Warm Your Christmas Spirit With Some Vin Brulé

If you've read a couple of our recent Christmas posts, you may notice a consistent theme over and over.  We have been thoroughly enjoying the official drink of the season, vin brulé from the markets of Trentino Alto-Adige to the lakeside shores of Lugano, Switzerland.  I promise you, we are by no means a pair of winos - but I'm pretty sure it's against the law not to have a vin brulé in your hands as you stroll through the Christmas markets.

Homemade vin brulé

We have been having so much fun thawing the chill from our bones with this delicious winter drink that we thought we should make it at home for ourselves.  I have to say, for our first attempt - it was pretty darn good!  And since we enjoyed this easy and delicious recipe so much, we decided it was only fair to share it with you.  Of course, that meant that we had to go back to the test kitchen and whip up another batch!

What is vin brulé, you ask?  You may know it better as mulled wine or glühwein (it is a very common German drink).  No matter what you call it - it is basically a red wine heated over a flame, sweetened with sugar and seasoned with spices and fruit.  The result is nothing short of perfection.  You are sure to find the drink in just about any of the thousands of holiday markets set up all over Europe in December.

Here's how it is made (follow closely... nah, just kidding.  It's pretty easy).

Ingredients (serving for four)

>1.5 liters of red wine (a lot will cook down)
>1.5 cups of sugar
>4 to 8 cloves
>Nutmeg to taste
>2 cinnamon sticks
>2 mandarins (you can also use a small orange)

Your ingredients - feel free to add or subtract items

The great thing about the ingredients for this recipe is that they don't have to be exact.  You can use what you have lying around.  If you like more nutmeg flavor - go ahead and add it.  This is completely based on personal preference.

Directions
>Slice some of the citrus peels and set them aside
>Grate the zests of one of the manderian and add to a pot with the sugar, cloves, cinnamon and citrus peels
>Add about one cup of the wine and cook on a high heat until everything blends together.  This will create a thick almost syrup like liquid that is infused with tones of Christmas flavor.  You don't want to use all of your wine because cooking it at this high heat will burn off the alcohol
>Add the remaining wine and reduce the heat to a low simmer
>Serve and enjoy!

Add the ingredients 

Add one cup of the wine 

Cook over a high heat

There you have it!  Easy and delicious!

We wanted to be sure to post this recipe on Christmas, with the hope that you make this delicious and easy drink on your own today or tonight.  You have our personal guarantee that it will increase your festive cheer by 19.6%.  That's 4.6% higher than the next best thing... not getting underwear in your stocking.