Abstract: In France, Germany and other European countries, aromatic mulled wine, also known as “aromatic wine” or “mulled wine”, is a must-have drink for Halloween, Christmas and other fall and winter festivals. Today is Christmas. Let’s learn how to make a spicy grape bar to warm your heart and stomach!
Christmas is approaching and the weather is getting colder by the day. When it’s cold, people usually want to eat warm food and drink hot drinks to keep warm. As a result, even wines that are usually served at room temperature or low temperature are now available in hot versions, known as mulled wine.
Spiced mulled wine, also known as “spiced wine” or “mulled wine,” is a must-have drink in European countries such as Germany and France during fall and winter holidays such as Halloween and Christmas. The history of spicy wines in Europe dates back to the Roman period.
At first, the ancient Romans liked to add sugar and spices to their wines to enhance their flavor and prolong their shelf life. Later, around 30 B.C., the ancient Romans developed a list of ingredients for making spicy wines. The spices they added to their wines, such as cinnamon, fennel and thyme, were almost identical to those used in modern spicy wine making. As you can see, there is a long tradition of drinking spicy wines in Europe.
Spiced mulled wine can be simply summed up by adding spices to the wine and then heating it up and cooking it with a few natural spices to make it taste better. As we all know, wine is a delicate and fragile beverage. Adding heat not only dissipates its aroma and flavor, but also changes its taste. Therefore, to compensate for the loss of wine during the heating process, it is necessary to add various spices and heat them together. In addition, since some alcohol evaporates during the heating process, it is sometimes necessary to add additional spirits to increase the alcoholic content. If no additional spirits are added, the final alcohol content of the spiced mulled wine is between 7% and 14.5% by volume.
Generally, red wines are used as an ingredient to make aromatic mulled wines, but in fact, white, pink and fortified wines can be used to make aromatic mulled wines. Commonly used spices include cinnamon, ginger, cloves, star anise, vanilla, orange peel and nutmeg. In addition, sliced fruits or fruit juices can be added to the wine for flavoring according to preference.
Here is a recipe and recipe for a spicy red wine. When Christmas comes, you may want to warm your heart and stomach with a glass of Spicy Grape Bar!
Ingredients.
1 750ml bottle of red wine, recommended varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Merlot
1 orange (sliced for use)
1/4 cup of brandy
8-10 cloves
1/3 cup honey (or sugar)
3 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger (or 2 teaspoons ground ginger, or you can substitute bell pepper)
Directions.
1: Add all ingredients to a pot and heat over low to medium heat (to prevent boiling) for 20-25 minutes.
2: Stir the wine in the pot from time to time to fully dissolve the honey or sugar. When the pot shows signs of boiling (lots of white steam), turn off the heat.
3、Separate the seasoning from the wine, pour out the wine, and the spicy wine is ready.
Cooking tips.
1、The wine used should be a good quality simple wine. Avoid using wines with obvious defects or overly complex flavors.
2、When cooking spicy wines, be careful to avoid overcooking, otherwise the fruitiness of the wine will dissipate and produce a bitter taste. In addition, if the temperature reaches 78°C, the alcohol will begin to evaporate in large quantities.
The type and quantity of spices can be increased or decreased according to personal preference, but it is important to avoid adding too many spices to the wine at once to prevent the excessive flavor of the spices from overpowering the fruit flavors in the wine. If the wine has a high level of residual sugar, reduce the amount of honey or sugar accordingly.
