Getting ready for our Salon de la Vie? So is our host, the wonderful Becca – and this is is what she will be drinking.
Fancy getting your drink in hand to watch this year’s Flying into Christmas festival salon? Well allow me to heartily recommend this delicious recipe for white – yes you heard me right, WHITE mulled wine.
This is a Scandinavian classic that my very cool and well travelled older cousin told me years ago and it’s been the drink of choice at every Christmas party I’ve ever had since (thanks cousin Ali!). Usually, guests are pretty sure they will only try the white out of curiosity but it quickly outstrips the red in popularity and I have to hand over the recipe to one and all, so here goes!
Prepare your glass with some blanched almonds and if possible golden sultanas (I’m being knob, any will do, but I like the golden ones!)
Gently heat white wine in a pan with a couple of cinnamon sticks, a star anise, some cardamom pods, a nob of ginger, some peppercorns and half a lemon with a couple of cloves in (I do this so the cloves can be removed easily rather than sitting there for the whole mull which can make it a bit medicinal for my taste, just remove according to taste)
Add some honey or syrup (I’m vegan so I add coconut syrup or a light date syrup), again just taste to see how sweet you want it, you can always balance over sweeting with a squeeze of the lemon.
Let this all simmer until the flavours are released and the wine is nice and warm, try to avoid it boiling (obvs!)
Finally, just before you serve, add a healthy glug of vodka or schnapps if you have it (if you add it too early the alcohol burns off, we wouldn’t want that!) or add it earlier if you do actually want to take a little mercy on your guests or yourself!! It’s that simple. And honestly, it’s delicious.
See you with a glass in hand on the 15th!
