It seems so silly to me to be SO unbearably cold in 40-50 degree temperatures after growing up in the midwest, but almost at 5 years removed from frigid Michigan, my skin has become impossibly thin. Mulled wines are a favorite of mine when the weather is cold and I’m looking forward to sipping on one of these tonight. The amazing thing about this recipe however (aside from the fact that it is so delicious) is that it can be cooled and refrigerated to create a “syrup” if you will, to combine with champagne, creating an absolutely divine sparkling cocktail. If you’re looking for a cocktail with the complexity of a mulled wine at lower temperatures, this is a wonderful option. I recently served this at a party in both forms – warm for people looking to escape cool, fall temperatures as well as chilled and topped with sparkling for guests looking for something refreshing yet still festive.
Cinnamon Orange Mulled Wine
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes (if serving warm) / 3 hours (if serving cold)
Serves: 8 (if serving warm) / 12 (if serving with champagne as cocktail)
Ingredients
4 cups apple cider
1 (750 ml) bottle ONEHOPE Cabernet
1/4 cup honey
1 orange zested and juiced
10 cinnamon sticks
4 cloves
3 star anise
2 oranges peeled for garnish
Additional Ingredients for Cocktail
1 (750 ml) bottle ONEHOPE Sparkling Wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest or rind
Directions for Mulled Wine
1. Combine the cider, wine, honey, orange juice, zest, 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise in a large sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Pour into mugs and garnish with orange peels and cinnamon sticks.
Directions for Cocktail
1. Follow steps 1 and 2 above, but put aside 1 teaspoon of orange zest or a small piece of rind for your rimming sugar.
2. Remove pan from heat and set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Using a strainer, remove the excess orange rind and cinnamon sticks from your mixture and transfer into a carafe or bottle to cool. I like to funnel them into these with a fun and festive label or tag.
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until cold. (Can store refrigerated for up to one week).
5. While mixture is cooling, create your rimming sugar by combining sugar, cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of orange zest/rind in a food processor and blend until thoroughly mixed.
6. Rim glasses in sugar, pour glass half full with cooled mulled wine mixture and top with Sparkling.
CHEERS!
*Warm mulled wine recipe inspired by Ina Garten from here. Sparkling cocktail twist is my own 🙂
Recipe adapted from here.