Mulled Wine with Honey and Orange

There’s mulled wine, and then there is this recipe. To be sure that the mulled wine is at its best, here are a few tips:

• Use a fruity but full-bodied red wine. Merlot is my first choice, but Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon also work. Beaujolais, while fruity, is too thin for my taste.

• Buy moderately priced wine, not cheap plonk. Your mulled wine will only be as good as your ingredients.

• Never let mulled wine come to a boil. Let it heat very slowly over low heat so the spices and orange zest release their flavors. A slow cooker on the Low setting is the perfect serving utensil.

Makes 2 quarts; about 16 servings
Make Ahead: The wine is best made just before serving.

Ingredients:
• 1 large seedless orange
• 12 whole cloves
• 12 allspice berries
• Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 3 cardamom pods, crushed (optional)
• One 1 and 1⁄2-liter bottle fruity red wine, such as Merlot
• 1 cup honey
• 2⁄3 cup orange-flavored liqueur, preferably Grand Marnier or Grand Gala

Preparation:
1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from the orange. Rinse and wring out a 12- inch-square piece of cheesecloth. Wrap the orange zest, cloves, allspice, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom, if using, in the cheesecloth and tie with a piece of kitchen string. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice from the orange. Set the juice aside.

2. In a large nonaluminum pot, combine the wine, honey, Grand Marnier, orange juice, and spice packet. Heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the honey, over low heat until hot but not boiling, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker set on Low and serve hot.

This recipe was published in 'Christmas 101 - p26'.