This isn't Coffee In My Mug: 10 Mulled Wine Tips and Tricks
It is that time of year, where Mulled Wine becomes a necessary weekly experience. When the temperature outside drops below 61 degrees it begs for the delicacy. The warm grape juice stew is heaven in your glass. The warmth of the wine and the scent of the cinnamon, delicately urge you to stay home and watch a Christmas movie. The concoction lulls you into the comfort of your home, whispering for you to stay in, you've earned it.
I have been anxiously waiting for the weather to turn to experience the true joys in life. Pinning endlessly, looking for beautiful pictures and recipes for my future mulled wine adventures. In doing so, I noticed key instructions/tips were missing from these recipes.
While it is pretty hard to mess up mulled wine, it can happen and I have done it. To spare you from a similar tragedy, I have made a quick tips and tricks list for the perfect mulled wine experience. I have taken it upon myself to ensure what you have been looking forward to all summer is not ruined by a thoughtless error.
10 Mulled Wine Tips and Tricks
+ Use a bold red wine varietal. Something that will make a good dance partner for the mulling spices and varying citruses.
+If you choose to add in cranberries (which I do not think are necessary) do not get overzealous with dumping in the berries. I ruined a batch of mulled wine by putting in a bag, yes an entire bag of frozen cranberries.
+If you have several red wine bottles open with small to medium amounts of wine remaining, you can mix them in the batch. The cinnamon and other various mulling spices are so flavorful you will not be able to taste the potential oddities of your newly created red wine blend.
+Use a cheese cloth for your spices. Otherwise the allspice, cloves and other miscellaneous chunks of spices will end up in your glass.
+Oranges are a must! Slice up an entire orange and slap in the slices, do not juice them. The citrus adds a well balanced brightness to the wine.
+Do not use expensive wine. You are completely changing the integrity of the wine, so what was the point of buying that expensive bottle. Use a decent $5.00-$10.00 wine.
+Get a wine thermos. Many occasions in the fall and winter call for mulled wine. Be prepared to be on the go and drink in public.
+Assign said thermos to be designated for your mulled wine. You do not want to ruin your experience with notes of old burnt coffee.
+Do not heat the mulled wine up so hot that the alcohol burns off - do not boil it. Keep the lid on the crock-pot when you are not helping yourself to the wine.
+Be prepared for staining. Do not keep your ladle or your crock-pot on a table cloth or anything that is not easily cleaned. You will definitely spill or dribble.
If I have missed anything, please let me know. I would love to hear any tips you have for this delicious fall staple. I hope to hear from you soon. Cheers.