RECIPES: Mulled Wine

2 bottles of full bodied red wine (Ottonal Rioja)

2 Clementine’s

1 Lemon

1 Lime

150g Soft brown sugar

6 Cloves

1 Cinnamon stick

2 Bay leaves

1 Star anise

1 Vanilla pod

1tbsp Ginger syrup

Splash of dark rum

Fresh nutmeg

Special Equipment

1. Pour half of one of the 2 bottles of wine into a large, heavy based pan and use a speed peeler to add large pieces of peel off the clementines, lemon and lime into the pan.
2. Halve the clementines and squeeze the juice into the pan. Add the sugar.
3. Place the cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and star anise in a mortar and crush with the pestle but don’t grind down to a powder. Tie these up in a small sheet of muslin cloth and tie together well with the cooking string. Add to the pan.
4. Slice the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add both the seeds and the pod to the wine.
5. Bring the wine up to the boil whilst stirring to help the sugar to dissolve. Keep the wine boiling rapidly for about 6 – 7 minutes until you get a thick syrupy consistency that just covers the back of a spoon.
6. Turn the heat down to a simmer and then add the ginger syrup along with a couple of gratings of fresh nutmeg.
7. Pour in the remaining wine and the dark rum and heat through very gently. This will take around 5 minutes but be careful not to boil the wine again as the alcohol will burn off. Serve immediately.