Friday, December 11, 2009

Vin Chaud

Hot Cocktail.

I was so very lucky to recently make a holiday jaunt to Europe. While on our trip, all the cities we visited were already in full swing for Christmas with beautiful decorations and window displays that were awe-inspiring. My favorite city for holiday cheer was definitely Paris. On the Champs Elysees they have set up dozens and dozens of booths where you can purchase handmade crafts and gifts and my favorite...FOOD!

With my husband completely full of all things nutella (crepes, waffles, and beignets), I promptly headed towards the booths with Vin Chaud. There is just nothing better than hot mulled wine when you are window shopping in the cold. Check out the recipe below to give it a try during the holidays. I think that I will make it and pretend that I'm right back in Paris. Ahh...

Image courtesy of Flickr.

Vin Chaud
1 bottle red wine (beaujolais if you can find it)
4 cinnamon sticks
1 5-inch by ½-inch piece of orange zest (white pith removed)
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cardamon pods
5 whole cloves
1/3 cup Cognac

Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to just under a simmer over the lowest heat setting on the stovetop. Do not allow the wine to boil. The mulled wine is hot enough when the sugar has dissolved and pulling and lifting a spoon from the wine brings up steam. If desired, strain the spices from the wine by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined collander. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Cognac to a mug and ladle the mulled wine over it.

4 comments:

Katy Mary said...

Ooooh this sounds SO GOOD! I'm a big wine fan and will most definitely be trying this out!

Alison Winnie said...

MMM Amber this is the best! We just went to a Christmas Market in Nürnberg, Germany and they have stand set up everywhere with this. But in Germany they call it Glüwein. Some of the stands even mixed it with Whiskey. I hope to bring a bottle back home for Christmas!

La Petite Gallery said...

My very first visit.

WhEEEEEEE!!!

It sounds great .
I have the cognac
and a bottle of George Dubceuf's
Beaujolais-villages

It has to be fabulous..


yvonne

Hip Hostess said...

You will all LOVE it. And it get's you in the holiday spirit. Allie, I love the German name too. Drinks are fun if they sound fun!! :)