Christmas Mulled Red Wine Recipe

Every year I say I’m going to start a new holiday tradition.  And every year I fail miserably trying to come up with one!  So my new holiday tradition is to find a way to incorporate fun wine recipes during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day!  For one, both of my girls start their Winter break next week so I have to figure out ways to find my happy place.  And nothing makes momma happier than a nice glass of wine to help me “winedown” after a day of breaking up fights, watching Caillou, playing with Barbies and trying to bust a move dancing to Just Dance on the xbox.

So here is the first recipe that will help me enjoy Christmas even more this season!  And the great part is that you don’t need some fancy schmancy bottle of wine.

Ingredients:

1 bottle of cheap red wine
5 whole of black peppercorn – grind into powder
2 cloves – crush bud part into powder
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1 bay leaf
1/2 orange peel – sliced into smaller pieces
1 tbsp raw or white sugar (optional)
1/2 vanilla bean (optional)

Process:
1. In a small pot, add ground black pepper, crushed clove buds (and whole stems), cinnamon, nutmeg, whole bay leaf, orange peel, vanilla bean, sugar, and 1/4 cup of red wine. Turn heat on low, and cook until mixture forms into a syrup.*
2. Add the remaining red wine into pot and continue heating until it warms to your preferred temperature.
3. If you don’t mind a bit of ground spice on the bottom of the wine glass, ladle the mulled wine directly into a glass. If you want a cleaner look, run the mulled wine through a fine strainer before serving.

What’s your favorite holiday drink to make?  Please share so I can add it to what I’ll be experimenting with this month!