Glühwein Recipe
Mulled wine, or Glühwein as the Germans call it, is a warm red wine, flavored and brewed with mulled spices and orange. It’s perfect for a cozy evening in, enjoying the lights from your “Tannenbaum.”
Glühwein is translated to “glow-wine.” This is, in part, because it used to be heated using long, hot irons, back in the day. However, you’ll also find that this hot beverage gives you a warm, glowing feeling as you sip it!
The spices used to flavor it – cloves, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans – are sure to fill your home with delightful holiday scents! Try it out for your next night spent by the fireside!
Make sure you’ve got your Cork Genius handy to pop those bottles of wine and aerate to perfection before you brew!
Ingredients
- 2 oranges, sliced
- 10 whole cloves
- 1½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ cup coconut sugar, or to taste
- 1 (3 inch) piece of fresh ginger, sliced
- 5 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise pods
- 1 vanilla bean, halved (use 1 tsp vanilla extract, if you don’t have beans)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 bottles red wine
- 1 cup brandy or rum
- Amaretto, optional
Instructions
- Stick whole cloves into the orange slices and place into a large stockpot.
- Add orange juice, sugar, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, vanilla and bay leaf, and bring it all to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer. Simmer for 30 mins, add 1 cup of wine and simmer for another 30 mins, until thick and syrupy.
- When the syrup is ready reduce heat to low and pour in remaining wine and add brandy. Bring just to a gentle simmer and heat for about 5 minutes. DO NOT BOIL.
- Strain out orange sliced and spices and ladle wine into glasses and serve warm. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and orange peel if desired.