Non-Alcoholic Mulled Wine Recipe
A wonderful warming drink to offer guests over the festive season. For my readers in the Southern Hemisphere, the recipe can be made, cooled and serve with lots of ice in huge jugs, it’s delicious.
This recipe was given to me by my amazing friend Louisa. She hosted us, in her new, gorgeous kitchen extension for our Book Club Christmas dinner. The pot of mulled wine bubbled away on the stove and as we arrived we were handed a warm glass. The balance of flavours and the aroma that filled the kitchen set us up for the most wonderful start to the festivities. The flavour of the pomegranate and apple juice, mixed with Christmas spices, took me to the ski slopes in the Alps. It was a wonderful Christmas hug in a cup and the alcohol was not missed.
A tip I learnt from our architects was to make and serve mulled wine in a slow cooker. Isn’t that clever! The slow cooker allows you as hosts to be in the middle of the party, without having to nip back to the stove to pour a hot cup for your arriving guests.
- 500ml pomegranate juice
- 250g frozen berries
- 250ml apple juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1star anise
- 4 cloves
- 3 black peppercorns
- 1orange, sliced
- Optional:
- 2 Tablespoons of caster sugar for sweetness
- sticks of cinnamon for decoration
- Set the sugar aside and add all the ingredients into a pot.
- Gently simmer until the ingredients warm but do not boil. The fruit will break down and cloud the mulled wine.
- Taste for sweetness, then if needs add the reserved sugar one teaspoon at a time, tasting after each addition. If you prefer, you can strain the mixture into a heatproof jug and pour into tumblers or glasses, or ladle with the fruit into the glass.
- For a crowd make the non-alcoholic mulled wine in a slow cooker.
- For decoration, although it is not necessary you can float a slice of orange or cinnamon stick in each glass.
Cheers
