Mulled Wine

The easiest recipe:

Ingredients

• ½ bottle red wine
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 2 cloves
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 50g/1¾oz brown sugar

Preparation method

1. Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and simmer gently for 6-8 minutes, without boiling.
2. To serve, pour the mulled wine into heatproof glasses

Mary Berry's recipe: spiced citrus fruit, water and red wine, with sugar to taste.

Ingredients

• 1 large orange
• 3 lemons
• 12 cloves
• 2 satsumas or clementines
• 2 x 750ml bottles red wine
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar (optional)
• brandy, to taste (optional)

Preparation method

1. Carefully peel the zest very thinly from the orange and lemons using a vegetable peeler. Squeeze out the juice and reserve.
2. Stick the cloves into the satsumas.
3. Pour the wine, 1.2 litres/2 pints of cold water, and the citrus peel and juices into a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the clove-studded satsumas and cinnamon sticks. Bring the mixture just to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, cover the pan with the lid, and continue to simmer for about 1 hour. Stir in the sugar gradually during cooking, until the mulled wine is sweetened to your liking (you may not need all of the sugar).
4. Strain the mulled wine and serve hot in cups.

Otherwise, Glögg:

Ingredients

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 100g/3½oz demerara sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp cloves

To serve: raisins, crushed hazelnuts

Preparation method

1. Combine all ingredients (except the raisins and hazelnuts) in a pan and warm up very slowly, never allowing it to boil.
2. Place two tablespoons each of raisins and hazelnuts into each glass and ladle in the glögg.