It is time: December is upon us and the most festive beverages are once again being made at Christmas markets all over the world. But with the cost of living crisis raging on in the background, you might save yourself a couple pence by making your mulled wine (or cider!) at home.
Traditional, never out-of-style mulled wine (which also tastes like proper mulled wine not like a melted plastic cup for £6):
First, get a bottle of red wine. Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec are the typical choices if you prefer your wine sweeter, or alternatively if you’d like something more zingy, feel free to go for a dryer type of red wine.
You’ll also need one or two cinnamon sticks (one for half a bottle, two if you’re boiling the entire bottle), two star anises, 4-6 cloves, two strips of lemon zest, and anywhere between three to four tablespoons of caster sugar. The total price of these ingredients (including the wine) should come to around £9 to £10 if you buy them from Tesco, and serves three.
Boom! That’s a nice and easy mulled wine, all done.
If you’re tired of drinking the same old thing every time the festive season comes around, there’s a way to spice it up – and try something new. By adding some unusual and interesting ingredients into the recipe, you can quickly turn a Christmas dinner into a party if you make it right (provided you and your guests like rosé).
For this recipe, as mentioned above, you’ll need a bottle of rosé wine, one star anise, a ball of stem ginger (sliced up; can also use fresh ginger – which will be shown on this basket), a teaspoon of black peppercorns, some allspice berries, a quarter of a grapefruit, and some blackcurrant juice.
If you consider yourself sophisticated (but on a budget), and just want something different but rosé is too cringe for you (in which case your tastes can be seriously questioned), you can also opt for mulled white wine.
You can never go wrong with a Moscato if you have a sweet tooth, but any white wine will do, from Pinot Grigio to Chardonnay.
This time, you need a bottle of white wine, 150ml elderflower cordial, two strips of lemon zest, two cinnamon sticks, a vanilla pod, and three to five tablespoons of sugar. Additionally, you can also add in some cider to make it more spicy!
The last beverage on this list has to be the classic mulled cider. Many might say it’s better than wine, but this should be left to one’s taste buds. If you just can’t get enough of it, or if you want to try something different for the first time, you can’t go wrong with cider either way.
For this recipe, you’ll need at least a 1.5 litre bottle of cider, 500ml of apple juice, a strip of orange zest, four or five cloves, two cinnamon sticks, and a tablespoon of allspice berries, and if you’d like to tune the fruitiness up a notch, then you can also add some Calvados or other fruit brandy (if you can afford it).
Words: Istvan Botond Beres|Subbing: Lumi Leinonen, Andreea Bejan
As the cost of living in the UK continues to rise, renters are facing an…
According to various fashion editors, critics and publications, 2023 will be a mesh between continuing…
The biggest girl group in the world shut down the O2 arena in December. The…
With many paintings in danger of damage, are museums protecting the longevity of their valuables?…
Chelsea F.C. have gotten off to a good start since Christmas and haven't lost a…
Tottenham Hotspur lost their first game since Christmas in a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa…