December 12, 2011
Mulling about mulled wine…
Tis the season for ugly sweaters, congested social calendars, and verrrry full bellies. This past weekend was holiday party-hopping fo’ sho’, with lots of the same ol’ … potluck fare, sweet treats, and vino {Jessup’s Cab Sauv + Stacy’s Simply Cocoa Pita Chips = perfect pairing ever}, sprinkled in with some new found traditions. Funny that Morgan should mention cookie exchanges, because that was exactly one of my stops on this weekend’s holiday party train.
My lovely friend Elizabeth hosted her first Minneapolis cookie exchange :: an afternoon fete of homemade cookies + apple cider + warm, perfectly spiced mulled vino. Mulled vino? I realized that I had an idea of what mulled wine would taste like, but I actually have never had any.
Her recipe was simple + delicious :: spices steeped in warm red wine with a dash of sugar. I totally digged it. {Dug it? Why does that sound so weird…} Turns out, she once spent a very cold winter in Eastern Europe and in lieu of street carts of chestnuts… they have street carts of mulled wine. In an effort to stay warm, she stayed warm + tipsy sipping on hot vino totties. On a 20 degree Minneapolis day… her homemade vino creation hit the spot.
I felt inspired from Elizabeth’s craftiness and nerded out a bit on mulled wine facts. I heart Google. Did you know…
- The word “mulled” simply means heated and spiced. Hence… other liquids can be mulled… like AJ.
- The main ingredients are vino + cinnamon… but you can get fancy and add things like vanilla, honey, almonds, cloves, nutmeg, and even chocolate shavings {yes please}.
- Simmer down yo. You need to keep the temperature at a nice even 160 degrees… anything over 167 will burn off the alcohol… which may or may not be a good thing for certain folks.
- Apparently you can brew a big batch and keep it on hand for awhile. The spices act as a preservative and will keep your vino spicy + fresh.
- While it’s totes acceptable to walk around Europe with your mulled vino, you might want to be more discreet with your mulled wine roadie here in the States.
Enough mulling about mulled wine. Here’s a fancy pants recipe from Williams-Sonoma you can share at your own Holiday Cookie Exchange. Enjoy.
Ingredients:
- 12 whole cloves
- 2 nutmegs, cracked into pieces with a hammer
- 2 bottles (each 750ml) dry red wine
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Stripped zest from 2 oranges and 2 lemons, plus more zest for garnish
- 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
Directions:
Tie the cloves and nutmeg pieces in a small square of cheesecloth {bt-dubs… any recipe that requires a cheesecloth instantly seems to complicated for me…}, or put them in a large metal tea ball.
In a large nonaluminum pot, combine the wine, sugar, orange and lemon zests, orange and lemon juices, and cinnamon sticks. Add the clove-and-nutmeg bundle. Heat over medium-low heat until steam begins to rise from the pot and the mixture is hot, about 10 minutes; do not let it boil. Remove the clove-and-nutmeg bundle. Keep the wine warm over very low heat until ready to serve.
Ladle the wine into cups or heatproof glasses, garnish with the citrus zest and serve warm. Serves 8 to 10.
*nom*nom*nom*… don’t be jealous that I have cookies to munch on all holiday season long 
at least you can partake in my current obsession {that’s right… I only have one this week… I’m obsessing less and less nowadays…}
STACY’S SIMPLY COCOA PITA CHIPS :: soOOooOo… 
these things are total game-changers. You have no idea what to expect when you see them, and then you pop one in your mouth and it’s a total flavor explosion like no other. I discovered them during one of my Whole Foods grazing rounds and I’m totally hooked. But get this… during another Google-nerd-out session, I discovered that Stacy’s also has GINGERBREAD pita chips. wwwwwhhhaaaa????? AMAZING. How do I get these things??? Will my Amazon Prime membership get them to my door in two days??? must. find. gingerbread. pita. chips. now.
*Xo ::
Jess
