine heated with citrus, honey, and spices popular in the UK and Europe) to evoke the Christmas spirit and warm my body on cold nights, somehow I know that somehow I will make it through the winter, so today I’m posting a recipe for mulled wine that can be easily made with ingredients readily available in Japan.I am not even sure if it’s right to call this a “recipe” as it is just so damn easy. I’ll of course post it in proper recipe format below, but it’s really just a matter of putting all the ingredients in a pot and heating it, as shown below.
Once you have your fruit, spices, brandy, juice, and honey in a pot, add red wine. I generally use Cabernet Sauvignon, but it will be mixed with spices, fruit, and honey so there is no need to worry too much about how nice of a wine it is. In fact, this is a good way to make use of some wine you don’t really want to drink.
Turn on the heat. Just when it starts to boil turn it down and simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit covered for an hour so the flavors infuse.
Strain out the fruit and spices and pour into glasses.
BUT! Don’t throw away that delicious spicy, boozy fruit!
It’s damn tasty over ice cream or even yogurt for decadent breakfast.
Warm yourself down to the bone and savor the smell of Christmas on its way★
- 1 bottle red wine (I recommend Cabernet Sauvignon)
- 1½ cup (300 ml) apple juice
- ½ (100 ml) cup brandy
- ¼ (50 ml) cup honey
- 1 apple
- 1 orange (leave the peel on!)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5-7 whole cloves
- 3-4 anise pods
- Chop your apple and orange into chunks and put in a large pot.
- Add the spices, honey, brandy, apple juice, and wine to the pot and heat it over medium heat.
- Just as it starts to boil turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let sit for about an hour so that the flavors can infuse.
- Strain off the fruit and spices, pour into glasses to serve, and enjoy★
★I usually store an leftover mulled wine by putting it back in the bottle the wine came in and keeping it in the fridge.
I don’t really remember when I got my recipe, but it seems similar to this one so that is likely where I adapted it from: http://www.carolinemiliartiss.com/mulled-wine/
Well this comment is from your Minnesota cousin, Lee send me your web page………Wish we would have had the chance to really get to know each other!!!!! My question on the mulled wine is when you make a batch if ( note I said if….) can you refrigerate the leftovers and reheat…..I have about 6 bottles that I really am not that fond of and thought ill try this sounds fantastic!!!!!!!!!!! your food looks awesome!!!!!
Hi DeeDee, thank you very much for the kind comment! I really appreciate that you took the time to check out my website! To answer your question, you can definitely refrigerate the leftovers and reheat them. In fact, I always do that myself, so definitely give it a try with that wine you are not so fond of 🙂
I have had mulled wine a couple of times in my life and I love it. Anyway I am going over to a friend’s house for “Thanksgiving Dinner” and I would like to know what you would recommend in a mulled wine for turkey.
Thank you for the comment, Miyah. To be honest, I am not very knowledgeable about turkey because they don’t normally eat it in Japan and it is very hard to come by. From what I remember about turkey and traditional Thanksgiving flavors, a mulled wine made from oranges and cranberries sounds nice. However, the beauty of mulled wine is you can really play with the fruit and spices used as much as you like, so get creative 🙂
As we speak I am using a white zinfendel with cranberries and oranges. I did change some things. Instead of anise pods, I used anise extract and I used ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks. I also did not use any brandy. It is on the stove as we speak.