So last year, nearly kind of around this time, I said:
Oh, I've also got to give a quick plug to that mulled wine recipe. I made it pretty much as Jamie did, except that I used one dry bay leaf instead of three fresh ones, and I added a couple of cardmom pods because why not? Also, instead of dumping in a couple of bottles of wine once the syrup was made, I just poured the syrup into a pint jar. Now, when my wife craves a mulled wine, I just have to put a couple of tablespoons of the syrup in a mug, add some hot wine, and "ho ho ho". Could not be easier.
But I regretted, at the time, that it was too late in the holiday season to make any as a gift, except maybe a gift of the most last-minute kind. Anyway, having made it lots of times since then, including a few times already this fall, here's my suggestion for a quick, easy, cheap homemade holiday foodie gift that punches above its weight.
For each "gift" you'll need:
- a recloseable bottle or jar that holds about 375ml-500ml. You can wash and re-use a cool bottle that you've got (and got a clean cork or stopper for) or you can go extravagant and pick up a bottle at your local kitchenwares store. I have some nice 375ml bottles with a "swing" stopper (think: Grolsch beer) that I got for about $1.49 each).
- about a cup of any decent, dry red wine. Table wine is fine. Wine in a box is fine.
- an orange
- a cinnamon stick
- about 8 whole cloves
- a bay leaf or two
- some vanilla
- a cup of regular sugar
... and optionally:
- a piece of vanilla bean
- a few cardamom pods, crushed
- a couple of allspice berries
- a slice or two of root ginger
- zest from any other citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, etc...)
- a star anise
- - a small nugget of nutmeg (just crack a whole nutmeg with a mortar and pestle, or the edge of a knife) or a piece of real mace
And you'll also want a small pot or saucepan, a funnel, a small strainer, a knife, a vegetable peeler, and maybe a citrus reamer or orange juicer.
To make:
1. remove the zest from the orange with the peeler or knife and add to the pot. Halve the orange and add the juice to the pot. Add the sugar to the pot, along with the cinnamon stick, the bay leaf, the cloves, the vanilla (unless you use the vanilla bean) and the wine. If you use any of the optional ingredients, add them now too.
2. bring to a gentle boil until the sugar dissolves, and allow to simmer for a few minutes and then cool for a bit.
3. using the funnel and strainer, decant the syrup into your bottle, then remove the cinnamon stick and drop it in the bottle too.
4. that's basically it. Tie a ribbon or bow on your bottle, or add a sticker/label if that's how you roll. To serve, fill a mug 3/4 full with decent red wine, pour into a small pot and gently warm to your prefrerence. Meanwhile, add about three tablespoons of syrup to the same mug, and pour over wine when warmed.
It takes about a half hour to make, it costs a couple of bucks, it's homemade, it's seasonal and it tastes great. And you can "customize" it with whatever appropriate holiday spices you like. It's a good gift to have bottled and ready in case some unexpected guest gifts you with an unexpected fruitcake, and if you give it to real friends, you can always pair it with a bottle of decent dry red so it becomes a "kit".
Just a couple of notes:
1. I don't think I'd spend a whole lot on the red wine. Drinkable and dry is all you really need.
2. This could probably work just as well with apple cider (to be served up with warmed cider, and perhaps brandy, or better yet, calvado.)
3. Don't use dried and ground spices, unless you want a cloudy, gritty syrup.
4. Remove that orange/citrus peel and place it in a recloseable jar with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar and shake it around. It won't be "candied" peel, but it'll be preserved until the next time you want something to throw in a fruitcake or cookie recipe. You can use the sugar, too.
5. By the time the syrup has boiled, pretty much all of the alcohol is gone, so you could add this to some soda water or ginger ale for the youngsters.
Happy holidays.
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