All that is ancient is new again in every generation that discovers the ambrosia that is mulled wine. I discovered it while reading my Facebook feed a couple years ago. Our friend Matt’s daughter Amanda posted that she was drinking mulled wine. It sounded idyllic and–after mulling it over–I came up with my own recipe that I call Rocky Mountain Mulled Wine.
In her free time, when not curled up by the fireplace in her jammies with a mug of mulled wine, this is where you will catch Amanda, if you can, skiing with her dad Matt.
I’m a light-weight drinker and so adding cider to red wine with some spices, orange and honey just seems right. It’s become my favorite winter drink (except for warm eggnog with whisky) and is a great potion for driving away the cold of the great outdoors.
Pour 4 cups of wine into a medium-sized saucepan. I used The Big Box Green Pinot Noir.
Add four cups of apple cider to the pan. I used Big B’s.
Wash and rinse two oranges.
Knead both oranges then cut one in half and cut the other in slices up to the half-way point.
Squeeze the orange slices before adding to the wine-cider mixture, this releases the orange oil in the skin into the ambrosia.
Juice the remaining 3 orange halves and supplement with OJ, if necessary, to make a cup. 
Pour in juice through strainer.
Add approximately 1/4 cup honey or agave to the mixture in the pan.
Add a few pieces of star anise to the mixture. I love Penzey’s.
Add a 1/4 tsp nutmeg. I used the Kroger brand nutmeg.
Add a pinch of cloves.
Plus one cinnamon stick. Then set the pan on the stove at medium high and once it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
I discovered a lot of “mother” from the apple cider so to clarify it, I poured it through some cheesecloth and a strainer.
Mulled Wine
Serves 8
4 cups red wine
4 cups apple cider, if you used spiced apple cider, you do not need to add the spices shown below
2 oranges, one cut in slices up to the half-way mark
1 cup orange juice (use the juice of 1 1/2 oranges)
1/4 cup honey or agave
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pinch cloves
several pieces of star anise
In a medium-sized sauce pan mix wine, apple cider together. Roll both oranges, one at a time under your palm back and forth, to break up the pulp to make them easier to juice. Slice one of the oranges crosswise up to the halfway point and squeeze these slices into the wine-cider mix. Juice the remaining 1 1/2 orange slices and pour the juice through a strainer into the wine-cider mixture. Add the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and anise. (When I’m in a hurry, I buy spiced cider and omit the extra spices in the recipe.) Mix well and place on medium-high heat until the mixture boils and then simmer for 10 minutes.Keep refrigerated serve hot.
Enjoy!
Cooky
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