This is one of those holiday traditions that I’ve always heard of, yet never had the chance to try or make myself until an event recently. Turns out that it’s as tasty as it sounds and really isn’t hard to make though I will say, some of the spices can be a bit pricey if you don’t have em on hand already. That said, feel free to substitute or omit some of them if you need to and view this as more of a guide than something set in stone.
One thing I will say is that the fresh orange zest and ginger really make a difference with this so use both liberally.
Mise En Place
- Knife and board
- Large pot
- Small pan (optional)
Ingredients
- Two or three bottles of red wine
- An orange
- Fresh ginger
- Cloves
- Cardamon
- Star Anise
- Cinnamon
- Black pepper
Method of Preparation
- Pour the wine in the pot and heat on low.
- While the wine is heating, zest the orange, slice it and add both to the wine.
- Peel the ginger with a spoon and then chop or grate it and add to the wine
- Now you can either add the spices raw to the wine and this is fine but….
- You can also heat up the spices for just a minute to help release the oil and flavor a bit faster but err on the side of caution and don’t burn em.
Notes
- Some people add sugar to this and that’s fine but I like to let the sweetness of the orange come through. If you want to add a cup, go for it but start small, stir well and taste and then add more if you need to.
- Toasting the spices isn’t mandatory by any means but I think it makes a difference.