AT Christmas time, the drinks are a flowing – but there’s just nothing more festive than a tipple of mulled wine.
Traditionally, red wine is used to concoct the heart-warming mixture along with sugar, cinnamon sticks, spices, apple and orange.
After boiling, it is served hot, to gently heat us all up as the temperature falls outside.
With its familiar aroma, it even smells “Christmassy”.
There are lots of different kinds of products on the market, from ready-made types to spice kits where you can add in your own ingredients – whatever takes your fancy.
But at this time of year, with presents to wrap, last-minute shopping to do and Santa’s glass of milk to leave by the fireside, there’s so much else to think about without having to worry about which mulled wine to serve up to your guests.
So as usual, HN tried and tested got into the yuletide spirit, got our pots and pans out and took to sampling a few products “for research purposes only!” Hey, we’re only here to help, after all.
Here’s what we thought of what’s on the high street... hic!
Schwartz Mulled Wine Spice, Six sachets per pack, £1.99 available from all major supermarkets
Now, I’m no Delia but I can honestly say I managed to stir up this mulled wine using this packet of spices quite easily.
It was very simple, just add wine, four tablespoons of brown sugar, along with the spices (which come in a teabag like packet) to a pan and heat up for around 10 minutes.
The smell coming through the house whilst the wine was brewing was enough to make me love my home-made batch of mulled wine already!
When the wine was ready, I waited for it to cool a little and then served with a slice of orange as a garnish. It tasted delicious and was a real warmer on what turned out to be a freezing night.
I’d most definitely attempt to make this recipe again, especially knowing how easy it was to stir up. I think a batch of this would be the perfect drink to serve to friends over the festive season.
Cheap and easy to make with great results.
5 stars
JM
Taste the Difference Mulled Wine, 75cl, £3.99, from Sainsbury’s
CHRISTMAS means different things to different people, and in my house, it’s A Muppet’s Christmas Carol, German carol symphonies and the pup doing a rudolph impression by jogging around with a bell on her collar.
The finishing touch this year comes with this delicious mulled wine, oh-so easily warmed up and ideal for spreading the smell of Christmas cheer through the house and into the bleak midwinter outside.
Sometimes mulled wine is best to be taken in small doses, as the overwhelming smell and aftertaste can be too much for many.
But this well-priced Sainsbury’s example was very palletable, and could be one of the best I have tasted.
I will be popping in to take advantage of the deal, and buy a couple of bottles this evening, in fact.
5 stars
AJ
Taste the Difference Mulled Wine Spice Kit, £2.49 for 20g, available from Sainsbury’s
The spices for this mulled wine came in a lovely packet and when added to the red wine and sugar, smelt absolutely divine.
Mulled wine really is the perfect drink for serving to friends at this time of year, not only does it taste lovely, but, when stirred up in the kitchen, the smell through the house gives off a real Christmas feel as well as providing a winter warmer for guests coming in out of the cold.
The flavour when using this handy spice kit was rich and really warm, with real hints of cinnamon, orange and cranberry throughout.
This was quick, easy and actually tasted authentic – I really couldn’t fault it at all.
4 stars
JM
Eat, Drink and Be Merry Mulled Wine Syrup, £4, available from Jamieoliver.com and from delis, farm shops and independents jmecollection.com/stockists
I ENJOY a drop of mulled wine to ward off the winter chill, and I have my own magic potion with “secret” ingredients to get that internal warming glow. So it was with some interest that I decided to try Jamie’s mulled wine syrup, and was somewhat baffled as to what Jme referred to but a quick internet check revealed it was a shorthand form of Jamie – as in Jamie Oliver.
The instructions on the 330ml bottle say to make a warm and spicy mulled wine for one or more, mix one part syrup with 10 parts wine – adding more or less to taste – and gently heat through before serving.
This I did, although perhaps I overheated the concoction to a steady simmer, and initially it tasted a bit sharp.
Once the mixture cooled down, though, it seemed to mellow considerably and was quite tasty. It is simplicity itself and has flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg and elderberry juice, and also can be used as a base for festive party punch, but I think I will stick to my own recipe and use my £4 to buy some fresh ingredients for my own winter brew.
2 stars
LF
Belvoir Fruit Farms’ non-alcoholic Mulled Winter Punch, £2.75, available from fine food shops, delicatessens, farm shops and Tesco stores. Also online at www.belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk
It’s always good to a have soft drink on hand to offer your guests, but the bonus of this winter punch is that you can add red wine to it if you want to enjoy it with an alcoholic kick.
I tried it in non-alcoholic form and was surprisingly impressed by it. Combining the festive flavours of nutmeg oil and mixed spice extracts with blackcurrant juice, red grape juice, elderberry juice and orange juice, it looked and smelled the part when warmed up. Even the bottle looked like a real bottle of booze.
Tasting the tipple, I was really impressed. I couldn’t really tell it didn’t have alcohol in it, and it was just lovely and heart-warming to drink. It got me into the festive spirit!
5 stars
HB
