Winter hot drinks:
mulled wine, grog, punch

"The sweetness and strength of mulled wine revitalizes a man.....

Wine activates all the twists of the brain and ignites in the depths of the soul a magical firework of sparkling wit and joy."

(Voltaire)

We will talk about hot alcoholic drinks: mulled wine, grog and punch, which warm the blood, warm and lift the mood in cold evenings.

Gluhwein

Gluhwein is the oldest alcoholic drink. Heated wine appeared even before the Christmas holiday. The ancient Romans added spices to the wine to make it last longer. In a recipe book more than 2,000 years old, the famous Roman citizen Apicius describes the process of refining wine by adding cloves, cinnamon, thyme, coriander and bay leaf.

For a long time, heated wine with spices was available only to the upper class, as the spices were brought from distant countries and were expensive.

Over time, mulled wine became more accessible and became widespread first in the countries of Northern Europe and Scandinavia, and then conquered all of Europe and became a favorite winter drink. It is especially revered in Germany, Sweden and France. There, mulled wine is called "flaming wine".

In many European countries, mulled wine has become a symbol of Christmas, just like the beautiful Christmas tree. It is impossible to imagine Christmas markets without a hot drink flavored with cinnamon and cloves.

Medicinal properties

In addition to warming properties, it is believed that mulled wine has excellent tonic properties. It is a miracle cure for hypothermia and the most delicious cure for colds. This drink also helps to restore strength after infectious diseases, with physical and mental exhaustion. It contains many microelements, amino acids and vitamins.

Create and drink

Cooking mulled wine is like painting an artistic canvas. The colors (spices) that we take will create a unique drawing (taste) that can fill the heart with joy, cause a burst of bright emotions and lift the mood.

Mulled wine is an improvised drink. You can experiment endlessly with the strength, sweetness, taste shades and aroma. You can create a fragrant work of art for a certain mood, for a certain occasion, even for a certain person. One loves the smell of cinnamon, another loves the aroma of nutmeg, and the third loves everything with a citrus flavor. Mulled wine allows and tolerates everything. But.

There are three restrictions:

Mulled wine cannot be boiled, only heated to 70 degrees,

You can't use metal utensils when making it,

You can't reheat the finished drink.

Required ingredients of mulled wine

Wine

Gluhwein is prepared from dry red wine with the addition of various spices. As optional ingredients can be brandy, rum, liqueur, and citrus fruits.

Very rarely, as an exception, mulled wine is prepared from grape or apple wine and or juice (children's version).

Do not take very expensive wines for cooking mulled wine, as they themselves have a wonderful bouquet. But the wines of medium price category can be just and ennoble with the help of spices and various flavor additives.

The optimal basis for the preparation of mulled wine are considered dry and semi-dry non-strength wines: Cabernet, Khvanchkara, Kindzmarauli.

Spices and fruit additives

Obligatory spices for mulled wine are cinnamon and cloves. Ginger is often used, as it has a warming effect (this is exactly what is needed in winter). Other spices - anise, cardamom, nutmeg, Jamaican pepper - are added to give a more refined taste and aroma. Orange and lemon peels, apple and orange slices give the drink a flavorful finish.

With spices you need to be sharp, and do not add everything that is at hand, otherwise the stronger flavors will "block" more delicate. For example, if you use cardamom, you can not put citrus, because cardamom itself has a lemon and eucalyptus flavor.

If the question is what to choose from citrus fruits: orange, lemon or lime, you should proceed from the sweetness of the wine. If the wine is sweet, you can add lime or lemon, if less sweet, then orange.

To give sweetness to the drink use honey or sugar.

Method of preparation

Wine is heated in a fireproof dish. To achieve an intense flavor, there are three methods of preparation:

Heat for a long time over low heat,

Heat quickly but infuse for a long time,

Boil the syrup with the flavorings, then pour in the alcohol.

Order of laying spices

The order in which the spices are put in depends on their size. The larger the spices, the earlier they should be put in.

Cinnamon sticks are better broken into pieces and put in the drink for a long warming. If the cinnamon is in the form of powder, it is added to the finished drink. Cloves, despite their "large" size, it is better to add them at the end of cooking and let the drink infuse.

Nutmeg is grated and added in the middle of cooking. Sugar is put in at the beginning, and honey at the end. Citrus fruits and apples are also added at the end.

Liquid (rum, brandy...) is poured into the finished drink. Water is added just boiled, pour it in at the edge, so as not to spoil the flavor of the drink.

Mulled wine is served in tall transparent glasses with a handle. Also attached to the drink is a spoon to fish out floating fruit.

For short-term storage of mulled wine, a thermos is suitable. In it, the drink will infuse and acquire an even denser and richer flavor.

Snack mulled wine, as well as wine: cheese, fruit and unsweetened cookies.

Grog

Grog, unlike mulled wine, is prepared from rum or brandy, diluted with hot water, sugar, lemon juice and spices.

Punch

Classic punch is made of dry wine, rum, fruit juice, sugar (honey) and spices. Additional ingredients can be tea, ale, pineapple, oranges and eggs.

These three drinks - punch, grog and mulled wine - have been used as the basis for hundreds of other recipes. Perhaps they can help you create your own unique "torture fire" drink.