The silly season is here, and what a better way to start the celebrations than with a delicious, fast and easy festive mulled wine!
This mulled wine recipe uses your microwave, so you don't have to babysit a simmering pot of wine for 20 minutes, and it's a great way to put a cheaper bottle of wine to work. Don't skip the brandy: it adds a boozy edge to the mix. The resulting spicy-sweet concoction is so tasty and easy to make, you'll fly through that bottle of brandy in no time. One of the best parts about this recipe is that it gets tastier the longer the spices sit in it, so you can make the whole thing ahead of time, and then just strain and reheat individual servings when the mood strikes.
Ingredients
750-ml bottle red wine, such as pinot noir or cabernet
½ cup honey
1 large orange, plus wedges or twists for serving
4 star anise
2 teaspoons allspice berries
2 teaspoons whole cloves
2 teaspoons whole peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks, plus more for serving
½ cup brandy
Instructions
Whisk wine and honey in a large microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup.
Using a Y-shaped peeler, remove 1-inch strips of zest from the orange and add them to the wine mixture.
Halve the orange and squeeze its juice into the bowl, and then add star anise, allspice, cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon sticks.
Microwave on HIGH until hot but not boiling, 2½ to 3 minutes.
Set aside to steep for 15 minutes.
Stir in brandy, strain into mugs, and top with a cinnamon stick and orange wedge or twist.
Reheat individual mugs on high until hot, 30 seconds (or as needed).
