Spiced wine is one of my absolute favorite things about the fall and winter months. It’s so lovely to cozy up with some winter socks, a big fluffy blanket, a mug of spiced wine and a group of friends surrounding a fireplace!
Every year we venture up to Northern California to a sleepy little ski town called Mammoth Lakes. It’s magical. And freezing. We go up for a weekend for a festival called Night of Lights, which is a fireworks extravaganza that takes place on the side of the mountain, and it’s a huge party. There is an endless amount of wine and cheese, and it’s the perfect start to the season. What’s even better is going home after the Night of Lights to our house and sitting around with friends drinking this Bavarian Mulled Wine.
I first created this recipe while we were in Mammoth Lakes. The friends we go with are all from Germany, so this recipe is a take on one of their favorite mulled wines. I like to impress people, so I got a little fancy and added some Spice Islands Whole Cloves, Spice Islands Star Anise and a Spice Islands Vanilla Bean. I’ve never had another mulled wine that features vanilla bean, but it really is the perfect way to round out this drink. The drink itself is super easy to make, but all the spices really give this warm beverage such a complex and delicious flavor!
Bavarian Mulled Wine
Ingredients
- 1 750ml bottle of red wine (I prefer a cabernet sauvignon)
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 Spice Islands Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 orange, sliced into rounds
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds
- 1 Spice Islands Star Anise
- 10 whole Spice Islands Cloves
- ½ Spice Islands Vanilla Bean, split in half
- ½ cup brandy
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and place over medium-low heat.
- Heat the mixture for 60 minutes, making sure not to bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once the flavors have melded together for 60 minutes, strain out the spices and reserve the citrus rounds for serving.
- Serve the warmed wine with a round of lemon and a round of orange.
Husband and wife team LINDSAY LANDIS and TAYLOR HACKBARTH are entrepreneurs by day, running a web and graphic design business out of their home in Nashville, Tennessee. By night they cook, bake, and eat all manner of delicious things. Their food blog, Love & Olive Oil (http://www.loveandoliveoil.com), chronicles their culinary adventures in and around the kitchen. Lindsay is the author of The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook (June 2012, Quirk Books), and their next book, a joint endeavor entitled Breakfast For Dinner, is set to be published in February of 2013.
Gaby Dalkin is private chef, recipe developer, food stylist and photographer specializing in simple and sassy recipes for the home cook! Her website, What's Gaby Cooking started in 2009, and includes her latest original recipes as well as her adventures in the food world. 
This is such a perfect Wine for Christmas and totally unique – love it thank you so much for this recipe!