Drink Recipe: Homemade Mulled Wine

I love mulled wine, especially when the weather gets cold. But I have never attempted to make my own; I always use a pre-bought mix. But while being stuck in the huge snowstorm that hit Washington, DC this week, I thought it would be the perfect time to try and make my own!

Just a word of warning- a plethora of mulled wine recipes exist on the internet. I tried to wade through as many as I could, looking for the ingredients that I thought I would like best (lots of cinnamon, not a lot of fruit or sugar). I used this recipe from BellaOnline as my starting point. Final verdict- totally delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 750 mL bottle of red wine
• 6-8 cinnamon sticks (the recipe calls for 6; I had 8 left, so I just dumped them all in!)
• 12 whole cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• The recipe also calls for 1/8 teaspoon of ginger, but I was all out, so I left it out of my concoction. Further, it asks for a lemon or orange, but I left that out, since I am not a big fan of citrus.

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine the wine, spices, and sugar in a large pot. Heat through, but don't boil (you'll burn off all the alcohol!). I find that heating the wine for a long time on a low setting provides the best taste.
• Make sure to strain the wine before you drink it- otherwise, you'll have bits of cinnamon and cloves in your glass.
• Another tip: I only pour little glasses, so it stays hot while I am sipping!