Brandy is also a common addition but if you add port you don’t need it. Personally I like a good slug of ruby port in my mulled wine - not the cheapest out there but a vintage character or ‘Special Reserve’ type or, if you have some, some Late Bottled Vintage. Not orange juice - or any other fruit juice - as you want your mulled wine to be clear, not cloudy. It could be a whole orange studded with cloves, a strip of orange peel or a dash of an orange-flavoured liqueur such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Triple Sec. Orange is particularly good with mulled wine. Some people (including Delia) advocate honey but I tend to think it has too dominant a flavour White or demerara sugar is fine - soft brown sugar adds a slightly fudgier flavour which works well in the recipe below. Most recipes call for sugar but you might want to add a little less than they suggest if your wine is particularly soft and fruity or if you add port. A better option, if you’re short of time, is to buy a mulled wine cordial like Belvoir's - also great for those who simply want a mulled drink without the alcohol. You can also buy mulling spices wrapped in muslin (better than in teabags) though make sure they're not from a dusty old packet. Some recommend star anise but use sparingly if you don't want your mulled wine to taste of aniseed.
Cinnamon is probably the most popular spice but you could also use cloves, cardamom (lightly crush a few pods) ginger and nutmeg.
Whole spices work better than ground ones otherwise you can get an unpleasant powdery sensation as you drink. Most recipes add water as well which brings down the cost and stops guests getting too plastered but adjust the amount to the strength of your wine. There’s a fair amount of inexpensive own-label Corbières I’ve noticed lately which would fit the bill perfectly or try a basic Portuguese red. And you don’t want a wine that’s too heavily oaked though that’s relatively unlikely if it’s cheap. It needs to be inexpensive, obviously, but that doesn’t mean it should be undrinkable so don’t just chuck in the tail ends of bottles you may have hanging round the kitchen. You can mull white wine (though I’d rather mull cider) but most people prefer a red.
Here are my top tips for getting it right Mulled wine is a seasonal staple but although it's easy to make it's also easy to spoil. Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on Decemat 07:44
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