Patsy's Festive Tipple

Many of us like a warming draught of mulled wine during the Christmas festivities, and this year we have decided to ring the changes and try something slightly different.

Rather than reaching for a couple of bottles of red plonk and a sachet of mulled wine spices, adding brown sugar and lacing the finished beverage, once warm, with a generous slug of brandy, I’ve rummaged in the store cupboard to unearth the following ingredients:

1 bottle of pinot grigio
¼ pint of cloudy apple juice
a generous tablespoonful of local honey *
½ a dozen cloves
1 small nutmeg
a small stick of cinnamon
1 small eating apple, sliced in rounds across the core
1 small orange, sliced in rounds.

The method couldn’t be simpler.  Take a medium saucepan and put all the ingredients in together.  Warm slowly, over a gentle heat, stirring the mix to ensure the flavours are evenly distributed.  When steam starts to rise, taste the concoction to make sure it is sweetened to your liking and switch off the heat. Cover and leave it for 30 minutes to allow the spices to infuse.  When the guests arrive, warm it slowly, not allowing it to reach boiling point, strain the spices if you like, and serve in warmed glasses.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 *  Always use local honey rather than a generic jar from the supermarket.  Local honey is made from nectar harvested by bees from the flowers in fields and trees near you!  The flavour is excellent and the ingredients are pure, which may not be the case when you buy honey imported from other countries.  The flavour imparted to the mulled wine by local honey will be – well, nectar to the tastebuds.