Mulled Wine

Delicious, aromatic mulled wine that warms both body and soul! I used dry red wine, but a semi-sweet wine works too — in that case, skip the honey or use less of it. You can even make mulled wine with white wine, though that's not quite the classic recipe. For extra aroma and a slight tannic note, in addition to the spices, I also used a little black tea — plain, with no additives — but you could use Earl Grey as well, and it would be just as wonderful. There are two ways to make mulled wine. The first method is a bit more involved: you start by making a spiced "aromatic" water, simmering all the spices in water and letting them steep. Then you add the wine and gently warm it to your desired temperature. Everyone knows you shouldn't boil wine, and the clear advantage of the method described above is that boiling — at a higher temperature — draws out more aromatic compounds from the spices, and the tea brews much better that way too.)) The second method, if you don't want to fuss, is to simply combine everything at once, heat until hot (but not boiling), and let it steep. By the way, here are some great mulled wine recipes from Kamelist — Classic Mulled Wine, Fruit Mulled Wine, Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine. My friends, since this is the last Saturday of the year, this is also my last recipe of the year. I want to wish you all a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas, and send my very best wishes to you and your families in the coming year. Be happy, stay healthy, and never sweat the small stuff)) Happy New Year!!!

Ingredients:

• Stage 1:
• 150 ml water
• 3 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 0.5 tsp black tea
• zest of half a lemon
• Stage 2:
• 400 ml dry red wine
• half an apple
• 2-3 tsp honey