This syrup removes those problems and once it has been made it will keep in the fridge for several months – on a cold day you can grab the syrup from the fridge and have a cup or pot of delicious spicy mulled wine ready to drink within 5-10 minutes.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes / Cooking Time: 30 minutes / Makes 500ml of syrup
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla pod, cut in half length ways
- 6 cardamon pods
- 6 whole cloves
- 3 star anise
- 4 blood oranges, juiced
- 4 mandarins, juiced
- 1 mandarin rind
- 500g brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 whole nutmeg
- 200ml water
Method
- Place all of the ingredients into a pot and boil for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and strain the syrup.
- Transfer into a glass jar.
- Either use the syrup immediately to make mulled wine or allow it to cool and then refrigerate.
- To make mulled wine simply add 80-100ml of syrup and a 750ml bottle of wine into a pot, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Don’t use an expensive wine, there are great reasonably priced ($10.00-$15.00) bottles of  Shiraz, Cianti or Sangiovese on the market. Also do not boil the wine as you will evaporate off the alcohol and realistically that is the point of mulled wine – it’s booze that is warming and really tasty.